Letter from Parliament - Tony Lloyd

Tony Lloyd MP

I have heard from constituents a lot this week about how badly they have been let down by Northern Rail. When I looked at the timetable, every third train in Rochdale was cancelled, which is unacceptable. It’s not unfair to say that Chris Grayling was mauled by MPs this week.

Our service has become worse than it was before we were promised this high-speed rail update. As a result, I met with both Northern and Network Rail for their assurances to provide the service we were promised. The trains aren’t quite as bad as they were, but I will be pushing them to properly compensate people. I will also be discussing this with the Department for Transport as we should now get this updated service in December.

If any of my constituents have been let down by Northern and Network Rail, please get in touch with me and I will continue to hold their feet to the fire. We deserve a far better service than what we have been receiving and I am going to hold them to account until this is delivered.

This week was the 150^th anniversary of the Trades Union Congress. We should be quite proud of this as it started in Manchester. Lots of people from across the north west came together to celebrate this important milestone, which founded the international trade union movement.

The importance of youth work was recognised at an event I attended this week. Young people who are engaged in meaningful activities like volunteering are more likely to do better in school and be good citizens. Unfortunately, tragic cutbacks are putting a strain on the budgets for youth work, which is such a shame, as it has real value.

I also attended a charity event in Manchester for the Human Appeal Charity who do a lot of very good work across the world, and Building Change, which is a voluntary organisation. Volunteers definitely make our world a better place, and they have my full support.

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is proposing a minimum price on alcohol - as is the case in Scotland. They also highlighted how supermarkets undercut the local pubs with their alcohol prices. I agree there is a lot of pressure on pubs as more and more are closing each year, but I appreciate not everyone wants to frequent them. With the right kind of pub, it can be a fantastic place to bring the community together.

Shop theft is an issue in Rochdale, and I will be discussing practical measures to tackle it in the two shopping centres. All bodies need to work together to keep this type of crime down: the police, the courts, the council, and the traders, we need to make sure everyone plays their part. It is not a victimless crime, as the price is paid next time you purchase something, or, especially with independent businesses, it comes from a family’s income.

I am also supporting a British group of thalidomide survivors who are fighting for compensation from the German company that manufactured the drug in the 1960s. The company has compensated German survivors, but never paid out to those over here. I will be raising this with the German Chancellor as I feel there is a moral obligation to recompense them.

In the spirit of bringing communities together, this weekend I will be visiting a local mosque for Ramadan, and attending a convention of Asian Christians at St Chad’s. I will also be holding my advice bureau.