Many people have been asking how they can help the desperate situation in the Ukraine. At present, the best way people can help is by donating to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine appeal here.
The appeal, which was officially launched yesterday (Thursday) is officially backed by the UK Government, which is matching all donations made, up to £20m. The DEC’ brings together 15 leading aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently, getting help to where it is most needed.
While we know many people are keen to donate items of clothing and essential goods, this is being discouraged by many charities, some of which have already closed their collections, due to the logistical problems this can create.
The Government has also said that unsolicited donations of goods, although well-meant, can obstruct supply chains and delay more urgent life-saving assistance from getting through. Donating cash through trusted charities and aid organisations, by comparison, gets help quickly to areas where it is needed, and individuals and aid organisations can use it to buy what is most needed.
Following the horrific news of Russia invading Ukraine, Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes has written to Councillor Abdul Jabbar Oldham representative on the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to ask that its pension fund divest any shareholding it may have in companies that have invested in Russia.
“In common with so many other local people, I am sickened by what is happening on the streets of Ukraine and our own pension fund should make its feelings clear by divesting any assets it may hold in companies with Russian investments,” stated Councillor Sykes.
“I believe our council’s pension fund should also take a stand, and if it does hold any shares in Russian companies – or those who have invested in Russia – to divest without delay.”
“I understand the need to ensure our pension scheme gets a good level of return for its members. As such I am also of the view that our pension fund should be divesting from anything subject to sanctions as it risks that level of return.”
“Others have taken action – the Church of England is divesting its £20 million in shareholdings in Russian companies and BP is selling its 19.75% stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft, and Shell is divesting from Gazprom. We should do the same,” added Councillor Sykes.
From this Sunday 6 March, First Bus will be introducing a new range of Flexi tickets alongside fare changes on our Greater Manchester services.
The new Flexi tickets are designed to encourage more people to use the bus as travel behaviour adapts following the pandemic. They claim to have responded to a change in work & leisure patterns and new habits in commuting & hybrid working with the creation of a 3-day ticket valid over five days and a 5-day ticket which can be used for trips over eight days.
The fare changes on the services are the first to be made since January 2020 and include the reduction or freezing of prices for single tickets. Single fares for the longest journeys will reduce to £4 for an adult and £2 for children, a decrease of 11 per cent, with the cost of all other Singles held at the current price.
Price increases for Week tickets will rise in line with the rate of inflation while Day tickets will rise by 50p for adults and 25p for children with the family ticket unchanged at £10. All price changes will also apply to mTickets bought on the First Bus App.
Where prices are increasing, they say they have worked to limit these changes for customers as much as possible so we can balance the challenge of maintaining a sustainable network as we build back passengers to pre-pandemic levels.
Posters explaining the fares and new Flexi tickets will begin appearing on buses from this week.
Shaw Councillor Chris Gloster, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance and Low Carbon, is looking forward to presenting the Liberal Democrat budget amendment to Oldham’s annual Budget Council 2 March 2022.
Many of the proposals have been shaped by feedback from the Borough’s residents and Councillor Gloster’s confident that the Opposition Group has produced a budget amendment that will have no adverse impact on council finances, whilst delivering further improvements in the Council services that residents most value.
Councillor Gloster, who is Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Opposition Group on Oldham Council will present this amendment on Wednesday 2March 2022 in response to the Labour Administration’s proposal that recommends a 3.99% increase in Council Tax, coupled with the Labour Metro Mayor Andy Burnham’s proposal to increase the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s ask by 7.1%.
Councillor Gloster said, “The Oldham Liberal Democrats want to reduce civic centre bureaucracy to squeeze out more money to spend on the front-line services most valued by the public. As we begin to emerge from the nightmare of COVID-19, we wish to look at building back better in our Borough by focussing on making Oldham safer, greener and cleaner.”
Liberal Democrat Councillors are proposing to change part of Labour’s capital investment programme and finding more money from cutting bureaucracy and waste elsewhere in the Council’s budget to allow them to:
Invest £3,750,000 between 2022 and 2027 to fund the fight to get to net zero.
Increase the investment in tackling environmental crime by £200,000 over the next two years to combat the scourge of fly tipping, dog fouling and litter.
Support a 20s Plenty scheme to reduce road speeds on roads across the borough, making them safer and reducing air pollution, at a cost of £235,000 over the next two years.
Reverse Labour’s cuts to Early Help funding, by providing an extra £100,000 to pay for more help for the borough’s most vulnerable people. This saves money elsewhere by reducing the demands made upon our overstretched health, mental and social work teams.
Introduce a fund for free bulky waste collection to prevent fly tipping.
Invest £100,000 more into Youth Services, with an emphasis on supporting outreach youth work to support vulnerable young people and helps prevent anti-social behaviour and crime in our communities.
Invest an additional £150,000 on crime prevention and safety measures to make our borough’s residents feel safer.
Reinstate the £15,000 grant to both Shaw and Crompton and Saddleworth Parish Councils to recognise the work of these unpaid elected volunteers and to enhance local democracy.
Councillor Howard Sykes, Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader, who is seconding the proposal said: “Our budget amendment is simple but effective. After listening to the people that actually pay for these services in the first place, we have identified savings that will release money to re-invest in the front-line services that the public value.”
“In the next year, the Liberal Democrats will save £1 million by cutting Civic Centre bureaucracy and waste to spend on these front-line services as well as tweaking the Capital Programme to achieve maximum benefit to the people who matter, the public, without any additional increase in expenditure or loss of service,” added Councillor Sykes.
Councillor Gloster added “It would be remiss of me not to mention the so-called proposals the Conservative Group on Oldham Council have submitted, the first time in living memory for me. At least they will have something different to vote for instead of, as usual, voting for the Labour budget.
“When it was first released, I thought for a moment that it was an old Liberal Democrat amendment that had been incorrectly published, however, upon further reading it is clear that the Conservative Group, who failed to submit any Equality Impact Assessments with their proposals for scrutiny, they have stolen a number of our previous budget amendments. Ironically in the past they voted against some of these very same proposals when we brought them before the Council, but now appear to have had a change of heart.”
Councillor Sykes concluded: “The Conservatives have dragged together a hotch potch of mainly our old suggestions and published a so-called amendment that relies upon raiding council reserves as an alternative to finding real savings. They simply rely, in the main, upon money within rapidly depleting council reserves which is risky and reckless and just delays larger cuts – which will be in key front-line services – until next year. A typical Conservative tactic of kicking the can down the road, something they have clearly learned from the Government.”
Local Libraries are asking residents to celebrate the 25th anniversary of World Book Day by taking some time out to read next Thursday. People are being encouraged to send in pictures of what they’re reading to the libraries via social media using the hashtag #WorldBookDay.
