Campaigns – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

28Feb 2023 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Councillor Sykes backs Church of England calls for ‘universal’ social care

Borough news, Campaigns, health and social care, Parliamentary news

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has supported a recent intervention by England’s most senior church leaders, who have called for social care to become a ‘universal entitlement’, on par with the NHS. Councillor Sykes said, “If we were building the NHS from scratch today, it would be obvious to everyone that we need a national health and social care service. We have an ageing population and we’re living with increasingly complex physical and mental health needs in our old age. Everyone deserves access to great healthcare and dignity in old age. Universal social care is the step we need to take now, to make sure that our health service is fit for the future.” The Archbishops of Canterbury and York called for a ‘national covenant’ with a…

03May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Vehicle crime epidemic: 140,000 car and bike thefts unsolved last year

Campaigns

New figures reveal 77,300 car thefts and 63,500 bike thefts went unsolved last yearOnly 3.9% of car thefts lead to someone being charged, down from 6.8% five years agoConservatives accused of allowing criminals to steal vehicles on “an industrial scale” Shocking new figures have revealed a “vehicle crime epidemic,” with over 140,000 car and bike thefts going unsolved by police last year. More than three quarters of car theft cases (77,318) and nine in ten bike thefts (63,481) were closed without a suspect being identified. The Liberal Democrats said the figures showed the Conservatives were soft on crime and are letting criminals get away with stealing vehicles on an “industrial scale.” The party is calling for more investment in community policing, ahead of the local elections on Thursday. The figures…

13Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems warm of Blue Wall Farmers revolt – “We are now the party that Backs British Farmers”

Campaigns, Parliamentary news

The Liberal Democrats have put the Conservatives' former rural heartlands on notice at their conference this weekend. It comes as the party has passed sweeping reform aimed at targeting the farming community that is “fed up with being taken for granted by the Government”. The push to win the farming community comes after the North Shropshire by-election which caused a political earthquake in true blue Shropshire. Now the party is gearing up to win over farmers in the May elections where eyes are on the blue walls of rural heartlands in places like Somerset, Herefordshire and Westmorland - key Lib Dem, Conservative battlegrounds in May. Alongside the “Back British Farmers” party policy reform the Liberal Democrats have also launched specialised farmers campaigning packs for local Lib Dems to gain support…

23Feb 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Councillor welcomes progress on Huddersfield Road junction

Borough news, Campaigns, road safety, Saddleworth News

Plans to remodel the junction of Huddersfield Road and Stamford Road have moved a step further, with a survey of over 150 local residents whose houses are closest to the junction having gone out this week, so that planners can work with parking needs and current access. Local Liberal Democrat councillor Sam Al-Hamdani, who organised for the survey to happen, said: “People have been shocked by the two fatal incidents which have happened right outside their own houses. Just last week a car was overturned in an incident at the top of Dunham Street. “With limited parking being a very pressing issue, I wanted to make sure that this survey took place at the start of planning – so residents’ requirements came baked into the design work. “We need Stamford Road…

21Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

European Super League is kick in the teeth to lower league football

Borough news, Campaigns

UPDATE: with the withdrawal of the majority of clubs from the European Super League, the threat to the game's finances in the immediate term has been withdrawn. However, until fundamental change to address the systemic failures to the games finances and its fundamental values – particularly the visible levels of racism – this threat will not go away. SA 21/04/21 The announcement of the proposed European Super League (ESL), with 12 of the world’s richest clubs forming a midweek league from which they cannot be relegated, is a kick in the teeth for lower league clubs who have been struggling without crowds during the lockdown. The 12 clubs are proposing to share €3.5billion to offset the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with at least €10billion in ‘solidarity’ payments expected during…

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…

26Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Fighting to give carers a voice

Campaigns

The Liberal Democrats are asking people across our community who care for relatives to get in touch and share their story – to mark national Carers Rights Day this Thursday 26th November. Liberal Democrat party leader Ed Davey has said he wants the party wants to be a "strong voice" for the millions across the country – including 22,004 people in the Oldham area who care for those who need it. Ed himself knows the burden put on carers for family members - having been a carer for his mum when growing up and now caring for his disabled son. Carers can get in touch and share their experiences at www.libdems.org.uk/carerssurvey Local Liberal Democrat campaigner, Mark Kenyon said: "Millions of people across the country act as unpaid carers for loved…

07Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

A Godsend to our poorest residents

Borough news, Campaigns, Parliamentary news

Liberal Democrat Leader calls on Chancellor to make £20-a-week Universal Credit rise permanent Liberal Democrat Councillors have called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, to end the financial uncertainly for Oldham Borough’s poorest families and make a one-year temporary rise of £20-a-week in Universal Credit payments permanent. The increase was announced in April at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic; now with the deferment of the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget until Spring, there is currently no guarantee that the rise will be made permanent next year. Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has added his voice, and that of his party colleagues, to the call from many of Britain’s leading charities for the uncertainty to be ended by writing to the Chancellor asking for the rise to…

06Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Shaw and Crompton short-changed for third time in Labour’s Green Belt homes plan

Borough news, Campaigns

Liberal Democrat Councillors on Oldham Council remain bitterly opposed to Labour’s latest version of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework which has just been unveiled and will go before a special Council meeting to be held on Wednesday 28 October, prior to being open to public consultation. In this third version of their plan to build new homes, which forms part of the wider Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF), Oldham Council’s Labour Administration has removed proposals to build on Green Belt sites in Royton North Ward, Failsworth East Ward and St James Ward, but have retained plans to build almost 1,000 new homes on Green Belt and green space sites in Cowlishaw and in the Beal Valley. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, who is the Leader of the Opposition and represents Shaw,…

23Sep 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats believe social care will be a Cinderella service if transferred to NHS

Borough news, Campaigns

The Oldham Liberal Democrats are concerned that social care will become a secondary priority if transferred from local authority control to the National Health Service. At present, local authorities, like Oldham Council, take the primary role in providing a care service to elderly, disabled and vulnerable residents living at home, but Conservative ministers are rumoured to be considering transferring this responsibility to the NHS. Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “I know from recent personal experience that the National Health Service with its excellent medical facilities and dedicated staff do a wonderful job, but, the NHS does so many things and is such a large organisation, that I really fear that social care in its hands would become a Cinderella service, at the bottom of the rung…