Letter from Parliament: Tony Lloyd MP

Date published: 23 July 2023

Public sector pay

Last week the government responded to the public sector pay review, even though they had said that they were not going to do this. The reality is that union activity forced this political U-turn. Even now, these offers have been met with a mixed reaction from trade unions. Teachers were offered a 6.5% pay rise for staff in England and unions have recommended that members accept. Earlier this month we saw striking teachers in London calling for the funds to give children the education they deserve, and school staff need to be paid properly for the work they do. The government must ensure that higher pay won't mean budget cuts elsewhere.

 

 

Yet the BMA, whose junior doctor members have just concluded their longest walkout yet, and whose consultants are in their first disputes for fifty years, condemned the offer. The government has missed another opportunity to put a credible proposal on the table. And whilst the Police Federation described a 7% pay increase for police as a “step in the right direction”, they are right to point out that the offer fails to consider the real-term 17% cut which officers have endured since 2000.

HS2

Once again the North has been betrayed as the government refuses the common sense solution of an underground station for HS2 in Manchester. It’s the best answer to integrate Northern Powerhouse Rail with HS2. It's hard to imagine that if this were London, the money would not already be there. I spoke to That’s TV News on this, which you can watch here.

Save our railway ticket offices

I’m backing calls made by transport unions to oppose mass closure of railway ticket offices ahead of government proposals to cut costs. In Rochdale, Littleborough’s ticket office is earmarked for closure yet for many, ticket offices provide a place of safety for both staff and passengers. The presence of staff often deters abusive and anti-social behaviour and for disabled passengers, ticket office staff are usually the only staff present when they require assistance. There’s also a range of services that would be harder to access for all passengers if staffed ticket offices were replaced by ticket vending machines, including refunds, discounts, seat reservations and bus connections. I have raised this with government ministers and Andy Burnham as GM Mayor.

The plans are at consultation stage, and I would urge you to email your comments to ticket.office.Network@transportfocus.org.uk or write FREEPOST (no stamp needed) to RTEH-XAGE-BYKZ, Transport Focus, PO Box 5594, Southend on Sea SS1 9PZ by 26 July. To view the consultation, visit Northern’s website.

Awaab's Law

I have been working with the family of Awaab Ishak on the campaign to introduce Awaab’s Law following his death over a year ago. Amendments to the Social Housing (Regulations) Bill to incorporate this into law were passed through the House of Lords this month. My colleagues joined representatives of Awaab's family, Charge.org, Shelter and the Manchester Evening News in delivering their petition to 10 Downing Street to make sure that no child can ever be put at risk in this way again. Awaab should never have died, and we must make sure something like this never happens again.

 

 

Seven Sisters

Plans to save Rochdale's landmark Seven Sisters from bulldozers have taken a step forward as Rochdale Boroughwide Housing has now confirmed it is working with an affordable housing developer and looking at options to retain and modernise the iconic towers.

I hope RBH will make a speedy decision which can put an end to years of uncertainty for tenants who have been fighting to stay in their own homes, and which will avoid, especially in the case of elderly residents, the trauma of a move. I also hope their decision will allow the empty flats to be reoccupied, bringing in rental income which the authors of the previous policy were prepared to lose.

£19billion of support unclaimed in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis

Millions of households are missing out on welfare benefits and support as current systems require multiple application mechanisms across different organisations and sometimes households may need to make six or seven applications to receive benefits or cash support. It is shocking that £19billion of support and benefits is unclaimed in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. I have put together a list of help that is available for households to claim which I hope goes some way to help.

 

Travel cost help for young cancer patients

I'm calling for young cancer patients and their families to receive greater help in travel costs to and from their appointments. Travel costs for young cancer patients and their families can run up to £250 or more per month. That’s a lot of money even when there isn’t a cost-of-living crisis. Some are cutting back on paying bills or food just to cover costs, or even missing treatment altogether. That is shocking. Current support available doesn’t make a material difference to the costs incurred. That’s why I’m backing calls for government funded young cancer patient travel to tackle this unfairness.

