10Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Shaw’s Gold Medal winner deserves a gold post box

Borough news
Shaw’s very own Matt Walls, Olympic Gold cycling champion could be honoured with a gold post box after an appeal to Royal Mail by Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillor Hazel Gloster. Hazel said: “Matt has done Shaw and Crompton proud, and, fingers crossed, will do the same when he competes in the Men’s Madison event on Saturday. His achievements in cycling cannot be underestimated and we should ensure visitors to Shaw and Crompton have a visual acknowledgment to our home-grown champion.” “Painting a post box gold in a place associated with the winning Olympian, with a plaque to explain their success, was such a brilliant and popular idea when the Royal Mail did this after the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, yet the practice inexplicably died out”, added Hazel. “Public letter…
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06Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Best out of three for Royton and Crompton Family Practice telephones?

Borough news
Liberal Democrat Councillor Louie Hamblett has received assurances following another meeting with the practice and the CCG that their telephone system has been to blame for intermittent faults and lengthy waiting times. The practice has now sought external assistance from Oldham CCG to help change their telephony system and their provider also along with a seconded member of the CCG staff to help ensure that both patient and staff relations are no longer further strained. Councillor Hamblett was also recently surprised to learn that the practice has absorbed additional patients from another practice that has recently been dissolved. With the unexpected closure of Donald Wilde Medical Practice resulted in around 5,000 patients having to be relocated, and this affected those practices in Oldham who absorbed these patients to their practice…
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06Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
“No Cannes do”

“No Cannes do”

Borough news
Council agrees not to attend French conference after appeal from Liberal Democrat leader An appeal from the Leader of Oldham Council’s Liberal Democrat Group has finally led the Labour Administration to call time on spending over £10,000 on sending delegates to an annual international property conference in Southern France. In mid-July, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes, MBE, wrote to the new Council Leader and Chief Executive asking them to cease the needless spending which could be better spent on providing front-line services. In 2018 and 2019, Oldham Council was represented at the three-day Marché International des Professionnels d'Immobilier (MIPIM) property conferences held in the French Riviera resort of Cannes at a time when Council services have been cut to the bone. In 2018 at least £9,892 was spent…
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05Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Moors still at risk as government refuses to get tough over portable BBQs

Moors still at risk as government refuses to get tough over portable BBQs

Borough news
With the easing of COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, more people will be taking advantage of their summer break to head off to enjoy our Borough’s beautiful countryside.  Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group, knows that the vast majority of local day-trippers will be considerate, but fears that our moorland may once more be placed in grave danger by irresponsible visitors using portable barbeques. “We have seen the devastation caused by moorland fires triggered by idiots and arsonists in the past,” said Councillor Sykes.  “I can only pray that over the summer, especially if we experience more heatwaves, this will not be repeated, because the Conservative Government has recently told me it has no plans to outlaw portable bbqs and stiffen sentences for those causing catastrophic damage…
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03Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
‘Told you so’: Opposition Leader says street cleaning plan mirrors previous Liberal Democrat Budget proposals

‘Told you so’: Opposition Leader says street cleaning plan mirrors previous Liberal Democrat Budget proposals

Borough news
“Well we told you so,” was the response of Oldham Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE to news that Oldham’s Labour Cabinet has chosen to invest more in street cleaning and tackling fly-tipping.  “Oldham people want to see cleaner streets and for the Liberal Democrats this has always been a budget priority.” Councillor Sykes said:  “I welcome the new Council Leader’s commitment to establish a ‘street cleaning force’ to tackle fly-tipping and rubbish in this borough’s dirty streets, but the Liberal Democrats made similar proposals in each of our ‘alternate budget’ amendments over the last five financial years, including reinstating three enforcement officer posts.  Labour has always turned us down saying they were rubbish.  Just think how much cleaner our borough would be with five years of our…
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03Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats hold Council to promise on findings from national CSE inquiry

Liberal Democrats hold Council to promise on findings from national CSE inquiry

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
Oldham Council’s Safeguarding Partnership is working to introduce recommendations from the national Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA), following further work from the Liberal Democrat group on the Council. Having already received a promise from the Council that it would apply any relevant local recommendations into their work, Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani went through the last two IICSA reports in detail to identify those that applied, and demanded a detailed response from the Council on how they were being implemented. Those recommendations have now been taken to Oldham’s Safeguarding Partnership by the Managing Director of the Children & Young People team, who will then be reporting back on what specific actions are being taken. Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “We worked hard to ensure that the Council made that commitment, but we…
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02Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Ash dieback detected

Borough news
Ash die back disease has been detected in Crompton Cemetery which has led to the felling of twenty mature trees in the cemetery as a matter of urgency. Cllr Hazel Gloster, Liberal Democrat Councillor for the Shaw Ward said: "It is regrettable that these mature trees have had to be felled however the Ash tree is a very important tree in the ecological system and we need to ensure that action now prevents further damage in the cemetery as the disease spreads between July and October during leafage." Crompton Liberal Democrat Councillor Dave Murphy added: "We will be working with Oldham Council’s Environmental Services Department to look at how we can replace these trees, preferably doubling the numbers felled, as replacements. "It would be nice if each tree replaced was…
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02Aug 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Third time lucky: Liberal Democrat Leader again backs change in law to bar sex offenders from public office

Borough news, CSE, Parliamentary news
Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE recently wrote to a Conservative member of parliament backing his plans to change the law on when councillors will be barred from public office. The name of the Conservative MP for Mole Valley, Sir Paul Beresford, was drawn in an annual ballot held recently in Parliament. Selection entitles Sir Paul to propose a private member’s bill. He has chosen to introduce a bill titled the Local Government (Disqualification) Bill. Councillor Sykes wrote to Sir Paul asking him to ensure the new law will ban anyone convicted of a sex offence and placed on the Sex Offender’s Register from seeking, accepting, or staying in public office. The Oldham Liberal Democrats have already twice asked the Conservative Government to do this. “At present, only…
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28Jul 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Councillor gets review of highways reporting problems

Borough news
Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani has received assurances that a review of the reporting of highways issues will take place, after a four-foot hole in a Grotton street was reported as “completed”. When Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani first reported the issue, there was a small sunken section of the road on the junction of Thornley Park Road and Station Lane. It was promptly picked up by the Council team for work, inspected, and a repair started. However, after the highways system issued a “completed” notice, Sam was surprised to find the area surrounded by bollards, covered over with a temporary plate, under which was a much larger hole, several feet deep.  Despite reporting this to the highways team, two weeks later the repair was still marked as complete, so Councillor…
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28Jul 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Beavering away; can one of nature’s superheroes can be reintroduced into the Peak District?

Borough news
At the last full meeting of Oldham Council (14 July 2021), Crompton Liberal Democrat Councillor Louie Hamblett posed an interesting question about enrolling an unusual ally to aid the Peak District National Park Authority in its fight against climate change. Councillor Hamblett asked the Council’s representative on the authority, Councillor Colin McLaren, if the authority was considering reintroducing beavers into the Peak District. The question came hot-on-the-heels of news that a baby beaver has been born on Exmoor for the first time in 400 years after the reintroduction of the species there. Martin Varley from the Cheshire's Wildlife Trust described the new-born as a “superhero who can create carbon-capturing landscapes and reduce the impact of floods, droughts and wildfires, and looks really cute into the bargain". Councillor Hamblett explained why…
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