06Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Davey: Vote to back a Liberal Democrat local champion in May

Davey: Vote to back a Liberal Democrat local champion in May

Borough news, Parliamentary news
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey has officially launched the Liberal Democrats Local Elections campaign in England. He has called on voters to back a Liberal Democrat local champion in May. Liberal Democrats have announced plans for a fairer, greener more caring country where there is opportunity for all. The party announced plans for a locally-led green transition, backed by £48bn pounds of investment. Leader Ed Davey also called on the government to help struggling small businesses by slashing national insurance contributions (NICs) for small firms by quadrupling the employment allowance from £4,000 to £16,000. Ed Davey delivered a speech at the Liberal Democrats digital launch where he said: "This has been a truly dreadful year. So many loved ones lost. So many families bereaved. So many businesses closed. Coronavirus is…
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31Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Covid letter ‘an absolute waste of Oldham Council Taxpayers’ money’

Borough news
The Liberal Democrat Deputy Group Leader on Oldham Council, Shaw Councillor Chris Gloster, is fuming at the cost of a letter sent to every household in the borough. The controversial letter, jointly signed by the Labour Leader of Oldham Council, councillor Sean Fielding, and Oldham Council’s Chief Executive, Dr Carolyn Wilkins OBE, relays what the council has been doing over the past twelve months during the Covid crisis, and concludes that by ‘working together and demonstrating that community spirit Oldham is famous for, we can get back to doing the things we love sooner’. Councillor Gloster is also the shadow portfolio holder for finance and knows how precious every Council Tax penny is. He railed against the waste of money sending out the letter represents: “To be blunt this is…
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31Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
‘Sheer madness’ to end virtual Council meetings during pandemic

‘Sheer madness’ to end virtual Council meetings during pandemic

Borough news
A government decision to force Councils to again meet in public after May 6 whilst allowing Parliament to meet remotely represents double standards on the issue of public safety and will needlessly endanger the health of any participants, says Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE. “We all want full Council meetings to recommence in person at the Civic Centre when it is safe to do so, but now is too soon,” commented Councillor Sykes. “We are still in the middle of a pandemic. Many of our younger residents have yet to be vaccinated and those that have received the vaccine are mostly still awaiting the protection promised by a second jab. It has proven entirely possible to take public questions and allow the public to view proceedings at…
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31Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Sykes backs call for post-COVID green recovery to tackle climate change

Sykes backs call for post-COVID green recovery to tackle climate change

Borough news, Parliamentary news
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader has given his personal backing to a new national campaign by UK100 for a post COVID economic recovery plan to employ Britain’s skilled workers to tackle climate change. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Oldham Council Liberal Democrat Group, has pledged his support for Net Zero, and is pleased that his group was instrumental in ensuring that Oldham Council is ahead of the game in already making a commitment to being a zero carbon emission authority. Commenting, Councillor Sykes said: “The Liberal Democrat Group brought forward a motion committing Oldham Council to declare a climate emergency and to taking action to tackle it. Subsequently the Council adopted an ambitious action plan to become carbon neutral by 2025 and we are also working on a cross-party…
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30Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
No space for disabled drivers

No space for disabled drivers

Borough news, road safety
With no funding for disabled parking spaces for three years, and a backlog of applications still to be assessed, disabled drivers have been left stranded by Oldham Council. Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Garth Harkness queried the lack of funding at the March Council meeting. He said: “It’s unfair that this Council has singled out disabled drivers again. If you’re disabled and you have a vehicle, then you need to be able to access it easily.” Saddleworth West and Lees candidate Mark Kenyon has repeatedly called for the Council to look at providing advisory parking bays, which provide a much more cost-effective way to indicate that disabled parking is required. He said: “When we raised this with the Council at first, they claimed that the bays were illegal – which they…
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29Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
All aboard! Liberal Democrats welcome Greater Manchester bus franchising

