19Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Potholes, can we fix them? With Pothole Pro, we can

Potholes, can we fix them? With Pothole Pro, we can

Borough news
Tests conducted by the company JCB with partners, Stoke-on-Trent City Council, have shown that potholes can be fixed four times quicker and at half the cost with a new and revolutionary machine – the Pothole Pro. Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has just written to the Chief Operating Officer of Unity, the organisation responsible for fixing the borough’s roads, requesting Pothole Pro be brought to Oldham. Councillor Sykes said: “Potholes represent a real bugbear for drivers and for cyclists; not only do they make journeys uncomfortable; they also endanger lives and damage vehicles. In a survey conducted last week for National Pothole Day, some of our residents reported road surfaces across Oldham that were badly in need of repair. “Fixing potholes is a high priority for many of…
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18Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Liberal Democrats seek new legal powers for Council to tackle nuisance pavement parking

Liberal Democrats seek new legal powers for Council to tackle nuisance pavement parking

Borough news
Liberal Democrat Councillors have responded to a government consultation on pavement parking by asking for new powers to be granted to Councils to tackle nuisance parking. In his letter to the Department of Transport, Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has identified the options being considered by government which both he and his colleagues’ favour as most practicable and reasonable. Commenting Councillor Sykes said: “We do not favour a complete blanket ban on all pavement parking. In Oldham, we have many narrow, terraced streets where there is no off-road parking as properties were built way before the motor car was invented; in these circumstances motorists have to sometimes park their vehicles partially on the pavement to allow traffic to pass. However, we want the government to grant new powers to…
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27Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
20’s Plenty for Us in 2020

20’s Plenty for Us in 2020

Borough news, road safety
Liberal Democrat Councillors are proposing a motion at the next full meeting of Oldham Council (November 4th) calling for a default 20mph speed limit to be introduced on the Borough’s minor residential roads. Twenty million British citizens already live in local authorities where a 20mph default speed limit exists. The Liberal Democrats want Oldham Council to do the same. This is the second time they have introduced such a proposal at the Council; the first was in February 2014. The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Shaw Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, is proposing the motion. Commenting he said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has made crystal clear just how precious life is. Whilst we as a local authority work with our partners in the National Health Service to bring this terrible disease…
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02Sep 2018 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrat Leader seeks renewed action on danger roads

Borough news
The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has recently written to the Deputy Leader of Oldham Council, with responsibility for highways, Councillor Arooj Shah, asking for a review of the circumstances in which highways are repaired when they become damaged and potentially hazardous. Councillor Sykes explained why he feels a review, and more prompt action on repairing worn road surfaces is needed: “Government guidance issued to all local authorities in November 2016 states that Councils must ‘investigate’ instances where road surfaces have been eroded by at least 40mm, but there is no legal requirement placed upon Councils even then to repair them promptly.  In Oldham, the policy is at least to consider potholes deeper than 40mm to be eligible for repair,…
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05Feb 2018 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats propose investment for better roads, cleaner streets and safer communities

Borough news
The Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council will propose that in this year’s budget more money is invested on improving highways, tackling fly tipping and litter, and addressing anti-social behaviour and crime to make the Borough’s streets better and cleaner and our communities safer by finding further savings in Civic Centre bureaucracy. The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “Local government finance has been massively, and disproportionately, hit by this Conservative Government’s so called continued adherence to austerity.  Over many years, Oldham has really felt the pain.  This year has been no different.  The Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement announced in December contained no surprises, it was simply more of the same, no additional funding, do more with less and more cuts.”…
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