Liberal Democrats await answers to questions after Labour cut council meeting short to watch the football

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes is waiting for a response to his two leader’s questions submitted for last night’s Full Council meeting (10/07).

The time allocated to leader’s questions and questions to Cabinet Members was axed by the ruling Labour Group so that the meeting could end in time for councillors to watch England take on the Netherlands in the Euros. 

Councillor Sykes said, “I asked two important questions.  The first was about cuts made by the administration to the Environmental Services team who look after our parks and green spaces.  In recent months the number of complaints about weeds, missing bins and the general state of neglect in our parks has rocketed.”

“My second question was about Greater Manchester Police’s failed IT system, which continues to frustrate officers and slow investigations.  I have asked the Leader if she would push Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham not to pass the cost onto the public by hiking his council tax precepts yet again.”

After the decision to cut the meeting short was voted through by Labour and their Shaw and Failsworth Independent coalition partners, it was agreed that questions could be submitted in writing and a written response would be published within a week. 

Councillor Sykes said, “It remains to be seen how long we’ll be waiting for a response and the quality of that response.  The point of these questions is to question and challenge the administration to provide answers and to put them under the spotlight and hold them to account.”

“I am not surprised that the Labour leadership have tried to hide behind the football.  But I do think a lot of people in Oldham will be furious that some Independent councillors have backed them to do it.  Is that really why people voted Independent? To make life easier for Labour councillors?”

Councillor Sykes’s Leaders Questions in full:
Q1 Leaders Question: Environmental Services 10/07/24

Thank you, Mr Mayor,
At this year’s budget meeting in February, the Labour Group slashed funding for our Environmental Services.
They told us all that their cuts wouldn’t have any impact on the services our residents receive. 
Now that we’re in July it’s a very different story. 
Over the last few weeks, we’ve had disappearing bins in Dunwood Park. 

Weeds growing out of control while the Council still can’t find a contractor. 
To deal with that, they’ve moved over staff from our parks and street sweeping making both look unloved and shabby and that work is now not done.

We’re well into summer now and long past the longest day, yet our barrier planters haven’t been replanted for summer, and I suspect they will not be.  And as usual no one has the curtesy to even let us know.

This Council has an appalling record when it comes to environmental crime. 

It is well documented that under Labour, this Council has failed to enforce littering, fly-tipping and dog fouling offences. 

Just look at all the figures they speak for themselves please quote for all three offences for the last 2-3 years and prove me wrong?
And that was before these recent cuts and job losses that Labour delivered in their budget and which some of the so-called Independents now clearly support.  
So, does the Leader still stand by what she said? 

Does she think Labour’s cuts have no impact on people?

Or does she accept that her administration is failing on the very basics, leaving Oldham Borough looking shabby and neglected?

Q2 Leaders Question: Greater Manchester Police iOps 10/07/24

Thank you, Mr Mayor,
Police officers and victims of crime across Oldham Borough and Greater Manchester continue to be let down because of GMP’s defective iOps IT system. 
iOps has been backed by the GM Mayor Andy Burnham with a whopping £29 million pounds of public money and counting. 
But police officers have complained to me about repeated failures since iOps was introduced in 2019. 
It takes ages to load, it crashes repeatedly, and it has even hidden data out of sight. 
Due to its failings, offenders have escaped prosecution and the victims of crime have been failed. 
Not for nothing has it been called i-Oops and i-Flops. 
IT failings were recognised to have played a role in the chaos that pushed Greater Manchester Police into special measures in 2021. 

Yet despite promises to scrap failing systems, GMP have stuck with iOps and officers and victims may have to put up with it for at least another year. 
What conversations is the Leader having with Greater Manchester Police and Mayor Burnham over these failings?

When will iOps finally be replaced and the public of Greater Manchester get the policing service they are long overdue?
What is being done to ensure that data relating to the most serious crimes is being recorded and treated in a way that the public can have confidence in?
And crucially, who is going to pay the price for these failures?
Will she agree tonight to push Mayor Burnham not to put the cost onto the shoulders of the public by hiking his council tax precepts for policing yet again?