Borough news – Page 6 – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

31Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Speed cameras left idle for years as road safety worsens

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has said that Greater Manchester’s speed cameras are “falling behind”. The Shaw councillor, who sits on Greater Manchester’s Transport Committee, was speaking in response to a report on road safety recently presented to the Committee. Councillor Sykes said, “Speed cameras are put in place for a very good reason. Not only do they prevent accidents, but they also save lives.” In many cases, cameras have been left disconnected, having never been updated with newer, digital cameras. Now the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) set at long last to replace many speed cameras that are not working. Councillor Sykes has been continuously raising the issue of non-functional cameras where speeding is a real problem, yet the camera has been out of action for…

24Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

£5 million cycle bridge branded ‘latest pet project’ as local community walking and cycle routes go neglected

Borough news

Oldham Liberal Democrats have criticised Greater Manchester bosses for funding “large vanity projects” instead of local walking and cycling infrastructure after plans for a new £5M cycle bridge between Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne were unveiled earlier this year. Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “This is yet another example of Labour leaders in Greater Manchester prioritising their latest pet projects and neglecting the very basics when it comes to walking and cycling investment. I am sure the bridge will be welcome by some, but most would want the £5M spent elsewhere.” “£5 million could be better spent bringing cycle provision across Oldham up to standard, making junctions safer and improving neglected pavements and footpaths. Many areas have zero safe cycle provision,” stated councillor Sykes. “Only recently I have…

24Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Developer short-changes Oldham

housing and development

Russell Homes, the developer who is building 265 houses and a link road on protected land in Grotton, Oldham have failed to pay £115,000 as part of the planning conditions. The payment was agreed with the Council and is called Section 106 money. The payment is meant to be used by the Council to improve the local area to offset the impact of building so many new houses and was due on day one of building works – that work started this week. The missing payment was discovered by Liberal Democrat Councillor for Grotton, Springhead and Lees, Mark Kenyon. He said: “The community, as a whole, doesn’t want this development, yet it was forced upon us. Considering the amount of money that Russell Homes will make on all these new…

24Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Sykes warns of ‘more red tape and wasted cash’ as councils brace for £75 million increase in audit fees

Borough news, fairer council

Oldham’s Liberal Democrats have warned that Oldham Council could face “more red tape and wasted cash” after it was announced that councils across the country are to be hit with an additional £75 million audit fee. Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw representative councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Bureaucracy is one thing Oldham Council does not need more of. This audit price hike is particularly unwelcome given the current cost-of-living crisis. It amounts to more red tape and wasted cash that will do nothing to alleviate the pressures that councils face in funding frontline services. “Councils should be focusing on the basics, like finding and funding highly skilled social workers and helping people with the cost-of-living crisis. Instead, we will see councils across Greater Manchester struggle to plug budget gaps caused…

12Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

It is time to extend free school meals to all primary age children

Borough news, Parliamentary news

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat councillors have backed a campaign calling for free school meals to be extended to all primary school children. The National Education Union has said that child hunger is an ‘epidemic’ in schools and has published an open letter to the prime minister which says that currently millions of children miss out on a free school meal, with some as young as seven. Leader of the Liberal Democrats in Oldham councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Free school meal provision is one of the most effective policies when it comes to tackling child hunger and poverty as well as raising educational achievement. It’s about a fair start in life and peace of mind for struggling families who know their children will be able to focus in class after a…

12Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

“Half-hearted and weak”: council’s warm bank scheme slammed

Borough news

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes has hit out at Labour council bosses over their plans to provide warm banks this winter in the Borough. It has emerged that all the council’s earmarked locations are in public libraries, and none are open on Sundays. Councillor Sykes said, “This is simply not good enough. It is unimaginative and half-hearted. The cost-of-living crisis doesn’t take Sunday off. We need warm spaces that are accessible to residents all the time. The council has only utilised libraries. What about community centres and other public buildings? What about those buildings used by faith groups? In a rich country like Britain, it’s shameful that we need to consider ideas like warm banks to begin with, but if we’re going to do this, we need to…

12Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham Council slammed after no dog fouling penalties were issued for three years

Borough news, environment

Oldham Council has been accused of “failing to get even the most basic things right” after it emerged that the authority failed to issue a single fixed penalty notice (FPN) for dog-fouling for three years. This shocking fact was supplied as a result of a freedom of information request. Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “This is a shocking fact. We’re talking about the basics here. We hear all this talk from the Labour administration about how they’re getting tough on littering, fly-tipping, and dog-fouling yet the facts say something else. “The vast majority of dog owners are responsible, the few that are not spoil it for all. This is one of the number one issues in my mailbox, and I know it is for…

03Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Cemetery should not be final resting place for bins

Borough news, environment

As Oldham’s programme of replacing litter bins across the ward goes ahead, the old bins are currently being housed in a storage area at the Lees Cemetery, much to the concern of many local residents. Local Councilllor Sam Al-Hamdani challenged the parks team over the location after residents raised their concerns that they were visible from graveside in one section of the cemetery. The team have agreed to clear the site as soon as possible. Sam said: “The bins are clearly visible through a gap in the hedges, and that is not what someone wants to see when they are visiting the graves of relatives or friends. “The team have agreed that they will assess the bins as soon as possible, and get any that are not usable scrapped as…

03Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Aldi confirm interest in Lees site – but no deal yet

Borough news

Plans are going forward to replace the current Co-operative site in Lees with an Aldi, but a deal has not yet been confirmed. Local councillor Sam Al-Hamdani spoke to the property director for the North West who confirmed their intentions for the site, but acknowledged there would be a delay before the site reopened. Sam said: “They have confirmed that they are hoping to complete a deal for the site this year. Rumours that the site would be demolished are incorrect – they are planning to demolish the petrol station to make way for a small extension and additional parking. “The proposed building works do mean that we are expecting a delay before the store would be reopened, and that is our primary concern at the moment. For residents with…

30Sep 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Department of Health slammed for ‘dodgy’ dental figures

Borough news, health and social care

Liberal Democrats in Oldham have slammed the government for issuing a claim that the number of NHS dentists grew by 500 last year. Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has hit out at statement from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), reported by the Oldham Times on September 21st. The Government spokesperson claimed: ”The number of dentists practising in the NHS increased by over 500 last year.” young woman doing dental checkup. Copy space The statement, which reportedly came via a DHSC representative, appeared to contradict official data released by the department earlier this year, which revealed that the number of NHS dentists had fallen by more than 900 across England. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE said: “NHS dentistry is in crisis. Less than four in ten…

Category: Borough news