Letter from Parliament - Tony Lloyd MP

Tony Lloyd MP

Raised question to the Home Office about minimising organised crime which is massively damaging to people in society. It is probably underestimated because Greater Manchester is seen as one of the places that deal with crime well, but it is still a big challenge as it has got to be taken seriously.

Met Your Party Greater Manchester, which are all the MPs for the region. We spoke about how London and Manchester can work together so we get a better share of the resources from central government.

Had a meeting about Colombia, which seems like it is far away but is linked to Britain because of the bulk of cocaine from there on our streets. I have been involved in putting pressure on a peace process there, which they have now got and the state has found more things to grow other than the coca plant. It will make a real difference to the level of deaths and people’s lives in Columbia.

I met with social housing and also had a separate meeting about healthy homes for the future. We have got to make sure we have simple things like proper insulation because we have a disproportionate number of deaths of old people who die because of the cold than colder countries.

I had a meeting on maintain an independent court process, which applies to not only Britain but the entire world. It can be very unfair if someone is caught abroad and is seen at a dodgy court, so this is extremely important.

I attended a very important event on ending violence against women and girls. Similarly, I asked a question in parliament to make sure that funding for women’s refuges receive adequate funding so they are not closed. I have spoken about this topic before but the right sort of funding for these places can help prevent violence and even deaths. Women’s Aid, a nationwide charity, is concerned that if the government does not get the funding right, places like this will close.

Updated on the situation in Palestine.

Spoke at Town and Country Planning Conference about building sustainable homes and communities for the future. We have to make sure that in addition to these homes, there is access to health facilities and leisure space that people can get to.

Meeting with Professor Carl Dayson, an expert on looking at different ways people can access sustainable and affordable credit when they have been refused a bank loan. It may be that someone needs to buy a necessity, such as a cooker, and they haven’t got the money for it.

I attended the Man of Rochdale event, which was very-well deserved by John Swinden.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/114325/man-of-rochdale-2017-john-alexander

I will be attending a Youth Engagement event in Deeplish, I will be at the Littleborough Christmas Fair at weekend and supporting local councillors in Milkstone and Deeplish, and Milnrow.

Budget – For Rochdale, this was a big missed opportunity. It was all smoke and mirrors where something looks good until you peel away the layers. There were very important things that Rochdale missed out on. There was no money for social care and supporting the elderly, no money for our primary schools and no money for training new apprentices.

It looked as though there was a big announcement on housing but it was so flawed with no skills based professions, like electricians and bricklayers and no plan for building control. Not many marks go to this chancellor and I do not think we will look back as him doing Rochdale any real favours.

Marks and Spencer – clearly we want M&S to be part of the new town centre. They said they were going to be and it is important to the town. However, this is a conversation between the Council and Marks and Spencers. I do hope they can be persuaded to stay and be part of Rochdale’s future as it would be good to have such a big national store as an anchor there.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/114278/severe-blow-for-rochdale-riverside-development-as-mands-pulls-out