Calling Leigh's Veterans

I will be hosting my annual Veterans Lunch on Friday, 6th November 2015 at Leigh Miners’ Welfare Institute commencing at 12noon.

The annual event brings together veterans from across the Leigh Constituency as well as veteran organisations.

Following my campaign to raise awareness of the HM Armed Forces Lapel Badge all recipients of the badge will receive a personal invitation, but the event is open to all HM Armed Forces veterans in the Leigh Constituency and a nominated guest on a first come first served basis.

To confirm attendance please call Andy’s constituency office on 01942 682353 or email my office.

I know that veterans across the community look forward to attending, catching up with comrades and to remember the contribution and sacrifice of all those who have served their country across the globe. I hope that this small gesture will show Leigh’s appreciation for the valuable service our local veterans have given and continue to give to local life.

Andy Burnham's one minute manifesto for Leigh

Campaign Launch on Bradshawgate

There was a fantastic turnout for my campaign launch as I seek re-election in the General Election to be held on Thursday, 7th May and bid to keep Leigh a Labour seat in Parliament.

I was joined by Councillors and Labour Party members from across the Leigh area and it was great to meet local people to talk about Labour's better plan for Leigh and the country.

It has been a privilege to be the Member of Parliament for Leigh since 2001.

This election is one of the most important general elections there has been in modern times. Over the past five years we have seen living standards decline as wages have stagnated. Families will end up worse off at the end of this Parliament this year than they were at the start in 2010.

A Labour government elected in May will have the right priorities and will take the decisions necessary to improve the lives of people across Leigh and the country - we will reform the energy market, freeze gas and electricity bills until 2017, impose a Mansion tax on the most expensive homes, and use those funds to build an NHS with the time to care. This election is about which direction the UK will take, and who will form the next Government of the UK – and if people want a Labour Government, the only certain way to achieve that is by voting Labour on 7 May.

Are you registered to vote. It only takes a few minutes and can be done online at the link here. If you wish to vote by post you can download a form here.

Getting the best NHS deal for Greater Manchester

There must be an election coming.  After five years of making savage cuts to council budgets, and five years of fragmenting and privatising, George Osborne has waited until five weeks before this Parliament ends to endorse Labour’s plan to integrate the NHS and social care.

We can all speculate about the reasons for his Road to Damascus-style conversion and have every right to be suspicious of the real reasons behind the rushed timetable unveiled this week. But the great thing about our political leaders in Greater Manchester is that they are always more interested in getting the best deal for our people than playing party politics. That’s what sets them apart from others and means they get so much done.

Unlike Mr Osborne, they are not sudden converts to NHS and care integration. So they have my full support in pushing for the best deal from whichever Government is in power.

Osborne’s plans could allow Greater Manchester to get on with the job of delivering Labour’s policy of Whole Person Care. But, before any final deal is signed, there are major questions that the Chancellor needs to answer.

Firstly, how much money is actually on offer and will it be enough?

On Tuesday, this paper revealed huge deficits in Greater Manchester’s hospitals after years of council budget cuts too. And we know that pressure is growing as our population gets older. We all need to be vigilant against the danger that this Government is only offering to devolve a funding crisis and then blame us when things get worse.

This raises my second question: what will happen if the funding is insufficient? Will our hospitals be left to sink or swim or will we continue to get backing from the rest of the NHS?

These questions are highly relevant. Last September in Manchester, Ed Miliband committed to the extra £2.5 billion year that the NHS needs. This is a promise Mr Osborne has failed to match.

My third worry is whether these proposals would mean yet another reorganisation for Greater Manchester’s NHS - only two years after the last one. It would be the very last thing that we need, wasting time and money.

Fourthly, will Greater Manchester still be stuck with the Tory competition agenda after devolution – or does this give us an escape route? This is important as mandatory tendering is the biggest obstacle to integration and we can only succeed if it is removed.

If George Osborne can provide proper answers in all of these areas, then I believe his package could help us deliver Labour’s health and care policy. But this is not the deal that I would be offering to Greater Manchester if I am Health Secretary in ten weeks’ time. I believe I can offer a much better one.

Firstly, Labour will be devolving more money to Greater Manchester’s NHS and councils – raised by our new Mansions Tax – allowing it to build an NHS that starts in people’s homes, looks after them there and gets the rid of the culture of 15-minute care visits. There will be money for the extra nurses, GPs, homecare workers and midwives that we need.

