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This week in Denton & Reddish
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** Dear Constituent,
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Here's your latest edition of Denton and Reddish Weekly News.

You will have seen that Greater Manchester has been placed into "very high" or Tier 3 restrictions. This is the Government guidance for what that means here:
Tier 3 restrictions (Greater Manchester) ([link removed])
Take care and stay safe.
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Headlines


** Statement on Greater Manchester Spatial Framework
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The revised Greater Manchester Spatial Framework has been published today, 23 October 2020. It is the final draft which is set to go to the county’s ten councils in November.

If approved, it will then be submitted to the Secretary of State for consideration before a final set of consultations culminating in a public inquiry.

The draft documents are available to view here: [link removed]

The main remaining issue affecting the Denton and Reddish constituency has been the proposals for the Bredbury Industrial Estate expansion deep into the Tame Valley.

Despite sizeable objections from local residents, councillors and Andrew Gwynne MP and William Wragg MP, the site proposal has been allocated in every version of the Spatial Framework.

In the latest version, and after objections from Tameside Council, the site proposal has been shrunk and moved away from the River Tame, which is the Stockport borough boundary with Tameside. This protects more of the Tame Valley than originally proposed but still requires Green Belt removal.

In addition, there is a live planning application for the entirety of the site currently before Stockport Council which could be granted permission despite this change to the Spatial Framework.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne MP said:

“I welcome the recognition by Stockport Council that the original Bredbury Parkway Industrial Estate proposal would have a devastating impact on the Tame Valley and on Hulmes Wood and Haughton Dale Local Nature Reserves which has now led to a smaller proposal in the draft Spatial Framework going forward.


“The reduction in the allocation would now create a larger green buffer in the Tame Valley which is a welcome move forward, but my significant concerns about the need for any development here, the environmental impact it has on the area and the traffic problems it will create all remain unchanged.


“I’m also extremely worried that there is still a live planning application for the entirety of the site which could be granted planning approval before any changes to the GMSF come into place in 2022 in which case the ‘smaller allocation’ becomes an irrelevance.


“I urge Stockport’s Councillors to reject this application and protect our valuable and shared Tame Valley from this hostile and preemptive planning proposal.”


** Gwynne welcomes Tier 2 funds u-turn
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Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has welcomed the announcement of a new financial package for businesses and employees in areas under lockdown.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced major changes to the Job Support Scheme in what many have described as a u-turn.

In the Chancellor’s ‘Winter Economic Plan’, employers would have to pay 55% of wages for a third of hours worked. This has now changed to a minimum of 20% of usual hours worked and 5% of hours not worked. The Government will now pay up to 62% of wages for hours not worked.

The funding is available across the UK, but is seen as particularly targeting businesses in Tier 2 areas, who saw their ability to operate suffer, whilst lacking the support given to Tier 3 businesses.

The Chancellor announced that areas that had previously been in Tier 2-style measures – such as Greater Manchester – would receive funding retrospectively. This was a key demand from Andy Burnham when negotiating Greater Manchester’s move to Tier 3.

The announcement was made in the House of Commons today and Gwynne asked the Chancellor how soon the funds would be released and how much he had calculated would go to businesses in Greater Manchester. Both will be announced soon.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“I welcome that the Government has finally woken up to the need to provide more support to businesses and workers in areas with local restrictions. Many businesses are on the brink and I hope that this will ensure that jobs and livelihoods are saved.


“However, it shouldn’t have taken until London was placed in Tier 2 for this support package to be introduced. In Greater Manchester, we had twelve weeks in the equivalent of Tier 2 measures with no support and the Government made no mention of these plans in talks with our Mayor Andy Burnham, despite this being a key ask of our city region’s leaders.


“It is essential now that the Government works fast to get money to the businesses in need. Many cannot afford a delay.”



