VETERAN Crewe and Nantwich MP Gwyneth Dunwoody has announced she is aiming for an eighth term by standing at the next General Election.

Mrs Dunwoody, who celebrates her 30th anniversary as the district's parliamentary representative next year, has confirmed she will stand again for the constituency and has been re-selected by the local Labour Party.

The longest-serving woman MP in the House of Commons, Mrs Dunwoody, who will be 73 on Saturday, believes exciting times lie ahead for Crewe and Nantwich.

She said: 'I don't want to go just at the moment when I believe it's becoming most attractive to the world. I love it here.

'We've always had a lot to offer people in Crewe and in Nantwich in terms of a really highly-skilled workforce, so I want to see a nice mix of service industries, manufacturing industries and an attractive place to live and I think that is a formula that will be unbeatable.'

Mrs Dunwoody says she is extremely excited by the possibilities for expansion in the constituency, particularly through the relocation of Manchester Metropolitan Uuniversity Cheshire to Crewe and the expected jobs boom at the Basford East and Basford West Sidings sites.

She said: 'We're attracting more and more people and we are going to be one of the biggest centres of growth in Cheshire.

'There is a lot of excitement from new ideas and new industries. I think the future for Crewe and Nantwich is very bright.

'All these developments are good signposts for the future. The university is a tremendous boost for Crewe and Nantwich.

'MMU Cheshire is going to be a very dynamic centre. It will create jobs, it will encourage people to come to Crewe and a lot of them will bring their families with them so we shall get an input of young people and families from all over the country.

'It will attract high quality educational interest both in terms of people and of facilities. I think it is going to be a large star in the firmament before very long.'

The developments planned for the Basford sites will further regenerate South Cheshire with the creation of up to 11,000 jobs.

'We got the new Crewe Green Link Road to open up the Basford sites deliberately and we now have the chance to create a whole lot more jobs,' said Mrs Dunwoody.

'It could be a minimum of 3,000 and probably up to 11,000 jobs on their sites which would transform the situation in employment not just for the young but also for those who are still in their early 50s and looking for work.

'I love Crewe and Nantwich and I want to see the area continue to grow.' Gwyneth Dunwoody MP is holding her next surgery for constituents on December 20.

Anyone who would like to raise an issue with her is invited to her office at 154 Nantwich Road, Crewe, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. For more details phone her office on 01270 589132.