Secondly, rather than create new bureaucracies, I will move quickly to devolve more power to our councils and councillors. Integration needs to be led at a local level – as we are already seeing in Salford, Stockport and Wigan.

Thirdly, I will waste no time in repealing George Osborne’s Health & Social Care Act which has foisted a toxic culture of competition on the NHS. This has led to the privatisation of part of our ambulance service in Greater Manchester – without a single community or council be asked their view or giving their approval.

Under my deal, the people of Greater Manchester will have full power to protect the public NHS and prevent future privatisation.

So the good news is, at the end of a fast-moving week, we can be confident that devolution and integration are coming and that Greater Manchester could have the chance to deliver Labour’s NHS policy whichever government is in power after May.

After all the damage that Mr Osborne and his Tory and Lib Dem allies have inflicted on our NHS in Greater Manchester, this seems like the least he should be doing for us.

This article appeared in a recent edition of The Manchester Evening News.

Research by the Nursing Times showing a high turnover of nurses recruited from abroad

I warned David Cameron it would be a false economy to cut nurse training places and that is proved by expensive recruitment from overseas and the unprecedented use of agency nurses. Labour plans to bring through a new generation of home-grown nurses by training a further 10,000 above current levels in the next Parliament.

David Cameron has left the NHS seriously short of the nurses it needs – he should match our plans to invest an extra £2.5 billion to recruit 20,000 nurses and 8,000 GPs.

Public Meeting Update - 8th November

Following the public meeting on 8th November TfGM have prepared response to questions raised with me by constituents.

You can view the replies at the two links below:

Link 1

Link 2

2014 Veterans Luncheon

Pic with the Mayor of Wigan & the Fred
Longworth School Brass Band.

Today I hosted my 9th Annual Veterans Luncheon at Leigh Miners Welfare Institute.

Attended by over 150 local veterans I paid tribute to the contribution and sacrifice of veterans across the Leigh area.

Entertainment was provided by the award winning Fred Longworth School Brass Band with food supplied by Clapham's Bakery.

It is a fitting tribute to the men and women here today that we commemorate the service and sacrifice of our Armed Forces at home and abroad and especially as we remember the outbreak of WWI 100 years ago. It is important that they are thanked for their contribution to their country.

Veterans Luncheon 2014

Pic. Veteran Luncheon 2013

I am pleased to announce that I will be hosting the 9th Annual Veterans Luncheon on Friday, 7th November 2014 at Leigh Miners Welfare Institute, Off Twist Lane, Leigh commencing at 12noon.

Veterans of HM Armed Forces who reside in the Leigh parliamentary constituency can confirm attendance by email or by calling my constituency office 01942 682353.

For catering purposes the last date for receipt of applications is 31st October.

The event will also mark the centenary of the outbreak of World War I and entertainment will be provided by the award winning Fred Longworth High School Brass band.

HS2 Chief pressed to 'listen to Lowton' and drop depot plans

Last week I held face-to-face talks with the head of HS2 David Higgins and urged him to drop plans for a major depot to the north of Lowton and Golborne.

The Government's current proposals site what is a major industrial installation in an area of open countryside recognised for its scientific and environmental significance. When I consulted local residents on HS2 earlier this year, there was near-universal local opposition to the plan - even from supporters of HS2.

I asked David Higgins for a face-to-face meeting as I wanted to convey directly the strength of feeling of my constituents. I am grateful to him for giving me a hearing and listening to my concerns.

This is not about nimby-ism. Leigh and Lowton people are fair-minded and will always accept their share. But this is taking far too much from us. It will shatter our peace and destroy our precious green space.

Surely the preferred location for a facility of this kind should be a brownfield site, not an area designated by Wigan Council as its "Green Heart", bordering a Site of Special Scientific Interest and close to the historic Lightshaw Hall and Byrom Hall. It's hard to imagine a less appropriate site.

If it is ever built, this depot will be an industrial monstrosity looming large over Pennington Flash and the houses of nearby residents. Pennington Flash has become a significant visitor attraction and this would damage its appeal.

I have urged HS2 to listen to Lowton, go back to the drawing board and relocate this facility to a more appropriate site.

Matthew Gough is up for the challenge to raise funds for little known condition

Today I call on the Leigh public to get behind the fundraising efforts of a Lowton lad suffering from a chronic condition.

