20Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Council fails to deliver equality objectives again

Borough news
Oldham Council has again failed to deliver its new equality objectives and strategy – with them not being ready in time for the November Council meeting. The Council had a statutory obligation to renew the objectives at the start of 2020 – well before any delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but delayed them, claiming that they needed to ensure that they aligned with the forthcoming strategy in order to be effective. However, despite this being repeatedly flagged by Liberal Democrat Councillor Al-Hamdani, the Council failed to bring them forward in June, September and again in November, despite saying that they were a priority and were nearly ready. Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “What it boils down to is fairness. That’s what equality policies must deliver – and after a year of waiting for this…
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20Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats welcome Covid mass testing in Oldham

Liberal Democrats welcome Covid mass testing in Oldham

Borough news
The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has welcomed the recent announcement that Oldham will be one of 67 new areas to follow Liverpool as locations for mass testing for Covid-19. Councillor Sykes said: “Tragically Oldham has suffered the highest levels of detected new cases of Covid-19 per head of population in the UK in recent weeks. Mass testing in Liverpool has shown that some residents can unknowingly transmit Covid-19 to others by being asymptomatic carriers. “Mass testing will enable us to identify, isolate and support such individuals, as well as those persons who are suffering the actual symptoms of the disease. If we pull together by participating in testing, and by isolating if we receive a positive result, we can all help reduce further transmissions of Covid-19…
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20Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrat Leader seeks Oldham delay in deciding on Green Belt homes plan

Borough news
Salford and Stockport Councils have this week postponed their meetings where councillors will decide on whether to adopt the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework and the Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has written to the Leader of Oldham Council suggesting it would be wise to do the same. Liberal Democrat Councillors in Stockport were ready and keen to speak against the Labour-led plans at the meeting last Tuesday (17 November), but at the last minute, the Labour, Conservative and Independent Group leaders backed an adjournment for two to three weeks to enable a backroom deal to be made between them. In Salford the Conservatives have called in the plans for further scrutiny before a final decision is made. With these new developments, Councillor Sykes has now written to…
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18Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham’s food not worth a hill of beans

Borough news
That’s the verdict according to Council spending records which show that of the £1.1 million spent by council bosses on food and drink since December 2019, a mere £12,500 was spent with businesses in the borough of Oldham.1 Imagine each and every baked bean represents £50: the pile of beans is the £1M+ spent OUT of the borough and the small can is what’s spent IN the borough. (all beans donated to Oldham Food Bank) Local Liberal Democrat campaigner, Mark Kenyon, who made the discovery, also pointed to claims made by Council bosses who regularly boast that local spending by the council is on the up – Sean Fielding as recently as June this year claimed that it was as high as 55%.2 “If these figures are anything to go…
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18Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats hopeful that temporary £20 per week Universal Credit increase will be extended

Borough news
The Oldham Liberal Democrats are hopeful that the Conservative Chancellor, Rishi Sunak MP, will extend the £20 a week temporary increase in Universal Credit for a further year in next year’s Spring Budget.  The temporary increase was first made at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to provide extra financial support to citizens faced with unemployment following the economic downturn.  In October, Councillor Sykes wrote to the Chancellor asking him ‘to make a clear and principled policy decision’ and make the temporary rise permanent.  Commenting, Councillor Sykes said:  “This temporary uplift of £20 per week, or £1,040 a year, if made permanent would be a Godsend to our poorest residents and their families. “For many it will represent the difference between being able to put food before the family at…
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18Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham leading the way on combatting street harassment

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence
When Oldham Borough Council voted to pass the Liberal Democrat motion against street harassment this week, it became the first Council in the country to sign up to support the Our Streets Now campaign to combat public sexual harassment by making it a specific crime, and to introduce education in schools to combat the problem. Two thirds of girls in the UK have been sexually harassed in the street, but only 14% of them have been taught about public sexual harassment at school. Surveys have shown that nearly half of them would not report it to their school because they did not know how to, or feared that they would not be taken seriously. Maya Tutton, co-founder of Our Streets Now, said: “Our Streets Now are delighted that Oldham Borough…
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18Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats welcome Conservative climbdown on school meals scandal

Borough news, Parliamentary news
The Oldham Liberal Democrats have welcomed Boris Johnson’s recent climbdown over the provision of school meals to the children of England’s poorest families. The Conservative Government has pledged £396 million of targeted support for 1.7 million children over the Christmas, Easter and Summer school holidays. The Prime Minister conveyed the good news in a telephone call on Saturday with campaigning footballer Marcus Rashford OBE. The Liberal Democrats brought a motion to the last meeting of the Oldham Council (4 November) in support of Marcus Rashford's campaign to tackle holiday hunger and child poverty in England. On hearing the welcome announcement, Saddleworth North Councillor Garth Harkness, who proposed the motion, said: “We congratulate Marcus Rashford on his successful campaign to turn around government policy on this issue. Only days before, Tory…
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18Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Councillors disappointed as local Conservative leader calls 20mph restrictions “Cr*p”

Councillors disappointed as local Conservative leader calls 20mph restrictions “Cr*p”

Borough news, road safety
Saddleworth Liberal Democrat councillors Garth Harkness and Sam Al-Hamdani have expressed disappointment at local Conservative Leader Councillor John Hudson who said that councillors supporting a motion for 20MPH speed limits across the borough on residential roads were “talking cr*p”. Liberal Democrats proposed a motion on 4th November 2020 to seek in principle to implement a borough-wide 20 mph speed limit on residential roads. The motion was carried, however no Conservative councillors supported the motion and Councillor John Hudson was clear he did not support speed restrictions. Councillor Garth Harkness said: “The village road network in Saddleworth does not lend itself to 30MPH limits and a 20mph initiative needs to be considered. I have been campaigning for a long time with regards to 20MPH speed limits. A recent limit has been…
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18Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats seek new legal powers for Council to tackle nuisance pavement parking

Liberal Democrats seek new legal powers for Council to tackle nuisance pavement parking

Borough news
Liberal Democrat Councillors have responded to a government consultation on pavement parking by asking for new powers to be granted to Councils to tackle nuisance parking. In his letter to the Department of Transport, Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has identified the options being considered by government which both he and his colleagues’ favour as most practicable and reasonable. Commenting Councillor Sykes said: “We do not favour a complete blanket ban on all pavement parking. In Oldham, we have many narrow, terraced streets where there is no off-road parking as properties were built way before the motor car was invented; in these circumstances motorists have to sometimes park their vehicles partially on the pavement to allow traffic to pass. However, we want the government to grant new powers to…
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04Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Conservative Government still won’t commit to disbar sex offenders from public office

Conservative Government still won’t commit to disbar sex offenders from public office

Borough news, CSE, Parliamentary news
Two years after the Conservative Government promised to disbar sex offenders from public office, the government has still not introduced the necessary legislation and in a recent response to a question from a Liberal Democrat peer in Parliament they have given no promise to do so soon. Baroness Kath Pinnock has recently asked a question in Parliament on behalf of Oldham Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE. Councillor Sykes backed a motion at Oldham Council with the-then Leader of the Council, Councillor Jean Stretton, calling on the Government to introduce legislation to prevent anyone required to sign the Sex Offences Act from standing or remaining in public office in March 2017. In October 2018 Local Government Minister Rishi Sunak MP promised to introduce the necessary legislation but, after…
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