Healthy Start Scheme

Too many families with a new baby are missing out on help to buy milk, baby formula, fruit and vegetables. The Healthy Start Scheme provides pregnant women and young families in receipt of certain benefits with a prepaid card offering between £4.25 and £8.50 each week – up to £34 each month – to spend on groceries. However, this must be applied for and many people give up after failing to use an overly complex and bureaucratic application system.

The government has said they have the funds to ensure people receive this help automatically, and that they have the means to know who is eligible. People are seeing food costs reach record highs thanks to the cost-of-living crisis and in some parts of Rochdale, child poverty, affects half of children – the majority of whose families have parents in work. Automatically receiving this help would ensure that no child falls through the cracks, and that instead they will have the best possible start in life.

Smokefree Fund

I'm calling for a ‘Smokefree Fund’ to help people quit smoking for good. The number one cause of cancer and death in the UK is smoking. Around 6.6 million people still smoke and smoking still causes around 150 cancer cases a day in the UK.

We all know many people who smoke and want to quit, but they need proper support to do so. Decisive action by previous Governments have seen smoke-filled pubs, colourful cigarette packets and cigarette vending machines consigned to history, and there’s still more to be done. I’m backing Cancer Research UK’s campaign in support of better funding for stop smoking services. It should be the tobacco industry, not the taxpayer who foots the bill.

Health and care for older people

Age UK recently launched its report in Parliament on the state of health and care for older people, and they shared with me the following data specific to the Rochdale constituency. Their reports shows that whilst a lot of money is spent on the health and care of older people, many lack the social care they need - which often results in further avoidable medical treatment. This in turn hinders their ability to make a full recovery and adds further pressure to hospitals who already find it difficult to admit new patients.

Age UK are calling for community-based services to be joined up, with the voluntary sector working closely with GPs and their staff. This would allow for a 'home first' approach to care, avoiding hospital where necessary and allow for more preventative services, such as those which tackle the risk of falls.

Anti-social Behaviour Awareness Week

All my experience in dealing with people who have been victims of anti-social behaviour tells me that it is too often ignored or downplayed by the authorities, from policing, social landlords and so on. Yet we know it's the most likely type of nuisance or even criminality that most of us are likely to encounter. And it can and does change and ruin people's lives. I've come across too many people who live in fear of the local bullies who day on day seek to make their lives a misery. Recent research tells us that 40% of us think anti-social behaviour is growing in their neighbourhood and nearly one in five of us has contemplated moving because of it. That is not acceptable.

Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home and community. We all have a part to play in tackling anti-social behaviour and I was pleased to support Anti-Social Behaviour Awareness Week this year. Incidents can be reported to the anti-social behaviour team at the local council, or to the police if people feel that they are at immediate risk or in danger. People mustn't suffer in silence.

Nuclear test veterans deserve recognition

I’m calling on the government to stop dithering and recognise the contribution of Britain’s nuclear test veterans with a medal. Thousands of young men doing national service were sent to the Pacific in the 1950s where they were deliberately exposed to radiation while nuclear bombs were being tested nearby. Last year, 70 years after they were first ordered to take part in nuclear weapons experiments, the Ministry of Defence finally conceded they deserved a medal but it has now been delayed without explanation.

 

 

LABRATS International are a campaigning group for survivors and descendants of atomic testing programmes across the world and I applaud the work of their decades-long fight for recognition from the Ministry of Defence. There are fears the veterans will not be able to wear their medal when they march at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.

Government cuts are challenging healthy travel options

I'm calling on the government to reverse cuts on the investment designed to make cycling and walking more accessible. We know that getting out of the car and walking and cycling is good for health, but it’s also good for the environment. These cuts will have a detrimental impact throughout Rochdale and across the country.

Walking and cycling needs to be promoted as an alternative mode of transport but that only be done with the infrastructure in place to support it. Active travel prevented 2.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released in 2021 and also contributed £36.5 billion to the UK economy. These cuts will make it impossible to reach the Government’s crucial 2050 net-zero targets and I’m calling on the government to think again. I spoke to That’s TV News about this, which you can watch here.