Matthew Gough suffers from Interstitial Cystitis (IC), a chronic inflammation of the bladder for which there is no cure. Matthew attends monthly at the Hanover Diagnostic Centre for treatment.

The 19 year old is studying Sports Psychology at UCLAN and will be pushing himself to the limit in a gruelling 140 miles run over 7 days to raise money for The Bladder & Bowel Foundation to aid research into IC and other bladder and bowel conditions.

The run will be coast to coast starting in Whitehaven and finishing in Tynemouth. Matthew is currently putting in the miles training and has an online Justgiving donation page.

Matthew Gough said, "I am completing this challenge for all the people who suffer from a bladder or bowel condition not just IC. Living with any chronic illness isn't just a physical challenge but a mental one also. I hope to raise money to support the great work the Bladder and Bowel Foundation do with their helplines and toilet card initiatives amongst other things. I also hope that I can raise more awareness of conditions like IC which are currently relatively unknown to the wider general public. Finally I'd like to thank all my family and friends for their continued support as well as Andy Burnham for his help in supporting my challenge. The training is tough and the challenge even tougher but it's all worth it if I can change just one person’s life for the better."

Just over a year ago Matthew was diagnosed with IC. Unfortunately IC is incurable and Matthew is having to undergo regular treatment whilst putting himself through a punishing training schedule to be able to run 140 miles in 7 days.

Matthew is a truly inspirational young man and I am calling on the great Leigh public to support him and his chosen charity to raise money to fund research into this chronic condition.

Matthew can be contacted on 07963513587 or by email. He is also on Twitter and facebook.

The Bladder and Bowel Foundation (B&BF) is the UK's largest advocacy charity providing information and support for anyone who has experienced a bladder control problem or bowel control problem or both. Central to the charity's work is its helpline providing medical advice and support.

Andy Burnham MP on board with Guide Dogs’ Talking Buses campaign

I showed my support for a campaign led by the charity Guide Dogs to make travelling by bus easier for people with sight loss.

I attended a reception at the Houses of Parliament on 2 July in support of Guide Dogs’ campaign to make sure all new buses have audio visual (AV) next stop announcements, which are vital for blind and partially sighted bus travellers.

The reception highlighted how announcements enable blind and partially sighted people to understand their location, and prevent them from missing their stops.

AV systems are only fitted to around one fifth of the bus fleet nationally, with the overwhelming majority of these buses operating in London.

Guide Dogs is calling for the Government to require all new buses be fitted with AV, as currently bus operators are under no obligation to include this technology when upgrading their fleet.

Buses are a lifeline for people who are blind or partially sighted to be able to travel safely and independently.”

Without AV, bus travel for people with sight loss can be especially difficult, stressful, and dangerous when stops are missed and they end up in an unfamiliar area.

Safe and accessible bus services give people with sight loss much greater freedom to work, socialise and participate in the community.

Why I am Backing a stronger National Minimum Wage

I am backing plans announced by Labour to strengthen the national minimum wage to ensure that people in Leigh who do a hard day’s work are rewarded for doing so.

Those on the lowest pay are at the sharpest end of the cost-of-living crisis. Families are on average £1,600 a year worse off since David Cameron became Prime Minister and the value of the national minimum wage has declined by five per cent over the same period.

That’s why in September last year Labour asked Alan Buckle, former‎ Deputy Chairman at KPMG, to investigate how to strengthen the minimum wage.

The report, published today, argues for a new framework to ensure that the minimum wage rises faster over the next five years than it has in the recent past, as part of a national mission to tackle low pay and build a new economy with more high skill, high paid jobs.

The report recommends that the next Labour Government should set the Low Pay Commission a five-year target to increase the minimum wage to a more stretching proportion of median earnings.

I’m proud that the last Labour government introduced the National Minimum Wage.  This boosted pay for millions at the bottom without leading to a loss of jobs and now I can’t imagine a Britain without it.

But the issues we face today are different to those we faced at the end of the 1990s. That’s why I believe we need to strengthen the national minimum wage so that local people on low pay are properly rewarded for the work they do.

Bringing the increase in the minimum wage closer to median earnings over a five-year period will help us build an economy that works for everyone and not just a few at the top.

Lottery Scandal Must End!

