It was brilliant to join the Tameside Labour local elections manifesto launch on Saturday. Leader Ged Cooney, Deputy Leader Jacqueline North and the whole team introduced some excellent pledges to grow the economy, boost education, support residents through the cost of living crisis and improve local health provision. Highlights include increased staffing for dog fouling and fly tipping enforcement, same day access to mental health services and a real living wage for care workers.

Thanks to boundary tweaks these are “all out” elections in which every single seat is up for election, the first in years. Tameside Labour have some absolutely brilliant Labour candidates standing and councillors re-standing and I will be introducing you to them all via videos on my Facebook page over the next month, starting with Stalybridge South.

Remember that with the introduction of photo ID requirements for voting in person, there is still time to get a postal vote.