Dear Constituent,

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has joined with local councillors to urge Lloyds to reconsider the proposed closure of their Reddish branch – the last bank in the town.

The Lloyds Reddish branch in Houldsworth Square is due to close on 26 May 2020 and customers will be written to shortly.

This closure follows the closures of Natwest and Barclays branches in Reddish in 2015 and 2016 respectively, leaving Reddish without a bank.

Gwynne will also write to the Chief Executive of Lloyds Bank and the Business Secretary to object to this move.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“This is incredibly disappointing news for Reddish. The town is now left without a bank and that will hit many of the most socially excluded hardest, as well as causing major issues for many of our small businesses.

 

“This move puts profit before people and I would strongly urge Lloyds to reconsider this damaging decision.

 

“Both residents and businesses in Reddish need a bank and I will be making this point very clear to the Government.”

Councillor Kate Butler (Reddish North) said:

“The Lloyds closure marks the end of banking services in Reddish which will be a blow to business and individual account holders alike.

 

“I would like some assurance from Lloyds that once they have vacated the building they will do all they can to ensure it does not fall into disrepair and become an unwelcome eyesore on Houldsworth Square”.

Councillor Yvonne Guariento (Reddish South) said:

“This is very disappointing and represents a very poor offer to Reddish from the banking community.

 

“It is a huge blow for older people in particular, who are used to going into the bank to access services and who may not have access to – or trust in – online banking.”

 

A variety of measures will be introduced to deal with ongoing issues of vandalism, damage and antisocial behaviour in Denton’s Victoria Park, following a meeting convened by Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, on Friday 24th January.

Gwynne was joined by representatives from Tameside Council, Greater Manchester Police, Denton Park Bowling and Social Club and Denton North East Councillors Vincent Ricci and Allison Gwynne. Councillor Denise Ward was unable to attend due to work commitments but fully supports the action.

At the meeting it was agreed that police patrols will be increased, the park gates will be locked at night, in the short-term a security company will be brought in, the houses surrounding the park will be letter dropped asking for confidential information, local schools will be visited by the police about the park issues and outreach youth workers will engage with local young people in and around the park.

The group will also look at how park facilities can be improved going forward and the Friends of Victoria Park group will be reconstituted.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“It was great to get all the agencies around the table to draw up a plan to tackle the issues in Victoria Park.

 

“The clear message is this area is for the town. It’s our jewel and we won’t allow it to be ruined by a small number of vandals.

 

“As well as the security measures, and policing, we are looking jointly at how we can improve the park’s facilities.

 

“If anybody is interested in joining the Friends of Victoria Park, a group we are re-establishing, then please contact my office at Denton Town Hall: [email protected] / 0161 320 1504.”

Councillor Denise Ward, speaking on behalf of her fellow Denton North East councillors Vincent Ricci and Allison Gwynne, said:

“We will continue working with our partners, police neighbour teams, our MP Andrew Gwynne, Tameside Council and our wonderful volunteers to make Denton a nice and safe place to live.

 

“We will be a strong voice for our community and work to bring this small group engaged in vandalism and antisocial behaviour to account.”

Nick Sayers, Head of Operations and Greenspace at Tameside Council, said:

“A number of positive actions were agreed with the Police and Council and I’m confident that with the joint working between all parties we will deal with the recent spate of anti-social behaviour and the Park will continue to be a fantastic place for our communities to enjoy”

Jane Higham of Greater Manchester Police said:

“In response to the recent antisocial behaviour and arson incidents at Victoria Park, there was a productive meeting on Friday between police, the local council and members of the local community to agree short and long term plans to prevent any further incidents.

 

“It is vital to protect our outdoor spaces and ensure they are safe for everyone to enjoy and we are committed to that cause. We have increased both police and council resources in the area as well as visiting local schools to ensure we are reaching some of the young people responsible.

 

“Please contact the police or Crimestoppers if you have any information that can help us identify those responsible.”

Denton Park Social Bowling Club Chair John Pyne and Secretary Tony Moran have put out a statement:

“We are pleased to be a part of this positive initiative. Plans immediately put in place to combat the current issues have proved to have been effective, with an agreed permanent long term solution.

 

“We are also feeling confident about implementing the Clubs Bowling in the Community 2020 program including the introduction of French Boules “Petanque” – a first in Tameside.”

 

This Monday, the 27^th January, marked the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Allied forces. Around 1.3 million people – the vast majority of them Jewish – were imprisoned in this single camp between May 1940 and January 1945. At least 1.1 million were executed by the Nazis at Auschwitz and only 7,000 inmates were found alive when the Soviet Red Army entered the camp 75 years ago.

 

Auschwitz is an important part of the story of the Holocaust, but unfortunately it is only a part. In total, around 6 million Jews were killed during the Second World War, whether in camps like Auschwitz or in their own communities. Adolf Hitler and the Nazis wanted to wipe out the Jewish people and in the course of the Holocaust around two thirds of all of Europe’s Jews died purely because they were Jewish.

 

The 27^th January is now commemorated as Holocaust Memorial Day in remembrance not just of those who died in the Holocaust, but also in related Nazi persecutions against groups like the Roma, gay people, disabled people, political opponents and others, as well as other later genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur and Rwanda.

 

Whilst three quarters of a century has passed since the horrors of the Holocaust finally came to an end, Holocaust Memorial Day reminds us just how important it is never to forget what happened in the 1930s and 1940s. This is because the Holocaust is not just some dead piece of history – the forces that spread hate against minority groups are still very much alive.

 

In recent years, there has been an incredibly worrying rise in antisemitic incidents and attacks against Jewish individuals and communities both in Europe and the United States. Furthermore, as has already been mentioned, the Holocaust sadly wasn’t the last genocide. There are still people who want to drive communities apart and attack people who don’t look or sound like them. Holocaust Memorial Day is a chilling reminder of where that can lead.

 

Having met Holocaust survivors and visited Yad Vashem – the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem – I know that I will never be able to forget about the horrors perpetrated against millions of Jewish people 75 years ago. Sadly however, it won’t be long until no Holocaust survivors remain. Holocaust Memorial Day is an important way of ensuring that their stories don’t die with them. We owe it to them never to forget.