Today I have called on Arts Lottery bosses to put right a major funding shortfall in Leigh.

New figures obtained by me from the House of Commons Library show that, over the first 20 years of the National Lottery, Leigh has received £265,167 - more than £6 million less than the average total per constituency of £6,444,923.

I am calling on the Arts Council to rectify the problem by supporting plans for the addition of a new performance space to the Turnpike Centre.

There can be no doubt - Leigh has been seriously short-changed from the Arts Lottery fund over its first 20 years.

The Arts world cannot continue to think it is acceptable to take the pounds of Leigh Lottery players and spend them on their elitist projects miles from here. It has got to change. Arts should be for everyone, everywhere.

There is a very simple way that the Arts Council could put things right. I am calling on them to get behind plans to add a theatre or performance space to the Turnpike Centre. It would be a focal point for Leigh's thriving creative scene and a place where our town could come together to celebrate the talent of our young people.

Virgin London Marathon

I am getting ready to take on my first marathon challenge, raising money and awareness for Wigan & Leigh Hospice.

I will be running 26.2 miles in the Virgin London Marathon, and I hope to raise lots of money for Wigan & Leigh Hospice. The marathon takes place on Sunday 13th April and I will also be joined by parliamentary colleague and Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls MP.

I visited Alan Baron, Chief Executive and staff at Wigan & Leigh Hospice today as I launched my online donation page here.

Fresh from the inaugural Wigan 10K last year, I have been putting in the hard miles of training when my parliamentary diary allows as the big day approaches.

I can be seen at weekends cutting a lonely figure on the East Lancs road in the wind and the sleet. But what keeps me going is the knowledge that the money raised will help to fund the important work that Wigan & Leigh Hospice undertakes across Leigh and the Borough.

I was asked what my target is for the marathon - to finish ahead of Ed Balls, obviously!

All money raised for Wigan and Leigh Hospice will go towards their ‘Hospice in your Home Service’, which is supporting patients and their families in Andy’s constituency, Leigh, and across the Wigan borough.

The ‘Hospice in your Home’ service takes the skills, ethos and practical nursing care associated with the Wigan and Leigh Hospice into the home environment, seven days a week. It is provided by a small team of Qualified Nurses and Healthcare Assistants and aims to offer more time with patients and to give practical support and nursing care to patients and their carers.

After testing in four pilot areas, Wigan and Leigh Hospice is looking to roll out the service across the local community.

Alan Baron, Chief Executive of Wigan & Leigh Hospice said,
“We are delighted that Andy has chosen to support the Hospice in his Marathon efforts. Andy has been a great supporter over many years."

“We need to raise over £7,000 each and every day to keep our services open. Our new “Hospice in your Home” service forms a major part of our expansion to enable more people to remain in the place of their choosing as they come to the end of their lives. Andy’s efforts and those of the thousands of other local people who have supported the Hospice over the last thirty years will enable us to continue spreading our reach.

“We wish him well on his run and I, for one, am sure that he can beat Ed Balls.”

Andy will be running the marathon in support of three charities:

Wigan & Leigh Hospice provides specialist palliative care services on as broad a basis as possible and at the highest quality achievable in both the Hospice and the community, thereby aiming to enhance the quality of life of individuals with a life-threatening illness.

Whizz-Kidz aims to improve the quality of life of disabled children and young people in the UK through the provision of customised mobility equipment. We also provide help and advice to the children and their families and raising awareness of mobility-related issues through national campaigning.

Everton in the Community is the official charity of Everton Football Club and is proud to deliver a range of programmes to promote health, education, social inclusion and equality of opportunity to over 30,000 participants every year across Merseyside and North Wales using the power of sport.

Go back to drawing board and re-connect Leigh to the rail network

I have formally responded to the HS2 Phase 2 Consultation, following a series of consultation meetings with residents in the Lowton and Golborne area.

The consultation is now closed and the Government is expected to announce how HS2 will proceed by the end of 2014.

My detailed submission covers the depot, the proposed Leigh Interchange and the nature of the proposed construction.

The Government's plans will deliver ‘maximum disruption and minimal benefit' to the Leigh area which has the poorest access to rail transport in the country. I also believe the plans as they stand fail to maximise the economic and transport benefits to North West taxpayers.

