Councillor Howard Sykes MBE says there is one league table Oldham do not want to rise up the ranks of which is the Indices of Deprivation.
A recent report by the Government, the Indices of Deprivation 2019 (IoD 2019) provides very detailed information on how well an area is doing. This assessment is based on income, employment, education, health, crime, housing and living environment. In terms of a real change, Oldham Borough has slid backwards and is not improving. Liberal Democrat Councillor Sykes is demanding better from the Council in the work that must be done on local deprivation.
Oldham Borough has risen from the 27th most deprived local authority in England to the 16th most deprived area. This is in only four years (2015 to 2019). Oldham Borough is in the top five of places that have worsened over the four-year period. Other four areas are Walsall, Blackburn with Darwen, Halton and Burnley. All five authorities have suffered a dramatic increase of deprivation across all seven parts to the study.
Councillor Sykes commented: “The Council which has been dominated by Labour for the best part of a decade has not dealt effectively with the crippling problems Oldham faces. This will not be the last report about how the people of Oldham and it’s towns and districts continue to suffer.”
“I demand better for our Borough. If we ran the Council, things would be very different. We would not be complacent on this issue.”