Dear Constituent,

A warm welcome to Denton and Reddish Weekly News! 

I hope that you've had a fantastic week. This week, I've continued to be greatly involved with the Bredbury Park Industrial appeal. This will close on Tuesday and then we will await the Inspector's verdict. 

In other news, next Saturday the 'Hats Off to Denton' sculpture trail gets underway. I've had a sneak peak and the sculptures look absolutely brilliant. Find out more about the trail here. 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has heavily criticised the Government, after Labour analysis highlighted that the basic state pension will be worth hundreds of pounds less in real terms over the next year.

The analysis shows that, as a result of rising inflation and the Conservatives’ decision to only increase the state pension by 3.1 per cent, a basic state pension for an individual will be worth around £222 less in real terms over a year than in 2021/22.

It is estimated that 14,793 pensioners in Denton and Reddish will be impacted by the real terms cut.

The motion to approve Conservative plans for a real-terms cut to state pensions was pushed through by Conservative MPs on Monday 7 February.

This means that from Friday 1 April, in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, the Government’s decision to break the triple lock and give pensioners a real-terms cut to their pensions will leave older people in Britain paying hundreds of pounds more as a result of the rise in energy prices.

Labour’s plan to reduce energy bills would raise money to keep bills low through a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas profts to support all households, with households typically getting £200 off their bills. Labour’s plan will get £600 to the lowest income households while the Conservatives will only give them £350.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said: 

“Energy bills are rising, and prices are going up. The Conservatives have responded by pushing through a real-terms cut to pensions. It is absolutely disgraceful.

The Conservatives have shown time and time again that they are not on the side of working people and pensioners, and this is just more evidence.

Pensioners across Denton and Reddish deserve to be given respect, security and prosperity, and Labour are the only party that are serious about doing so.”

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, added: 

“The Tory cost-of-living crisis is set to hammer pensioners hard.

Not only have Tory MPs broken their manifesto commitment to the pension triple lock, Tory MPs have endorsed Boris Johnson’s plan to cut the value of the basic state pension by hundreds of pounds, wiping out any gain from the energy loan scheme.

With pensioner poverty on the increase this is a shameful way to treat those who have contributed so much to our country.”

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has called on the Government to adopt Labour’s plan to create over 20,000 new apprenticeships.

Gwynne’s intervention, which comes during National Apprenticeships Week, aims to counter the downward trend in training opportunities under the Conservative Government. In Denton and Reddish, apprenticeship starts have declined by over 45% since 2010.

To reverse this, Labour is calling on the Government to introduce a wage subsidy, which would be funded from underspent funding in the apprenticeships levy – a charge large employers have to pay to government.

Backed by the Association of Employers and Learning Providers (AELP), Labour’s plan could have created 100,000 new apprenticeships for 16-24 year olds across England this year.

National Apprenticeships Week runs until the 13th of February, and recognises the enormous contribution made by apprentices and their employers.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said:

“I’m really pleased to be backing National Apprenticeship Week. Apprentices make such a huge contribution to our economy and wider society, and it’s only right that we recognise that.

However, the Government has really dropped the ball on apprenticeships, and young people in Denton and Reddish are paying the price.

The Government must adopt Labour’s wage subsidy policy as a matter of urgency. It’s the only way that we can boost opportunities and thrive as we continue to recover from the pandemic”

Shadow Minister for Further Education and Skills, Toby Perkins MP, added:

“The Conservatives have overseen a decade of decline in apprenticeships, failing to secure the skills and training opportunities our country needs.

Instead of focusing on creating new opportunities for young people and tackling the skills shortages across key sectors of the UK economy, this government is distracted by scandals at the heart of Downing Street.

Ministers should adopt Labour’s plan to create thousands of new apprenticeships this year, securing the opportunities young people need to gain productive skills and support our economy to prosper.”

Pictured: Gwynne backing the plan in Parliament earlier this week

WATCH: My colleague Debbie Abrahams secured a Backbench business debate in the Commons on the issue of Dementia research.

Dementia was the biggest single cause of in 2020 (12.5%), and yet the COVID pandemic has left Alzheimer’s and Dementia charities lacking donations to fund research. Worse, the Government has broken its 2019 manifesto promise to double research spending. It’s actually been massively cut.

We can and must do better.

 

WATCH: It’s so important to help veterans’ leaving the armed forces into good quality jobs. The idea of specialist support is a sound one. It’s a pity Ministers have cut in half the promised number. It’s not good enough.

 

I'm really pleased to have been able to get out and about in Parliament supporting Labour's plan to guarantee:
 

Mental Health Treatment within a month.

Specialist mental health support in every school

Mental health hubs in every community

#ChildrensMentalHealthWeek

 

 

Friends of the Tame Valley, the volunteering group looking after the Tame Valley, are celebrating their first birthday with a second Annual General Meeting. 

I helped form the group last year, and it really has gone from strength to strength. FoTV volunteers have tackled issues in the Valley such as broken fencing and stiles, missing signage, badly worn footpaths, litter and much more. 

Those interested in the group, and who wish to attend the AGM should email [email protected] for the Zoom link.

Attendees are also welcome to put themselves forward for committee membership or any of the below posts:  

• Chair 
• Secretary  
• Vice Chair  
• Membership Secretary  
• Treasurer 

The group will accept nominations up to midnight on Monday 21 February by email, again to [email protected]. 

 

READ: Thanks to the Tameside Reporter for giving me the opportunity to write about the bproposed Bredbury Industrial expansion, and why the Tame Valley means so much to residents across Denton and Reddish.

You can read the full article here.