Dear Constituent,

Good Friday evening and welcome to Denton and Reddish weekly news.

A reminder that tomorrow, Harrogate Road Allotment Society will be hosting the 42nd Reddish Open Flower & Vegetable Show at Abingdon Primary School. There'll be cakes, tombola's and much more. Scroll down to the Community Board for more info!

My office is monitoring the impact of the burst water main in Audenshaw, which was identified yesterday and has since caused localised flooding, rail disruption and the temporary closure of a portion of the Audenshaw road (between its junction with Kershaw Lane and Trafalgar Avenue).

There is also some disruption to water supplies in the M11, M40 and M43 areas of Manchester. United Utilities are bringing water in from another area to help with attempts to maintain supply.

I continue to follow this closely, and am urging United Utilities and their teams to complete this emergency repair as soon as possible with minimal disruption to water supplies and transport. 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has branded Liz Truss’ cost of living plans “shameful” as Labour analysis revealed 4 million families would be left in the cold by the Tory frontrunner’s policy.

Under Truss’ plans a couple living outside London, both working full-time and earning the average wage with one child will not be eligible for any additional cost of living support. It means almost four million families would miss out.

There are almost 100 areas where families on an average wage will lose out under Truss’ plans, including Tameside – part of which Gwynne represents.

Gwynne’s criticism comes as Labour revealed that its fully-costed plan to freeze energy bills this winter would save someone on the minimum wage more than £40 a week across Denton and Reddish.

Labour’s plan would prevent the energy price cap rising, meaning people would not pay a penny more this winter. It would be paid for from the record profits made by oil and gas giants. The package, first announced by Labour two weeks ago, would also reduce energy demand and lower bills in the longer term by insulating 19 million homes across the country over the next decade through Labour’s Warm Homes Plan.

The Tory leadership election will come to a close on the 5th of September, with Truss widely expected to beat her opponent Rishi Sunak and succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said:

“The fact that 4 million families will lose out under Liz Truss’ cost of living plan is shameful. In October, the average bill will reach £3,459 a year, plunging millions of people into fuel poverty practically overnight.

“In times of crisis, Governments step up, but Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak don’t seem to grasp how serious this crisis is. They’re content to just stick their fingers in their ears and hope that no one notices that they don’t have a proper plan. It’s unforgiveable.

“Labour is the only party serious about tackling this crisis. It’s time to freeze energy bills, give people a Genuine Living Wage and build energy resilience for the future.”

Rachel Reeves, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer added:

“Under the Conservatives’ watch, the energy crisis and spiralled out of control and now more households than ever are facing soaring bills they’ll struggle to cover.

“People deserve a government that is on their side, one that is ready to take the action needed now to meet the scale of this national emergency. Instead, they have one willing to leave millions of families out in the cold.

“With Labour’s plan saving an average earner over £40 a week this winter, the government should get behind it and take action to stop the energy price cap rising.”

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has written a letter to the Foreign Secretary urging her department to do more to support the people of Pakistan, following floods that have devastated the nation.

33 million people have been impacted by the floods so far, with 287,000 homes destroyed and over a 1,000 dead. One third of Pakistan is currently submerged under water, with more than 287,000 homes destroyed and over a 1,000 dead.

In his letter to the Foreign Secretary, Gwynne called the floods a "climate catastrophe" and urged the Government to "convene international counterparts to coordinate and scale up a response that is proportionate to the magnitude of the emergency in Pakistan".

The full letter can be read here with a plain text version included for screen readers.

For those who are able and wish to donate to humanitarian organisations, please see below for some suggested charities.

• Islamic Relief 
• The Red Cross
• Almarah Foundation
• Muslim Hands

Earlier this week, Allison, Lyle and I set off to enjoy the sights in Jersey for a short break. We had a great time staying with Oliver Wilderspin and his family.

Even though we were only there for five days, we managed to squeeze in a fair amount!

• Saturday: Flight and a trip to Greve de Lecq (beach)
• Sunday: Visit the ancient Fisherman’s Chapel, the Jersey War Tunnels, and to Oliver’s grandparents’ boat.
• Monday: Trip to the zoo, to Mont Orgueil Castle and to St Helier to celebrate Oliver’s birthday.
• Tuesday: Visit to Elizabeth Castle by boat, and to the beach at St Brelade’s Bay.
• Wednesday: Catch the ferry to St Malo in France, to visit to old town and the aquarium.
• Thursday: flight home.

We were also joined by Sharon Hodgson MP, and Sharon and I had meetings with the Finance Minister and the External Affairs Minister, as well as a trip around the States Assembly (Jersey's Parliament building) and Royal Courts. 

I've long been interested in fostering relationships with our incredible Overseas Territories, so it really was terrific to see so much of Jersey, its history and its politics. 

A massive thank you to Victoria, Steve, Oliver and Esther (and Frankie and ‘boat man’ Stuart) for being such wonderful hosts. 

Hope you enjoy a small selection of the photos!

 READ: Thanks to the Lancashire Telegraph for covering my thoughts on a study of more than 20 local authority areas which shows that those living in so-called 'Red Wall' seats have a 'Healthy Life Expectancy' over five years lower than the national average and will live three years less.

It just cannot be right that a child born in one part of the country will live a significantly shorter life than a child born in a wealthier area.

Read the full story here.

 READ: In the latest edition of the Tameside Correspondent, I've written about the sewage crisis currently blighting large parts of the UK, including Tameside.

We’ve reached this point because of Tory neglect. Back in 2016 (under the ‘watchful’ eye of a certain Liz Truss) the Tories slashed £235m from the Environment Agency’s budget, effectively hampering the department’s ability to monitor and protect waterways.

We can’t afford more complacency and mismanagement. It’s time to clean up this Government’s mess, and make sure that we protect our waterways and beaches for generations to come.

Read the full column here.

 READ: Thanks to the Tameside Reporter for giving me the opportunity to reflect on the fact that finally – and mercifully – the Tory leadership contest is drawing to a close. I've been struck by how little both candidates seem to grasp the severity of the issues facing ordinary people.

We've had 12 years of Tory Government, and it shows. We're in the midst of a cost of living crisis, record NHS waiting lists, and an 81% increase in food bank usage in the last five years alone. It's a record that Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak collectively own and should be ashamed of.

A new Tory leader won't bring about the changes local people need to see. It's time for a fresh start. 

Read my full thoughts here.