30May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Six out of nine Conservative Councillors missing from Council meeting

Six out of nine Conservative Councillors missing from Council meeting

Borough news, fairer council
Oldham & Saddleworth’s Liberal Democrat councillors have said local Conservatives have got questions to answer after six of their nine councillors failed to attend the first council meetings to be held after the local elections. Mark Kenyon, Liberal Democrat councillor for Grotton, Springhead & Lees, said: “I’m sure decent Conservative voters in this town will join the rest of us in wondering when Conservative councillors will actually turn up to do the job they’d promised voters they’d do – there’s important questions to ask about CAZ, Labour waste & the investment our town and districts sorely need.” Conservative deputy leader Beth Sharp, joins councillors Luke Lancaster, Dave Arnott and their newly elected colleagues Chris McManus, Robert Barnes and Lewis Quigg in skipping these first meetings held on Wednesday 25th May…
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30May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
How much public money have you wasted on Clean Air Zone signs Mr Mayor?

How much public money have you wasted on Clean Air Zone signs Mr Mayor?

Borough news, environment, road safety
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader has criticised wasteful clean air signs after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham was forced to backtrack on his plans for a £60 per week Clean Air Zone. Shaw Councillor and Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats, Howard Sykes MBE said, “Everybody can see the Clean Air Zone (CAZ) for what it is, a complete and utter shambles. In recent weeks, we’ve had the spectacle of Mr Burnham going cap-in-hand to the Government asking to be allowed to scrap the charges from his Clean Air Zone. This U turn is welcome but why did he not do this in the first place? This is just months after he announced plans to implement Europe’s largest clean air charging zone. And just weeks after he had to scurry around Greater…
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26May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrat Leader announces real opposition team for 22–23

Borough news, fairer council
Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has today announced his Real Opposition team for 2022/23. The announcement comes after a successful set of local elections for the Liberal Democrats which saw the group gain a seat in Saddleworth West and Lees. Councillor Howard Sykes said: “I am proud to be leading the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council and to be leading a team that is ready to hold the Council and Labour to account. This year we are joined by the newly elected councillor Alicia Marland, who is joining Mark Kenyon and Sam Al-Hamdani making up a formidable team of community champions for Saddleworth West and Lees residents. “At a time when so many people across the Oldham borough are facing the effects of the Conservative cost-of-living…
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22May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government threatens to scrap levelling up plans days after they were announced

Government threatens to scrap levelling up plans days after they were announced

Borough news, housing and development, Parliamentary news
The government came under heavy criticism from councils and developers after it emerged that plans had been made to scrap their Levelling Up plans just days after the Bill was announced in the Queen’s Speech. Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader, Howard Sykes MBE said, “The government have promised to deliver a levelling up agenda for years now and when we finally see a Bill being brought forward, they’ve left themselves a sneaky hidden option to drop it all together when things get tough. Clearly ‘Levelling Up’ is just a political slogan to this Conservative government and they want to make sure they can still use it at the next General Election. “The Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill commits the government to ‘levelling up missions’ around the country. These missions – which…
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14May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
No housing for social rent built in Oldham for seven years

No housing for social rent built in Oldham for seven years

Borough news, housing and development
After Oldham Council has accepted that no houses have been built for social rent in the borough in the last seven years, Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing Sam Al-Hamdani called it ‘a betrayal of the needs of the poor, and the Government’s claims about levelling up’. He said: “When people talk about what is needed in Oldham, they want housing that people can afford. Unfortunately, the Government has hijacked the term ‘affordable housing’, which they have defined as anything that is rented or sold at 20% below the market rate for that area. “What most people actually want to see more of are the homes defined as for ‘social rent’, in Government language, which in Oldham would normally be at around 50% of the market rate, and which is retained…
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13May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Protections for cash machines announced in Queen’s Speech

