Sam Al-Hamdani – Page 68 – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

06Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Anger as local Tory Councillors take credit for a scheme they tried to slash

After trying on three separate occasions to slash the money for a community toilet scheme across Saddleworth, Tory Councillors have now tried to take credit for the scheme when it reopened after lockdown. Liberal Democrat Councillors repeatedly stopped local Conservative Max Woodvine’s plans for participants in the scheme to have their money cut in half, preserving the payments for local businesses across Saddleworth. Liberal Democrat group leader Sam Al-Hamdani said: “I was astonished when I then saw the Conservatives pretending that they were the driving force behind the scheme. I did think that they had more integrity than that, but it seems I was wrong.” The scheme, run by the Parish Council for the last decade, was on hold during the pandemic, as participating members were unable to keep the…

03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Another ‘Winter of Discontent’ looms due to Tory failure

Parliamentary news

Reflecting on the series of crises that are erupting under the Conservative Government, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for the Treasury Christine Jardine MP said: "The Government has spent months lurching from crisis to crisis, and the consequences will be felt by normal families as we head towards Christmas. "From driver shortages to the lack of food on shelves, to huge backlogs in our NHS and courts, it is clear Boris Johnson is steering us towards another Winter of Discontent. "His Government is wilfully exacerbating the problem by pulling away furlough and taking away the Universal Credit uplift, which will hit the worst off in society hardest." "This all comes amid rising Covid cases as children return to schools. History tells us this dithering, incompetent Government will fail to get a grip…

03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Continued wait for EU replacement cash means Conservative government ‘short-changing Oldham’, says Sykes

Borough news

Oldham Liberal Democrats are disappointed that promised government cash to replace the development grants previously provided by the European Union is too little and still hasn’t arrived. In the last round of European funding (2014-2020), the ten Greater Manchester authorities received £322.75m [European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) (£176.78m) and the European Social Funding (ESF) (£145.97m)]. Over each of the six years this represented £53.8m per year. In 2017, the Conservatives promised to replace these funds with a new UK Shared Prosperity Fund once the UK exited the European Union. Ministers now say they plan to launch this in 2022 and in the meantime have made only £220 million available this year through a stopgap UK Community Renewal Fund. Local authorities have been invited to bid, with those councils in greater…

03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Bus Lane fine chaos

Borough news

Roadworks in Lees have led to a deluge of incorrectly issued bus lane fines says newly elected Liberal Democrat Councillor for Saddleworth West and Lees, Mark Kenyon. He has contacted the Council demanding that the fines are automatically cancelled. “We’re all sadly used to the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. But when one of those hands is slapping £60 fines on people, patience quickly wears thin and something needs to be done. “To add further irritation, people, already busy enough as it is, are being forced to take the time to appeal a decision that wasn’t their fault. To say it sticks in a lot of peoples’ throats is a bit of an understatement.” Mark Kenyon believes that all the fines from a certain date…

03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Health and wellbeing must be front and centre in local plan development

Borough news

The Council’s vision for Oldham must include health and well-being as key to the development of the Borough and its regeneration, says local Liberal Democrat Councillor Louie Hamblett. While the Council’s new local plan consultation includes them as objectives, they are nowhere to be seen in the vision statement, and that is a massive loss, says the shadow cabinet member for Health and Social Care. He said: “We want to have a thriving borough, where everyone is able to live their lives to the full. We can only achieve that through improvements to the local economy, so I entirely understand why that is there, but we are doing it so that people can live happy, healthy lives. “If we do not include that in our vision of what our town…

03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Vibrant district town centres also key to post-COVID recovery

Borough news

Liberal Democrat Councillors have called for the new Local Plan to have as a core objective ‘the creation and maintenance of vibrant district centres in each of our traditional townships’. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Main Opposition Group, said: “Oldham’s Labour Council seems to be completely fixated upon regenerating Oldham town centre, with the other townships, Chadderton, Failsworth, Greenfield, Lees, Royton, and Uppermill, and my own Shaw and Crompton, hardly getting a look in. “After COVID, more people are visiting their local high street to shop, meet with friends for lunch, or to socialise over a drink”, added Councillor Sykes. “We need to invest in our district shopping centres to make them attractive and vibrant, with a variety of inviting and accessible shops and leisure outlets…

03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Shaw and Crompton ward surgeries start up

Borough news

Shaw and Crompton Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that their ward surgeries are starting up again, from 9 September 2021. “We have been so missing the interaction (face-to-face) with our residents over the last 18 months, but due to all the COVID-19 restrictions, and the various lockdowns, it would have been unfair on all our residents, if we had held them and had to cancel again” said Cllr Diane Williamson, Shaw and Crompton District Lead. On numerous occasions the local Liberal Democrat Councillors, made up of Hazel Gloster, Dave Murphy, Chris Gloster, Louie Hamblett, Howard Sykes and Diane Williamson asked about the restarting of ward surgeries. It was only on Thursday 27 August that the information was communicated to them. “I am delighted that the Council has recognised the…

03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government ripping off those who can least afford social care

Parliamentary news

Responding to Sajid Javid's call for a 2% rise in national insurance to pay for social care, Munira Wilson MP, Lib Dem Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, said: "This is an unfair and unjust way to reform social care. It will hit the youngest and the lowest paid whilst protecting the wealthiest. "Sajid Javid is putting the burden on the same people who have been hardest hit by the pandemic, and Boris Johnson has today broken his manifesto promise not to raise taxes. "Has it really taken all this time, to make a decision to rip-off the people who can least afford to shoulder the burden of social care? "Some people affected are about to get their £20 per week Universal Credit cut. Now thanks to this Government they…

03Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Triple Lock scrap: Outrageous betrayal to millions of pensioners

Parliamentary news

Responding to reports the Government will scrap the Triple Lock pension guarantee as early as next week, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson, Christine Jardine MP, said: "It would be an outrageous betrayal to millions of pensioners if the Government goes ahead with their plans to scrap the Triple Lock. "The Tories made this promise in their manifesto just two years ago. Clearly that manifesto is no longer worth the paper it was written on. "The Triple Lock is designed to give long-term financial security to pensioners, particularly those living in poverty and therefore rely on the state pension as their only source of income. Under this Government, we could be going back to the dark days of pensions rising by pennies, rather than pounds."

02Sep 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani

New analysis shows longer GP wait times and less face to face appointments than pre-pandemic

Parliamentary news

New data, from the House of Commons Library analysed by the Liberal Democrats, has revealed: Before the pandemic an estimated 80% of GP appointments were face to face. Now no CCG area meets that level.In some areas only 45% of people are having face to face appointments, the rest being a combination of telephone or video.People are also waiting longer for GP appointments. In some areas almost 1 in 10 people are waiting over 3 weeks for an appointment. These numbers mask large disparities with Liverpool CCG seeing 70% of its patients on the same or next day, whereas Dorset CCG, despite some of the highest rates of face-to-face appointments, only sees 48% of its patients on the same day or next day of making an appointment. Responding to the…

Author: Sam Al-Hamdani