All aboard! Liberal Democrats welcome Greater Manchester bus franchising

Borough news
An end to deregulation and the introduction of franchising means good news for Greater Manchester’s bus passengers, say Oldham’s Liberal Democrats.  They have welcomed the decision to end the chaos of bus privatisation and reintroduce publicly controlled bus services. Greater Manchester’s buses were privatised by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Government in 1986, and for the last thirty-five years buses in the city region have been run by private companies focused on making a profit for shareholders.  For Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, bus privatisation has been a disaster.  Councillor Sykes, who also serves as one of Oldham’s representatives on the Transport for Greater Manchester committee, said:  “Privatisation has meant increased fares, a disjointed ticketing system and worsening services. Bus…
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29Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats welcome Lords amendment on national stalking register

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence, Parliamentary news
Oldham’s Liberal Democrats have welcomed recent news that the Domestic Abuse Bill passing through Parliament will now contain a commitment to establish a national offenders’ register for those convicted of stalking or domestic violence after the House of Lords amended the legislation. Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Councillor Chris Gloster, a former police officer with 30 years’ experience, proposed the establishment of just such a register when he brought a motion to last December’s meeting of Oldham Council with the support of the Paladin National Stalking Advocacy Service. Councillor Chris Gloster is elated: “In light of the recent tragic murder of Sarah Everard, this development brings some hope that in the future serial offenders who are violent towards or stalk their victims will be tracked to prevent their reoffending and save…
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27Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats oppose Labour’s new Green Belt homes ‘Places for Everyone’ plan

Liberal Democrats oppose Labour’s new Green Belt homes ‘Places for Everyone’ plan

Borough news
Despite Liberal Democrat opposition, Labour voted to take forward the so-called ‘Places for Everyone’ plan at Wednesday’s Council’s meeting (24 March 2021). The new plan will lead to thousands of new homes being built on Oldham’s Green Belt. Councillors considered a report to make an agreement to ‘prepare a joint development plan’ to replace the discredited Greater Manchester Spatial Framework and to delegate the Leader of the Council to sit on an oversight committee with the Leaders of eight of the other nine Greater Manchester authorities. All of these are led by Labour Leaders, other than Bolton which has a Conservative Administration. Stockport Liberal Democrats torpedoed the previous plan by voting against Stockport being involved with it at a Council meeting held there in December 2020. At Wednesday’s meeting (24/03/21),…
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27Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Time to retire fossil fuels: Liberal Democrats want pension fund to go green

Time to retire fossil fuels: Liberal Democrats want pension fund to go green

Borough news
Oldham’s Liberal Democrats are backing the Fossil Fuel Greater Manchester campaign in asking the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, the largest of its kind in the country, to go green and ditch investments in coal, gas and coal. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, wrote recently to the Council’s representative on the board of the pension fund, Labour Deputy Leader Councillor Abdul Jabbar MBE, asking for his help in making this request a reality. Councillor Sykes explained: “In light of the long-term threat posed to our natural environment and humanity by climate change, Oldham Council has like many others declared a climate emergency and has set ambitious goals to become a carbon neutral local authority by 2025 and a carbon neutral borough by 2030.…
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24Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Time to say thanks to our schools and education staff, say Oldham Liberal Democrats

Time to say thanks to our schools and education staff, say Oldham Liberal Democrats

Borough news
At Wednesday’s full meeting of Oldham Council (24 March), the Oldham Liberal Democrats will be proposing all Councillors give a big vote of thanks to Oldham’s school and education staff after a year in which they have been hard at work delivering tuition in the most trying post-war circumstances. Saddleworth North Liberal Democrat Councillor Garth Harkness is proposing the motion. He works in an academy in Manchester with pupils with special needs and knows from first-hand experience how hard his Oldham colleagues will have been working through the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking of the motion, Councillor Harkness said: “Everyone will be aware that all students have now returned to their classrooms and workshops from March 8 of this year, but some people will be unaware that teachers and education staff have…
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