News Andy Burnham MP for Leigh

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27/08/2008 - Andy urges local people to join the World's Biggest Coffee Morning for Macmillan cancer Support

Andy Burnham MP is encouraging his constituents to join in Macmillan Cancer Support’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday 26 September 2008.

Andy said,“In the UK today 2 million people are affected by cancer. I know that many of my constituents have personal experience of the problems a cancer diagnosis can bring to both patients and their family. Macmillan Cancer Support is there for people from the moment they are diagnosed, with really practical help and support. Holding a coffee morning is an easy way to make sure Macmillan has the money to continue its vital work and I hope lots of coffee gets brewed in my constituency on 26th September!”

To find out more or to register to hold your own coffee morning log onto www.macmillan.org.uk/coffee or call the Macmillan Hotline on 0845 602 1246 to register to host your own coffee morning or to find out more about the event.

12/08/2008 - Andy Burnham donates Football Shirt signed by Pele to local Club

Andy Burnham MP has donated a signed football shirt by the one and only Pele to Golborne Sports & Social Club.

The Local MP played in a Gordon Banks XI versus a Pele XI at Stoke City FC on 5th July and both men were there in person. Andy was part of the Gordon banks team and both World Cup Winners were on hand to sign Andy’s shirt.

Andy said, "For someone of my limited footballing abilities, I consider myself very lucky to play in a team managed by the great Gordon Banks, coming on as a second-half substitute for Matthew Le Tissier!"

"It was also an enormous privilege to meet Pele, a true gentleman in person as well as on the screen."

"It was a very special occasion to bring the two men involved in one of football's all-time great moments back together and I'm pleased to give my shirt from it to Golborne Sports and Social Club. We're lucky to have such a strong multi-sports club in the heart of our community. They have loads of unsung volunteers and coaches who do a great job providing sport to the young people of Lowton and Golborne. Together with Cllr Ged Bretherton, we hope to help the club make further improvements to their facilities."

"I hope that the special shirt I wore in this match will raise some helpful funds for the club. It does, though, come with a warning to any prospective buyer. The match was played on a very hot day and can't be washed as the ink would run. So it might be best kept behind a frame or at a safe distance!"

Cllr Ged Bretherton said,“This is a wonderful gesture by Andy Burnham and I know will be greatly appreciated by Golborne Sports & Social Club. Through Brighter Borough Funding we have been able to assist the club through the purchase of cricket equipment as well as updating the cricket pitch. With a number of teams operating from junior level upwards the club is making a real positive impact in the local community.”

22/07/2008 - New figures show big fall in crime

But Leigh MP says more must be done to make communities feel safer

The last decade has seen a major reduction in crime, according to official figures released last week.

Since 1997, all crime (as measured by the British Crime Survey) has fallen by nearly two-fifths. Annual BCS statistics (from 1997 to the year ending March 2008) reveal that:

*Overall crime is down 39 per cent.
*Domestic burglary down 55 per cent
*All vehicle-related thefts down 57 per cent
*All household crime down 39 per cent
*All BCS violence down 40 per cent
*All personal crime down 39 per cent

The risk of being a victim of crime has fallen to 22 per cent, the lowest level ever recorded since the BCS began in 1981.

But Leigh MP Andy Burnham acknowledges that more needs to be done to make communities feel safer. Despite the fall in crime, 65% of people feel it has in fact risen.

In 2005, the Government set a tough challenge to reduce all crime by 15 per cent by 2007/08. The new figures show that we have exceeded this – with an overall crime reduction of 18 per cent since the 2002/03 baseline for the target.

Andy said, “When we came into Government, we said we would be tough on crime. I don't claim that we have got everything right and there is still a long way to go. But we can point to these figures as evidence that we have delivered on this promise."

“More than anything, this fall in crime is a tribute to the work of the Police and I hope they will take great pride in the progress that has been made."

“However, it is a cause for real concern that people don't feel safer. We need to redouble our efforts to give people accurate information about the true picture in their locality.

"We must also deliver further reductions in the crimes that most concern people, particularly violence involving knives and guns."

“At the start of April, here in the Leigh area, we reached the landmark of a Neighbourhood Policing Team – putting a dedicated team of police officers and community support officers in every local community. I will work with our new Inspector Ian Kennedy to make sure this new system delivers a good service and maximum reassurance to the public."

The BCS is a victimisation survey in which adults living in private households are asked about their experiences of crimes. For the crime types it covers, the BCS can provide a better reflection of the true extent of crime because it includes crimes that are not reported to the police and crimes which are not recorded by them. The BCS also gives a better indication of trends in crime over time because it is unaffected by changes in levels of reporting to the police, and in police recording practices. The methodology of the BCS has remained the same since the survey began in 1981.