News – Page 137 – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

19Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government must publish DfE’s correspondence with Ofqual

Responding to reports that the Education Secretary has conceded it was Ofqual's decision to scrap the algorithm and move to teacher assessments, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran said: “It appears that the decision to scrap the deeply unjust grading by postcode system came from Ofqual, not Gavin Williamson. Yet just days ago the Education Secretary claimed credit for this U-turn and attempted to throw the regulator under the bus. “The Government has serious questions to answer over what looks like a deliberate attempt to mislead the public. Enough of the smoke and mirrors, we urgently need clarity. All internal correspondence between DfE and Ofqual on this matter must to be published. "Ultimately, if Gavin Williamson has been dishonest as well as incompetent, the Prime Minister will have no choice…

19Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems call for a rail fare freeze

Borough news, Campaigns, Parliamentary news

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a freeze on rail fares following the announcement that the Retail Price Index rose by 1.6% in July, which will be used to calculate the increase in fares at the end of the year. The Liberal Democrats suggest that any increase in fares would be “a slap in the face” for consumers. Given the significant drop in passenger numbers due to COVID-19, the Party is calling for fare freezes to help restore confidence in the railways. The Party want to see additional funding to increase capacity and build a network “fit for the future”, vital if the UK Government are serious about cutting emissions and reducing air pollution. Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson Sarah Olney said: “Any plans to go ahead with a fare increase…

18Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Lib Dems call on PM to sack Gavin Williamson for “slow-motion car crash” on exams

Parliamentary news

The Liberal Democrats have called on Boris Johnson to sack Gavin Williamson, criticising attempts to pass the buck onto Ofqual for the exams grading fiasco. In a letter to Boris Johnson, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran has called on the Prime Minister to personally apologise to students and warned that the Government’s failure to take responsibility risks further eroding public trust in the exams system. She accuses the Education Secretary of presiding over a “slow-motion car crash,” listing a number of catastrophic errors including failing to issue guidance for universities and ignoring warnings that a calculated grades system risked bias against disadvantaged groups. Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran said: “The Government’s botched handling of this crisis has caused untold distress and anguish to students, with many at risk…

18Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Rise in depression demands urgent action

Parliamentary news

Responding to figures from the ONS that shows the number of adults experiencing depression has nearly doubled, Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “We have all seen the toll lockdown has taken. The scale and seriousness of the rise in depression over the last few months is extremely worrying. “Ministers must act now. The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to urgently develop a cross-departmental mental health plan to improve mental wellbeing for those impacted by the pandemic, including more funding and clearly-signposted support for every community. “Whilst we can hope to get a grip on COVID-19 in the coming months, the mental health impacts will last a lifetime. We must ensure no-one slips through the net as the scale of the mental health impact of this crisis…

18Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Decision to scrap PHE shows Govt has got its priorities “all wrong”

Parliamentary news

Responding to news that the Health Secretary has confirmed the decision to scrap Public Health England, Liberal Democrat Health, Wellbeing and Social Care spokesperson Munira Wilson said: “Scrapping the body at the heart of our public health response in the middle of a global pandemic is yet another reminder that this Government has got its priorities all wrong. “This move risks worsening health inequalities and it's not clear the Health Secretary has thought through who will take over vital PHE functions. Ministers are seeking to deflect the blame before the crisis is even behind us. They must take us for fools if they think people won't see through this decision. “Many people will also be shocked by the lack of transparency around the decision to promote Tory insider Dido Harding…

18Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Nowhere to go: Conservative planning reforms fail 25,300 Oldham households on Council waiting list

Borough news, Parliamentary news

Oldham Liberal Democrats have condemned the Conservative Government for focusing on reforming the planning system instead of forcing developers to build at least 100,000 new homes a year in the UK for families to rent. The Liberal Democrats believe the Conservatives’ proposals will fail those stuck on waiting lists and zoning proposals risk “leaving whole areas behind”. Instead, the Party is calling for “an urgent house building programme”, with proposals to build 100,000 social homes for rent every year. Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “The Conservatives are once more failing the poorest residents of this Borough. Their plans to reform the planning system will do nothing to alleviate the housing crisis in Oldham borough. 25,357 families are stuck on Oldham Council’s housing waiting list with no-where…

18Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Gavin Williamson gets a U for exam failure and must go, say Oldham Liberal Democrats

Borough news, Parliamentary news

The Oldham Liberal Democrats have backed calls from students and teaching unions that the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson must go for failing thousands of A-level students across the country, many thousands in Oldham alone, over the examinations’ farrago. Liberal Democrat Council Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “The Secretary of State Gavin Williamson gets a U unclassified grade from us for his complete inability to perform in his job role, and by letting our young people down so badly. Thanks to his inept indecision, the grades of students were judged by an impersonal computer algorithm rather than assessed by the teachers that they know and trust. “Under intense pressure from students, parents, teaching professionals, politicians from all parties, and the media, common-sense has finally prevailed and this Conservative Government…

17Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Follow guidance to stay safe, stop Coronavirus spreading, and save Borough from a local lockdown

Borough news

With the number of people testing positive for Coronavirus increasing in Oldham, Liberal Democrat Councillors are urging residents of the Borough to follow national and local guidance to stay safe, help stop Covid-19 spreading, and save Oldham from the possibility of the reintroduction of a local lockdown. New cases detected in Oldham have almost doubled in just one week. The latest figures, for the week ending 8 August, show there were 255 new cases detected in Oldham, a rate of 107.5 new cases per 100,000 people. During week prior to this ending 1 August, there were 137 cases or 57.8 per 100,000. Leicester was placed into lockdown when it had 135 new cases per 100,000 of population. The Liberal Democrats are concerned that if the present rate of increase is…

17Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Plummeting health visitor numbers demand action, Lib Dems warn

Parliamentary news

The Liberal Democrats have called for an "emergency recruitment strategy" for frontline workers after revealing a third of health visitors across hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups have been cut since 2015. Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, who uncovered the figures through a written parliamentary question, warned cutting such vital preventative services is "letting vulnerable children down" and "costing the tax-payer more in the long-run." In response to Daisy Cooper, junior Conservavtive Health Ministers Jo Churchill confirmed responsibility for commissioning of health visiting services transferred to local authorities in October 2015. Across England, health visitors work mainly with children from birth to five years, their families and at-risk or deprived groups such as the homeless, addicts or travellers. As of March this year, there were 6,828 full-time equivalent health visitors working in hospital trusts and…

17Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Algorithm used for A-Levels and GCSEs should be scrapped

Parliamentary news

Responding to reports that the exams regulator is reviewing its guidance on how to appeal A-level and GCSE grades using mock exam results, just hours after publishing it, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson Layla Moran said: “Young people are being let down, and the confusion and uncertainty emanating from the Government is only making the situation worse. Things are getting ridiculous. "There has been mistake after mistake after mistake with Gavin Williamson over the last few of months. "The algorithm used for A-Level grades has clearly not worked and therefore should be scrapped with teacher grades used instead. The latest news that Ofqual has published guidelines, only to retract them hours later, is further proof that we need to go back to relying on centre assessed grades. With GCSE results looming,…