11Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Community approach can benefit survivors in Oldham

Community approach can benefit survivors in Oldham

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
After the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) produced its latest report, local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani has called on the Council to put its recommendations – and lessons from around the country – into practice in Oldham. One example is the Quetzal Project in Leicester, which provides free counselling for women recovering from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. They have been running an outreach project to allow women in isolated communities to access counselling, particularly from South Asian backgrounds. Sam said: “What the Quetzal Project has done really well is reach out to people and communities, not wait for people to come to them. They found the right people in the community, that survivors would trust, and gave them the help they needed to ensure that…
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11Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader welcomes promise of Council debate on CSE review

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
The Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has welcomed the commitment made by the Leader of Oldham Council to make ‘proper time (available) for consideration by councillors’ of the long-awaited report by the review team into historic child sexual exploitation issues at a meeting of the Full Council. Last month, Councillor Sykes wrote to the new Leader, Councillor Arooj Shah, to request that Councillors be able ‘to discuss this matter in Full Council at the earliest opportunity’. As the Greater Manchester Deputy Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner, Baroness Beverley Hughes, had previously said the report would be available by the middle of this year, councillor Sykes was hopeful that this would be at the July 14 Council meeting. In her reply, Councillor Shah could not confirm that…
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10Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Sykes appeals to Lord Chancellor over lenient magistrate court sentence

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
Councillor Howard Sykes, MBE, Leader of the Real Opposition and the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, has written to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP, seeking a change in the law after receiving a frustrating letter denying him a review of an unduly lenient sentence. On 15 March, councillor Sykes wrote to the Attorney General’s Office asking for a review of a case in which Shaw resident, Javid Miah, 23, had sexually assaulted a woman in a frightening attack in Oldham town centre, but Miah had inexplicably not received an immediate custodial sentence for his crime. Councillor Sykes said: “This case caused many of my constituents’ real disquiet. This offender lives in my hometown and yet he was set free to continue to…
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08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
‘Tax a lot’, Sykes welcomes G7 plan to tax multinational traders

‘Tax a lot’, Sykes welcomes G7 plan to tax multinational traders

Borough news
Oldham Liberal Democrats have welcomed the adoption by the leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations of a proposal to levy a uniform 15% tax on the profits of multinationals, especially as it is similar to their own idea brought to the March 2021 Council meeting. Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who is hosting the meeting of G7 leaders in London and Cornwall, announced an agreement in principal of a plan to introduce a 15% global minimum corporate tax rate on multinational corporations. Many of these domicile their head offices and declare corporate profits in no-tax havens or low-tax nations as a means of tax avoidance. Commenting, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, councillor Howard Sykes MBE said: “It would be nice to think Rishi Sunak did have the chance to read…
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08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Government must urgently tackle NHS and social care staff burnout

Government must urgently tackle NHS and social care staff burnout

Borough news
Responding to the news that workforce burnout across the NHS and social care has reached an emergency level according to the Health and Social Care Commons Select Committee, Liberal  Democrat Spokesperson for Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, Munira Wilson MP commented: “As this report shows, the pandemic has clearly taken its toll on NHS staff, health and social care workers, who have gone above and beyond over the course of this crisis. They are burned out, traumatised, and stressed after over a year caring for hundreds of thousands of severely ill Covid patients. On top of this, they have worked tirelessly to get as many people vaccinated as efficiently and as safely as possible. “The Government not only need to reward them properly for their service with a proper pay…
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08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats request debate on Child Sexual Exploitation review at July Council

Borough news, CSE
The Liberal Democrats want to see the promised report from the review on historic allegations of child sexual exploitation to be published in advance of the 14 July meeting of the Full Council and for time to be set aside to debate the report at the meeting. The Leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has sent his request to the Leader of Oldham Council and the Chief Executive on 25 May and yet has had no response or acknowledgement. In November 2019, Oldham Council and the Oldham Safeguarding Partnership commissioned the independent review from the Mayor of Greater Manchester. Two experienced investigators, Malcolm Newsam MBE, a childcare expert, and Gary Ridgeway, formerly a senior police officer specialising in public protection, are now working to finalise…
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08Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Homelessness fears grow over cuts to renters

Homelessness fears grow over cuts to renters

Borough news
A £40 million cut in support for renters – to below pre-pandemic levels – is likely to drive up homelessness rates across the borough, warns Shadow Cabinet member for Housing, Sam Al-Hamdani. The cuts to discretionary housing payments provide support to people claiming housing benefit or universal credit who face rent shortfalls, or for assistance with deposits. They are to be cut by 22%, in a change which was put through without attention being drawn to it in the spring budget. Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “So many people have spent the last year trying to manage in extraordinary circumstances. People’s jobs are at risk, and the last thing we need is for people to have emergency support withdrawn. “The Government’s own figures show that three times as…
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03Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Twenty’s plenty on Den Lane

Twenty’s plenty on Den Lane

Borough news, road safety
Den Lane in Springhead has been made a 20mph zone, with local Lib Dem councillor Sam Al-Hamdani taking advantage of coronavirus legislation to get the speed limit on the road changed.  Hundreds of people had previously signed a petition to the Council asking for the reduction, but nothing had happened, despite the lack of a pavement and narrowness of the road making it an obvious danger for pedestrians.  Sam said: “I use the road all the time when I take my daughter to nursery, so I was well aware of the issues, but talking to people there, there was a real feeling that their concerns had been ignored.  “It was really helpful to be able to use the coronavirus legislation to get this change, but now that the Government has…
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01Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader calls for reinstatement of Dovestones volunteer rangers

Borough news, Saddleworth News
The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has written to the Chair and Chief Executive of the Peak District National Park Authority calling upon them to reinstate the volunteer ranger service at Dovestones Reservoir. Commenting councillor Sykes said:  “The volunteer rangers freely gave their time and commitment to looking after our countryside and wildlife, and keeping visitors safe.  At a time when we have seen more moorland fires and increasing visitor numbers at Dovestones, it must defy common sense to abolish a service, which must cost the Parks Authority very little financially, but which represents a lot of extra  ‘boots on the ground’ looking out for fires and for people.  I hope that my letter provokes a rethink and that we shall see…
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01Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Keep Whitehall mandarins out of Peak District Park, say Liberal Democrats

Keep Whitehall mandarins out of Peak District Park, say Liberal Democrats

Borough news, Saddleworth News
The Liberal Democrats have urged the government not to transfer the management of the country’s National Parks from local elected authorities to Whitehall mandarins. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written to the responsible government minister, Lord Benyon, with a plea to keep control in local hands after plans leaked that National Parks Authorities could be abolished and a new National Landscapes Service created instead. Commenting, Councillor Sykes said: “Part of Saddleworth falls within the Peak District National Park, and Oldham Council has a representative on the Authority through which local councillors, and their constituents, can raise issues. If the Authority is abolished and control reverts to Whitehall, we will no longer have any say in how the park is managed. “The Liberal Democrats believe that local public organisations, like our…
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