** Gwynne slams broken promises on UK food standards
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It’s a bit of an understatement to say that there’s a lot going on at the moment. Along with the Coronavirus pandemic and arguments over restrictions and local lockdowns, we also have an election in the US which is taking up a lot of time and, of course, the ongoing saga of the Prime Minister’s failure to cook his “oven ready” deal.


In among all of this, I certainly wouldn’t blame you if you missed Clean Air Day earlier this month. The quality of our air and the implications for all of us of breathing unclean air are major issues but they don’t quite have the instant drama of Trump, Brexit and the rest, which attracts lots of media attention.


However, we ignore the quality of our air at our peril. Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK – that’s more than the population of Reddish. In fact, the World Health Organization has identified unclean air as the biggest environmental health risk we face today. Not only does it cause heart and lung diseases, it is also linked to low birth weight and children’s lung development and may even contribute to mental health issues.


One of the reasons that I think we forget about air quality is that we have got past the times of big Victorian factories producing plumes of smoke or smog so thick that you can’t see through it, but this doesn’t mean that the issue has disappeared. Indeed, some of the worst levels of air pollution in our region are right here in the north of Stockport borough. We need to address this.


One element of the solution would be for schools to adopt the Clean Air for Schools Framework. A number of different organisations, including the University of Manchester, have developed the framework after research showed that air pollution was having a negative impact on children’s educations.


The framework is a blueprint of actions for tackling air pollution in and around schools. In addition to practical steps aimed at keeping the air clean near schools, it also involves teaching pupils more about air quality and I think this is key. If children are taught to think more about the issue and how they can play their part in tackling it from an early age, then the future of our air is bright and – most importantly – clean.
Read More of This Week's Stories ([link removed])
Andrew in Parliament
Here are videos of some of my contributions in the House of Commons this week:

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📺 WATCH: With minutes for go to the Prime Minister’s self-imposed Tier 3 deadline for Greater Manchester, I had a question to the Chancellor.

Too right I’m angry. Government offers a city region of 2.8 million less in finances than Newark town centre was awarded in the ‘Towns Fund’.

If they’re going to plunge us into the economically damaging T3 we need to protect jobs and the wages of the lowest paid too.

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📺 WATCH: well, well, well... now London is in Tier 2 businesses will be given support.

Thankfully the Chancellor is making this retrospective so affected Greater Manchester businesses will get the grant too: this was a key ask of Andy Burnham in his bid for support.

I’m grateful that this is now being done, but it could’ve avoided a lot of angst over the past few days!
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📺 WATCH: At today’s Business of the House Questions, I thank Black Knights Parachute Centre for delivering me safely to Earth, and to ask for a Commons debate on the issue of rare genetic conditions like GM1 which beautiful Florence has.
Andrew in the media

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📺 WATCH: Just after midday on Tuesday, I spoke to Sky News about the situation in Greater Manchester and the need for significant support for areas of the country being put into Tier 3 restrictions.
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📻 LISTEN: I know I post a lot of photos of my gardening escapades on social media, so earlier in the week I was asked by Matt Chorley to come on to Times Radio and talk about my interests outside politics.
Community Board

For the first time, the charity Children's Hospital Pyjamas is collecting donations of children's pyjamas in Greater Manchester.

These will go to Tameside Hospital, Stepping Hill Hospital and MRI Hospital for Children.

You can find out more, including how to donate, here. ([link removed])

For more info email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Get in touch on Facebook to find out how to sponsor. ([link removed])

🎃 REDDISH HALLOWEEN PICTURE HUNT🎃
This year Trick or Treating has been cancelled due to the current pandemic.

Halloween is going to be a little bit different this year, so why not put a Halloween Picture in your window as a trail for children, and big ones, to follow.

To get involved put a Halloween picture in your window, similar to the Rainbow Hunt, for others to spot.

Please display your pictures during the week of 26th-31st October for a week of fun and hunting.

As we are unable to give halloween treats out if parents wish too they can give their child a treat for each pumpkin they spot on their hunt.

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