08Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
‘Don’t be a Fool in April, reuse your shopping bags’, says Sykes

‘Don’t be a Fool in April, reuse your shopping bags’, says Sykes

Borough news
Oldham’s Liberal Democrats welcome the increased charge for single use plastic carrier bags introduced on 1 April. All retailers, regardless of how big they are, will now have to charge customers 10p for a bag. Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “Environmental issues are incredibly important to Liberal Democrats, as they are for the general public. Who doesn’t feel angry and upset when they see the plastic detritus that is choking our oceans and killing our marine life? “The Liberal Democrats were glad when the 5p plastic bag charge was introduced at our bigger stores. It has already had a massive effect on the number of single-use plastic bags in circulation. Extending the charge to all stores and doubling it will make even more shoppers think twice…
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12Aug 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Making a green difference – 95% drop in single-use plastic bags welcomed

Making a green difference – 95% drop in single-use plastic bags welcomed

Borough news, Campaigns, Parliamentary news
The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has welcomed recent news that sales of single-plastic bags at major supermarkets in England has dropped 95% since the 5 pence charge was brought in. The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has published date that shows that the main supermarket retailers sold 226 million bags in the 2019/20 financial year compared to an estimated 7.6 billion bags handed out for free in 2015. Commenting Councillor Sykes said: “The introduction of a 5p charge for disposable single-use plastic bags was a Liberal Democrat policy in the Coalition Government. We wanted to introduce this to tackle the culture of shoppers routinely asking for a free bag and then disposing…
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