PM’s pledge to protect vital services
Reporter: Dawn Marsden
Date published: 29 April 2010
ELECTION 2010
PRIME Minister Gordon Brown vowed to safeguard Oldham’s schools, health services and police force during a whistlestop tour of the town.
The PM dropped into the Honeywell Centre in Hathershaw to reinforce Labour’s hard-hitting crime policy.
Jack Straw, Secretary of State for Justice, and local propective parliamentary candidates Phil Woolas and Michael Meacher joined Mr Brown on his second visit to Oldham this year as Labour bolster support in key marginal seats.
Local residents were able to ask questions of the PM — who Mr Woolas introduced as “The Boss” — ahead of next Thursday’s General Election.
Mr Brown thanked local residents for playing their part in slashing crime rates in the area. He also praised the tenants’ association and the New Deal for Communities board for making the Honeywell Centre such a success.
He said: “This area had one of the highest crime rates in Oldham and it now has one of the fastest rates of dealing with crime. This community is made up of thousands of acts of friendship and you should all be very proud of what you have achieved.”
Mr Brown praised the efforts and achievements of Mr Woolas and Mr Meacher and said it would be a great loss to Oldham if they did not get re-elected.
Looking much more relaxed than he has on the televised leaders debates, the Prime Minister said Labour was the only party that would not cut police funding if they remained in power.
The PM predicted tough times ahead as Britain climbs out of one of the toughest global recessions this country has ever seen but he vowed to protect frontline services.
He said: “Your schools, your health services and your policing will all be safe if Labour are re-elected. In every community we depend on the police and we will make sure that 80 per cent of police time is spent on the street making you feel safer in your communities.”
Mr Brown said Labour’s policy of introducing more CCTV systems to act as a deterrent to criminals should be extended and he also defended the party’s policy on taking DNA samples in a bid to catch more criminals.
He said: “Over the last two years, 832 crimes have been solved using DNA technology.
“It is a useful tool and I can’t understand why the Lib-Dems and the Tories want to reduce this.”
On the day before the final televised debate, which focuses on the economy, Mr Brown urged the public to look past personality and concentrate on the facts.
He said: “I hope you can look behind the smooth talk and ask yourself why the other parties want to make these cuts vital to frontline services.
“I am not here to be a TV star, I simply want to make the right decisions that will help people secure their future.”
Brown wins Sue’s vote
HE declined the offer of a free trim, but Gordon Brown vowed to do all he could to help small businesses survive.
The Prime Minister popped into The Academy hair salon in Ashton Road to speak to owner Sue Fink about the difficulties faced by business owners during the credit crunch.
Mrs Fink challenged the PM to show how he would help people like her as Britain climbs out of the recession during a question and answer session at the Honeywell Centre.
She asked him to visit her shop across the road and even offered him a free haircut.
Mrs Fink admitted that she had benefited from Labour’s temporary rate cuts but said she believed the party could do more to help.
And her challenge was broadcast around the world on BBC News 24, Sky TV, and national news channels as the media scrum around the PM packed into her shop.
Mr Brown reassured her that plans were in place to make sure businesses like hers could survive as the economy grows and that she could always go to her local MPs for help when times were tough.
Mrs Fink seemed satisfied with the PM’s answer, saying: “I must just vote for Labour now I’ve heard all that. I am not necessarily asking for more money, just a breather from time to time so I am not always waiting for a final demand letter or a knock at the door.
“Small businesses can go through tough months when trade is down and it’s hard to recover.”
Catch up with the candidates at www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/elections/