I have raised serious questions about the Government's decision to site the depot in the middle of the borough's 'Green Heart', as it breaches HS2's own states aim of avoiding sites of environmental and heritage importance. I have also called on the Government to investigate brownfield sites instead.

My response gives strong support to the proposal for a new Leigh Interchange, which has been championed by Transport for Leigh and Transport for Greater Manchester. I believe it provides the ‘best opportunity that the UK Government will ever have to correct the unfairness of its decision to rip out Leigh's rail network five decades ago'.

On the depot, the natural landscape of the Leigh and Wigan area is slowly recovering after centuries of coal mining and heavy industrialisation. What green areas we have are therefore precious to us and need to be respected.

In effect, Government is proposing to site a major industrial installation in an area of open countryside. This means that my constituency faces amongst the greatest level of disruption from HS2 of any in the country.
Locally, there is a strong feeling that a similar decision would not have been taken to site a depot in an area of environmental and heritage importance in the south of England.

The sheer scale of the depot facility, the disruption to residents, local road networks and the green fields it will destroy is not outweighed by the small number of jobs created. HS2 should go back to the drawing board.

The lack of rail transport has led to exponential growth in traffic volumes on the M6 and A580 in the five decades since our rail infrastructure was ripped out. The large numbers of commuters who now live in my constituency have no realistic choice other than to get in the car and join the morning queues. Looking to the rest of the 21st century, this is not sustainable in environmental, economic nor transport terms. It is not fair to Leigh constituents who pay for the rail network through their taxes but have limited access to it.

HS2 will succeed in building public support if, rather than cutting journey times between places that are already well-served, it opens up rail travel to more people than currently use the rail network on a regular basis. That means taking this opportunity to rethink rail travel and giving people more convenient ways to switch from car to train. The Leigh Interchange proposal will achieve that. It will also spread the economic and regeneration potential away from Manchester and towards communities along the Liverpool-Manchester corridor. With a connecting link to the Liverpool-Manchester railway line, it will give people in living Merseyside much easier access to HS2 and cut journey times from Merseyside to London.

On the proposed route, I conclude the nature of construction will blight properties not able to access the statutory compensation scheme. Alternatives including tunnelling should be considered to alleviate noise.

You can read my submission to the formal consultation here.

New Diagnostic & Treatment Centre for Leigh Infirmary

I was proud to officially open the new Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, the largest recent single development on the Leigh Infirmary site and a major improvement to NHS services for patients and staff in Leigh.

The largest clinical services building developed by Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh (WWL) NHS Foundation Trust since Phase IV opened at Wigan’s Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in 2004, the  Hanover Diagnostic & Treatment Centre is home to the Leigh Endoscopy Department, Richmond Urology Unit and Women’s Healthcare Unit, in addition to a new Endoscope Re-processing Unit.

In just nine months, the old Hanover building was transformed into an iconic landmark, a contemporary design delivering high quality services for Leigh Infirmary patients and staff.

WWL’s major investment in the Hanover Diagnostic and Treatment Centre means Leigh Infirmary now boasts a world-class NHS healthcare facility to complement the highly trained, multi-disciplinary team of expert consultants, nurses and allied health professionals.

The purpose built Leigh Endoscopy Unit is designed to provide a patient-centred experience which maintains the highest standards for comfort, safety and quality while safeguarding each patient’s privacy and dignity.

The Richmond Urology Unit is a one stop clinic to diagnose and treat patients with diseases of the urinary tract and the male reproductive system, including bladder problems, vasectomy, prostate problems and cancer of the prostate, alongside a dedicated Urology Outpatient Suite.

The new Women’s Healthcare Unit sees a radical transformation of gynaecology services. General gynaecology outpatient and specialist clinics are provided side-by-side, with gynaecology ultrasound facilities providing immediate access to specialist scans. The philosophy is a ‘one stop’ service where all diagnostic tests are carried out during a single visit, whenever possible.

Holocaust Memorial Day

Marking Holocaust Memorial Day, I signed the Holocaust Educational Trust’s Book of Commitment in the House of Commons, honouring those who died during the Holocaust as well as the extraordinary Holocaust survivors who work tirelessly to educate young people about what they endured.

Monday 27th January will mark the 69th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site of the largest mass murder in history.

In the weeks leading up to and after Holocaust Memorial Day, thousands of commemorative events will be arranged by schools, faith groups and community organisations across the country, remembering all the victims of the Holocaust and subsequent genocides.

Veterans Luncheon on eve of Remembrance weekend.

Pic with Mr Joseph Partington and the Mayor

I today hosted my annual Veterans Luncheon at Leigh Miners Welfare Institute.

Now in its 8th year, over 150 veterans and guests attended the luncheon and tucked into food supplied by Claphams Bakery and Leigh Sainsbury’s.

Joining me was the Mayor and Councillors representing wards in the Leigh area.

Alderman Tom Sherratt acted as MC for the day and attendees enjoyed a wonderful performance by the Brass Band of Fred Longworth High School.

The luncheon was also the opportunity to reflect on the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice in 1953. Over 82,000 British servicemen fought in the War and more than 1,000 died in the conflict held during the Cold War period.

I was also honoured to present a HM Armed Forces Veteran Lapel Badge to Mr Joseph Partington, aged 79 of Rutland Ave, Lowton who served in the Army during the 1950s.

It is always fantastic to see so many of our veteran community all together on the eve of this very special weekend when we remember those who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we all enjoy today.

Veterans continue to play a special role in our community and today is a thank you to them for all that they have done and continue to do in the service of our country.

She’s the golden girl... and now swimming sensation Heather Frederikson has a postbox permanently painted in her honour

Pic with Heather Frederikson on
Mon, 21st Oct 2013. Pic used with kind
permission of The Leigh Journal.

Royal Mail painters descended on the red postbox on Market Place, Leigh in 2012 to paint it gold and have now announced that the post box will remain gold as a permanent reminder of Heather’s achievement and the historic games.

Royal Mail has painted more than 100 of its iconic and much-loved red post boxes gold to celebrate every Team GB and Paralympics GB gold medal won during the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The post boxes will remain permanently gold to mark the achievements of the athletes and the historic Games.

Heather secured the gold medal in the Women’s 100m Backstroke, S8 competition and is also a face on a Royal Mail stamp issued in the glow of her London 2012 victory.

This is a unique and highly visible recognition of the success of Team GB, but in particular Heather’s superb victory at London 2012.

She is an inspiration and I know that the whole Leigh community is very proud of her achievements.

Work starts on Leigh Guided Busway

Pic with Bob Morris (TfGM), Peter Commins (Balfour Beatty),
Cllr Mark Aldred (TfGM ViceChair)
and Cllr Andrew Fender (TfGM Chair).

Construction work has started on Leigh’s guided busway.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has appointed Balfour Beatty to design and construct the 4.5 mile busway, which will run from Leigh to Ellenbrook in Salford.

Due to open in 2015, the busway forms part of a 21km high quality bus priority route being developed between Leigh, Salford and Manchester.

The only vehicles able to use the guided section will be specially adapted buses, allowing them to avoid traffic congestion and offer passengers a smooth ride.

Services will run along on-highway bus lanes on the A580 through to Manchester city centre – providing the first cross city links from Leigh to key employment, education, health, leisure and retail destinations.

The 14 stop route (seven in each direction) follows the former railway route between East Bond Street in Leigh and Newearth Road in Ellenbrook. Walkers, cyclists and horse riders will be able to use a 4.5m wide path along the entire length of the busway, surfaced for use all year round.

All stops will be fully accessible, and will include shelters, CCTV and real time information.

Three park and ride sites will serve the busway, providing a minimum of 440 parking spaces. These will be located in Leigh, at Tyldesley Interchange and on the A580 East Lancashire Road near to the M60/61 junction.

The busway – between Leigh, Atherton and a section of the A580 East Lancashire Road to Walkden Road – will cost £68million. It is being funded through the Greater Manchester Transport Fund, for key transport priority projects.

I know many people are still to be persuaded of the merits of the Guided Busway. But the simple fact is Leigh urgently needs better public transport and this is the only project that can realistically be delivered in the next decade. Leigh can't wait forever for decent public transport.

I believe the Busway will be better than people expect and will bring a number of major benefits to the Leigh and Tyldesley areas. Not only will it halve travel times to Manchester at peak times, it will also bring more people and business back into Leigh town centre and support the continued revival of our town.

The Guided Busway alone won't solve Leigh's transport problems and that is why I will continue to make the case as best I can for a new rail station as part of HS2. I will also be working to ensure tickets for the Busway are affordable to all and a 45-minute journey time becomes a reality.