shaw – Saddleworth Liberal Democrats

12Oct 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham Council slammed after no dog fouling penalties were issued for three years

Oldham Council has been accused of “failing to get even the most basic things right” after it emerged that the authority failed to issue a single fixed penalty notice (FPN) for dog-fouling for three years. This shocking fact was supplied as a result of a freedom of information request. Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “This is a shocking fact. We’re talking about the basics here. We hear all this talk from the Labour administration about how they’re getting tough on littering, fly-tipping, and dog-fouling yet the facts say something else. “The vast majority of dog owners are responsible, the few that are not spoil it for all. This is one of the number one issues in my mailbox, and I know it is for…

30Sep 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Department of Health slammed for ‘dodgy’ dental figures

Borough news, health and social care

Liberal Democrats in Oldham have slammed the government for issuing a claim that the number of NHS dentists grew by 500 last year. Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has hit out at statement from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), reported by the Oldham Times on September 21st. The Government spokesperson claimed: ”The number of dentists practising in the NHS increased by over 500 last year.” young woman doing dental checkup. Copy space The statement, which reportedly came via a DHSC representative, appeared to contradict official data released by the department earlier this year, which revealed that the number of NHS dentists had fallen by more than 900 across England. Councillor Howard Sykes MBE said: “NHS dentistry is in crisis. Less than four in ten…

24Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Council must support the 3,000 pensioners currently losing out on pension credits

Borough news, fairer council, health and social care

Shaw representative and Oldham Liberal Democrat Group Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has called on council leaders to act after it was revealed that 3,033 over-65s in Oldham are currently not receiving their full pension entitlement. The figures were uncovered in research conducted by the charity Independent Age, who say that on average, pensioners are missing out on payments of £63.54 each month. Councillor Sykes said: “Pensioners are already facing severe cost-of-living pressures with energy bills and the cost of the weekly shop rocketing, an extra £60 per month could make a massive difference. Oldham Council must play a proactive role in reaching out to and helping these pensioners claim what they are entitled to.” Independent Age research also shows that 51% of over-65s across the north of England are…

22Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Bus bombshell – bus services face massive cuts or might be axed altogether

Borough news

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has warned of uncertainty facing Oldham and Manchester bus services after a report from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) “raised more questions” about the future of many services across Oldham and Manchester. The report (Bus Network Review) was considered on Friday 12 August. Many Oldham services – including the 180, 81, 181, 182, X84, 59, the 350 and the 425 – were due to see a reduction in services, with many set to be axed completely. TfGM have placed many of the affected routes out for tender starting in late October. Councillor Sykes said, “With the cost-of-living crisis raging, more and more people will be looking at their public transport options to try to keep costs down. TfGM have put some of…

22Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government accused of crippling social care sector as waiting lists set to double by November

Borough news, health and social care

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has criticised the government for leaving social care services to fend for themselves as waiting lists swell. 600 people per day are joining the list of people waiting to be assessed for care and support in England. A survey by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) suggests that almost 300,000 people are now waiting for an assessment of their needs by social workers, an increase of 90,000 (44%) in five months. Councillor Sykes said: “The government is leaving social care services £10 billion short and expecting already stretched councils to plug the gap. Social care waiting lists are getting out of control and with price hikes and a hard winter ahead, things are only going to get worse. The…

19Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Council must bid for brownfield development fund

Borough news, housing and development

New funding for brownfield housing development is being made available for councils to bid on and Oldham’s Liberal Democrats are calling on Oldham Council to “play a leading role” in shaping Greater Manchester’s bid. Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw representative councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written to senior council officers urging them to ‘get the best possible outcomes’ for the borough. Councillor Sykes said, “We keep seeing developers pushing for four- and five-bedroom developments on green belt land. This style of development is doubly unwelcome because it harms the environment without providing homes for first-time buyers. Councils rarely get the financial support to drive brownfield development, so Oldham Council must seize this rare opportunity and strive to play a leading role in shaping any Greater Manchester bid.” The Liberal Democrats…

04Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Time to clamp down on parking offenders says Sykes

Borough news, road safety

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw representative, councillor Howard Sykes MBE has called on Oldham Council to clamp down on persistent parking offenders. Councillor Sykes said: “Pavement parking and inconsiderate, or illegal parking is a real nuisance in our communities, especially in our town centres. I am calling on Oldham Council to get tough on repeat offenders – just as other councils have done. The only way we are going to change things is by showing people that there are consequences for being a nuisance to other people on our roads and pavements.” The Department for Transport defines a persistent offender as someone with three or more Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs). Councillor Sykes is calling for Oldham Council to seize vehicles of persistent offenders until a release fee has been…

04Aug 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Oldham Council urged to act against fly-tipping

Borough news, environment

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw representative, councillor Howard Sykes MBE has urged Oldham Council to think outside the box when it comes to tackling fly-tipping. In a letter to council bosses, Sykes has called for the council to apply for grant funding from the government; and highlighted three strategies that have shown good results elsewhere in the country. Councillor Sykes said: “Fly-tipping is a crime which harms our natural world, blights communities and costs council taxpayers thousands to clean up and councils time and staff resources. If there is extra funding available from the government Oldham must be sure to apply for that funding. The councils that deal with Fly-tipping best are the ones who have multiple schemes in place to prevent and prosecute offenders.” The Liberal Democrat Leader’s…

27Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Liberal Democrats welcome U-turn allowing dogs onto trams for a trial period

Borough news

Pet dogs will be allowed on Greater Manchester trams during a three-month trial, with a two dog per passenger rule. Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “It’s common sense to allow dogs on trams so I’m glad that Transport for Greater Manchester have finally listened. You can take a dog on a bus or a train with no problem. This trial should be made permanent. We want to see more people encouraged to use public transport so moves like this are very welcome.” Councillor Sykes’s Liberal Democrat group have previously called for pets to be allowed to travel but the move was blocked by Labour and Conservative councillors (see links below). Councillor Sykes said, “Hopefully this initial trial period results in something more permanent and responsible dog…

26Jul 2022 by Sam Al-Hamdani

Government plans for council finance watchdog will do nothing to improve frontline services

Borough news, fairer council, Parliamentary news

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has hit out against government plans to introduce new financial oversight measures for local government spending. Councillor Sykes said: “We’re in the eye of a cost-of-living storm right now and what we need is a government that empowers local councils to direct funding to frontline services across social care, housing and health. Instead, we have Conservative ministers who are making local councils jump through hoops, count beans and increase bureaucracy and red tape.” The Government announced that it would introduce a new regulator to audit council spending. But the Liberal Democrat Leader and representative for Shaw dismissed the plans as “unnecessary red tape that will do nothing for ordinary residents and just increase costs for councils”. Councillor Sykes argued: “Local councils need…

Tag: shaw