|
Hello and welcome to the Denton and Reddish Weekly News!
I hope you've had a good week. There's been lots on, including some fantastic local events and spirited debates in Parliament, take a look at this week's 60-second recap below!
|
|
Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has criticised the government after new data revealed that around 121,000 people died across England last year while still waiting for NHS care, double the number of people who died on waiting lists in 2017/2018. The figures are also higher than in 2021, when the country was still in the midst of the Covid pandemic.
In Tameside, 94 patients died while on waiting lists. The NHS constitution states that patients should not wait more than 918 weeks for treatment, but almost half of patients in England today wait longer than that to receive healthcare.
The public now face the longest waiting lists in NHS history, with a record 7.6 million people waiting for treatment. At Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust alone, there are currently 21,968 people on NHS waiting lists.
Rishi Sunak promised to cut NHS waiting lists, but there are 600,000 more patients waiting for NHS care today than when he became Prime Minister.
Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said:
“It is just beyond tragic that we now have record numbers of people are spending their final months in pain and agony, waiting for treatment that never arrives.
“Local people deserve an NHS that will be there for them when they need it. But that basic promise has been broken by this Government. The longer the Conservatives are in office, the longer patients will wait.
“Only Labour can rescue the NHS from this crisis and restore it to good health. We will train the staff needed to treat patients on time again, and reform the service to make it fit for the future.”
|
|
“Our growth plan has delivered all these promises and more, Mr Speaker, and I commend it to the House!” so said Kwasi Kwarteng to a stunned House of Commons as he introduced Liz Truss’s mini budget on the 23 of September 2022.
One year on from this infamous announcement, it still feels surreal that this ‘growth plan’ happened at all and was the actual policy of the Government. £45bn of unfunded tax cuts for the rich, the limit to bankers’ bonuses scrapped; it seemed designed to cause as much chaos as possible.
And it did. The pound tanked, mortgage rates skyrocketed and working people – already struggling under the weight of the cost-of-living crisis – were left in the lurch.
One year on, I still feel angry on behalf of the people I represent here in Tameside. Local people rightly expect that the Government will work responsibly and in their best interests. When that trust is damaged, it’s bad for the public and bad for our politics more generally.
The cost-of-living crisis is still biting people hard here in Tameside. There have been incredible efforts made locally to help those in need with things like food and energy bills, but ultimately local organisations are fighting an uphill battle. I’ve said that the Government needs to match these efforts nationally, and that means putting fiscal responsibility and stability right at the heart of everything they do.
This is something I’m really pleased Labour has committed to. What Liz Truss didn’t understand was that growth will only be sustainable if it’s built on the rock of economic stability. We need to see investment in good, green jobs and in our brilliant local businesses, but this has to come in the form of a fully-funded and costed plan. Similarly, we need to focus on the things that are actually hampering growth. Things like poor housing, failing transport, insecure work, and crumbling public services. These were all areas that have been overlooked by this Government, and our economy has totally slumped as a result.
Now all this might sound obvious to lots of people in Tameside, but this focus is urgently needed back in Government. We’ve had chaos and instability for far too long. It’s time to give working people the support, certainty and security that they deserve.
|
|
|
Andrew in the constituency
|
|
|
Pink Ladies Refurbishment
|
|
Last weekend, Cllr Allison Gwynne and I visited the newly refurbished Pink Ladies Dessert in Denton. If you’ve not been, they’re on Manchester Road and have been open for a while now.
Do pay them a visit, fantastic food and a lovely atmosphere!
|
|
A New Nursery at Audenshaw Primary School
|
|
It was my pleasure to be asked to officially open the new Nursery at Audenshaw Primary School last Friday… with some help from Mia and Noah.
It’s a great facility and the children all seemed to be having great fun. I love visiting schools in my constituency and seeing some of the great work being done to educate the next generation.
Early years is where it starts and this nursery is just brilliant. Thanks for the invite! 
|
|
New Constituency Walkabout
|
|
As I start to concentrate on getting to know the communities I’ll be taking on in the new Gorton and Denton Parliamentary Constituency at the next election, I’ve asked the local councillors for each Ward to begin showing me around and meet people.
Last Saturday I was over in Gorton and Abbey Hey. A massive 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to Councillors Julie Reid, John Hughes and Afia Kamal for their time today.
They showed me the new Gorton Hub, we met stall holders and chatted with shoppers in Gorton Market, they told me about the huge regeneration Masterplan for Gorton district centre and then finally we went over to the brilliant community day at Vine Street Park in Abbey Hey.
𝗜𝘁’𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲!
|
|
 Great to meet Mark and Pete from POS Landcare, the owners of Jet Amber Fields, last Friday. Cllr Allison Gwynne and I met with them to show them a number of issues that Friends of the Tame Valley want resolving, along with some issues that I wanted to raise with them as a Denton North East Councillor.
We walked the whole of the site in their ownership and picked up a number of things including:
• Damaged stone wall at Lovers’ Alley
• Footpath and bridleway work
• Bailey Bridge repairs
• Fallen trees in the river
• Japanese Knotweed treatment
• Exposed landfill along the riverbank
• Homeless people camping in the woods
• Entrances at Broadhurst and St Anne’s Road need securing
• Footpath erosion on Broomstair Lane, Death Hill and Dunkirk Lane
They seemed very keen to work closely with Tameside Council, the Friends Group and also the River Tame Working Group. Hopefully we will see some of these matters start to be attended to.
|
|
 WATCH: The UK is lagging behind comparable nations when it comes to green jobs, despite having huge potential.
I raise this in Energy Security and Net Zero Questions, and ask the Secretary of State why we're so behind the curve when it comes to the jobs of the future.
|
|
WATCH: In Home Office oral questions, I press the Minister on violent crimes after new data revealed that JUST 5.6% of crimes were solved last year.
According to the Minister though, things are improving. It's worth remembering too that the way data for crime was collected changed in 2015... so the Minister's 'data comparison' is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. 
|
|
 LISTEN: It was great to speak on Times Radio last weekend about Labour's vision for the NHS, and why driving down waiting lists will be an absolute priority for the next Labour Government.
With more than 7.2 million people on waiting lists, change can't come soon enough. Labour will invest in the NHS workforce, and give our health service the technology and reform it needs to thrive.
|
|
LISTEN: It was great to speak to BBC Essex this week to discuss escalating strike action in the NHS.
There is no excuse for the Prime Minister's failure to sit down with NHS doctors to try to bring an end to these strikes.
The risk to patients is intolerable and appointments are being cancelled, but the PM and his Health Secretary are refusing to even MEET with doctors.
When it comes to the NHS, as with so much else, Rishi Sunak is Inaction Man.
|
|
|
|
|
𝗔 𝗕𝗜𝗚 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 
You can donate via the below link depending on which constituency you live in:
