Asbestos dangers taken to Cabinet

Jason Addy, of Save Spodden Valley, spoke to Communities Minister Hazel Blears at the Labour Party Conference.

The Communities Minister, Hazel Blears MP, has hailed the Save Spodden Valley (SSV) campaigners as ‘community heroes’ in a debate that celebrated the work being done by Britain’s unsung heroes.

SSV co-ordinator Jason Addy was one of six community heroes invited to meet the Communities Secretary to discuss their campaigning work.

Shown live on BBC Parliament the debate saw Mr Addy explain to an audience at this week’s Labour Party conference in Manchester why he was campaigning to put an end to asbestos-related deaths and ensure that past mistakes are not repeated.

“I am nobody special and ours is a non-political campaign, but too many people have died as a result of asbestos related diseases,” he told a visibly moved Hazel Blears. “Too many families in Rochdale have been badly affected by asbestos and that’s what we’re fighting for, to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself. The decisions and products made at the T&N site in Spodden Valley have killed far too many people. As a town, we have been threatened, bullied, lied to, poisoned and taken for granted. Our campaign is to safeguard our community and raise awareness of the dangers of asbestos.”

Afterwards, Mr Addy said he was grateful to have been given the opportunity to discuss issues that have affected many people in Rochdale with Government ministers. “I am not a Labour party member and the SSV campaign has been supported by all political parties but it is important to make people in Government aware of the situation in Rochdale,” he said, “I am pleased to have been able to discuss our concerns with Hazel Blears and the Housing Minister, Caroline Flint MP.”

Rochdale’s Labour Parliamentary Candidate, Simon Danczuk, added that Jason’s tireless efforts had been appreciated by all political parties in Rochdale and that Jason was one of many ‘community heroes’ in the Borough.

“There are lots of community heroes in Rochdale and I would have liked to introduce them all to the Communities Secretary because Rochdale’s greatest strength is its people,” he said. “There are many unsung heroes in our town. But in recent months the terrible family tragedies of those affected by asbestos cancer have been revealed to me in Rochdale and I wanted the Government to be aware of these problems."