From the shop floor to the floor of the House of Commons!
A significant campaign win for Co-operative movement and Usdaw the trade union as the Government commits to backing our calls for assault of shop workers to be made a stand alone offence.
As well as being essential frontline workers they are tasked with enforcing laws parliament sets on age restricted sales and more. They deserve the protection of parliament in return.
We’ve been campaigning nationally in parliament at events and in the commons chamber, and locally in Oldham, including during our Christmas street stall.
The test now, beyond the commitment is to deliver the; 1). law; not watered down to a rehashed aggravating factor. 2). police; so they turn up to all violent crimes in shops. 3). justice; through to the courts and sentencing.
I doubt this would have happened without the determination of Alex Norris, Shadow Policing Minister and support of Yvette Cooper as Shadow Home Secretary who lead and backed calls for this including at Labour Conference.
We are looking for a Constituency Caseworker to join my busy team based at Chadderton Town Hall.
We support around 8,000 personal casework and campaign lobbies from constituents each year, helping many people to get a fair deal from government departments and local public bodies, including housing, welfare, education, and health services to name just a few. Many cases are personal and often sensitive and so a high level of humility and compassion, as well as an attention to detail, good organisation and a professional manner is required.
We support all constituents regardless of how they voted, whether they voted or not, and without fear or favour to ensure everyone who needs it has access to appropriate support and guidance.
Role responsibilities
Assist surgeries and other meetings and follow up as appropriate.
Deal with large numbers of standard queries, as well as assisting on more complex cases from members of the public by phone, email, social media, or face-to-face. Ongoing communication may be required.
Gather relevant information to assist with resolving cases.
Log all cases; monitor progress and ensure all identified actions are taken.
Ensure records are kept and information managed confidentially in line with the data protection legislation.
Draft responses to constituents.
Critically analyse patterns of enquiries and articulate the findings in reports and communication with the MP and other staff members.
Establish, monitor, and update a social media and online presence in the constituency. Produce online graphics and video content, as well as publicising surgeries and news alerts etc.
Establish, monitor, and update a social media and online presence in the constituency. Produce online graphics and video content, as well as publicising surgeries and news alerts etc.
Manage and monitor social media enquiries, dealing with cases that do not need to be transferred to a higher level. Ensure all enquiries are dealt with in a timely manner.
Ensure that each case is dealt with promptly, sensitively, confidentially, and accurately in accordance with the MP.
A working knowledge of IT including basic Microsoft packages including Word, Outlook, Excel and Powerpoint is essential, and training can be provided if needed on our specialist casework tracking and reporting system.
A driving license would be an advantage as you will also support constituency-based events as required. Evenings and weekend working will be required in support of advice surgeries and public meetings on casework related issues.
Pay and terms
This is a newly established Full-Time role to expand our capacity with a salary range set by IPSA (Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority) starting from £22,605+ depending on experience.
All staff are auto enrolled into the Parliamentary Pension Scheme.
Upon appointment you will be required to apply for security clearance, undertaken by the Parliamentary Security Vetting and Pass Office.
You should share the values of the Labour Party and Co-operative Party and demonstrate a commitment to public service.
To apply please send a brief covering letter outlining your experience and reasons for applying, together with your CV to kyle.phythian@parliament.uk no later than 5pm 06/05/24 (extended to Bank Holiday Monday).
Following the roundtable with minister Julia Lopez on 25th March, which followed the Westminster Hall I secured, MP’s have now received an update on what action is proposed.
I have included the letter, and will pull out key elements;
Firstly; on the 28 days notice required to the planning authority. The issue that even once notified the ability for councils to refuse permission is very limited, and in the end often only comes down the ability to negotiate colour or screening options, not whether or not it can be in place at all, unless for example it is blocking the public highway. Masts below 15 metres are considered Permitted Development, but at 15 metres it’s already taller than three stacked double decker buses.
Secondly; and potentially better news is the commitment to review the Cabinet Siting and Pole Siting Code of Practice to promote “better working practices”. I am concerned that the letter says this will be driven by industry, when it is industry themselves causing the problem. This has the potential to miss an opportunity to require equipment to be installed off the highway as a first port of call, or to insist that underground trucking is used.
Thirdly, I am deeply disappointed more isn’t being proposed to force operators to share equipment, again allowing the industry to self-organise. The problem with this is that the value of being a host is obviously more beneficial than hiring equipment. The result is still that multiple companies could install side by side equipment, doubling the inconvenience and intrusion.
I am pleased that the Minister has committed to review the bond scheme, which few have faith in at the moment. This is because it requires the company to hold funds within it’s own accounts, but what if it goes bust? It then falls to taxpayers through the council to remove it.
It is clear that the progress we had hoped for, in particular the requirement to use underground trunking and to provide surveys to Ofcom and the local council which can be spot checked, looks like it isn’t being taken forward.
I will follow up as I’ve committed to do, and more immediately my office will continue to support constituents where possible on site by site issues.
The sewage pollution campaign is now mainstream and awareness of what’s been happening is growing all the time.
That England’s largest lake, Windermere is used to dump raw human sewage by United Utilities is symbolic of the treatment of the country by the Tory governmental they’ve taken our money in £billions of dividend payments instead of investing it to make the country better.
With that abuse is the risk to jobs and livelihoods for the huge tourist industry based around it and other lakes in the Lake District. The same is true of our shores at Blackpool and Fleetwood too.
But what draw me to this outrage was closer to home when it became clear that brooks, rivers and even open spaces in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton were routinely being used to dump raw human sewage directly from peoples homes, when bill payers were paying more and more in good faith to have it treated.
For instance in Royton, a single site near Elk Mill had 40 discharges running for over 354 hours in 2022. Foxdenton Lane, shown in the photo, had 76 discharges running for over 103 hours.
It’s long overdue that time was called on the Wild West of the water industry and the public interest (who pay for it all) was put before shareholders.
It was wonderful to meet with pupils from Oldham Hulme Grammar School both at an assembly and in a question and answer session later, before the Easter break.
We discussed a wide range of issues in politics locally, nationally and around the world; all impressively prepared for.
School visits here and to Parliament itself are one of the best parts of the job, and it was a joy to take part in it.
It was also a good opportunity to meet with the principal Tony Oulten and other staff to talk about the school and its plans ahead for the over 700 pupils who attend.
Thank you all for your time and keep up the good work!
Today I virtually attended a roundtable regarding the ongoing concerning digital infrastructure developments and installations we are seeing in Oldham, Greater Manchester and across the country.
The roundtable was encouraging, with many MPs committed to tackling this issue and asking the government to look at what they can do on an urgent basis to address our communities concerns.
I raised the issues we are having in Chadderton & Royton and the ongoing issues around siting, regulation and legacy concerns that we need to see addressed immediately to give a voice back to our communities.
The government said it would take our comments on board, and will be updating MPs with their course of action as soon as possible. I will make constituents aware of any changes we see off the back of the roundtable.
