Dear Constituent,

Welcome to Denton and Reddish Weekly News. I hope that you've had a great week, and are looking forward to the weekend! 

This weekend is the last chance to take part in the Hats Off to Denton Sculpture Trail. If you haven't done the trail yet, find out more here. It's a really brilliant initiative, and is supporting some fantastic local artists and community groups.

Denton and Reddish continues to stand with the people of Ukraine.

 I’m supporting the British Red Cross's humanitarian effort in Ukraine along with Team Denton South (who set up the gofundme page) and Cllr Allison Gwynne. Simply wear yellow and blue on 16 March and donate if you can to the fundraising page.

We hope that every donation will in some way help the people of Ukraine at this extremely traumatic time.👇
https://www.gofundme.com/.../help-ukraine-wear-yellow-or...

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, joined NHS staff and health leaders to help launch the NHS Parliamentary Awards 2022.

The NHS Parliamentary Awards was created in 2018 to celebrate the NHS’ 70th Birthday and recognise the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working within the health and care sector.

Now in its fifth year, the Parliamentary awards have been a massive success, with over 450 Members of Parliament nominating an individual or organisation for an award.

Gwynne, who is also Labour’s Shadow Minister for Public Health, is now encouraging local residents across Denton and Reddish to get in touch with any teams, individuals or organisations they think deserve recognition.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said: 

“The NHS Parliamentary Awards are a fantastic initiative, and I’m really proud to be supporting them.

Over the last two years, our NHS has faced incredible pressure, and staff, volunteers and carers have gone above and beyond to get us through the pandemic. These heroes deserve to be recognised and celebrated.

So if you know a local person, team or organisation that you think deserves national recognition, please get in touch!”

To submit a nomination, residents are encouraged to email [email protected] with details. Nominations will close on the 4th of April.

                               
                                   Pictured: Gwynne attending the launch of the NHS Parliamentary Awards

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, is backing Labour’s plan to deliver professional careers guidance in schools. This pledge coincides with National Careers Week, and is part of the Party’s plan to ensure young people leave education ready for work and ready for life.

Labour has committed to ensuring every young person gets professional information, advice and guidance on their future study and career options alongside two weeks worth of work experience while at secondary schools, helping students to make informed choices about their future.

The government cut back careers advice in 2011, despite headteachers warning it could leave two million young people with the support they need. Pre-pandemic data showed that this had left two thirds of young people without professional careers advice and almost half reporting that they felt unprepared for the future.

Last month, the Conservatives’ voted against giving young people careers advice as part of the Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, blocking plans to ensure young people have the skills and support they need to succeed.

Alongside recruiting over a thousand new careers advisors for schools, Labour’s plan to ensure every young person leaves education ready for work and for life would embed digital and life skills across the curriculum and ensure all young people have access to laptops and technology ensuring they have the skills they need to succeed and prosper.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said:

“This National Careers week, it’s more important than ever that we give young people the tools they need to leave education work and life-ready. Children across Denton and Reddish, and across the country, should be aware of all of the opportunities that are open to them.

Yet Tory MPs voted against Labour’s plans to reintroduce this essential support for young people, after their disastrous decision to abolish the former careers service.

I’m proud to be supporting Labour’s plan to ensure that every child receives professional careers guidance, alongside two weeks worth of work experience while at school, as part of our plans to ensure young people leave education ready for work and ready for life”.

I got COVID in March 2020. The next two years were hellish as I developed #LongCovid. I’m still struggling with some symptoms today. I’m sadly not alone.

Government needs to act on research and better rehabilitation support, as even more people develop long-term illnesses following a COVID infection.

On Wednesday, some Long Covid sufferers lobbied MPs to call for just that. I went over to speak to them tbefore PMQs. #ResearchLongCovid

 

 

Honoured and privileged to have been in the House of Commons on Tuesday for the address to Parliament by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine.

What an inspiration this man is. Many leaders in his position would have fled. He’s stayed. He’s standing up to the aggressor. He’s motivating Ukrainians to do the same.

But a reminder to us too. Russia won’t stop with Ukraine. Our values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law are at risk. That’s why we need to help Ukraine now. And it’s also why we have a moral duty to those elderly, women and children fleeing for safety.

#StandWithUkraine солідарність з Україною
solidarnistʹ z Ukrayinoyu

 

Wednesday was #NoSmokingDay, and I was pleased to join ASH: Action on Smoking & Health and be asked to say a few short words in my capacity as Labour's Shadow Minister for Public Health.

ASH have been working for over 50 years to eliminate the harm caused by smoking. I spoke about their work, as well as the achievements of the last Labour Government in driving down smoking rates.

Smoking is one of the key factors in fuelling health inequalities, and there's much more work to be done if we want to live in a Smoke Free society by 2030.

 WATCH: In Westminster Hall we have a short debate on the deterioration of care for long-term conditions during the pandemic.

From cancer to stroke, MS to dementia, many people have been unable to get appropriate support and treatment in a timely fashion.

It’s now crucial the Government gets a grip of the treatment backlog for those with long-term conditions.

On Wednesday, I met with Rebecca Pow the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister to talk about plastic pollution in the River Tame and what action the Government and Environment Agency are taking to clean up this waterway.

I also got a chance to plug the good work of the Friends of the Tame Valley and how we’ve helped to look after our part of the river and its environs.

 

 READ: In the latest edition of the Tameside Reporter, I've written about the importance of our local police service.

Since his appointment last year, Chief Superintendent Rob Cousen – alongside Tameside Council’s Community Safety Officers – has achieved an extraordinary amount here in the Borough. There's been an 18% reduction in anti-social behaviour, a 33% increase in arrests, and a 25% decrease in hate crimes committed across Tameside.

Whilst there's more work to do, this is really encouraging. Read the full story here.