“No Answers”: Oldham Council bosses dodge questions after meeting was cancelled to watch the Euros. 

Oldham Liberal Democrats have hit out at the ruling Labour Group after a council meeting was cut short so that elected members could leave early to watch England’s Euro semi-final clash with the Netherlands. 

At the meeting, Labour along with their so-called Independent coalition partners, voted to axe the time allocated for questions to the Leader of the Council and her Cabinet. 

Leader of the Opposition councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Labour promised to answer questions in writing after the meeting.  We’ve now had a response to our questions, but the answers have clearly been provided by council officers.  I doubt the Leader or her Cabinet so much as lifted a finger.  This is pitiful.  It almost makes you wonder if avoiding questioning was the real reason for cutting the meeting short.”

Councillor Sykes used one of his entitled questions to the Leader to challenge her administration on their cuts to environmental services.  His second question, relating to Greater Manchester Police’s problematic IT system iOps – was referred straight to Greater Manchester Police without any further comment from Oldham Council officers. 

Speaking on the state of environmental services, councillor Sykes said, “When Labour slashed the budget for our parks and green spaces back in February, they promised residents that no one would notice any change in services.”

“Now we’re in July and we’re seeing weeds growing everywhere, public bins going missing in parks and flower beds going unplanted and unloved all summer.”

“Labour are not only failing on the basics, they are also taking extreme measures to avoid even being questioned on their decisions.  This attitude shows contempt for the people of Oldham Borough and we deserve so much better.”

Oldham Council have yet to formally publish the questions from opposition members or the answers on the council website.   

Questions to the Leader from Councillor Sykes

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?

SO CALLED ANSWERS BELOW