Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE recently wrote to a Conservative member of parliament backing his plans to change the law on when councillors will be barred from public office. 

The name of the Conservative MP for Mole Valley, Sir Paul Beresford, was drawn in an annual ballot held recently in Parliament.  Selection entitles Sir Paul to propose a private member’s bill.  He has chosen to introduce a bill titled the Local Government (Disqualification) Bill. 

Councillor Sykes wrote to Sir Paul asking him to ensure the new law will ban anyone convicted of a sex offence and placed on the Sex Offender’s Register from seeking, accepting, or staying in public office.  The Oldham Liberal Democrats have already twice asked the Conservative Government to do this.

“At present, only councillors convicted of a sex offence who receive a custodial or suspended prison sentence of three months or more are barred from office.  The Oldham Liberal Democrats want the law to be changed so that all sex offenders are barred from office, whatever their punishment,” explained Councillor Sykes.

“In March 2017, I seconded a cross-party motion at the Council calling on the government to bar sex offenders from public office.  In response, in October 2018, Local Government Minister Rishi Sunak promised to change the law.  Two years later, in September 2020, nothing had changed so I asked my party colleague Liberal Democrat peer, Baroness Pinnock of Cleckheaton, to ask the government when the change would happen.  In his reply, Conservative Lord Greenhalgh said ‘as soon as Parliamentary time allows’.  We have now waited over four years and that time has long passed.”

Sir Paul Beresford responded positively to the letter within a day saying that drafting of his bill is in hand, and that he is already in discussion with a minister on ‘planned progress’.  Councillor Sykes concluded:  “This sends the message that the government is prepared to back the bill and Sir Paul believes that ‘closing this small loophole should not be a difficult matter’”. 

The Leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has just received a response to his letter asking for clarification of the final cost to ratepayers from the acquisition by the Council of Oldham’s two main shopping centres.

As well as purchasing the property, the Council had also to buy out a lease on the former Top Man unit. The initial sale price was £9.5 million, but with the extra cost of purchasing the Top Man lease, and with fees and stamp duty, the final bill amounts to £10,616,000.

Councillor Sykes has also received reassurance from the Director of Economy at Oldham Council, Emma Barton, that there are no further outstanding costs to meet and no further leaseholds to buy out.

Commenting, Councillor Sykes said:  “Of course, we will see significant additional costs incurred in repurposing and reconfiguring these two shopping centres, particularly relocating the market traders and creating a new Council hub.  Labour’s new plans for Spindles and Town Square have just been unveiled and as Liberal Democrats we will be asking some searching questions about them as we are far from convinced, they are thought though.”

Response to Cllr Sykes FOI request from 28 June  

Good afternoon Councillor,

Requested information under FOI (Ref: 16149) –

There are no outstanding costs for the Council to meet in relation to the purchase of the two shopping centres and the Top Man lease, and there are no other leaseholds within the complex.

Liberal Democrat Councillors will be proposing that Oldham Council refuse to participate in Labour’s ‘Places for Everyone’ plan and instead develop only a Local Plan for housing development to save the borough’s Green Belt.

At the special Council meeting (from 6pm, Wednesday 28 July), Liberal Democrat Group Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE will be proposing an amendment to the report presented to Council calling for withdrawal from ‘Places for Everyone’ and the creation of only a Local Plan. The amendment will be seconded by the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing, Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani.

Councillor Sykes said: “Places for Everyone is simply the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework repackaged; it is still predicated upon the flawed assumption that it is right and necessary to build thousands of new homes on our precious and irreplaceable Green Belt and on other protected open spaces.” 

“Liberal Democrat Councillors have from day one been vehemently opposed to Labour’s green belt land grab,” added Councillor Sykes.  “The policy we have consistently advocated is one of brownfield development only, as well as focusing on building out sites with existing planning permission for housing; repurposing redundant factories, mills, shops and offices as homes, where practical and appropriate; and bringing our empty homes back into use.”

