The Oldham Liberal Democrats have described the Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent Spending Review as “a failure to provide” money needed to build back better public services and a greener Britain after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Responding to the disappointing review, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said:  “The Chancellor squandered this opportunity to properly support local authorities in these most-troubling times with more finance, and to invest in the health and social care sector and in combatting climate change to help make Britain better after Covid-19.”

“The Government has failed yet again to address the long-term challenge of sustainable funding for adult social care. The financial responsibility for social care has once again been shifted onto local taxpayers and councils have been given ‘permission’ to raise council tax well above inflation to fund this essential service,” added Councillor Sykes.

In the review, the government ‘failed to provide’

• Any extra funding for councils to carry out more public health work.   The Association of Directors of Public Health described this as “completely incomprehensible”. The Oldham Liberal Democrats believe that it is crazy for any Government not to increase the public health grant during a major pandemic.
• The billions of pounds needed to fill the funding gap in social care.  The government only pledged £300 million more as new funding both children’s and adult social care. The Liberal Democrats are gravely concerned that this will mean that Councils, like Oldham, will be forced to increase the social care precept of Council Tax to try to make up a small part of the shortfall.
• Any funding to Councils to improve public sector pay, especially for those workers who have been working so hard in the front line against Covid-19.  Workers who are earning under £24,000 per year will receive £250 extra, but even this is not funded by government meaning more cuts elsewhere to services.
• Anywhere near enough money to deliver projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of a £100 billion investment programme in infrastructure
• Councils with access to funds from the government’s “Levelling up” fund, without first getting sign off from local MPs, indicating a lack of trust by government in the judgement of Councils as to what is a local priority need.

For real time information: https://oldham.roadworks.org/

A recent survey by Carers UK found that four in five unpaid carers were providing more care for relatives during the Covid-19 pandemic and that two thirds were worried about how they might cope with these demands when faced with further lockdowns or local restrictions.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has written to the Mayor of Greater Manchester and to the Leader of Oldham Council with two requests to improve the rights of carers in Greater Manchester and to make life for local working carers a little easier.

Councillor Sykes has written to the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham asking him to make the Greater Manchester Care Leavers’ Travel Offer open to young adult carers.  Commenting he said:  “I have asked Mayor Burnham to make this available to young adult carers, aged 18 – 21, as well as care leavers.  This would entitle them to free bus travel across Greater Manchester.  Bus fares incurred in activities related to caring, such as shopping and collecting a prescription, can represent a significant and unreasonable burden on the limited finances of a young adult carer”.

Councillor Sykes has also written to the Leader of Oldham Council, Councillor Sean Fielding, suggesting the wording of the Council’s Fair Employment Charter be changed to encourage responsible local businesses to commit to supporting carers who are in their employ to successfully combine their caring responsibilities with work.  

Explaining why, Councillor Sykes added:  “The Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey MP, wants to see carers provided with legal protection against discrimination in the workplace under the Equalities Act 2010, something I am also very keen to see happen.   Whilst we cannot make this legislative change at Oldham Council, we can ask our responsible local employers to voluntarily commit themselves not to discriminate against carers when they sign up to our Fair Employment Charter”.

Local Government Minister Robert Jenrick MP has announced his intention to allow shops to remain open around the clock in the run-up to Christmas, and Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, is far from happy.

Describing the move as “madness”, Councillor Sykes said:  “Once more a Conservative Minister has shown themselves to be completely out of touch with reality.  It might work in an out-of-town retail park where no-one lives, but we have communities where supermarkets are situated cheek-by-jowl with homes.  Imagine living next door to a supermarket or department store open 24-hours, dealing with the noise and the traffic of Christmas shoppers and of delivery trucks.  Unlike London, we do not have a 24-hour public transport system so shoppers would still come in by car in the wee small hours, and residents would probably not get a wink of sleep.  It would also put further pressure on shop workers to do more hours, rather than spending time with family.”

The Liberal Democrats believe the proposal also sends out a mixed message about the continued need for everyone to work together to prevent the transmission of Covid-19.  Councillor Sykes added:  “It seems like this government is moving from a situation where, when it comes to retail, next to nothing is open and then anything goes.  If we want to stop Covid, we should not be encouraging prolonged and unnecessary interaction between shoppers throughout the day and night”.

“Robert Jenrick is suggesting that it is OK to spend several hours trailing around packed shops and department stores whilst at the same time ministers are banning customers from going into their local pub for a socially-distanced pint.”

