Building a Dementia Friendly Oldham
I have joined forces with the Alzheimer’s Society and Oldham Council’s Dementia Partnership to help make Oldham a dementia-friendly community, a place where people with dementia are understood, respected, supported and confident that they can contribute to community life. I wrote about the event here last week. Along with the Alzheimer’s Society, Oldham Council, and […]
Parliamentary Update: Sanctions, Trade Deal, Flooding, Bedroom Tax, Welfare Reform and Unemployment
Last week was an extremely busy one in Parliament, with a large number of debates and questions. On Tuesday there was a debate on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP as it’s commonly known. This is the new trade deal between the US and EU, which is currently being negotiated. I have been […]
Working for a Dementia Friendly Oldham
Tomorrow I am delighted to be speaking at a ‘Call to Action’ event to build a dementia friendly Oldham. I have personal experience of dementia, having provided respite care for my mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease. Sadly, she died in 2012 but I now want to help other families who may be going through a similar situation. […]
Justice After Acquittal
Last week I co-Chaired the first ever parliamentary seminar on support for the families of victims of homicide who have experienced an unjust acquittal. David Heyes MP gave the opening address and Stephen Dorrell MP was my fellow co-Chair. The seminar, organised by the support group Justice After Acquittal (JAA), brought together MPs, victims’ families and […]
Social Security & Inappropriate Sanctions
The issue of inappropriate sanctions for people on social security has become a ‘hot topic’ in recent weeks with today seeing the intervention of scores of church leaders who have written to David Cameron branding his Government’s changes to the welfare system as a ‘national crisis’ and ‘truly shocking’. I have pursued this issue repeatedly at […]
Fairness and Inequality
Yesterday there was an Opposition Day debate on fairness and inequality, at which I spoke about the Government’s current record and particularly the way inequalities affect life expectancy, mental health, social mobility, educational attainment and crime. In Oldham East and Saddleworth there is a ten year difference in life expectancy across the constituency – a key reason why […]
DWP Sanctions – Call for Independent Inquiry
Last Tuesday (28th January) the Work and Pensions Committee, of which I am a member, published a report which backed my request during Committee evidence sessions that the Government should set up an independent review into the way sanctions are being applied to hundreds of thousands of people on benefits. This followed two Committee evidence […]
NHS Check Oldham Launch
I have just launched the first NHS Check Oldham report which includes local case studies, with the help of heart attack survivor David Shipp, from Saddleworth. The full report can be read here The first of my NHS Check Oldham quarterly reports concentrates on local Accident and Emergency (A&E) services and examines how national policies from the coalition […]
Oldham Fairness Commission – Employment Inquiry
The employment inquiry will take place on Friday 24 January 2014, 2.30pm-4pm at The Centre (Positive Steps), 8 Union Street, Oldham, OL1 1DJ. We want the Oldham Fairness Commission to engage with communities so we are holding meetings in public and would like to invite people to send in their questions so that our Commissioners […]
Parliamentary Update: Paul Goggins Tributes, Social Care Cuts, Self Build Housing, Bedroom Tax
Last Wednesday saw the shocking news that my Greater Manchester colleague, Paul Goggins, MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East had died on Tuesday evening, just over a week after collapsing whilst jogging with his son. Paul was a lovely man, who never shirked from asking difficult questions and I will never forget his kindness to me as […]