The Liberal Democrat amendment calls for the development of only ‘a Local Plan for the Borough of Oldham, in consultation with the people of this borough, which is focused upon the development of Brownfield sites and takes proper account of the infrastructure capacity of each Ward and District’.

“We want to see a Local Plan that meets the housing needs of this borough that is shaped through meaningful public consultation and that also delivers balanced development across the borough which takes account of existing pressures on local health facilities and schools,” explained Councillor Sykes.  “Labour’s plan still favours building hundreds of new family homes in and around Shaw and Crompton, at a time when we desperately need a new health centre, with greater capacity and with more modern facilities, and when our schools are already oversubscribed”.

The Liberal Democrats will be voting YES to the amendment favouring a Local Plan and NO to Labour’s preferred option to join with eight other Greater Manchester local authorities (Stockport has withdrawn) in creating the ‘Places for Everyone’ plan.

Council 28 July 2021

Proposed Amendment from the Oldham Liberal Democrat Main Opposition Group to the report titled ‘Places for Everyone Publication Plan 2021: A Joint Development Plan Document for 9 Greater Manchester Local Authorities (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan)’

With reference to the options and recommendations found on pages 11-12 of the report.

Reword Section 3.2, Option 2 to read: ‘Members reject the Places for Everyone: Publication Plan 2021, and agree to formally withdraw from the Places for Everyone process, and instead develop only a Local Plan for the Borough of Oldham, in consultation with the people of this borough, which is focused upon the development of Brownfield sites and takes proper account of the infrastructure capacity of each Ward and District’.

Reword Section 4 Preferred Option 4 to read: ‘The preferred option is for members to reject the Places for Everyone: Publication Plan 2021, and agree to formally withdraw from the Places for Everyone process, and instead develop only a Local Plan for the Borough of Oldham, in consultation with the people of this borough, which is focused upon the development of Brownfield sites and takes proper account of the infrastructure capacity of each Ward and District’.

Proposed by Councillor Howard Sykes MBE

Seconded by Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani

Five months on from responding to Oldham Council’s consultation on a new Selective Licensing scheme for borough, Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE is frustrated both by the pace of change, with seemingly little action being taken to implement new standards to police the conduct of both private-sector landlords and tenants, and by the lack of sense in the proposals, with certain streets in need of regulation still being excluded.

Councillor Sykes first wrote to the Head of Public Protection, Neil Crabtree, who leads the Council’s project team, on 10 February seeking an update on progress and clarification on whether his ideas for improvements to the scheme in Shaw will be taken up.  A response despite reminders is still not forthcoming.

Commenting on the proposals, Councillor Sykes said:  “I want to see selective licensing for Shaw sooner rather than later, but it needs to cover the right areas where problems have arisen in the past.  A good scheme would provide safeguards to good tenants from poor landlords, and vice versa, and it would also provide assurances to the owner-occupiers of adjacent properties that the private-rented properties in their street would be well-managed and maintained, and not be a contributor to blight or a cause of anti-social behaviour.”

Lower housing demand, lower rents and higher tenant turnover can lead to private-rented properties being left empty for long periods or being poorly maintained or managed.  Selective licensing requires landlords to properly maintain and manage their properties.  Landlords pay the Council a fee to license each property they own in each area, and properties are inspected by the Council before they are licensed.

Councillor Sykes would like the scheme for Shaw expanded to cover a wider area.  “Current proposals exclude some streets of terraced properties where homes are let on the private-rental market, such as Tudor Street, which is not in the current scheme yet all the surrounding streets with identical properties are, but includes streets where they have been none of the issues that are sometimes associated with private rental, such as property neglect and anti-social behaviour.  This makes no sense.  I hope that Council officers can take up the suggestions in my letter of 10 February to redraw the boundary in Shaw”.

Walk-in vaccination clinics are being held every day to make it as easy as possible for everyone aged 18 and over to get jabbed.

Clinics are offering first-dose Pfizer vaccinations, or second doses for those people who have waited at least eight weeks since their first dose.

