Hello and welcome to this week's edition of the Denton and Reddish weekly news! 

This week, Parliament has been in recess, giving me the chance to get out and about locally.
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I particularly enjoyed getting over to Denton Festival Hall for the first theatre production in 25 years, and celebrating South Asian Heritage Month.

Take a look!

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has encouraged local community groups to express their interest in a new fund for community defibrillator’s.

The Department for Health and Social Care is inviting interested organisations to register expressions of interest for its £1 million Community Automated External Defibrillators (AED) Fund, aimed at increasing the number of AEDs in public places where they are most needed and help save lives.

As part of the grant award, applicants will be asked to demonstrate that defibrillators will be placed in areas where they are most needed, such as places with high footfall, vulnerable people, rural areas, or due to the nature of activity at the site.

Examples could include town halls, community centres, local shops, post offices and local parks, to ensure that defibrillators are evenly spread throughout communities and easily accessible if someone is experiencing an unexpected cardiac arrest.

An estimated 1,000 new defibrillators are to be provided by the fund, with the potential for this to double as successful applicants will be asked to match the funding they receive partially or fully.

Organisations who submit an expression of interest will be notified once grant applications open to the fund.

Organisations can submit an expression of interest here.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said: 

“Defibrillators save lives, and its absolutely essential that we have as many as possible in the local community so that care can be delivered effectively and without delay.

“We have some fantastic community groups right across Denton and Reddish, so I’d really encourage them to express their interest in this fund so they don’t miss out once formal applications open.”

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has slammed the Government after analysis revealed that local people will – on average – pay £175 more per month on their mortgage bills.

Gwynne criticised the Government for pushing up inflation, crashing the economy with Liz Truss’ botched mini-budget, and failing to address the housing crisis.

Labour has set out a four-point plan to tackle soaring mortgage bills by:

• Bringing in a package of immediate mandatory mortgage measures to make sure lenders are doing all they can for borrowers. At the moment, the Government’s approach is leaving 1 million homeowners out in the cold and doesn’t cover 2 million buy-to-let.
• Fixing the housing crisis in the long-term, reforming our planning system to build more quality, affordable homes.
• Introducing a Private Renters Charter to help renters feeling the crunch, whilst making renting fairer and more affordable.
• Getting more people on the ladder and giving local people first dibs on new homes in there area.

This would come alongside action to work towards becoming a clean energy superpower, as well as fixing the gaps in the Government’s botched Brexit deal to bring down the cost of food.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said:

“These figures are shocking. That local people are being forced to fork out £175 more every month thanks to Government incompetence is absolutely infuriating.

“In the short-term, we need to make sure that local people are being supported by their lenders so that nobody is left out in the cold. This must come alongside wide-rangingwork to fix our housing crisis, help renters and get more people on the ladder.

“The Tories have shown they aren’t fit to get on with this work, so they need to move out of the way before even more local people end up paying the price.”

A titanic performance at Denton Festival Hall 

Allison and I had such a fantastic afternoon last weekend at the matinee showing of Titanic the musical at the Denton Festival Hall. 

This is the first production at the Hall for over 25 years, and the place was packed out. 

Well done to Ensemble theatre for putting on such an exceptional show, and to all the volunteers who make the magic happen.

Here's to the pantomime! 

Farewell to the High Commissioner for Pakistan   

Thank you to the Pakistan Consulate General Manchester and specifically the Consul-General, Tariq Wazir, for inviting me to a brilliant celebration event at Merzee in Levenshulme to thank the outgoing High Commissioner for Pakistan, Moazzam Ahmad Khan, for all the service and friendship he’s shown.

So many people from across Greater Manchester and the wider North West came to say goodbye and thank you. Wishing him and his wife the all the best for whatever comes next for them.

Celebrating South Asian Heritage Month  

Thank you to Levenshulme’s Councillor Zahid Hussain who invited me to the launch of his second book in “The Curry Mile” trilogy at a fantastic South Asian Heritage Month event in Manchester Central Library on Monday evening.

It was a brilliant event with two book launches, a Q&A with both authors, and Punjabi music and dance, too.

I’m also so grateful at how welcoming the Councillors in my new constituency are making me feel ahead of the General Election.

READ: In the latest edition of the Tameside Reporter I've written about last week's by-elections and what they mean for a future General Election.

I've also written about the responsibility of being an elected representative, and why politics is about never taking your eye off the ball when it comes to repaying the trust of the people who voted for you.

I know that local people are crying out for change, which is why I am so determined to deliver a Government that works in the interests of ordinary people.

Read the full piece here.