Borough news – Page 17 – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

03Feb 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Saddleworth abandoned by Government’s broken promise on broadband

Boris Johnson’s promise to provide 85% of homes and businesses in Oldham with high-speed broadband by 2025 is set to be broken, local Liberal Democrats can reveal, with just 6.6% of homes in the more rural areas constituency getting high speed connections. Analysis of House of Commons Library data by the party has found that just 3.1% of premises in Oldham East and Saddleworth had gigabit broadband availability in 2021, and just 8.7% in Oldham West and Royton. At this rate of progress, just 37.2% of homes in Oldham West and Royton will hit the target, a poor enough rate. However, this just serves to highlight the far worse figures in Oldham East and Saddleworth – only 6.6% are on track to get high speed access. Saddleworth Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam…

26Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Social care rises are double jeopardy for residents

Borough news, health and social care

The majority of Oldham Borough residents will be horrified that council tax, however the percentages are segmented, will be rising by 3.99% this year after yet another underfunded settlement from a government that is clueless about Oldham and its people, says Oldham Liberal Democrat finance lead Chris Gloster. He said: “The increase of 2% for adult social care is double jeopardy. The prime minister appears intent upon pushing the 1% national insurance increase to fund adult social care, so as pay in the pocket decreases, costs are increasing, and spiralling out of control, with inflation currently sitting in excess of 5%. “Funding adult social care through council tax in the first place is a major problem. The government has failed, year on year, to create a settlement for social care,…

21Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Councillors deeply disappointed that the Dunwood Park Café, Shaw will close

Borough news

Shaw councillors where informed of the closure of the café in Dunwood Park a few days ago but where asked not to share the information until staff and the Park Friends group where informed. This has now happened. “This is a great loss to the local community, and we will be doing all we can to find another user, like we did when the last operator pulled out,” stated Shaw councillor Howard Sykes on behalf of all his colleagues. “Pure Innovations who operate the café have been up front about this and will continue to operate it until July 2022,” he added. “Hopefully this gives the council time to make alternative provision.” Pure Innovations (PI) re-opened Dunwood Park Café in March 2019, with two key objectives. The first to provide…

20Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Conductors are still what is needed on Oldham tram line says Sykes

Borough news

Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has once again made the call for conductors to be introduced on the Oldham Metrolink network. He made his call again at a meeting of the Rail and Metrolink Committee on Friday 14 January in response to a detailed report on the trams detailing amongst other things crime and anti-social-behavior (ASB). “It was November 2018 when Oldham Council agreed with the Liberal Democrat suggestion for conductors and still nothing has happened,” stated councillor Sykes. “I welcome the proposal to provide CCTV at some tram stops in Oldham and other schemes to tackle ASB and make the trams safer. However I am worried this will not be enough and will also just displace activity away from these five town centre stops to elsewhere on the…

19Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

GMP miss decision deadline on failing IT system

Borough news

A decision on the failing multi-million pound iOPS system has still not taken, despite Manchester’s chief constable saying that one was due to be made in December. The computer system, which has cost over £29 million to implement – although the exact figure may never be known – still has major flaws, particularly in the “Police Works” system, which is used to track investigations. Chief Constable Stephen Watson, who was landed with the unenviable task of managing the problems when he took over in 2021, organised an ‘Options Review’ of the system earlier this year, and had stated that a decision would be taken in December. Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “This whole thing has been shambolic. Delay after delay, review after review, problem after problem. “We keep…

14Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Clean Air Zone “isn’t fair and is fundraising”

Borough news, environment

Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani has challenged Andy Burnham’s assertion to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (11/01/22) that the Clean Air Zone was not aimed at raising funds, and that the intention was that people should see that it was fair. He said: “The money raised from the Clean Air Zone has to go into projects to address transport issues and reduce pollution. If Andy Burnham means it when he says that this charge is not for fundraising, he should get the ten local authorities to commit that every penny raised goes into helping businesses to pay for the upgraded vehicles that they need to avoid the charge. “He is calling on the Government to commit the money to pay for this hardship fund. Well, I think we shouldn’t be…

13Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Final national reports into child sex abuse released in time to be included in Oldham joint workshop

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence

The final two reports of the Home Office-sponsored Independent Investigation into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) are due to be released on February 1 (Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks) and March 1 (Residential Schools). Following conversations between Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani, senior Council management, and the Managing Director of Children & Young People, it has been agreed that following the publication of the report into CSE in Oldham at the end of this month, the Oldham Children’s Safeguarding Partnership will undertake a joint workshop with the Adult Safeguarding Partnership, which will include learning from IICSA, and inform the development of Oldham’s Complex Safeguarding Strategy. Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “The Council must be ready to accept the outcome of the report into CSE in Oldham. This is just one of the ways…

12Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Questions needs to be asked of Pennine Care after missed opportunities to save a life

Borough news, health and social care

Shadow Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care and Crompton Councillor Louie Hamblett as written to the Joint Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Chair Councillor Colin McLaren to ask for an agenda item regarding the coroner’s report last year after multiple opportunities were missed to help the patient needs to be placed on the 18th January meeting. This is in regards to the community Eating Disorder Service to ensure what measure has and will be in place to prevent future deaths and what powers has been taken to ensure such actions. This comes after the news the trust had been ordered to take urgent action after a woman with anorexia died after opportunities to engage with health services were missed, following a coroner’s report last year. Councillor…

11Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Burnham must keep his promises: clean air and no job losses

Borough news, environment

Andy Burnham must keep his manifesto promise to clean up air pollution in Greater Manchester without “the loss of a single job or business”. His plans to implement a Clean Air Zone – following the instructions of the Conservative Government – were clear in his manifesto but have come under withering public attack as the implementation date nears. “The Liberal Democrats have a simple message for Mayor Burnham,” said Oldham’s Opposition Leader and Transport Spokesperson for Greater Manchester, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE. “Keep your promises, or admit you were elected on a platform you couldn’t stick to. You need to pause and re-think the whole scheme, and you need to do it now!” The Clean Air Zone is being introduced because there are an estimated 1,200 deaths a year in…

10Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Great turnout for community safety meeting

Borough news

Grotton Pavilion welcomed a substantial – if suitably socially distanced – audience to a meeting with the local police team, Greenfield Community Safety organiser Lee Hudson, and Dobcross organiser Neal Killan. Local resident Alicia Marland, who set up the event and is coordinating the group, welcomed the positive response from the community, and thanked the contributors for their input. Alicia said: “Thanks to all the residents who attended tonight's community crime watch meeting in Grotton. What a fantastic turnout. “It was a brilliant presentation from Lee who started the Greenfield scheme in 2017 who has successfully reduced crime through local initiatives and working closely with the police.” The idea of the community crime group is to have a simple, coordinated group which can alert local residents to potential issues in the area – whether that’s…

Category: Borough news