Howard Sykes – Page 2 – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

22Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government accused of crippling social care sector as waiting lists set to double by November

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has criticised the government for leaving social care services to fend for themselves as waiting lists swell. 600 people per day are joining the list of people waiting to be assessed for care and support in England. A survey by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) suggests that almost 300,000 people are now waiting for an assessment of their needs by social workers, an increase of 90,000 (44%) in five months. Councillor Sykes said: “The government is leaving social care services £10 billion short and expecting already stretched councils to plug the gap. Social care waiting lists are getting out of control and with price hikes and a hard winter ahead, things are only going to get worse. The…

19Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Council must bid for brownfield development fund

Borough news, housing and development

New funding for brownfield housing development is being made available for councils to bid on and Oldham’s Liberal Democrats are calling on Oldham Council to “play a leading role” in shaping Greater Manchester’s bid. Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw representative councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written to senior council officers urging them to ‘get the best possible outcomes’ for the borough. Councillor Sykes said, “We keep seeing developers pushing for four- and five-bedroom developments on green belt land. This style of development is doubly unwelcome because it harms the environment without providing homes for first-time buyers. Councils rarely get the financial support to drive brownfield development, so Oldham Council must seize this rare opportunity and strive to play a leading role in shaping any Greater Manchester bid.” The Liberal Democrats…

04Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Time to clamp down on parking offenders says Sykes

Borough news, road safety

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw representative, councillor Howard Sykes MBE has called on Oldham Council to clamp down on persistent parking offenders. Councillor Sykes said: “Pavement parking and inconsiderate, or illegal parking is a real nuisance in our communities, especially in our town centres. I am calling on Oldham Council to get tough on repeat offenders – just as other councils have done. The only way we are going to change things is by showing people that there are consequences for being a nuisance to other people on our roads and pavements.” The Department for Transport defines a persistent offender as someone with three or more Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Councillor Sykes is calling for Oldham Council to seize vehicles of persistent offenders until a release fee has been…

04Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham Council urged to act against fly-tipping

Borough news, environment

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw representative, councillor Howard Sykes MBE has urged Oldham Council to think outside the box when it comes to tackling fly-tipping. In a letter to council bosses, Sykes has called for the council to apply for grant funding from the government; and highlighted three strategies that have shown good results elsewhere in the country. Councillor Sykes said: “Fly-tipping is a crime which harms our natural world, blights communities and costs council taxpayers thousands to clean up and councils time and staff resources. If there is extra funding available from the government Oldham must be sure to apply for that funding. The councils that deal with Fly-tipping best are the ones who have multiple schemes in place to prevent and prosecute offenders.” The Liberal Democrat Leader’s…

27Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats welcome U-turn allowing dogs onto trams for a trial period

Borough news

Pet dogs will be allowed on Greater Manchester trams during a three-month trial, with a two dog per passenger rule. Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “It’s common sense to allow dogs on trams so I’m glad that Transport for Greater Manchester have finally listened. You can take a dog on a bus or a train with no problem. This trial should be made permanent. We want to see more people encouraged to use public transport so moves like this are very welcome.” Councillor Sykes’s Liberal Democrat group have previously called for pets to be allowed to travel but the move was blocked by Labour and Conservative councillors (see links below). Councillor Sykes said, “Hopefully this initial trial period results in something more permanent and responsible dog…

26Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government plans for council finance watchdog will do nothing to improve frontline services

Borough news, fairer council, Parliamentary news

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has hit out against government plans to introduce new financial oversight measures for local government spending. Councillor Sykes said: “We’re in the eye of a cost-of-living storm right now and what we need is a government that empowers local councils to direct funding to frontline services across social care, housing and health. Instead, we have Conservative ministers who are making local councils jump through hoops, count beans and increase bureaucracy and red tape.” The Government announced that it would introduce a new regulator to audit council spending. But the Liberal Democrat Leader and representative for Shaw dismissed the plans as “unnecessary red tape that will do nothing for ordinary residents and just increase costs for councils”. Councillor Sykes argued: “Local councils need…

26Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats write to Home Secretary demanding public inquiry into CSE failings

Borough news, CSE

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written to the Home Secretary – Priti Patel – calling on her to open an independent public inquiry into child sex exploitation in Oldham and Greater Manchester. In his letter to the Home Secretary, Councillor Sykes said: “I hope you will use your position to show people in Oldham that failure to protect children can never be accepted in our public institutions. It is only through meticulously investigating these failings that we can have true accountability and begin to earn back the trust of the people of Oldham.” The issue of child sex abuse has dominated Oldham council meetings since the report was published, leading to heated council meetings. But so far Labour have blocked calls in council meetings to call…

18Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Speeding signs promised for Shaw in October after two-year delay

Borough news, road safety

Shaw Liberal Democrat councillor Howard Sykes MBE has been told that Vehicle Activated Speed (VAS) signs on Buckstones Road now won’t be replaced until October at the earliest, despite funding being agreed over two years ago. Councillor Sykes said: “Speeding on Buckstones Road has been a major concern for Shaw residents. These signs have been faulty for many years and the budget to replace them was agreed in the summer of 2020. I’ve been repeatedly assured that Buckstones signs are a top priority for the council. So why have our residents had to wait years with a dangerous road while the council once again struggles to get the basics right?” When in operation, VAS signs have proven to be an effective way to tackle speeding in areas where speed cameras…

18Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham care homes ranked in bottom 10 in the country

Borough news, health and social care

A ‘revolution’ in social care funding is required to address Oldham’s failing care homes according to Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE. Research carried out by the online care home comparison site ‘Lottie’, found that Oldham ranked within the bottom ten local authorities for care home provision in the UK. Councillor Sykes said: “This is a damning revelation. The UK has an ageing population. It’s estimated that the demand for social care will rise 50% to nearly 1.5 million people by 2039. Yet in this year’s Queen’s Speech, the Conservative government haven’t brought forward a single measure on social care. Nothing short of a social care funding revolution is needed if we are going to address this problem. “The government must act to ensure that social care does not…

11Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Funding for infant free school meals in Oldham slashed by more than £200,000

Borough news

The government has slashed funding for free school meals for 4–7-year-olds in Oldham by £212,797 in real terms, shocking new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed. The party have slammed the government for “short-changing our children.” Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader, councillor Howard Sykes MBE said: “Universal Infant Free School Meals were introduced by the Liberal Democrats, to support all pupils in reception, Year 1 and Year 2. However, since the policy was introduced seven years ago, the Conservatives have increased funding per pupil by just 4 pence, from £2.30 to £2.34, or an increase of 1.7%. Had the funding increased with inflation, it would currently stand at least £2.46 per pupil. This amounts to a real-terms cut of £35.8 million this year across the UK, or £22.80 per…

Tag: Howard Sykes