06Jan 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Teachers must be vaccinated to protect them against coronavirus

Teachers must be vaccinated to protect them against coronavirus

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called for teachers to be vaccinated against coronavirus after the government admitted schools were the epicentre of high community transmission. Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Education, has written a letter to Gavin Williamson and Matt Hancock to ask them to vaccinate teachers as part of category seven. This would make them a top priority after everyone working in the NHS and social care and those most at risk by virtue of their age, being clinically vulnerable or having an underlying health condition. It comes as the Secretary of State for Education announced that teachers' estimated grades will replace GCSE and A-level results. Daisy Cooper, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Education, said: “Teachers and school staff have put themselves at enormous risk during this pandemic in order…
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17Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Chancellor must act as 1 in 4 pubs worry they will go bust in less than three months

Chancellor must act as 1 in 4 pubs worry they will go bust in less than three months

Parliamentary news
The Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to intervene and save pubs from going bust after new statistics revealed just than 1 in 4 pubs (28%) have "no or low confidence" that they will survive the next 3 months. Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper said: “Pubs are a hugely important part of our social and cultural fabric, and are community hubs often run by families for the love of the trade. "With so many pubs worried that they wont be able to survive the next few months of the pandemic, alarm bells should be ringing across government. “The Chancellor must take radical action: he must increase grants so they cover fixed costs during restrictions, guarantee that furlough will be extended for as long as pubs can’t…
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15Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Disproportionate Covid impact highlights need for Race Equality Strategy

Disproportionate Covid impact highlights need for Race Equality Strategy

Parliamentary news
Responding to new report from the Office for National Statistics on ‘Coronavirus and the social impacts on different ethnic groups in the UK’, Liberal Democrat Equalities Spokesperson Wera Hobhouse said: “The pandemic is taking an enormous toll on families across the UK, and disproportionately so on many Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. “We have already seen that Black and Asian people are at greater risk of dying from Covid, but today’s report highlights that the pandemic is also hurting some communities more than others both financially and in terms of mental health. “We need real action to tackle deep-seated inequalities and injustices. Ministers must work together with all communities to implement a proper Race Equality Strategy without further delay, so we can build a fairer, more equal society as…
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10Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Warm welcome for arrival of ‘cold vaccine’ for Covid -19

Warm welcome for arrival of ‘cold vaccine’ for Covid -19

Borough news
The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has given a warm welcome to news that the first Covid-19 vaccine is finally being distributed for use with the most vulnerable group in society, care home residents. Councillor Sykes said: “The logistics associated with the transport and storage of this vaccine are considerable as it must be stored at minus 70 degrees centigrade until shortly before its use, but it is my hope that the residents of Oldham’s care homes (and staff) will soon be able to receive it – let us hope by Christmas. “If we could combine the vaccine roll-out with the introduction of 30-minute on-site lateral flow tests for family members, then face-to-face visits to care homes, allowing physical contact in safety, may become possible and this…
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10Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Poor GDP figures show PM must negotiate adjustment period for businesses

Poor GDP figures show PM must negotiate adjustment period for businesses

Parliamentary news
Responding to the GDP figures released this morning, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “The lack of recovery we're seeing in the GDP figures today is yet another a reminder that the economic effects of the pandemic are far from over, and people right across the UK continue to face immense hardship. "Ministers must not be complacent now we have a vaccine. Instead, they must step up to provide the support that's so desperately needed, particularly by the three million who are still excluded from any financial support from the Government. "The Government must also avoid risking more damage being done at the end of the transition period. The Prime Minister should negotiate a six-month Adjustment Period urgently to give struggling businesses much needed breathing space, rather than the…
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07Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Too little, too late: Government announcement leaves pubs short-measured

Too little, too late: Government announcement leaves pubs short-measured

Borough news
The Government will make the long-suffering publicans of ‘wet’ pubs, which do not serve food, a one -off payment of £1,000 for the month of December to compensate them in part for their loss of earnings during the Covid-19 closure, but the news has left Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE underwhelmed. In response, Councillor Sykes said: “This payment, though welcome, is a drop in the ocean compared to the loss of takings that publicans have suffered through the prolonged and repeated closure of their premises and the loss of trade they have suffered even when open which has been caused by all of the restrictions placed upon them. “Even if it were a £1,000 extra a month, every month it would not really touch the sides, but…
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04Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Spending review forces inflation busting rises on Council Tax payers to fund essential social care

Borough news, Parliamentary news
The Oldham Liberal Democrats have described the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent Spending Review as “a failure to provide” money needed to build back better public services and a greener Britain after the Covid-19 pandemic.  Responding to the disappointing review, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said:  “The Chancellor squandered this opportunity to properly support local authorities in these most-troubling times with more finance, and to invest in the health and social care sector and in combatting climate change to help make Britain better after Covid-19. “The Government has failed yet again to address the long-term challenge of sustainable funding for adult social care. The financial responsibility for social care has once again been shifted onto local taxpayers and councils have been given ‘permission’ to raise council tax well…
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01Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Debenhams collapse means more jobs wiped away on Rishi’s watch

Debenhams collapse means more jobs wiped away on Rishi’s watch

Parliamentary news
Responding to the news that Debenhams stores are set to close affecting up to 12,000 jobs, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson Christine Jardine said: “The news that Debenhams will be closing its stores is yet another blow to the UK economy. With the Arcadia Group entering administration last night, thousands more jobs have been potentially wiped away on Rishi Sunak's watch. "During the pandemic when so many are already struggling to get by, unemployment will have a devastating impact. This Government's failure to get a grip on the virus has seen tens of thousands of livelihoods lost, and these extra job losses means thousands more families across the UK wondering how they're going to get by. “Our high streets now need urgent government action to safeguard their future. A first step…
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01Dec 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

24-hour high street shopping proposal is ‘madness’

Borough news
Local Government Minister Robert Jenrick MP has announced his intention to allow shops to remain open around the clock in the run-up to Christmas, and Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, is far from happy. Describing the move as “madness”, Councillor Sykes said: “Once more a Conservative Minister has shown themselves to be completely out of touch with reality. It might work in an out-of-town retail park where no-one lives, but we have communities where supermarkets are situated cheek-by-jowl with homes. Imagine living next door to a supermarket or department store open 24-hours, dealing with the noise and the traffic of Christmas shoppers and of delivery trucks. Unlike London, we do not have a 24-hour public transport system so shoppers would still come in by car in the wee…
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30Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Lib Dems withholding support on tier system amid Tory rebellion

Lib Dems withholding support on tier system amid Tory rebellion

Parliamentary news
Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has slammed the Government for failing to build a plan to “bring the virus under control and keep people safe” and warned that Ministers must address growing concerns before his Party can vote for the new system. In a letter to the Prime Minister ahead of the vote on the new measures in Parliament, the Liberal Democrat leader made clear that “without the assurances the public need” the Liberal Democrats “cannot in all conscience vote for this plan.” The Liberal Democrats have called on the Prime Minister to first address a series of concerns before the Party’s MPs will vote for a new system. They include Full release of the scientific evidence underpinning the tier system, including economic and health impact assessments.An ongoing…
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