Our children are Rochdale’s future, and now they are my mission
I’m proud to have been appointed by the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, as a minister in the Department for Education.
As a Rochdale lad who went to Rochdale schools, it is a real privilege to take on a role that is all about giving every child and young person the best possible start in life.
I’m also the first MP for Rochdale to hold a departmental ministerial post since our constituency was created nearly 200 years ago, back in 1832.
That says something about how long this town has waited to be heard at the heart of government. I do not intend to waste the chance.
One of the best parts of being your MP has always been visiting the schools and colleges of Rochdale, Littleborough, Milnrow and Wardle. I get to see first hand the brilliant work our teachers and staff do, and the real challenges they face.
Now that experience comes with me into the department. Because our children and young people are Rochdale’s future, and the job is a simple one: to give every single one of them the fairest crack at getting on in life, whatever their background and wherever they start out.
Let me be clear that becoming a minister does not change the work I will keep doing for the people of this town. I will still be holding my surgeries, still answering your casework, and still fighting for the things Rochdale needs.
That mission was on show this week when I visited two of our Holiday Activities and Food clubs, the free holiday schemes that give children a place to play, make friends and enjoy a healthy meal over the long summer break. It was a particular pleasure to see them up close, as this is a programme my own department helps fund.
At Milnrow Memorial Park, Rochdale AFC Community Trust had youngsters out enjoying sport in the sunshine, showing exactly why our football club matters so much more than the ninety minutes on a Saturday. And at Deeplish Community Centre, brilliant volunteers were doing the very same, looking after local children who might otherwise go without during the holidays.
These are Rochdale at its best. And it is no accident that they happen here. This is the town that gave the world the co-operative movement, built on the simple idea that people get further together than they ever do alone.
That is a decent principle to carry into a department whose whole purpose should be to lift up the next generation. No child should be held back by where they were born or by how much their family earns.
I have said before that helping the people of Rochdale is my number one focus, and being a minister will not change that one bit. If anything, it hands me an even greater chance to make sure the children of our town, and children everywhere, get the start they deserve.
That is a job worth doing. And it is one I will throw everything into.