07Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Part Two of Labour’s Green Belt Homes Plan now expected after 2021 Elections

Borough news
Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Opposition, received an unwanted Christmas present - confirmation that a revised version of Labour’s plan to build thousands of new homes on Oldham’s green spaces will be brought back in 2021. It is likely that this, so-called, ‘development plan of the nine’, a reference to the fact that Stockport Council has now withdrawn from the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, will not come back for consideration before the local and GM mayoral elections this May. Councillor Sykes wrote to Oldham Council Chief Executive, Dr Carolyn Wilkins OBE, enquiring when another meeting would be convened to reconsider the plan and to seek reassurance that the period of public consultation would not be curtailed because of the legal requirements attached to ‘purdah’, a period of several…
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07Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats welcome end of Tampon Tax

Borough news, Campaigns
The government has announced that the 5% Value Added Tax levied on women’s hygiene products for women and girls has been abolished from January 1, 2021 and Liberal Democrat Councillors Diane Williamson and Hazel Gloster were especially delighted to hear the news; for both Councillors had called for an end to the sexist ‘Tampon Tax’ in a motion they proposed at a meeting of the full Council in September 2018. Councillor Diane Williamson said: “It was scandalous, and sexist, that, whilst men did not pay any VAT on personal hygiene products, women and girls did. Until 1 January, female hygiene products were classed as luxury products and VAT was levied on them. These are products which are essential to them during a large part of their lives and I now…
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07Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Oldham Liberal Democrats ‘disappointed’ at Boundary Commission’s refusal to cut councillor numbers by a third and save cash

Oldham Liberal Democrats ‘disappointed’ at Boundary Commission’s refusal to cut councillor numbers by a third and save cash

Borough news
The Oldham Council Liberal Democrat Group was disappointed to hear that the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) has refused to cut Councillor numbers and costs. Liberal Democrats suggested a reduction in Councillors in their submission to the LGBCE late last year. Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council currently has twenty electoral wards, represented by sixty elected councillors. The Boundary Commission called for responses to a consultation to review the number of councillors in November. At the meeting of the full council (4 November 2020), the Labour Administration backed a report proposing that the status quo be maintained, but in the vote the Liberal Democrats abstained. The Liberal Democrats instead submitted their own proposal that the number of Councillors be reduced to two per ward believing that less councillors are now…
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07Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Council staff can be ‘eyes and ears’ in ongoing fight against child sex abuse

Borough news
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Councillors want Oldham Council staff to be trained to become ‘eyes and ears’ in the community to help detect instances of child sexual exploitation. Oldham Council has recently asked all Councillors to complete a mandatory training module into combatting child sexual exploitation. This is being delivered by experts in this field from the renowned Barnardo’s Charity. Councillor Sykes would like to see similar training made available to Council staff who regularly meet the public in person or speak to residents over the telephone, such as street cleaners, refuse collectors or call centre operatives. He said: “Although social workers and child care workers would routinely receive such training and would be aware of what signs to look out for, it would be very valuable to have other council…
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17Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Flood approach in Saddleworth questioned by Liberal Democrats

Flood approach in Saddleworth questioned by Liberal Democrats

Borough news
With winter in sight, flooding issues are increasingly a concern for people in Saddleworth. With questions being raised about the approach taken by the Borough Council, the Liberal Democrats on the Parish Council have asked for the evidence that is being used by Oldham Borough Council to make decisions. They have asked the Borough Council to provide proof that their approach to cleaning drains and gullies works, given the conditions faced in Saddleworth; for the information that OMBC is using to check the impact of housebuilding in Saddleworth on flooding; and how they’re keeping an eye on locations which flood frequently, and what measures they use to address them. Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “This is such a concern to people in Saddleworth, and we want to see is…
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17Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrat Leader’s welcome for promise of a town centre powered by Oldham’s industrial past

Liberal Democrat Leader’s welcome for promise of a town centre powered by Oldham’s industrial past

Borough news
The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has welcomed news that Oldham Council’s Towns Fund application for £41 million includes a commitment to powering the town centre with geothermal heat from former coal mines. In October 2014, Councillor Sykes first asked the then Council Leader if officers could investigate this possibility and six years on it appears, they are doing so. Councillor Sykes said:  “Anyone who has gone into Gallery Oldham and looked at Squire Knott’s photographic panorama of our historic town centre will have seen that there are coal mines scattered amongst the buildings.  In nineteenth- century Oldham, coal was the lifeblood of our textile and engineering industries, and many people lived and worked cheek-by-jowl with a pit.” Oldham’s mills and…
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17Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Wool Road/Sugar Lane speed limit change

Wool Road/Sugar Lane speed limit change

Borough news, road safety, Saddleworth News
Following successful campaigns by Liberal Democrat Councillor Garth Harkness and local residents to get 20mph speed limits in Uppermill, Dobcross and Delph and a commitment for a principle of 20mph limits across Oldham borough, residents have been contacting Councillor Harkness and Al-Hamdani about the fact that the roundabout at the junction of Sugar Lane/Wool Road is in a 40mph zone. Councillor Garth Harkness said: “Suggestions to reduce this limit have been put forward so we have asked officers to look at this. An order is being processed to change the location of the speed limits, and reduce the speed limit on the roundabout from 40mph to 30.” Garth Harkness at the new 20mph zone in Uppermill Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: "Unfortunately the legal process is slow-moving – which is why…
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15Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems demand response, as one in five crimes in Greater Manchester go unrecorded

Lib Dems demand response, as one in five crimes in Greater Manchester go unrecorded

Borough news
Last week, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) which is responsible for providing national oversight of the performance of police services, published a report which found that over one in five crimes, over 80,100 in total, went unrecorded in our city region by Greater Manchester Police between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020. Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, was particularly shocked that women, children and other vulnerable persons were often being failed with one in four violent crimes unrecorded and unpursued. These include offences such as stalking, coercive behaviour, domestic violence and other offences against vulnerable persons and children. More worryingly the performance in recording crimes by Greater Manchester Police has gotten worse since the last HMICFRS report in 2018 when 89…
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15Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats say there’s no better time to protect our ancient woodlands

Liberal Democrats say there’s no better time to protect our ancient woodlands

Borough news
Ancient woodlands now only cover less of 3% of England’s landmass, yet the charity the Woodland Trust has estimated that 1,200 woodlands may be under threat. Oldham Borough Liberal Democrat Councillors want to see Oldham Council at the forefront of the fight to protect our nation’s remaining irreplaceable legacy of ancient woodlands and ancient and veteran trees. Saddleworth West and Lees Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani will be proposing a motion at the next full meeting of Oldham Council (16 December 2020) calling for more protection for these trees: “In Oldham, we are all well aware of the threat of development hanging over our natural landscape with plans to build a significant number of new homes on our Green Belt. While other elements of our physical landscape may have been worked and…
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15Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Shock of 52 Homes planned for land off Denbigh Drive

Borough news
Crompton Liberal Democrat Councillor Diane Williamson was absolutely shocked to receive an email from the consultants (becg) working on behalf of Miller Homes regarding their plans to create 52 three- and four-bedroom family homes by a potential developer on land behind Denbigh Drive. No planning permission has yet been given. Cllr Diane Williamson who is leading the co-ordinated joint approach, said: “We will be out there, this weekend, from 1pm to 4pm on both days, talking to residents in the area and guiding them through the process of making their voices heard. We intend to knock on doors in the immediate vicinity in the first instance and then widen it out. “It is not very nice to learn about the plans just before Christmas: residents and Councillors had hoped that…
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