BURY North MP James Frith has been appointed to a new parliamentary role in Labour's Housing team.

He will join Labour’s front bench in a new role as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to shadow housing secretary John Healey MP.

A PPS serves as a point of contact in Parliament to serving ministers or shadow ministers and are informally connected to their departments.

Mr Frith says he is looking forward to “taking on the government” over housing policy.

He said: "I'm delighted to take on this new role working with John Healey, who has spent many years leading the fight for better housing policies which deliver the sustainable, affordable housing we need.

"Housing, particularly the GMSF, is a priority for Bury, Tottington and Ramsbottom, with securing greater protection for our green belt a promise I made at the general election last year. I am very pleased to make good on that promise and be focusing on this area, along with all my other ongoing work.”

And he also took a swipe at the government’s approach to housing policy.

"The government's housing strategy prioritises the profits of developers, doesn't do enough to secure genuinely affordable housing and imposes unrealistic targets on local authorities which will force councils like Bury to build thousands of houses on green belt land, putting our environment at risk,” he said.

"I look forward to working with Labour's Housing team to challenge the government and develop better Labour alternatives."