Oldham publicans will be able to summon up little festive cheer as they face a bleak mid-winter with the latest Christmas lockdown.  In a speech in Parliament last week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP announced that the Borough will be in Tier-3 once the national lockdown ends at midnight on December 2 meaning that for the foreseeable future no pubs will be able to open.  It is also unlikely to change when this is first reviewed in two weeks.

The Oldham Liberal Democrats are concerned that for many struggling pubs another lockdown over what should be for publicans the busiest trading period of the year will lead to permanent closure.  Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, wants to see the government do more to help struggling pubs.  He also feels Oldham Council can play its part.

Commenting, Councillor Sykes said:  “Hundreds of thousands of people are employed in pubs across the UK.  Landlords have invested financially and emotionally in their businesses and yet time-after-time they are being kicked in the teeth as government financial support for the sector is insufficient.  Many owners are living without any income and fast depleting their savings.  Staff lay-offs are increasing, and, in my own ward, one pub has so far certainly closed for good.  I suspect it will be the first of many.”

Pubs have endured two national lockdowns, invested millions in their staff and facilities to make pubs Covid – safe for customers, and adapted to requirements to record Track and Trace details, to only serving alcohol with ‘substantial meals’, to serving customers at tables instead of at the bar, and closing at 10pm.   

From December 3, all but three areas of the UK will be in Tiers 2 and 3.  Oldham is in Tier-3 meaning that all pubs will remain closed.  Even if local conditions change sufficiently for the Borough to move into Tier-2, only pubs serving ‘substantial meals’ will be able to open.  Pubs can however continue to sell alcohol and food to customers through home deliveries, takeaways and drive-through purchases if items are pre-ordered.

Councillor Sykes believes it would be unlikely for Oldham to move into Tier-1 for many months, meaning ‘wet’ pubs will be at significant risk of closure.  He added:  “Smaller establishments which serve beer, but no food, will have no realistic prospect of opening for months, and for many such pubs in Oldham the latest lockdown could represent last orders.”

“I want to see the government providing pubs with a bespoke package of financial support that enables them to survive until they can reopen.  I would also like to see Oldham Council promote pubs which are selling products online to give them some income at this difficult time.”

A number of people have asked me about this so I post here the help I am aware of on this.

Phone lines are open Monday to Friday, 8.40am – 5pm:

T: 0161 7707777

E: carers.services@oldham.gov.uk

You can find links to all services etc on the Council’s website https://www.oldham.gov.uk/info/200244/caring_for_someone

To the people of the city and county palatine of Lancaster

Greetings!

Know ye that this day, November 27th in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and twenty, the 69th year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Duke of Lancaster, is

Lancashire Day

Know ye also, and rejoice, that by virtue of Her Majesty’s County Palatine of Lancaster, the citizens of the Hundreds of Lonsdale, North and South of the Sands, Amounderness, Leyland, Blackburn, Salford and West Derby are forever entitled to style themselves Lancastrians.

Throughout the County Palatine, from the Furness Fells to the River Mersey, from the Irish Sea to the Pennines, this day shall ever mark the people’s pleasure in that excellent distinction – true Lancastrians, proud of the Red Rose and loyal to our Sovereign Duke.

GOD BLESS LANCASHIRE
AND GOD SAVE THE QUEEN,
DUKE OF LANCASTER.

The Oldham Council Liberal Democrat Group has welcomed tonight’s (25/11/20) decision at a full meeting of Oldham Council to postpone the decision on whether to approve the controversial plan to build housing on the Green Belt. 

The plan, backed by the Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester and Labour Leaders of the Greater Manchester local authorities, would if adopted in Oldham mean 11,817 new homes built in the borough by 2037.  Many hundreds of homes would be built on greenfield sites in Shaw and Crompton represented by Liberal Democrat Councillors.

Last week, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, wrote to the Leader of the Council asking for an adjournment after councillors in Salford and Stockport failed to reach their own decisions on the plan. 

Commenting, Councillor Sykes said:  “The Greater Manchester Spatial Framework will deliver tens of thousands of new homes across the whole of the city region.  Each one of the ten authorities in Greater Manchester is expected to share the burden.  We need to know what will change in Salford and Stockport before we arrive at our decision as it could have an impact on the residents of this Borough.  More houses may come our way as a result as housing numbers may be displaced.”

Councillor Sykes welcomed the cross-party decision tonight adding:  “After the many delays, amounting to years, that have already occurred in making the final decision on the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, an extra delay at this point of a few weeks to provide time for the situation in Salford and Stockport to become clearer represents common-sense.”