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

The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has welcomed the recent announcement that Oldham will be one of 67 new areas to follow Liverpool as locations for mass testing for Covid-19.

Councillor Sykes said: “Tragically Oldham has suffered the highest levels of detected new cases of Covid-19 per head of population in the UK in recent weeks.  Mass testing in Liverpool has shown that some residents can unknowingly transmit Covid-19 to others by being asymptomatic carriers.  Mass testing will enable us to identify, isolate and support such individuals, as well as those persons who are suffering the actual symptoms of the disease.  If we pull together by participating in testing, and by isolating if we receive a positive result, we can all help reduce further transmissions of Covid-19 and start to put Oldham Borough back on the road to something like normal.  Let’s hope the testing programme starts sooner rather than later.”

Councillor Sykes is however keen to see army personnel involved in conducting the tests, rather than staff from the now-discredited private-sector companies.  He added: “Regrettably our experience in Oldham of testing being carried out by private companies is poor.  Testing centres have not appeared on the days and at the times promised, staff have sometimes turned up without some of their testing equipment or indeed any of their equipment, and they have gone home early.  This experience had been both inconvenient and stressful for residents who have booked appointments and then found they have been unable to take a test.”

“I have confident that the army will do a far better job than the private sector’s ham-fisted efforts, and I hope that the Council Leader will seek to ensure that army personnel are on hand to do the work.”

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Thank you from all at Inspire Women

Inspiring Futures Partnership , Medtia Chambers, Level 1, 5 Barn Street, Oldham OL1 1 LP

Liberal Democrat Councillors have responded to a government consultation on pavement parking by asking for new powers to be granted to Councils to tackle nuisance parking.

In his letter to the Department of Transport, Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has identified the options being considered by government which both he and his colleagues’ favour as most practicable and reasonable.

Commenting Councillor Sykes said:  “We do not favour a complete blanket ban on all pavement parking.  In Oldham, we have many narrow, terraced streets where there is no off-road parking as properties were built way before the motor car was invented; in these circumstances motorists have to sometimes park their vehicles partially on the pavement to allow traffic to pass.  However, we want the government to grant new powers to local councils to tackle pavement parking where this represents a nuisance to pedestrians”.

Councillor Sykes added:  “Pavement parking must be considerate to the needs of pedestrians, especially residents living with the complete or partial loss of sight; using wheelchairs or walking frames; or pushing buggies with young children.  In December 2015, the Liberal Democrat Group brought a motion to Council asking for a Street Charter to be developed for the borough addressing the needs of these footpath users.  Although this is a voluntary code, we believe the government should also make it easier for councils to apply Traffic Regulation Orders on streets or in areas where pavement parking is a continual nuisance and grant our officers more civil enforcement powers to tackle ‘obstruction’ where pavement parking represents only an occasional problem.”

As part of the development of new legislation in this area, Liberal Democrats would like to see the government consulting with charities and campaign groups representing disabled people, especially wheelchair users and people living with sight loss.

Hundreds of businesses which have been legally required to close as a result of local or national restrictions have now received a Local Restrictions Support Grant.

This includes hospitality venues, soft play centres, hairdressers and barbers and non-essential retailers.

As of Wednesday, 448 grants had been paid. All applications received have been processed by the business grants team which is making payments daily.

Businesses apply via a simple online form which can be found at www.oldham.gov.uk/localrestrictionssupportgrant.

The amount of money businesses will receive is dependent on the rateable value of the property:

•             Properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under – grants of £1,334 per four weeks of closure.

•             Properties with a rateable value over £15,000 and below £51,000 – grants of £2,000 per four weeks of closure.

•             Properties with a rateable value of exactly £51,000 and over – grants of £3,000 per four weeks of closure.

Further schemes, including a discretionary fund and support for businesses which remain open but have been affected by restrictions, will be announced soon.