14Jun 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Warm Shaw welcome for new Waxxy Warehouse

Warm Shaw welcome for new Waxxy Warehouse

Borough news
Shaw councillor Howard Sykes MBE has offered the latest new business in Shaw a ‘warm welcome’ and his best wishes for its success.  Demilee Morgan, a Shaw resident, has taken possession of the former fancy dress shop at 2 Market Street and will soon be reopening the premises as a bespoke manufacturer and retailer of candles, Waxxy Warehouse Ltd. “This new shop will be great for Shaw”, said councillor Sykes. “Shoppers want to see more than the usual suspects on their high street and this kind of business – artisan, independent and local – is exactly what I would like to see in our town centre.  If Shaw can offer something unique it will attract more visitors from further afield to shop and make our local economy more vibrant.  This…
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24May 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Salud! Shaw nightlife to get some Post-Covid Spanish Sparkle

Borough news
Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillors are wishing tapas bar Bar Vida Viva every success as it prepares to open after Lockdown. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE said: “It is great that we will soon finally see the opening of a new tapas and cocktail bar in the old Barclays Bank on Market Street, Shaw. With Gin Gin on Milnrow Road, Bar Vida Viva represents a new type of night-time offering for Shaw’s residents and visitors to our town, complimenting the existing pubs on our high street.” Vida Viva is hosting a ticket-only gala launch night on Saturday 22 May and then will be opening to the public two weeks later. In recent years, Shaw town centre has suffered the loss of pubs and restaurants, and local councillors hope this opening represents the…
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18May 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Eastway bus shelter in Shaw just the ticket

Borough news
Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillors were delighted to hear that their campaign for a bus shelter on Eastway has finally paid off after many years. Transport for Greater Manchester has announced that they will be installing the new shelter outside 2/2A Eastway on Wednesday 21 May, just in time for this Thursday’s Market Day. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE said: “Ever since buses have been diverted along Eastway, local Liberal Democrat Councillors have been asking for a covered bus shelter on both sides of the road. Now we will have one and we shall be renewing our calls for the creation of a second one on the ASDA side of Eastway. This has been delayed because ASDA has yet to agree to release some land as the pavement is too narrow to…
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18May 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
May makeover promised for former Crompton Baths site in Shaw Town Centre

May makeover promised for former Crompton Baths site in Shaw Town Centre

Borough news
In response to repeated representations by Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillors, a makeover of the Crompton Baths site has been promised by Council officers before the end of this month. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, newly re-elected to represent Shaw Ward, said: “The baths site is just a disgrace and there has also been fly-tipping on adjoining land behind the new Pound Bargains shop. “Having an eyesore in the heart of our town centre does nothing to attract shoppers or businesses to our high street, and it is clearly an irritant as my Liberal Democrat colleagues and I have relayed plenty of complaints from our constituents to council officers, and repeated called for some urgent action.” Councillor Sykes has now received the promise that the area will be strimmed, and litter picked…
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15Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Local Liberal Democrat Councillors seek Council action over Shaw St Paul’s ‘travesty’

Local Liberal Democrat Councillors seek Council action over Shaw St Paul’s ‘travesty’

Borough news
Two years on from its partial collapse, and after £300,000 spent making the site safe, the pile of rubble that was the historic St Paul’s Church at the corner of Rochdale Road and Crompton Way remains a blot on Shaw’s landscape, and Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillors think action by Oldham Council is long overdue. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written on behalf of all three Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillors to the Leader of the Council asking for urgent Council action and funding to address the ‘travesty’ of St Pauls, reminding the Leader of his promise to the people of Oldham that the Creating a Better Place funding was to be used to make improvements across the whole of the borough, and that includes Shaw. Councillor Sykes said: “With Council intervention,…
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24Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Latest COVID move could spell sad end for Shaw Market

Borough news
At the start of the latest lockdown, Shaw market traders were moved off Market Street onto Newtown Street, and the move is killing trade and is not supported by the Council. Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE has received reports that Oldham Council has failed to provide stall holders with tables and awnings, and that there has been no signage placed along the main street to say where the Market is. Traders cannot easily highlight their presence as the Council has not dropped the bollards, so they are unable to move forward a little to locate their stalls on the edge of Market Street. Councillor Sykes said: “If there was a textbook strategy of how to destroy a local market, the shameful conduct of Oldham’s Labour Administration towards Shaw…
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29Sep 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Shaw Liberal Democrats seek to save Shaw jobs after Yodel move

Borough news
Yodel have written to the Shaw Ward Councillors informing them that they are looking to relocate within the next five years from the Shaw site to a ‘super hub’. Yodel has advised Councillors that this would still be within the North West.  They have also made a company commitment to protect the current workforce and expand job opportunities.  Councillor Chris Gloster stated: “This news was not unexpected.  Although home shopping is on the increase, sadly old cotton mills are quickly becoming unsuitable for modern logistical operations.  However, Yodel is an integral part of the Shaw community and the company employs many people from our community.”    “As local Councillors, we welcome the invitation that Yodel have offered us to work with them to look at how best to protect the existing…
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12Apr 2018 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats seek Council support for Shaw economy in advance of Shop Direct closure

Borough news
Following the shock announcement that Shop Direct will be closing its Shaw depot in 2020, the Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Shaw Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has contacted senior Oldham Council officers seeking reassurance that the Council will offer a full range of support services to local businesses who lose trade, as well as local employees who lose their jobs, as a result of the proposed closure. Shaw and Crompton councillors were informed via email by Shop Direct of their intentions at 12.00 hours on Wednesday 11th April 2018. Councillor Sykes; speaking on behalf of all the Liberal Democrat Councillors for Shaw and Crompton; said:  “This will have a serious impact on Oldham’s economy, particularly in Shaw and Crompton.  Shop Direct is estimated to employ,…
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