GET IN TOUCH
As your local MP, I can help you with, or offer advice on, issues such as; benefits, immigration, tax, the NHS, child maintenance and education.
I would love to hear from you about what you think my priorities should be as your MP and what matters most to you.
Please use the contact form to get in touch with me. Please remember to provide as many details as possible, including your name, address and full details of your issue.
Really good to meet with trade union reps in Darwen this week. An open and honest conversation, and I'm grateful to everyone who came along and told me straight what they are seeing at work.
Much of what they told me comes back to the same thing: they want to see secure, decent jobs making things, close to home. That is what my work with the Reindustrialisation Research Group is about, and it means a lot to hear it from the people who would be doing those jobs. ... See MoreSee Less
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Rossendale's Pride in Place programme will be delivering real results for Staghills residents this October.
Drawing on funding I have secured from the Government, improvements are being made to the woodland paths at Woodside Crescent and Heys Walkway, backed by an additional £30,000 of match funding from the Lancashire Environmental Fund.
If you live on the estate you will know these paths well. Between them they are the everyday route for a lot of people, and they have needed attention for a long time.
The plan is to resurface the footpaths, cut back the overgrown vegetation, check and upgrade the lighting, and put in new signage so the route is easier to follow. There will also be native bulbs, wildflowers and woodland shrubs planted along the way, and bird boxes going up through the woodland to give local wildlife a hand.
Like all of the Pride in Place schemes, this is community-led, not dictated to us from elsewhere. There will be planting days and artwork to get stuck into, so don't miss out on your chance to participate in a project which will bring real improvements to the area.
In the comments below, you'll find links to the project's website as well as a survey to fill in. ... See MoreSee Less
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Today the government announced changes to make social value count for more when public contracts are awarded. In short, that means when a council or a department buys something, the jobs, apprenticeships and local spending a bidder brings with them count for more in the decision.
On behalf of the Reindustrialisation Research Group which I am convenor of, I welcome this news:
"Today's announcement on reforming social value is a big step in the right direction. Reindustrialisation will require a clear focus on investment and skills if we want to bring good jobs to every postcode. Procurement is a critical tool in the arsenal of reindustrialisation and increasing the weighting of social value will enable us to reward more businesses that are doing the right thing. These changes need to be a beginning of a cross-government effort to Buy British and provide British businesses with all the support they need to win contracts and create decent jobs."
We have engineering and manufacturing firms here in Rossendale and Darwen that take on apprentices, pay properly and spend their money in the towns they sit in. Too often they lose out to bids that look cheaper on paper because none of that gets counted. Getting the weighting right starts to change that.
I will keep making the case for public money spent in our towns to do more for the people who live in them. ... See MoreSee Less
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Ever since getting elected, I've been campaigning on Road Safety. My work with young William Cartwright, supporting his fight for a safe crossing on his daily walk to Thorn school, has been a huge source of inspiration to me.
In this series of videos, I speak to William in front of the Spar on Burnley road about his experiences and his efforts to make Lancashire County Council listen to residents and take action. Next time, we will talk about the petition he started, his experience putting the case in front of County Hall, and Lancashire County Council's disappointing response. ... See MoreSee Less
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Last week, a constituent came to me because they hadn't received an electricity bill in several months, even though their smart meter was installed and working. They had spent months trying to get it sorted and getting nowhere, becoming increasingly concerned about what they would be charged when it finally caught up.
My team took it up with the supplier. The fault turned out to be linked to the industry-wide move to Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement, a change to how energy use is recorded across the whole country.
That migration will have affected meters everywhere. If you haven't had an electricity bill for a few months and assumed no news was good news, please check. You may be due for a surprise bill when the system catches up.
If this has happened to you, contact your supplier first. If you get nowhere, get in touch with my office and we will take it up for you.
My casework team and I deal with cases like this every day. If you have an issue of any kind which you feel like you have hit a brick wall on, don't hesitate to reach out to me using my office contact details. ... See MoreSee Less
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Congratulations to Bev Craig on her election as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Bev takes on the role at an important moment, and she does so as the first woman ever elected to it. Having grown up on a council estate and led Manchester City Council since 2021, she brings real experience and a clear focus on the things that matter most to people: the cost of living, affordable homes, better buses and town centres that thrive again.
Rossendale and Darwen sits right on Greater Manchester's doorstep. Thousands of my constituents work, study and travel across that boundary every week. Getting the connections right between East Lancashire and Greater Manchester, on transport, on jobs and on investment, matters enormously to us here.
I look forward to working with Bev in the months and years ahead. Wishing her every success. ... See MoreSee Less
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Pleased to see Lancashire County Council acting on the concerns I have raised with them about road surfacing in Rossendale.
Five Valley schemes are in this year's extra £5m resurfacing programme:
Rawstron Street, Lloyd Street, Tong Lane and William Street, Whitworth
Maden Road, Bacup
Booth Road, Stacksteads
Regent Street and Bury Road, Haslingden
Eastgate, Whitworth
Poor road surfaces are one of the most common issues raised with me at surgeries and on the doorstep. I welcome this announcement but I will keep pressing for the investment our roads need. ... See MoreSee Less
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Darwen is set to receive £20 million over the next ten years through the Government's Pride in Place Programme, and the people deciding how that money is spent should be people from Darwen.
That is exactly what the Darwen Pride in Place Board is for. It builds on the £25 million already secured through the Town Deal, which alongside Council and private investment is bringing more than £100 million into our town.
The Board is now recruiting a new Chair and new Board members, and I would encourage anyone who cares about Darwen's future to consider putting themselves forward.
You do not need experience of local government or of sitting on a board. What matters is your connection to Darwen, your ability to bring people together, and your commitment to getting things done for the town. We are keen to hear from business owners, community leaders, voluntary sector representatives and residents alike.
These are voluntary roles, similar to being a school governor or a charity trustee. Meetings are held in Darwen, usually during working hours and up to once a month. Reasonable expenses are covered.
To apply, send a short expression of interest of no more than 500 words covering your connection to Darwen and why you would be a good fit. The deadline is midday on Monday 7 September.
This is a once in a generation opportunity for Darwen. Please do share this with anyone you think would be right for it.
Full details and and instructions on how to apply are available through a link in the comments below. ... See MoreSee Less
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Darwen Cricket Club is one of the first places to receive Pride in Place funding, which is the Government's £20 million scheme to support community initiatives and quality of life improvements over the next 10 years.
The club has received funding to provide year-round activities, particularly for young people and older residents. Making sport more accessible is key to promoting mental and physical health across the community, so I'm very proud that we are able to support the club with Pride in Place funding. ... See MoreSee Less
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