Happy Friday and welcome to this week's edition of the Denton and Reddish Weekly News.

It's been another busy week, and there's lots to update you on! 

A reminder too that later this year I'll be taking part in a sponsored wing walk for Florence, a wonderful girl from Dukinfield with a rare degenerative condition called GM1. If you're able to donate, it would be hugely appreciated. 

Andrew Gwynne, MP for Denton and Reddish, has criticised the Government after Labour analysis revealed the extent of mortgage increases across the local area.

Data shows that across the constituency of Denton and Reddish, 9,800 households face an annual predicted mortgage increase of £1900 pounds.

The analysis follows the Bank of England warning in December that around half of households with a mortgage, a total of 4 million, will be exposed to rate rises this year, with a reported 800,000 seeing their mortgage rates double.

This week, the IMF chief economist singled out higher mortgage rates as a reason for Britain’s poor performance after the country’s growth was downgraded, leaving it as the only major economy expected to shrink in 2023.

Commenting, Andrew Gwynne said:

“These figures essentially represent a Tory mortgage penalty. Local people are paying the price for 13 years of Conservative mismanagement of our economy.

“At the moment, it feels like we’re lurching from crisis to crisis, with working people bearing the brunt of this chaos.

“Only Labour will stabilise the economy, get it growing, and build a Britain that thrives again”.

One strange thing about politics is how long it can take for you to feel the impact of a decision. Discussions over investment, long-term planning and policy can seem a bit removed from day to day life, but once the dust has settled the consequences can hit you out of the blue.

A prime example of this is the Government’s decision to slash the budget for local policing. Between March 2010 and March 2019, police forces in England and Wales lost over 21,000 officers. This decision – delivered over a number of years – has led to the current crisis in community policing.

In the last couple of years, the Government has scrambled to try and put out the fire it started, but to no avail. Under the Tories, the number of arrests, charges and prosecutions has collapsed. The proportion of investigated crimes that result in a suspect being arrested and charged has fallen by 15% in the last seven years, meaning just 5.4% of crimes currently result in a conviction.

As a local Member of Parliament, these statistics aren’t just numbers, they are people’s lives. I regularly hear from constituents who feel terrorised by crime and antisocial behaviour, and don’t understand how the Government has been content to let things get this bad.

There have been some positive steps taken by police on a local level in the last couple of years to build a safer community in Tameside, but the truth is without national support services face an uphill battle to get a grip on crime.

We all deserve to feel safe where we live. That’s why Labour has committed to recruit 13,000 new community policy officers and PCSOs, taking number back up to pre-2010 levels.

This is only half the battle, though, we also need to fix the justice system which has been broken after 13 years of Government mismanagement. That means boosting the number of crown prosecutors, improving capacity for trials and proactively tackling violence against women and girls.

I know that these changes would make the world of difference here in Tameside. We need to give local people the security to know that when they are the victims of a crime, they can depend on every stage of the process, from police investigation to prosecution to punishment. It is the role of the Government to make that ambition a reality.

A Saturday morning Labour doorstep

A fab morning out with the Denton & Reddish Labour Team over in Audenshaw. Nothing beats a bit of #LabourDoorstep on a Saturday!

Then another hour out with Councillor Allison Gwynne helping to inform residents in The Hawthorns, Corporation Road and Maytree Cresent of Ward boundary changes in May.

  WATCH: I’ve raised the problems we’ve seen in both Audenshaw and Reddish from kids on motorcycles and the tragic deaths and subsequent disorderly behaviour at so-called impromptu vigils.

Senior Police Officers tell me things got out of hand because (in both cases) officers on duty were new and lacked the experience needed to see how things could spiral.

The Home Secretary seems to think the Police are wrong!

WATCH: I've been contacted by Willow Wood Hospice about a five fold increase in energy bills.

The Government's Relief Scheme is due to end in March, and hospices like Willow Wood are really worried about what this will mean for them.

I'll be following-up with the Minister on this. Hospices provide vital services to people across the country and they deserve our support.

WATCH: To mark National HIV Testing Week, we have a debate in Westminster Hall. I respond in my capacity as Labour's Shadow Public Health Minister.

There have been huge strides in HIV testing, diagnosis and treatment over the last 50 years. But there is still more work to do.

For too many people access to testing and treatment remains patchy. We also have to tackle the stigma, bigotry and misinformation around HIV which sadly still exists today.
A big thanks to Terrence Higgins Trust, It Starts with Me and HIV Prevention England for all their hard work on this campaign.

A reminder that you can still access your free HIV test at https://freetesting.hiv/

WATCH: In Business and Trade Questions, I raise the problems faced by SK Wiring in Denton.

This company is the only UK manufacturer of wiring for the specialist equipment that helps produce vaccines. They did an incredible job during the worst days of the Covid pandemic and are now at risk of closure.

I look forward to discussing this issue with the Minister as a matter of urgency.

WATCH: All three MPs who represent areas of Tameside have petitioned the HS2 Bill over concerns about the impact that the works will have on the Ashton Metrolink Line.

Instead of working with Greater Manchester on a suitable alternative, HS2's Bill would see the severing of the metrolink line, with huge ramifications for local people.

We've been challenged on our right to argue against this by HS2. I make the point to the Leader of the House that Parliamentary rules show MPs do have a right to be heard. Good to hear that she agrees with me, and I look forward to receiving advice on this.

 WATCH: Appalling human rights abuses are being committed by the Chinese Government on Uyghurs living in Xinjiang.

Despite this, the UK Government has taken the very disappointing decision to facilitate a meeting with the Governor of Xinjiang in the UK.

I make the point to the Minister that this decision does not hold China to account. We must firmly stand against these appalling human rights abuses.

 WATCH: On GB News, I spoke about Labour's vision for the future after 13 years of Tory Government.

I also spoke about the workforce expansion needed in the NHS, and the momentous visit of President Zelensky to the United Kingdom.

  READ: Thanks to the Manchester Evening News for covering the joint petition all three Tameside MPs have made against the HS2 Bill's impact on the Ashton Metrolink line. HS2 Ltd need to work with the Transprot for Greater Manchester to find a solution that works for local people. 

Read the full piece here.