Everybody benefits from public services in one way or another. They are at the heart of our communities and our society, they are evidence that when we pool our resources we can do more than we ever could if everyone were just out for themselves.

I am extremely worried that many of those public services are now at risk. The Conservative plan to eliminate the deficit before the end of this Parliament will have a huge cost, and many people will see this as our services begin to disappear.

From the police who protect our streets to the National Health Service which keeps us well, and the Sure Start centres that help parents through their child's early years to the schools where children discover the world around them, the Conservatives' agenda for cuts and reforms will inpact on all of these services and so many more.

Bolton deserves the best public services that we can offer and I will always fight to defend them.

David Cameron is pushing through a reckless, wasteful and bureaucratic reorganisation of the NHS, which will get in the way of patient care.

The changes are unnecessary. They are forcing through the biggest NHS reorganisation in its history at a time when finances are squeezed and all efforts should be dedicated to making sound efficiencies and improving services. The plan is high-cost and high-risk. Patients want their doctors to be doctors, not accountants.

David Cameron has broken his promises on the NHS:
•He promised no top-down reorganisations but is pushing through the biggest reorganisation in the history of the NHS.
•He promised real terms increases every year of this Parliament, but he cut the NHS budget by £150m last year.
•He promised to protect the NHS, but over 400,000 more people have suffered long waits for treatment and tests since the election.

David Cameron is railroading the Bill through Parliament, and MPs are being denied their constitutional role to properly scrutinise his plans for the NHS. I will continue to oppose these changes for the good of patients here in Bolton and around the country.

Tory plans, announced before the election, to cut £200 million from the Sure Start budget could lead to Children's Centres being closed here in Bolton and around the country.

Sure Start Children's Centres, introduced by the last Labour Government, aim to deliver the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support.

Children's Centres are right at the heart of our community so that every family has easy access to high-quality integrated services.

But now they are under threat.

The Government have tried to hide the extent of the cuts. They have combined Sure Start funding with a series of other grants that local authorities receive, forcing them to choose between Children's Centres and other vital services for vulnerable children, young people and families. The Tories should come clean and tell the people of Bolton which Children's Centres they want to close.

We have already seen centres start to close around the country as a direct result of their cuts.

The people of Bolton deserve to be told the truth about Tory cuts. Every community deserves a Sure Start centre and that is what I will work to protect.

Greater Manchester Police have seen their funding cut by a massive 23%. This means that almost 1400 police officers will lose their job.

I am supporting the campaign against the cuts, to keep our streets safe.

Nationally we are looking at cuts of around 10%, this shows that the police are being hit harder than other areas of spending. Pushing these cuts through in such a short space of time makes it hard for GMP to find efficiency savings and increases the number of front line jobs that must go. These are the wrong cuts, at the wrong time.

Join me in signing the petition on www.999wrongcutswrongtime.com

The Labour Government pledged to rebuild or refurbish every secondary school in the North West, including here in Bolton.

But the Tories have now cut £4.5 billion from the Building Schools for the Future programme. This means that seven school building projects were cancelled across our town.

All parents want the best for their children. That includes decent school buildings for their children to learn in. The quality of school buildings makes a real difference to children’s school experience.

Plus, the building projects would create many jobs for local people while the construction is underway.