Oldham Council – Page 3 – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

07Jun 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham recycling rates are the worst in Greater Manchester and 231st in the country

Oldham Council has been slammed for its pitifully low recycling rates. Data from LetsRecycle.com shows that, in Oldham Borough, only 36.7% of household waste was sent for reuse, recycling or composting last year. Labour controlled Oldham council ranks 231st on the national recycling league tables and is tied with Manchester City Council as the worst local authority in Greater Manchester for recycling. The best local councils in the country are St. Albans, South Oxfordshire, Three Rivers District and Vale of White Horse District Council Councils. All four are run by the Liberal Democrats. Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said: “These figures are a disgrace. Residents expect the council to be leading on recycling. People want to do their bit for the environment, but these figures show that…

01Jun 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham Council shamed by staff survey results

Borough news, fairer council

A survey into council staff satisfaction has exposed a culture of slipping standards at Oldham Civic Centre, with 50% of council workers saying they would not recommend Oldham Council as a place to work. Liberal Democrat Group Leader and Leader of the Opposition, councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “These results show that a long-term culture of falling standards is developing under Labour’s leadership of Oldham Borough Council. The Labour administration has failed to get the basics right under successive council leaders and we now have a mountain to climb to get our staff back on board.” Sykes’s comments come after 2021 staff survey data revealed that the council’s performance as an employer had dropped sharply across the board when compared with the last staff survey which was completed in 2016.…

30May 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Six out of nine Conservative Councillors missing from Council meeting

Borough news, fairer council

Oldham & Saddleworth’s Liberal Democrat councillors have said local Conservatives have got questions to answer after six of their nine councillors failed to attend the first council meetings to be held after the local elections. Mark Kenyon, Liberal Democrat councillor for Grotton, Springhead & Lees, said: “I’m sure decent Conservative voters in this town will join the rest of us in wondering when Conservative councillors will actually turn up to do the job they’d promised voters they’d do – there’s important questions to ask about CAZ, Labour waste & the investment our town and districts sorely need.” Conservative deputy leader Beth Sharp, joins councillors Luke Lancaster, Dave Arnott and their newly elected colleagues Chris McManus, Robert Barnes and Lewis Quigg in skipping these first meetings held on Wednesday 25th May…

18Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Independent investigation must be given all the time it needs, and all the additional support it can get

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence

Responding to the motion on the CSE report to Oldham Council last night [16/03/22], Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “Everyone must always put the needs of survivors first, and it is important to recognise that independent experts in this area are in favour of the extension of the investigation. “It is still justified to ask questions to ensure that the investigation gets all the support it needs. If some of the delays in the process of the report were unnecessary, we must identify that and ensure that these extensions do not happen again, particularly for those who have already come forward and given their evidence. “Regardless of the outcome of the vote, I would like to see the Council reach out to the investigation team and the Home Office,…

09Mar 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Urgent need to tackle fly tipping driven by Oldham Liberal Democrats

Borough news, environment

The dramatic increase in fly tipping in specific hotspots across the Borough has resulted in a call for action by the Liberal Democrats on the Council, with a motion to the March meeting calling on the Council to show whether current measures are actually effective. Shaw Councillor Hazel Gloster said: “This has got beyond a nuisance; there are criminal gangs who are taking advantage, in particular of the ‘grey market’ around house clearance, and it is local residents who are suffering. “People from every part of the town suffer, and as these gangs look for isolated spots in which to tip the waste, it is often the most picturesque parts of the town that suffer. “While the Council teams are very good at clearing fly-tipping once it is happened, we…

09Feb 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats demand opportunity to hold those responsible to account on CSE report

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence

Oldham’s people deserve the chance to question those responsible for its policing and care services at a Council meeting covering the independent investigation into CSE, say Oldham’s Liberal Democrats. The Council has previously agreed to the Liberal Democrats’ request for a specific meeting to address the topic when the report is finally released. The Liberal Democrats want this pledge reaffirmed. They are also calling for GMP chief constable Stephen Watson, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, and the senior leadership of the Council, in particular the Cabinet Member for children’s services, to face questioning on any issues that the report brings up. Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “It is vital for the people of Oldham to have confidence not only in the report, but in obtaining justice for survivors, and ensuring that…

07Feb 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats say residents will be safer, greener, and cleaner in their budget proposals

Borough news, environment, housing and development, road safety

Safer, greener, and cleaner, these are the watch words when the Liberal Democrats present their budget amendment proposals to the Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 8th February (6pm). Shaw Councillor Chris Gloster, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance and Green, is looking forward to presenting the budget amendment to the committee and believes that the Liberal Democrats have come up with sensible adjustments to the budget that will have no impact on council finances but deliver maximum impact to residents whose valuable input as to what residents want to see is at the heart of the proposals. “The Oldham Liberal Democrats want to make further efficiencies in civic centre bureaucracy to squeeze out more money for our priorities, and those of the public – more cash to spend on…

26Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Social care rises are double jeopardy for residents

Borough news, health and social care

The majority of Oldham Borough residents will be horrified that council tax, however the percentages are segmented, will be rising by 3.99% this year after yet another underfunded settlement from a government that is clueless about Oldham and its people, says Oldham Liberal Democrat finance lead Chris Gloster. He said: “The increase of 2% for adult social care is double jeopardy. The prime minister appears intent upon pushing the 1% national insurance increase to fund adult social care, so as pay in the pocket decreases, costs are increasing, and spiralling out of control, with inflation currently sitting in excess of 5%. “Funding adult social care through council tax in the first place is a major problem. The government has failed, year on year, to create a settlement for social care,…

13Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Final national reports into child sex abuse released in time to be included in Oldham joint workshop

Borough news, CSE, domestic abuse and violence

The final two reports of the Home Office-sponsored Independent Investigation into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) are due to be released on February 1 (Child Sexual Exploitation by Organised Networks) and March 1 (Residential Schools). Following conversations between Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani, senior Council management, and the Managing Director of Children & Young People, it has been agreed that following the publication of the report into CSE in Oldham at the end of this month, the Oldham Children’s Safeguarding Partnership will undertake a joint workshop with the Adult Safeguarding Partnership, which will include learning from IICSA, and inform the development of Oldham’s Complex Safeguarding Strategy. Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “The Council must be ready to accept the outcome of the report into CSE in Oldham. This is just one of the ways…

11Jan 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Burnham must keep his promises: clean air and no job losses

Borough news, environment

Andy Burnham must keep his manifesto promise to clean up air pollution in Greater Manchester without “the loss of a single job or business”. His plans to implement a Clean Air Zone – following the instructions of the Conservative Government – were clear in his manifesto but have come under withering public attack as the implementation date nears. “The Liberal Democrats have a simple message for Mayor Burnham,” said Oldham’s Opposition Leader and Transport Spokesperson for Greater Manchester, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE. “Keep your promises, or admit you were elected on a platform you couldn’t stick to. You need to pause and re-think the whole scheme, and you need to do it now!” The Clean Air Zone is being introduced because there are an estimated 1,200 deaths a year in…

Tag: Oldham Council