Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has hit out against government plans to introduce new financial oversite measurers 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 council’s need to be given the tools to get on with the job.  What we don’t need is unnecessary red tape getting in the way and that is what too much interference from Westminster leads to.  We will end up bickering with government appointed regulator over form filling, while essential local services wither on the vine.  This does nothing to serve our citizens.”