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This week in Denton & Reddish
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** Dear Constituent,
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At the end of another dramatic week in British politics, it's a pleasure to send you the latest Denton and Reddish Weekly News.

I will always do my best to keep you informed about everything I do in Westminster, but if you wish to speak to me further about any issue, please phone my constituency office on 0161 320 1504 for an appointment, or visit one of my regular surgeries which you can find the details of below.
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Headlines


** Cold weather is more than just an inconvenience
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The heatwave of a few weeks ago is beginning to seem like a dim and distant memory. Whilst it’s not time to don your scarfs and jumpers quite yet, there’s certainly a bit of a nip in the air. For many of us, that means turning thermostats back up and radiators back on. Unfortunately, for far too many people in this country, the added expense that heating a home brings in the colder months pushes them into poverty.


Over 2.5 million households across England are in this position and the Government’s figures show that the North West has the highest levels of fuel poverty – 13.1% of households in our region are fuel poor. Here in Tameside, the Government estimates that there are 11,757 households living in fuel poverty.


That means thousands of people in our borough are having to choose between keeping warm or feeding their families. Nobody should have to make that kind of decision in the UK – one of the richest countries in the world – in the twenty first century.


Poor insulation is a major factor in fuel poverty. Many of the poorest people in our communities live in houses and flats that are draughty and damp, so this is not just an issue of financial strain – it’s an issue of public health. Not only do people living in these properties face higher fuel bills, they are more likely to get ill. This not only puts people at risk but also puts greater pressure on our NHS, which is already overstretched.


It’s clear that many energy companies have been ripping off customers for a long time. After years of campaigning from the Labour Party, a price cap has finally been introduced but unfortunately it isn’t the level it needs to be to adequately protect households. That’s why the next Labour Government will introduce a proper cap, as well as insulating four million homes and reforming the energy market.


Until then though, we shouldn’t forget that for some people living in Denton the cold weather isn’t just an inconvenience but means poverty and illness.


** School runnings
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Denton Carnival is always one of the highlights of my year. If you’ve never been then you are really missing out – it’s the biggest and best free day in the town. And I’m not just saying that because I’m Carnival President!


It’s not just about all the fun and games, the music and the dressing up, the Carnival is also a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and hear more about the fantastic things that Dentonians are getting up to.


This year it was a particular pleasure to meet up with pupils from Russell Scott Primary School (of which I’m a proud former pupil) and their excellent headteacher Steve Marsland. They were launching Walk Ride Denton, the first Walk Ride group in Tameside.


This is all part of the wider Walk Ride GM campaign to get more people walking and cycling (and scooting if that’s your thing!) for their everyday journeys across Greater Manchester.


At Russell Scott, they’re focussing on the school run – as anyone who has ever had the “pleasure” of doing the school run will know, it can all be a bit of a chaotic nightmare, with roads clogged up with parking cars and children darting in between traffic on their way in. Pupils and teachers at the school want parents to consider better alternatives – that are both safer and healthier.


One thing that Russell Scott has pioneered is the Junior PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) scheme, where pupils issue tickets to people who drive to school or park outside dangerously. This is simple but effective and is already having a positive impact on behaviour around the school gates.


Of course, changing how you do the school run is not necessarily an easy thing to do – early mornings are a busy time for families with young children and cars are very convenient. However, as convenient as it may be, it’s certainly not pleasant so why not follow the lead of the Russell Scott pupils and have a think if there might be a better way?


Oh – and one more thing – if you didn’t make it to the Denton Carnival this year, then I hope you’ll join us in 2020!
Read More of This Week's Stories ([link removed])
Andrew in the Constituency

Another year, another fantastic Denton Carnival! I am incredibly proud to be President of the Carnival - easily the biggest and best free day in the town. Well done and thanks to everyone who took part and made the day so special!
I was very lucky to get an exclusive look at the Denton's amazing new £12 million Wellness Centre. When finished, it'll have swimming pools, sauna, gym, dance studio, community rooms, bowling, soft play area with climbing wall, indoor football pitch, rooftop cinema in sensory garden and more!

I am very proud to say that it's not just the Carnival that I am President of - on Sunday I was also delighted to be announced as the Honorary President of the Denton Park Social and Bowling Club. It was a pleasure to award the trophies to the winners of the Denton Carnival Open Tournament, raising funds for Willow Wood Hospice in Ashton.

It was great to join Tameside Mayor Cllr Leigh Drennan, Councillors, volunteers and Cherylee Houston (Corrie's Issy Armstrong) at the opening of a brilliant new community hub, cafe and bookshop in Denton Town Centre. A great addition to the town!
Andrew in Westminster

We were supposed to have a week of business in the House of Commons, but the Government chose to shut down Parliament so that they could avoid scrutiny. But before Boris Johnson could close the doors, we had a dramatic day on Monday, when the Speaker announced that he would be retiring and the Government lost yet more votes!
Andrew in the Shadow Cabinet

On Saturday, I joined Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell in his constituency, Hayes and Harlington in outer London, to speak at a fantastic Community Wealth Building event. Community wealth building is a new approach to local economic development which redirects wealth back into the local economy and places control and benefits in the hands of local people.

On Thursday, it was a real pleasure to address the LGA (Local Government Association) Labour Group to engage with Councillors from across England about Labour's local government agenda.

Earlier this week, I popped to Bromley in south London to support striking workers at Bromley Libraries who are protesting against cuts to library services in their borough.
Andrew in the Media

📰 READ: Jennifer Williams at the Manchester Evening News conducted some analysis which showed that the Government is putting tax-payers' money into towns which happen to be Conservative marginal seats or their targets at the next election. I made it clear that this was transparent electioneering and doesn't make up for the money that local communities have lost in the last decade.

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Community Board

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