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** Dear Constituent,
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Here's the latest edition of Denton and Reddish Weekly News.
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Headlines


** MPs unite for better rail links
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MPs Andrew Gwynne, Angela Rayner and Navendu Mishra have joined together to push the Government for a new passenger rail link between Stockport and Ashton-under-Lyne, stopping in Denton and Reddish South.

The three MPs represent the communities that the new service would benefit and are supporting a bid to the Restoring Your Railway Fund, which will distribute £500 million of funds to reinstate axed local services and restore stations.

This bid was put forward by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. It also has the full support of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.

The bid proposes two options; one for a heavy rail service between Stockport and Manchester Victoria via Denton and Reddish South and the other a light rail service connecting with the existing Manchester-Ashton Metrolink line at Ashton Moss in the north, and with the proposed Stockport-East Didsbury line in the south.

The proposals also open possibilities of new stations along the line at Audenshaw, Thornley Lane and Heaton Norris.

The three MPs have written to Transport Minister Chris Heaton-Harris urging the Government to give the proposals its “fullest support in the next wave of bids to be considered”.

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, said:

“This is a really exciting proposal which would be a real game-changer for the communities that I represent, who have been under-served by the rail network for far too long.


“The Government have made much of their plan to “level up” the North and these proposals would help to do just that, so I really hope that they support them and make this vision into a reality.


“I will continue working with the Government, my fellow MPs, TfGM, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and our local councils to push for this service.”

Angela Rayner, MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, said:

“I’m really excited about the possibility of a new passenger rail link between my hometown of Stockport and Ashton-under-Lyne, the constituency where I now serve as MP and live with my family.


“Folk in the North are far too used to being let down when it comes to us getting investment in projects that really will make a difference to so many people.


“If the Government are serious about their commitment to ‘level up’ the North, they will offer the support needed to make these proposals happen.”

Navendu Mishra, MP for Stockport, said:

“I’m delighted that this proposal has been put forward and, having heard from the Transport Minister on this issue, I’m encouraged that we are well on the way to achieving our goal.


“A new passenger link will help to breathe life into parts of Stockport and reconnect and reinvigorate areas of this community that have been underfunded by this Government for too long.”


** Gwynne calls for Back to Work Budget in response to concerning jobs figures
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Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has called for a Back to Work Budget after figures released showed a considerable increase in unemployment in the constituency and the North West region as a whole.

Up to 31 May 2020, 11,400 jobs had been furloughed in Denton and Reddish and there were 3,950 Universal Credit claimants, up 2,000 from when the lockdown began.

Across the North West, claimants for Universal Credit and other unemployment benefits rose by 112% to 348,794, showing the scale of the economic challenge facing the region.

Although an imperfect measure of unemployment, these figures show a severely strained jobs market and an urgent need for a Back to Work Budget.

The Government has reportedly postponed its next full budget until autumn, raising concerns a slow and muddled health response is now being followed by a slow and muddled response to saving jobs.

Vacancies also fell by 60% across the UK between February and May, with steeper falls in some sectors. This includes:
* 80% fall in construction, employing 4.6% of workers in the North West
* 94% and 70% falls in motor trades and retail, employing around 16.5% of workers in the North West
* 94% fall in accommodation and food services, employing 7.0% of workers in the North West
* 85% in arts, entertainment and recreation, employing 2.5% of workers in the North West

Andrew Gwynne said:

“These are really concerning figures. In the 15 years that I have represented Denton and Reddish in Parliament, the claimant count has never been so high.


“The figures show that we need a Back to Work Budget to protect jobs and livelihoods across the country without delay.


“The support that has been put in place for both businesses and workers has been welcome and it is essential that this vital support is not withdrawn too soon.”


** Gwynne urges constituents to learn about water safety during Drowning Prevention Week
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Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, is supporting Drowning Prevention Week 2020, in a bid to help families stay water-safe during and after lockdown.

Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, the usual level of service provided by rescue and lifeguard services is not going to be possible in 2020. This makes personal water safety more important than ever before.

The UK’s Drowning Prevention Charity, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), fears that families will flock to beaches and inland water locations this summer, without considering the potential dangers, putting themselves and others at risk.

