Dear Constituent,

 

Key workers come in many shapes and forms, and every Thursday I’m proud to join thousands of you applauding them for all that they do, whether in hospitals, care homes, shops or elsewhere. There is one group of key workers, however, who I think have often been forgotten or overlooked during this crisis and that’s our council workers.

 

Coronavirus has posed a massive challenge to local councils across England. After a decade of deep cuts from central government, our councils are now on the frontline of dealing with this crisis. Luckily, here in Tameside, our council has really risen to the challenge right from the very start.

 

Council staff were quickly redeployed to key areas, notably the fantastic humanitarian hub in Dukinfield which has helped nearly 2,100 people in around 1,400 households. Staff from across the council worked at the hub to pack and deliver over 2,000 food parcels, and the dedicated call line has handled over 5,000 phone calls in the last six weeks. Council staff have worked with GPs, pharmacists and welfare staff to ensure that everybody is supported.

 

Tameside Council has also done fantastic work supporting our business community through this difficult time. Council staff worked back-to-back weekends, including over the Easter holiday, to make sure eligible businesses got the grants that they needed. Implementing this scheme is not easy and I’m proud of how well Tameside Council has managed it – this support is vital to ensure that the local businesses that we all rely on can make it through this crisis.

 

I think that our refuse and recycling team also deserves a special mention. Whilst bin collections in many parts of the country have experienced major disruption, Tameside Council has managed to continue collections of all our bins throughout the crisis. Thank you to everyone involved in keeping these services going!

 

In fact, it’s testament to the effectiveness of Tameside Council’s response to Coronavirus that, unlike in other boroughs, many people won’t have noticed much disruption over this period and this is all thanks to our wonderful council staff.

 

There are tough times ahead for our local councils as they have to deliver more and more services whilst receiving less and less funding. Unfortunately, the Government have found that they can cut this funding and let councils take the blame for changes to services. This crisis has been a reminder of the vital work that our Council does for us and again emphasises the importance of giving local government the funding it needs.

 

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has signed both a cross-party letter and a parliamentary motion calling on the Government to ensure that owners of pubs cancel commercial rent during the period of forced closures.

UK pubs are currently closed and unable to trade. Despite this, some pub-owning companies are still charging rent to their tenants, who have no trade and no income.

This problem is affecting a number pubs in the Denton and Reddish constituency, including the Bay Horse in Haughton Green. Whilst the company that owns the pub has now agreed to reduce rents by fifty percent, tenant Michael Hill is still likely to be in considerable debt once the crisis is over.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“Pubs are hugely important as community hubs and the Coronavirus crisis poses a real threat to the longterm survival of the industry.

 

“Whilst our pubs are unable to trade, it is wrong that their tenants are still being charged rent as normal.

 

“It is essential that this issue is resolved urgently to ensure that there will be pubs to reopen when the time comes.”

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, is thanking community pharmacies for their exceptional work in the fight against COVID-19.

In the fight against COVID-19, community pharmacies are going above and beyond to ensure that medicines are readily available for those who need them. Right now, community pharmacies are actually exceeding the demands of their patients, working extra hours and providing face-to-face care in order to do so. Not only are community pharmacies expanding their services, but they are also prioritising their services which are vital.

The exceptional work of community pharmacies is being carried on in the face of unprecedented demand, financial pressure, increasing reports of abuse and low staffing numbers.

To support community pharmacies, additional Government funding, priority COVID-19 testing, responsible action from members of the public and sufficient supplies of Personal Protective Equipment are needed.

Andrew Gwynne MP said:  

“Right now, community pharmacies are doing exceptional work in the fight against COVID-19 and I thank them for their service.

 

“It is great news that community pharmacies are exceeding the demands of their patients, meaning that there is no need for any of my constituents to stockpile their medicines.

 

“To support our community pharmacies, the least we can do is be courteous, patient and understanding when we require their services, and call for better testing, better protection and better funding from the Government for the sector.”