ONE of my duties in Parliament is sitting on the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee.

This cross-party committee monitors the policy, administration and spending of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and its associated arm’s-length bodies.

Its purpose is to investigate through written and oral evidence sessions. Findings are reported to the Commons, printed, and published on the Parliament website.

One topic that the committee is currently focusing on is Grenfell and the issues that are now being faced by survivors and residents of the tragedy and the role that the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is playing in addressing those issues.

It represents an important opportunity for people to have their say, challenge others and to ask and answer questions.

Also, it allows MPs to dig deeper into issues relating to social care, housing and health following on from the horrific events of June 14, 2017.

It was harrowing to hear their stories which focused on the aftermath of the fire and their difficulties in dealing with services including getting the right mental health support at the right time.

Prior to the committee meeting and closer to home, I was interviewed by BBC radio Manchester, where I listened to concerns of Greater Manchester residents regarding cladding of their high-rise property.

Residents who own their properties are being charged by their leasehold company who are forcing them to pay up to £10,000 each to cover the costs of the cladding, aluminium composite material, which is similar to the cladding used at Grenfell.

They spoke of their fear of going to bed at night and of the feeling of dread as a neighbour’s smoke alarm rings out.

The Government must do more to ensure that residents such as these are listened to and supported.

Due to the housing crisis and difficulty for young people to get on the housing ladder, private renting has now become the norm.

The majority of private landlords are reputable and provide a vital service to many of our residents in Leigh.

One area of concern in the constituency are those landlords that have total disregard for properties in our area, do not keep up with repairs and leave many residents living in inadequate or near to inadequate buildings.

I am pleased to report that I will be working with the council on this issue to ensure that our buildings are maintained.

Social mobility will also continue to be a top priority for me.

Working with educators, businesses and young people to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to succeed.