In 2017, Denton and Reddish constituent Liam Pastore, who was then a pupil at Reddish Vale Technology College and just 14 years old, rescued a woman and her step-daughter from the sea at Formby Beach in Southport. They were not confident swimmers and were dragged away from the shore by a strong tide. Liam saw they were in difficultly, grabbed hold of them both and swam them back to safety.

Liam’s quick-thinking and selfless actions on that day undoubtedly prevented a tragedy. He has since received a number of awards for his heroic action, including the Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal.

In a bid to ensure families in Denton and Reddish know how to keep themselves and others safe, Andrew Gwynne is supporting RLSS UK’s annual Drowning Prevention Week campaign, this year running from 12-19 June.

RLSS UK launched the campaign seven years ago as a way of focusing the UK’s attention on the importance of water safety, during one focal week of activities. A wide range of free, downloadable resources have been produced to help supporters promote water safety through schools, leisure centres, swimming clubs, community ventures and businesses.

The Charity hopes that through the campaign, the UK and Ireland will see a reduction in the statistics that see approximately 700 people losing their lives to drowning every year – that’s one every 12 hours. Many more suffer injury, sometimes lifechanging, following a water related incident.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“A lot of people will want to enjoy themselves in the water over the next few Summer months, but it’s so important that people do it safely.


“Most people are surprised to learn that, in the UK, you’re more likely to die from drowning than being hit by a car. That’s why Drowning Prevention Week is so important.


“It’s fantastic when bystanders like my constituent Liam Pastore are around to save lives as he did so heroically in 2017, but that’s not always the case so I’d encourage everyone to use this Drowning Prevention Week to learn more about keeping safe in the water.”

RLSS UK CEO, Robert Gofton said:

“This year’s campaigns will focus on encouraging everybody to take personal responsibility near water, especially in light of the current challenges facing our emergency and rescue services.


“Venues and rescue services are doing everything they can to provide a service this summer, but the harsh reality is that in the current climate, despite a big effort, the usual level of service just isn’t feasible.


“Accidental drowning incidents are largely avoidable if the correct choices are made, coupled with the skills and knowledge for personal survival and bystander rescue.


“These skills are easy to learn and free to access. We are urging individuals and families to take care, take responsibility and learn what to do in an emergency.”

Find out more about Drowning Prevention Week here. ([link removed])
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Andrew in Parliament

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📺 WATCH: This week’s local unemployment data are among the worst I’ve known in my time as an MP. We need a real effort to kickstart the economy post COVID-19, including a focus on halting the spike in youth unemployment.
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📺 WATCH: The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster updated the House on the negotiations for the end of the Transition Period in December. One area of concern has always been how the UK would formally cooperate with EU security counterparts over serious crime issues.

There had been some doubt but I’m pleased Michael Gove has now unequivocally confirmed Government are seeking access to the shared EU databases to allow this cooperation on crime fighting to continue. It makes complete sense.

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📺 WATCH: I welcome the trade announcements today with Australia and New Zealand and have urged Ministers to follow NZ’s lead and exclude the UK from the ‘dispute framework’ of the trans-Pacific Partnership to protect our regulatory standards.
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📺 WATCH: At this week’s Home Affairs Select Committee we are looking at policing in relation to black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in Britain.

It’s 21 years since the Macpherson report into policing and race, following the murder of Stephen Lawrence, so it’s interesting to hear how things have or haven’t changed here; but it’s also timely given the COVID-19 lockdown and the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd in America.

The Committee took evidence from: Professor Ben Bowling, Kings College London; Katrina Ffrench, Chief Executive at Stopwatch; Nick Glynn, Open Society Foundations; Mirren Gidda, Liberty Investigates and Rosalind Comyn from Liberty. Here’s the video clip of my questioning.

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📺 WATCH: At Business of the House Questions, I raised the issue of Hong Kong with Government Ministers, and highlighted EDM 616 on China’s National Security Law which seriously undermines the principles of One Country, Two Systems.

I believe we must defend the promises made by us in the 1984 Sino-UK Joint Declaration, which is an international treaty lodged with the UN.

Hong Kongers, many who hold British Nationals (Overseas) status, were promised that their democratic rights and freedoms would be protected in law for 50 years after hand over. We need to do all we can to keep that promise to them.
Community Board

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