Letter from Parliament - Tony Lloyd MP

Tony Lloyd MP

This week I have been in parliament a lot. I met with ambassadors from central American countries about situations including the possibility of trade after Brexit, with countries where we don’t have a lot of trade.

I met with former President of Kashmir, Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry.

I had an exchange with the secretaries of the UCU (the university lecturer's union). There has been staff redundancies at the University of Manchester, which affects our pupils in the borough as students there.

I had a shadow housing meeting on Monday.

Met with Unison on work issues which I will have more to say about next week.

I Spoke with treasury ministers on Tuesday about why investment is heavily weighted to London and the south east. The response was that distributions are pretty much weighted equally. However, using transport as an example, London received six times more than the three northern regions combined. That is not only unfair but it is incompetent because it means there is nothing for us to spend on our infrastructure. I will be continuing raising this ludicrous topic.

I learned more about chronic fatigue syndrome/ME after a constituent raised a personal tragedy with me after a family member died. I was invited to learn more and I will be watching a film about the condition called ‘unrest’.

I had a briefing with former foreign secretary Jack Straw and diplomats such as the former British ambassadors for America and Iran about negotiations on a deal for Iran not to develop nuclear weapons. It is not only dangerous but we do not need any more instability in the middle east.

I was on Prime Minister’s Question Time which largely revolved around Brexit and Universal Credit, which needs reforming because the system is putting people into debt with the threat of losing their homes.

Labour raised the debate on supported housing, which is a big issue in Rochdale. People like the elderly who live in sheltered accomadation require more support and care. I recently went to one place for young single mums who were homeless, and there are other places that offer rehabilitation for those coming off drugs or alcohol or who have mental health issues. They are often run by housing associations so it is a very serious concern if some of these closed, people would end up on the streets. We have pushed the government with this topic and they will respond next week.

I went to a drop in reception for Smile Aid, which raises awareness on hate crime and acid attacks. This is a very important issue for police and authorities, and it was to raise awareness of the damage these attacks cause to people’s appearances and their lives. The drop in also highlighted some amazing work done with helping rehabilitate victims of such attacks.

I asked a question on the cap on public sector pay. The government claims it has got removed the cap. Police pay has gone up by more than 1% but policing services have not received any more money. The more we pay in wages, the less police it means for our streets and that is not the right way. The cap needs lifting and more paying into our services.

I had a business breakfast at Rochdale Development Agency talking through important issues in the business community like training apprentices, energy costs and increasing exports. It is important to listen to them.

I held my weekly advice bureau.

I also met with senior managers at the Rochdale Infirmary who took me on a tour of the new Oasis Unit for patients with dementia. It is nicely done with colour-coded doors so it is easy to remember rather than numbers that may seem meaningless. They also do so much good work which is not always recognised.

This weekend, I am to meet with Littleborough Civic Trust about their ambitions and concerns.

I will also be talking to people who have been affected by services charges. Service charges can go up dramatically and this is a national problem which the government are looking at. We need to look for a constructive solution that is fairer.