Andy Burnham meets local Labour party members as he seeks the Labour nomination for Greater Manchester Mayor

Andy Burnham with Castleton councillors, Billy Sheerin, Jean Hornby and Aasim Rashid at Woolworth's Sport and Social Club

Andy Burnham MP has been in Heywood, Middleton and Castleton today (Friday 3 June) meeting Labour party councillors and members seeking their support to become the Labour party candidate in the upcoming Greater Manchester Mayoral election.

Mr Burnham, who started his working life at the Middleton Guardian, began with a visit to the Demesne Community Centre in Middleton, followed by Roeacre Court and Crimble Croft Community Centre in Heywood before moving on to Woolworth’s Sport and Social Club in Castleton.

Rochdale Online caught up with Mr Burnham as he spoke in Castleton, and there can be no doubt that he left a favourable impression as he outlined what he sees as the inequality that divides the nation and the region.

After 15 years as an MP, Mr Burnham explained that if elected as Mayor he would stand down as an MP and devote himself to ensuring the whole of Greater Manchester gets a better deal from the Government. He is quite clear that he sees a divided country, one cursed with inequality that is getting worse as London becomes almost like another country within the country.

A personable character he spoke with authority and yet in a manner that took those listening with him, rather than the patronising tone of so many politicians.

He made a commitment that, if elected, he would try and bring social care in Greater Manchester under the auspices of the NHS. He said he wants to see a "cradle to grave integration of health and social care services centred on people’s needs".

His priorities, he explained, would also be transport and housing. He wants to see a vastly improved public transport system to alleviate the growing problem of gridlock in the region at peak times and he also wants to see the current housing shortage, and concomitant affordability issues, addressed.

When questioned what he would do specifically for the Borough of Rochdale, he promised that he would ensure that the borough would not be "left out in the cold by a Manchester city centric administration". As MP for Leigh for the past 15 years he said he was very familiar with the way resources and infrastructure have been "sucked into the city at the expense of the poorer areas of the region".

He concluded by explaining he "came into politics to change inequality" and if elected he would a "radical Mayor" who would bring to the role the same commitment with which he helped the families of the victims of Hillsborough.

North Middleton Councillor Chris Furlong, who is working with Mr Burnham’s campaign team, organised the meetings, he said: “Andy really enjoyed visiting Middleton, Heywood and Castleton and the varied discussions he had with local members of the Labour party.

“These meetings are a great way of Andy listening to the member’s ideas on what the Greater Manchester Mayor should be and explaining to them face-to-face his vision, aims and commitments if he is chosen as the Labour party candidate.”

Mr Burnham will be back in Rochdale on Wednesday (8 June) evening when he will meet members of the Rochdale Constituency Labour Party at the Labour Club on Oldham Road.

Andy Burnham with local Labour Party members and councillors at Woolworth's Sport and Social Club in Castleton