News from
Debbie Abrahams MP

For Oldham East and Saddleworth

November 2016

Constituency Update

It's been a busy time in the constituency as well as in Parliament. 

Alongside my regular constituency surgeries I recently attended the public opening of the Old Town Hall. And what a fantastic show it was - telling the story of Oldham through art, dance, lighting and music. I want to congratulate everyone involved in the planning and construction of the Old Town Hall. It is a fantastic addition to our Borough and I hope you are all able to enjoy the magnificent facilities and space. 

In May, I convened a meeting between Saddleworth parish councillors and local government minister, Marcus Jones regarding the disqualification of local authority members in regards to child sex offences. The minister stated his intention to consult on changes to standards for councillors to bring the legislative rules into line with modern sentencing guidelines. To date, this hasn't been forthcoming so I have written to the minister again asking for an update as soon as possible. I will continue to push the Government on this matter and keep you updated. 

I have been extremely disappointed with Barclays decision to close its branch in Lees next month. It shows the strength of feeling in Lees, and the inadequate response from Barclays, that people now feel they have to start a campaign to preserve this banking lifeline. I have been disappointed with Barclays in their responses to me in which they’ve consistently failed to address several points of concern I’ve raised. I will continue to liaise with local councillors and constituents on this matter. 

I have recently been contacted by constituents in Saddleworth about a spate of burglaries. I met with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) last week and they informed me that one criminal gang had already been caught as part of their investigation into the Saddleworth burglaries. The police acknowledge that there has been a slight increase in burglaries in the area but they are working hard to find those responsible. I will be keeping in close contact with GMP on this issue.

It is very concerning to hear that the Link Centre may be facing closure. I understand that Oldham Council are facing severe pressure on their budget due to swingeing Government cuts and have lost nearly 50% of their budget and with a budget gap of over £20 million for 2017. 

However, the centre offers a large number of much needed services such as support groups and signposting facilities for residents with a disability, additional needs or vulnerability, as well as carers and professionals. It’s a valued facility for those who use the centre and a number of worried constituents have already contacted me about the possible closure. People who use the Link Centre have told me it’s a lifeline which gives them independence, support and social interaction. I have raised the matter with Oldham Council and asked for more details surrounding the possible closure and what options there are to avoid closure.

On 14th October I met with a group of local residents at Gallery Oldham about tackling climate change. We must continue to speak up about environmental issues as they affect us all wherever we live in the world and it’s always the poor and vulnerable who are hit hardest. Here in the UK, over the last few years, we’ve seen the evidence of our changing climate with an increase of flooding which devastates communities. I have raised my concerns about the Government’s undermining policies on, for example, subsidies for renewable and low carbon technologies. This approach seems incompatible to me given the Government’s proclaimed ambitions at the Paris climate change talks.

To mark National Hate Crime Awareness week (8 - 15 October), I along with Angela Rayner MP, Jim McMahon MP and Oldham Council Leader Cllr Jean Stretton have united to speak about our role in building relationships between diverse communities. Please read our joint statement here.

    

Why I'm supporting Andy Burnham for Mayor

In May 2017, Greater Manchester will vote for their Mayor of Greater Manchester. The new Mayor will head-up the Devolution deal given to the whole city-region, including here in Oldham and Saddleworth, mirroring the role of mayors in London and soon other devolved areas across the country.

The new Greater Manchester Mayor is not just another civic role. The candidate we select will almost certainly go on to represent Greater Manchester on the national and world stage. We need someone with the leadership skills and experience, someone who has operated at a senior Government level, someone with strong Labour values and the integrity to hold such a position.  That’s why I am backing Andy Burnham, a fellow Greater Manchester MP, to be Mayor. Many of you have already met Andy on his many visits to Oldham. if you have not, I hope there will be opportunities for you to meet Andy as he travels across the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester to put forward his case. I have no doubt he is the best candidate for the job.

Shadow Work and Pensions update

As ever, there has been a great deal of work in Parliament particularly in my role as Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary.

