Dear Constituent,

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has been elected as co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on State Pension Inequality for Women.

Gwynne was elected alongside Conservative MP Peter Aldous (Waveney), replacing previous co-Chairs Carolyn Harris and Tim Loughton who both stood down from their roles.

APPGs are cross-party groups of MPs and Peers who have a particular interest in a topic. This particular APPG looks to get justice for the 3.8 million women born in the 1950s who were affected by changes to their State Pension age, which were implemented in the 1995 and 2011 Pensions Acts.

Gwynne has campaigned on this issue for a number of years and was a founding member of the APPG.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“I’m delighted to be co-Chair of the APPG on State Pension Inequality for Women and am looking forward to working with Peter and Members from across the House on this issue.

 

“This is an issue that I am very passionate about, having campaigned for a number of years now against the pension-related injustices faced by women born in the 1950s and I’m happy to have this opportunity to continue this work.

 

“I’d like to thank Carolyn Harris and Tim Loughton for all that they have done in leading this group for the past few years and hope that we can carry on their good work.”

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has thanked staff at Morrisons in Reddish for selling pick-up bags of items for local food banks.

These pick-up bags are made up of essential items, which are displayed for customers to buy along with their shopping. These can then be added to a donation trolley on exit.

In the run-up to Mother’s Day, staff prepared bags with chocolates, bubble baths, face masks and other items, to give mothers using the food bank a treat.

The work has been led by Reddish Morrisons’ Community Champion, Michelle Stokes, who received a Citizen’s Award from Gwynne in September 2020 in recognition of her work for the community during the pandemic.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“Sadly, the pandemic means that more families than ever are facing financial hardship and using food banks.

 

“This is a great initiative from Reddish Morrisons to make it easier to donate to our local food banks and I’d like to thank Michelle Stokes and the rest of the team for their hard work in organising this.

 

“If you shop at Morrisons in Reddish, and you are able to, I’d really encourage you to buy and donate a pick-up bag to help out our local food banks.”

 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has given his support to easier pet ownership in the rental market following an All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cats roundtable.

Gwynne was delighted to attend a roundtable organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cats (APGOCATS), of which he is co-Chair, on Tuesday 16^th March to discuss how pet ownership can be better supported for the rental market.

The session was chaired by Paula Sparks, Executive Chairperson for the UK Centre for Animal Law. It was arranged with the assistance of NOAH – a representative for the UK animal health industry; Dogs Trust & the APGOCATS Secretariat: Battersea, Blue Cross & Cats Protection. Guest speakers included Alicia Kennedy, Director at Generation Rent and John Stewart, Deputy Director of Policy and Research at the National Residential Landlords Association.

Speakers representing the perspectives of the voluntary sector, landlords and tenants took part in an energised discussion aimed at finding a way forward for all parties The discussion considered issues such as the value of pet ownership in promoting mental health, the role of pet CVs, how allowing tenants with pets can have business benefits for landlords and the Government’s role in supporting more people to own animals at home.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on our relationships with our animals in the home like never before, and the roundtable offered a timely opportunity for stakeholders to discuss how pet ownership has helped many people to tackle loneliness and social isolation.

Earlier this year, the Government introduced a new Model Tenancy Agreement (MTA) to shift the balance in favour of pet ownership for those seeking to rent a property, which has been widely well received as a step in the right direction for renters in England.

APGOCATS will continue to make representations in the coming months to the Government to highlight the importance of reviewing the uptake of the new Model Tenancy Agreement and whether it’s having the impact it is intended to.

Andrew Gwynne said:

“As both a pet owner and a pet-lover, I am very aware of the positive impact that pet ownership has on our mental health.

 

“With more and more people renting, it’s important that they are also able to experience the joy or pet ownership.

 

“Thanks to APGOCATS for organising such an interesting event and facilitating such an engaging and constructive discussion.”