Letter from Parliament

No-one doubts that 2007 will be a year of great significance in politics.  The country will have a new Prime Minister in Gordon Brown whose steady hand has guided the British economy for the past ten years.  He is generally acknowledged by most economists as the most successful Chancellor of the Exchequer in living memory. His motto has been a strong and stable economy. 

As we all know no economy is immune from the rise in oil prices that have increased threefold in the past five years but thanks to the macroeconomic framework and microeconomic reforms that the chancellor has put in place, including the Bank of England independence and tough fiscal rules, the economy is much better placed than in previous decades and continues to experience a period of growth and stability that is without precedence amongst advanced economies in the post-war era. 

The Bank of England is keeping a strong grip on the economy, keeping interest rates low and stable and keeping inflation in check. Gordon Brown’s successful stewardship is the reason for this unparalleled period of prosperity in our country’s economic welfare that is the envy of most other developed nations.

We are determined that this will continue. We do not want to see interest rates of 15% again.

The Government are embarking on more devolution within local government to be more inclusive of local communities and to encourage more participation by local people in the decision making process.  This can only be successful if substantial budgetary control is also devolved.

In 1990 I was Chairman of the Council’s Neighbourhood Services Committee.  The Labour Council had taken a decision to create eleven neighbourhoods, each with a manager who would have staff from every council department in every neighbourhood.  Every department was signed up to this.  A small monitored advisory support team of officers would remain at the centre. Each neighbourhood would have its own budget for service delivery and each neighbourhood would have its own decision making committee.  This would have been the most radical Local Government strategy in the country.  Unfortunately the Lib Dems took control at the local elections and stopped the process and centralised the whole council structure again. They set up the Township model with one or two staff on a tiny nominal budget and wonder why it doesn’t work properly.  To boast now about devolving power and budgets is 17 years too late.  If they had supported Labour’s devolution plans then, Heywood, Middleton, Castleton, Norden, Bamford  and all parts of Rochdale would have more efficient and accountable public council services now.

On Friday 12 January I met with constituents and Countryside Properties in Castleton to discuss concerns about Alexandra Street and I hope we made some progress.  In the afternoon, David Chaytor MP for Bury North and I met with Health Chiefs from Pennine Acute Health Trust to discuss progress on the funding deficit and the message given was reasonably encouraging.

I have been drafted into a Government bill on statistics and Registration Services by the Whips.  This will take up to two days per week until completed.  This coincided with the visit by a group from Rochdale including Cllr Ashley Dearnley and Cllr Jane Gartside from Norden who had come to lobby on Rochdale Infirmary Health concerns.  Because I was committed to the Government Bill I was only able to say a quick hello.  The lobby was organised by Sir Peter Viggers, a Conservative MP and appeared to be made up of a number of hospitals mainly in the south of England.  Although it was a very small lobby in comparison to some I’ve seen, I understand a small deputation had arranged a ministerial meeting to register their concerns.  I remained in London on Friday as my Palliative Care Bill was on the agenda.  Only two bills were considered.  My bill returns on 23 February.

On Sunday I attended the christening of Alice Emily in St Anselm’s Church in Whitworth.  Alice is the granddaughter of our close neighbours Chris and Margaret Raynor. In the afternoon we left for London to begin another busy week.