Dear Constituent,

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of the Denton and Reddish Weekly News. 

I hope that you had a wonderful bank holiday weekend and a restful Easter Sunday.

There are some great events on this weekend, including a Friends of the Tame Valley Spring Clean on Sunday. Scroll down to the community board to find out more!

In May, I'll be taking to the skies in a Wing Walk for 9-year old Florence. Florence has a rare life-limiting degenerative condition called #GM1. We're raising money for Florence and her family to make wonderful memories. If you can, please click below to donate.

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has backed Labour’s plans to help first time buyers on the housing ladder.

Gwynne has called on the Government to ‘get a grip’ on the housing crisis, which has seen prices double since 2009, and local people priced out of getting onto the property ladder.

As part of its wider strategy to tackle the housing crisis, Labour has pledged to extend the mortgage guarantee scheme, and give first time buyers first dibs on new houses in their area. This will come alongside wide-ranging planning reforms to build more genuinely affordable homes and action to stop entire developments being sold to overseas investors.

The Government has been criticised by Labour for not doing enough to support first time buyers and homeowners during the cost-of-living crisis. As a result of the disastrous Tory mini-budget last year, Labour analysis shows that households across the North West are paying around £350 more each month in mortgage repayments.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said: 

“I’m really pleased that Labour is setting out concrete measures to address the housing crisis, while working people and first-time buyers across Denton and Reddish continue to pay the price for Tory incompetence.

“We all deserve the right to decent, affordable homes. Unfortunately, this Government’s failure to get a grip on the housing crisis has seen prices almost double over the last 13 years.

“Only Labour will tackle the housing crisis and build a better Britain.”

It’s that time of year again. Blossoms are blooming, bees are buzzing, and temperatures are slowly starting to rise.

I love Spring. It’s a season of new beginnings, where we look forward to the future, and watch the natural world shake off the harsh English winter months. It’s during spring when I feel most grateful to have access to some incredible green spaces.

It’s been really heartening, then, to see communities pulling together to protect their natural spaces, and to make the most of this wonderful season.

Those of you who know me will know how passionate I am about Friends of the Tame Valley (FoTV) – the community group I helped form in 2021 and which has grown from strength to strength. It’s been so inspiring to see volunteers taking time out of their day to spruce up the valley and plant in anticipation of Spring.

FoTV will be holding their next ‘Spring Clean’ this Sunday at 10:30am, meeting at Dunkirk Lane Car Park in Jet Amber Fields. If you’re free, do pop over and lend a helping hand. It’s a fantastic way to spend a Sunday morning and makes such a positive difference to the local environment.

But it isn’t just FoTV doing great work. Last week, I helped the Friends of Horses Field Dane Bank plant 500 new trees with the support of City of Trees. As if that isn’t evidence enough of the power of community, we’ve recently seen the creation of Friends of Ladbroke Wood and Friends of Victoria Park. These groups have been formed with the help of local Councillors and residents are signing up in their droves, determined to make a difference.

I want to pass Tameside on to the next generation in a better condition than when I found it, and I know that ambition is shared strongly across the local area. When local people pull together, the possibilities are endless.

I look forward to supporting existing community groups, and helping new ones as they inevitably flourish. We all share ownership of our precious natural resources. We have a responsibility not only to enjoy them, but also to protect them.

So, if you hear of a new community group, why not get involved? You’ll make new friends, learn skills, and change Tameside for the better.

Save Denton Halifax   

Get a little X-tra Help… we need this bank branch to stay open in Denton. It’s the last bank in the entire constituency, and many of my constituents are digitally excluded. 

Halifax needs to urgently rethink the Denton closure, due to take place in Autumn.

Big thanks to local resident, and longtime family friend, Maureen for collecting petition signatures! If you see her outside the bank, please say hello and sign. 

And if you aren't able to sign Maureen's physical petition, Team Denton North East have set up one online, which they will merge with Maureen's. To sign click here.

Friends of Reddish South Station 🚉

It was really lovely to be at the AGM of the brilliant Friends of Reddish South Station earlier this week - a great group campaigning for a much-needed rail service from Stockport to Manchester Victoria via Reddish South and Denton…We will get there (eventually)!!

 Denton Town Twinning Association   

 I had a fantastic night at Howard’s Neighbourhood Bar in Denton helping to raise funds for the Denton Town Twinning Association yesterday. 

They’re a brilliant voluntary organisation (who receive no public money) who maintain links with Denton’s two twin towns Montigny le Bretonneux and Kierspe

A big thank you to George Newton for organising… a great night had by all and hopefully some good amounts raised to allow twinning activity to be planned for next year.

📅 Parliament is currently in recess and will return on the 17th April.

 READ: In the latest edition of the Heaton's Post, I've written about the local elections, and why this year you will need to remember your voter ID. 

Local elections are really important, and allow you to have your say about how the local area is run. So please, make sure you're registered and use your voice!

Read the full piece here.