Deep sea mining

Deep sea mining is the practice of removing metals and minerals from the ocean’s seabed. This will be achieved using gigantic machines weighing more than a blue whale, which would scoop deposits from the deep ocean floor. They would then pump the mined material up to a ship through several kilometres of tubing – and sand, seawater and other mineral waste would then be pumped back into the water.

The full impact of deep sea mining is highly damaging and goes well beyond the areas being mined. The wastewater, sediment and residual metals discharged from ships during mining can flow hundreds of kilometres away from the mining sites which could impact ocean ecosystems. The metals they contain can prove toxic to some forms of marine life and can, potentially, get into the marine food chain. The noise from mining activities can also seriously impact species such as whales that use noise communicate. That’s why I’m calling on the UK to join the governments of France, Spain, Germany, and New Zealand in calling for a ban on this. We need to recognise that the long-term benefits of a healthy ocean are far more important than the short-term incentives offered by deep sea mining.

Ukraine

 

 

I was pleased to welcome Halyna Vasylchenko, Member of Ukraine's Parliament, to Rochdale. Rochdale is twinned with Lviv where Halyna represents, and it was good to show her examples of the support and solidarity the people of Rochdale have given to the people of Ukraine in the face of the ongoing Russian aggression. I also chaired an insightful discussion in Parliament with Halyna, Frank Schwabe (Member of Germany's Parliament) and Stephen Doughty (Labour's Shadow Europe Minister) about the wider ongoing international solidarity with Ukraine as Russia's war continues.

 

 

Remembering Srebrenica

In 1995, 8,000 people were murdered in the Srebrenica Genocide, the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War. We must remember those who lost their lives and the name Srebrenica must ring out forever to unite us against hate.

 

 

75 years of our NHS

Receiving healthcare in the UK used to leave many families with crippling debts. That ended 75 years ago when Labour created the NHS and allowed free healthcare for all — which ranks amongst our proudest achievements. It’s sad to report that this 75th anniversary sees staff morale at an all-time low. Junior and senior doctors taking industrial action, patient waiting lists for people in real need growing daily.

Eid al-Adha

People in Rochdale and across the world came together to celebrate Eid al-Adha with family and friends. You can watch my message wishing everyone Eid Mubarak. Watch here.

Profits and inflation

In June the Bank of England decided to increase interest rates to five per cent, the 13th consecutive rise. It is right that inflation must be reduced and contained, but ordinary British people are not the drivers of inflation, and there is evidence of profiteering by some banks and businesses. For instance, an extra £7 billion in profits directly from interest rate rises was reported in March from the big four banks: Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds and Nat West. This needs to be investigated by the Financial Conduct Authority, the regulator of the banking industry. Read more.

The Ministerial Code and parliamentary standards

The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duties, but trust in the Code has been eroded by Tory governments. The House of Commons, and not the Prime Minister, should be responsible for deciding whether alleged breaches should be investigated and determining whether Ministers have breached the Code. Read more.

Detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza in Russia

Vladimir Kara-Murza, a dual British-Russian national and prominent Russian opposition figure and activist, was arrested in Russia and sentenced to 25 years in prison. He was poisoned in 2015 and 2017 and there is concern that he is not receiving adequate healthcare for his condition. The UK government must investigate all measures that could accelerate his release, including establishing an office that deals with hostage situations. Read more.

Palestinians facing persecution

The Israeli government has launched its biggest military incursion in the West Bank in two decades and continues to announce of new illegal settlements on a regular basis, continuing to displace Palestinians from East Jerusalem and Masafer Yatta. Instead of taking concrete steps to uphold human rights and international law, the British government seems determined to shield the Israeli government from accountability as well as companies complicit in its occupation. The ability of public authorities to divest from companies proven to be complicit or responsible for violations of human rights should be defended. Read more.