30Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
New Police Chief appointment no excuse to delay publication of report

New Police Chief appointment no excuse to delay publication of report

Borough news
Oldham Liberal Democrats are dismayed that the Mayor of Greater Manchester and Police and Crime Commissioner is not immediately publishing a damning report into Police management and performance. Oldham Liberal Democrat Group Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has previously raised his concerns in letters and meetings with Mayor Andy Burnham. Commenting councillor Sykes said: “Regrettably Mayor Burnham’s tenure as Police and Crime Commissioner has not been a happy one. Greater Manchester Police has under his woeful watch allowed over 80,000 crimes to go unrecorded in a single year, seen the departure of a Chief Constable under a cloud, and spent a fortune on a new iOPs Police computer system which still doesn’t work properly and at one point was functioning so poorly that officers had to go back to using…
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19Apr 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Sykes seeks commitment to make Greater Manchester pension fund ‘Green’

Sykes seeks commitment to make Greater Manchester pension fund ‘Green’

Borough news
Local Liberal Democrat Councillors have begun the fight to make the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, one of the largest municipal pension funds in the UK, ‘green’. The Oldham Liberal Democrats first proposed that Oldham Council declare a Climate Emergency and were delighted to support the Administration’s ambition to achieve carbon-neutrality for Oldham Council by 2025 and for the Borough by 2030. In March Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE wrote to the Council’s representative on the Greater Manchester Pension Fund management advisory board calling for it ‘to rapidly divest from fossil fuels’. He has yet to receive a reply nearly a month later. In March 2019, the Greater Manchester Pension Fund held investments of £1.71 billion in fossil fuel companies and funds. The biggest holdings are in BP and Shell.…
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29Mar 2021 by Sam Al-Hamdani
All aboard! Liberal Democrats welcome Greater Manchester bus franchising

All aboard! Liberal Democrats welcome Greater Manchester bus franchising

Borough news
An end to deregulation and the introduction of franchising means good news for Greater Manchester’s bus passengers, say Oldham’s Liberal Democrats.  They have welcomed the decision to end the chaos of bus privatisation and reintroduce publicly controlled bus services. Greater Manchester’s buses were privatised by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Government in 1986, and for the last thirty-five years buses in the city region have been run by private companies focused on making a profit for shareholders.  For Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, bus privatisation has been a disaster.  Councillor Sykes, who also serves as one of Oldham’s representatives on the Transport for Greater Manchester committee, said:  “Privatisation has meant increased fares, a disjointed ticketing system and worsening services. Bus…
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26Nov 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
School streets must not be knocked back again

School streets must not be knocked back again

Borough news
Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani is campaigning for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to deliver School Streets – schemes to manage traffic around local schools – and give applications the priority they need in forthcoming funding bids. An application to fund a scheme in Lees around Medlock Way was knocked back by the Labour-run GMCA, as they wanted to develop a Greater Manchester wide scheme, rather than put forward this proposal on its own. Sadly, when the funding agreement from the Government was put forward, School Street schemes were prioritised – meaning that the scheme almost certainly would have gone through. Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “I understand the need to ensure that everyone can get access to a scheme such as this, but it is extremely frustrating that this has…
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06Oct 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Support local businesses – deliver a better broadband infrastructure for Saddleworth

Support local businesses – deliver a better broadband infrastructure for Saddleworth

Borough news
Saddleworth Councillors Garth Harkness and Sam Al-Hamdani are calling on Oldham Council to make serious improvements to their plans for better broadband across the district.  With the substantial changes in working patterns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, this has emphasised the need to deliver high-quality fibre optic broadband to homes across the area. They have written to the Council to ask if they are reviewing the current contract for broadband infrastructure, and in particular, to develop new infrastructure across Saddleworth, where the current system seems least able to cope. Councillor Al-Hamdani also challenged GMCA at a meeting today to ensure that the programme was reviewed as part of the Authority’s plans around digital exclusion as part of their Living with Covid plan. Councillor Garth Harkness said: “With so many…
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22Sep 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani
Secrecy over speed camera criteria “is something North Korea would be very proud of”

Secrecy over speed camera criteria “is something North Korea would be very proud of”

Borough news
The Oldham Liberal Democrats want to see some action to bring speed cameras back into use and more transparency over where they are sited and how they are funded. At present officers from GM Councils, the Greater Manchester Police and Transport for Greater Manchester meet to discuss speed cameras, with elected councillors having no say in decision making; a situation that Oldham Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has described as “something North Korea would be very proud of.” Councillor Sykes has written to Eamonn Boylan, the Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, asking him to ensure that all existing speed cameras are functional and recording traffic violations as they happen, and that they be upgraded to incorporate the latest digital technology. Councillor Sykes also wants…
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23Jul 2020 by Sam Al-Hamdani

When will new computer system finally be an asset to GM policing?

Borough news, Campaigns
Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group and Leader of the Opposition on Oldham Council, has written once more to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham with his concerns about the continued shortcomings of the new iOPS (Integrated Operating Policing System).  Councillor Sykes originally wrote to Mayor Burnham on this issue in October 2019 after a number of police officers contacted him about the failings of the new system, and he also met recently with the Mayor and raised the issue with him in person. iOPS replaced three existing computer systems in July 2019 after a 16-month delay and at an unknown cost, stated at various times to be between £27 and £60 million. The system has been plagued with technical faults and has so far failed to…
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