The Royal Oldham Hospital on the following dates:

Monday 26 July, 8.30am to 7.30pm

Tuesday 27 July, 8.30am to 7.30pm

Wednesday 28 July, 8.30am to 5.30pm

Thursday 29 July, 8.30am to 7.30pm

Friday 30 July, 8.30am to 7.30pm

Saturday 31 July, 8.30am to 5.30pm

Monday 1 August, 8.30am to 5.30pm

People can book an appointment for a Coronavirus vaccination online through the online booking system, where they may be offered an appointment at the Royal Oldham Hospital; at an Oldham community pharmacy site, or at the Etihad campus in Manchester.

I have been informed that earlier this week the council lost to mechanical issues the two smaller vehicles they run for hard access areas in Oldham Borough (country round).

The council has been advised that the earliest we will have both vehicles back on the road is next Monday.

Therefore, all green waste/organic collections from the country round for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week and collect next week removing any additional waste which is placed out for collection.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE and his party colleagues will vehemently oppose the Places for Everyone plan when it is debated by Oldham Council at a special meeting on 28 July.

Oldham Council’s Labour Cabinet is expected to approve taking the plan to Council when it meets on 28 July, and Councillor Sykes and the Liberal Democrat Group will be leading the battle in Council to save Oldham’s green belt from the threat of housing development.

 “Oldham residents should be in no doubt that Places for Everyone is simply the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework rebadged and repackaged.  It contains the self-same fatal flaw – an assumption that it is right and necessary to build thousands of new homes on our precious and irreplaceable Green Belt and on other protected open spaces,” said Councillor Sykes. 

“Liberal Democrat Councillors believe that it would be wrong, indeed I would say criminal, to build even one new home on any of our green spaces, when there are many brownfield land sites in Oldham town centre and in our districts that remain undeveloped and when we have empty homes, shops, pubs, offices and mills that can be repurposed as accommodation.  I am confident that, if we stuck to these sites, we could meet our borough’s housing needs”.

The Liberal Democrats will be voting NO to adopting the Places for Everyone plan, and they instead want the authority to withdraw from the process and develop a local plan for the borough.

“This is a top-down plan forced upon Oldham by the Labour Greater Manchester Mayor and the leaders of eight other authorities in Greater Manchester,” added Councillor Sykes.  “We want to follow the lead shown by our Stockport Liberal Democrat colleagues and withdraw from Places for Everyone and instead develop our own bespoke housing and commercial development plan with input from local people and communities that fits Oldham’s circumstances and meets its needs, based on the principle of brownfield development ‘first and always’”.

Oldham Council Planning Committee will consider an ‘all matters reserved’ application with regards to the proposal to build 400 houses on the former Very site on Thursday 22nd July 2021 which will purely look at access to the site from both the Beal Lane and Linney Lane entrances, Shaw.

The application is recommended for approval by Oldham Council Planning Department based on a report by Highway Engineers.

Councillor Howard Sykes, Liberal Democrat Councillor for the Shaw Ward said:  “there are very mixed views in relation to the development of the site for housing.  Whilst most welcome the use of the site for housing as an alternative to building on green space we also recognise that an increase in housing will bring additional pressures to Shaw not only on the roads, albeit part of this pressure will be offset by less heavy goods vehicles entering and leaving Shaw.”

“Our greatest concern is the impact that additional homes will have on the provision of health and education in our community, both of which are currently stretched with local people having to attend medical and educational facilities outside Shaw and Crompton already.”

“400 homes will bring more footfall to the town centre which is good for local traders however the council needs to recognise that health, education and leisure facilities are lacking in Shaw.  This was also the very clear message from the public consultation on the development that was conducted last year.”

“A new integrated health centre is required in Shaw and is long overdue.  In order for us to support this application when it eventually returns for full planning consent to build homes we, as well as the community, we will require a commitment that these facilities are part and parcel of the deal to develop the heart of Shaw otherwise we cannot support it.”