News – Page 128 – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

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

Lib Dems: PM’s speech no more than a pipe dream

Parliamentary news

Responding to Boris Johnson's speech to Conservative Party Conference, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey said: “The Prime Minister's speech utterly failed to deliver a credible plan to beat Coronavirus. With the Government's tracing system in meltdown, a quarter of the UK in lockdown and millions set to face unemployment, this speech was nothing more than a pipe dream. “People and business need not only reassurance from the Prime Minister, but concrete measures to help them face the next six months of this pandemic. They got neither. "Even when talking of recovery, Johnson's plans were unambitious at best - the money being spent on wind power is just a fraction of what is needed to ensure we achieve a green recovery. Equally, it is more than ironic for the Prime…

06Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Support local businesses – deliver a better broadband infrastructure for Saddleworth

Borough news

Saddleworth Councillors Garth Harkness and Sam Al-Hamdani are calling on Oldham Council to make serious improvements to their plans for better broadband across the district. With the substantial changes in working patterns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, this has emphasised the need to deliver high-quality fibre optic broadband to homes across the area. They have written to the Council to ask if they are reviewing the current contract for broadband infrastructure, and in particular, to develop new infrastructure across Saddleworth, where the current system seems least able to cope. Councillor Al-Hamdani also challenged GMCA at a meeting today to ensure that the programme was reviewed as part of the Authority’s plans around digital exclusion as part of their Living with Covid plan. Councillor Garth Harkness said: “With so many…

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,…

06Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Tories fail to honour promise to ban sex offenders from public office

Parliamentary news

After almost two years, the Conservative Government has still not honoured a promise to make it illegal for anyone who is a convicted sex offender to stand or remain in public office as a Councillor or elected Mayor, and Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, is “deeply disappointed” by the failure of the Government to act. In March 2017, Councillor Sykes backed a motion brought to Council by the then Leader of the Council that called on the government to ban sex offenders from public office. Later that year, the government launched a lengthy public consultation on its proposal to do so to which Oldham Council responded in support, but it was not until October 18 of the following year that Local Government Minister Rishi Sunak MP said…

06Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lords defeat Government on Immigration Bill

Parliamentary news

The Government has been defeated on the Immigration Bill, including amendments from the Liberal Democrats to protect the rights of British nationals living in the EU and EU citizens in the UK. An amendment from Baroness Hamwee to preserve the right of UK nationals living in the EU to bring non-British family members with them if they return to the UK was passed. Another amendment also passed, tabled by Liberal Democrat peer Jonny Oates, to force the Government to provide EU citizens in the UK who are granted Settled or Pre-Settled Status with physical proof of their migration status – instead of the digital-only proof under the Government’s current system. Following the votes, Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Sally Hamwee said: “The UK’s immigration system is broken, and it is hurting…

06Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Prime Minister “not ambitious enough” when it comes to renewables

Parliamentary news

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an investment of £150 billion over the next three years to drive a green economic recovery. The call comes as the Prime Minister is set to unveil plans to invest just £160 million in wind turbines in a speech at the Conservative Party Conference. Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: “People across the UK are worried about the planet and for their children's futures. We need a Government that leads from the front when it comes to tackling the climate emergency. But just a few years ago Boris Johnson claimed a wind turbine "couldn't blow the skin off a rice pudding". "He is now late to the table and, regrettably, still not ambitious enough. If the Prime Minister really wants to deliver…

05Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Chancellor’s speech will have disappointed millions in need

Parliamentary news

The Liberal Democrats have claimed the Chancellor's speech at the Conservative Party's virtual conference will have "disappointed millions who were hoping to hear how he plans to help them through this crisis." Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “The Chancellor’s speech will have disappointed millions who were hoping to hear how he plans to help them through this crisis. “Instead of an extension to furlough, measures to help the millions excluded from help or a boost to universal credit, we were instead given little more than a stump speech to aid Rishi Sunak’s career. “The country needs concrete measures now to support the millions of people who are worried about their jobs and their family’s financial futures.”

03Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Greater Manchester Spatial Framework is the wrong plan, at the wrong time

Borough news

Liberal Democrats in Oldham and across Greater Manchester are calling for a halt to the Greater Manchester Strategic Framework, due to be published on 5 October 2020. In advance of the publication, Oldham Council has revealed their local proposals and there will be a full meeting of the Council to discuss these on Wednesday 28 October. Wrong plan Oldham Liberal Democrat Councillors recognise that we will need more homes in the Borough, and we want to build the high quality, affordable and energy efficient homes that people need, but not at the expense of losing our precious green spaces. During the Covid-19 pandemic, residents have been using our great outdoors for exercise and solace. This experience this year tells us, we need our open spaces more than ever. Our precious…

03Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

New stats demand wellbeing be addressed at heart of Government

Parliamentary news

The Liberal Democrats have called for the appointment of a Minister for Wellbeing and new wellbeing assessments to make sure laws “empower people to live healthier lives.” The call comes in response to new statistics which reveal increasing anxiety and depression among young women aged 16 to 24 years while only half of young people said they were satisfied with their health. Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: "The impact of poor and overcrowded housing, insecure employment and our broken welfare system on the mental health and wellbeing of young people is blindingly clear. "People deserve better. When we think about the future, it’s clear that going 'back to normal' is not an option. It is time to re-boot and re-think the way we live our lives. "Wellbeing must be a…