Protections for cash machines announced in Queen’s Speech

Borough news, Parliamentary news
Oldham Liberal Democrat Group Leader and Shaw councillor, Howard Sykes MBE has been campaigning against cash machine closures in recent years and has welcomed the recent Queen’s Speech announcement about cash machines (ATMs). According to analysis from consumer researchers at ‘Which?’, since 2015, almost half of the UK’s bank branch network has closed. In addition, a further 12,178 free-to-use cash machines have vanished since 2018. During yesterday’s Queen’s Speech, the government pledged to introduce a Financial Services and Markets Bill, which will contain measures to protect cash machines and keep them readily available to businesses and members of the public. “Access to cash is vital for businesses and individuals, even in today’s environment where so many transactions are cashless. We have already lost several cash machines in Shaw and Crompton.…
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12May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Making democracy more accessible

Making democracy more accessible

Borough news, fairer council
Oldham Council chief executive Harry Catherall has agreed to a review of the arrangements for the counting of the election vote next year to ensure that all is being done to ensure it is accessible for people with varying disabilities. After local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani wrote to him following this year’s count, highlighting some of the positive aspects, but also some of the weaknesses, he agreed to discuss what could be done next year to make it better. Sam said: “We want as many people as possible to be involved in politics, whether that is increasing the numbers of people voting, or making it easier for people to stand to be elected. “Making the process more accessible is just one of those steps.” Unlike many other counts, results…
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11May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrat leadership team pledged to be Real Opposition to Labour on Oldham Council

Liberal Democrat leadership team pledged to be Real Opposition to Labour on Oldham Council

Borough news, environment, fairer council, road safety
At a Group meeting held on 7 May, the Oldham Borough Liberal Democrat Group elected councillor Howard Sykes MBE as their Leader and councillor Chris Gloster as their Deputy Leader. Councillor Howard Sykes said: “I am grateful once more to my colleagues for their support for my work as Group Leader and delighted that Chris will continue to serve as my Deputy. It was great to welcome newly elected councillor Alicia Marland from Saddleworth West and Lees to the team, and to welcome Dave Murphy and Hazel Gloster back for Crompton and Shaw Wards. After Friday’s results, the Liberal Democrats are up one to nine councillors and I know that all of us will continue to make a difference.” “Liberal Democrats will be the only real opposition party holding Labour…
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11May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats housing lead takes fight on HMOs and brownfield to Minister

Liberal Democrats housing lead takes fight on HMOs and brownfield to Minister

Borough news, housing and development
The fight against low-quality HMOs and for more brownfield development has been raised with the Minister for Housing Stuart Andrew MP by local Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Member Sam Al-Hamdani. He said: “We keep seeing HMOs appearing on our streets, many of them using the loophole that allows smaller ones to bypass the planning system altogether. Too often they are terribly low quality, crammed in to make the most money out of the smallest space. “At the other extreme, we keep seeing developers pushing for more and more four- and five-bedroom developments on green spaces. Councils rarely get the financial support to drive brownfield development, and have little or no legal powers to force development to take place on brownfield first.” Councillor Al-Hamdani wrote to the Housing Minister to demand…
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27Apr 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Ban water company bosses’ bonuses until sewage discharges end say local Liberal Democrats

Ban water company bosses’ bonuses until sewage discharges end say local Liberal Democrats

Borough news, environment, health and social care, Parliamentary news
Water company bosses were awarded £27 million in bonuses while pumping raw sewage into England’s waterways over 1,000 times a day. Oldham Liberal Democrats demand a “sewage bonus ban” to ban future bonuses until sewage dumps stop. England’s water company bosses have awarded themselves almost £27 million in bonuses over the past two years despite pumping out raw sewage into waterways 1,000 times a day, the Liberal Democrats have revealed. Analysis of Companies House records by the Liberal Democrats shows that executives at England’s water and sewage companies were paid £48 million in 2020 and 2021, including £27.6 million in bonuses, benefits and incentives. The eye-watering executive pay packets and company profits were made despite the Environment Agency reporting nearly 772,000 sewage dumping events taking place in 2020 and 2021…
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