I am delighted to stay on as Shadow Secretary of State for Work & Pensions and continue to hold the Government to account on their appalling record. What is important now is that we come together as a party and provide effective opposition. Unfortunately, one of the consequences of being in Shadow Cabinet is not being able to speak on other issues in the Commons. But I will use many other opportunities to raise issues for constituents.

A consultation on reforming the Work Capability Assessment was announced on Monday 31st October. Work and Pensions Secretary, Damian Green said he wanted a "personalised" way to help more people. Whilst I welcome the Government’s acknowledgement that their callous Work Capability Assessments cause needless misery and stress for thousands upon thousands of sick and disabled people, Theresa May needs to take responsibility for her part in these disastrous social security reforms. To suggest that these have been a success is ridiculous. 

This cruel Tory approach is driven with the purpose of targeting the most vulnerable in our society to pay for their austerity plans, painting disabled people as scroungers and shirkers, whilst making no impact on the disability employment gap. Rather than tinkering at the edges, I announced in my speech at Labour conference that we will scrap the Tories discredited Work Capability Assessment. I want to replace it with a system based on personalised support, one that provides each individual with a tailored plan, building on their strengths and addressing barriers, whether skills, health, care, transport, or housing-related. This Government’s punitive sanctions system must go too, so Job Centre Plus and employment support providers’ performance will not just be assessed on how many people they get off their books.

At conference, I showed the trailer from Ken Loach’s new film ‘I, Daniel Blake’ as it sets out so clearly much of that is wrong with the current social security system. If you have not seen the film please do try and watch it when it is screened in Oldham from the 4th November. View the trailer here. You can watch my speech in full here or read it here.

Iain Duncan-Smith has called on the government to reverse cuts to Universal Credit.
Even the man who introduced the Tories’ ineffective social security reforms is backing Labour’s call for the government to reverse these nasty cuts to work incentives in the social security system. The Tories claimed they wanted to make work pay, but then slashed the budget of Universal Credit, leaving 2.5 million working families on average £2,100 worse off. Labour is calling for the full reversal of these damaging cuts, to restore the principle that work always pays.

Oxford University published a report last week which proves the link between the Tories’ punitive sanctions regime and the shocking rise of food banks across the UK. While the Tories continue to look the other way, refusing to accept the evidence, I’ve announced that Labour would scrap their punitive sanctions regime. Labour will transform our social security system, ensuring that it is there for everyone in their time of need, just like our beloved NHS. Read more here.

In September, I spoke at the WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) rally in Manchester in support of the women affected by the Government’s decision to increase the state pension age. It is unfair that ninety nine thousand women across Greater Manchester born in the 1950s are bearing the burden and the personal costs of the Government’s policy. These women have worked hard, contributed to the system and deserve better treatment. Labour has suggested six different options for the Government to consider. Inaction is simply not acceptable. The Government must now act to provide transitional protection for these women.

I support Dimensions UK’s campaign to end learning disability hate crime which was launched as part of national hate crime awareness week (8th-14th October). At the launch held in the Houses of Parliament this week, I met with a number of leading learning disability charities to hear about the impact of hate crime on the everyday lives of the people they support. I am very pleased to support Dimensions UK’s eight point plan to end learning disability hate crime. Read more here.

NHS Digital published the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, which showed that young women are the highest risk group in England, with one in five women reporting a common mental disorder such as anxiety and depression in 2014, compared with one in eight men. The proportion of the overall population with a common mental disorder has risen steadily since the survey was first conducted, in 1993. That has gone from 6.9% of 16 to 64-year-olds in 1993 to 7.9% in 2000, then to 8.5% in 2007 and now to 9.3%. People with mental health conditions in receipt of social security are repeatedly subject to punitive sanctions and wrongly assessed as fit for work. The system must instead support people with mental health conditions and work with employers and the NHS to ensure people with mental ill health have the flexibility and treatment they need to stay in work. Read more here.

.