Repairs will be taking place on Buckstones Road, over the weekend period, to patch the fault in the road that has re-opened in the vicinity of Grains Road; traffic will be controlled by temporary signals.
Signs are currently in place asking motorists to ‘Slow Down Uneven Road’ until the signals can be erected.
Following a recent Group meeting in May, the Oldham Borough Liberal Democrat Group has announced their appointment, unanimously and un-opposed, of Councillor Howard Sykes MBE as their Leader and Councillor Chris Gloster as their Deputy Leader.
Councillor Sykes has also announced the appointment of his Shadow Cabinet Team for 2020/21.
Councillor Howard Sykes said: “I am delighted and honoured that Chris and I have once again received the unanimous support of our party colleagues. The Liberal Democrats remain the only effective opposition holding Labour to account on Oldham Council.”
“Citizens can rest assured that the Oldham Liberal Democrats will continue to oppose Labour’s waste, inefficiency and centralisation tendancies and we will always speak up for fair treatment for our residents and for value-for-money services and common sense solutions”. He added. “As ever, the Liberal Democrats remain the only party holding Labour to account on Oldham Council, and we shall continue to take that responsibility seriously.”
Shadow Cabinet Members:
| Councillor | Portfolio |
| Howard Sykes | Economy and Skills (Opposition Leader) HR & Corporate Reform |
| Garth Harkness | Education |
| Hazel Gloster | Children and Young People |
| Louie Hamblett | Health and Social Care |
| Dave Murphy | Neighbourhoods and Culture |
| Diane Williamson | Covid 19 Recovery |
| Sam Al-Hamdani | Housing & Homelessness |
| Chris Gloster | Finance and Low Carbon (Opposition Deputy Leader) |
Group Officers:
| Councillor | Role |
| Howard Sykes | Group Leader |
| Chris Gloster | Deputy Group Leader |
| Dave Murphy | Group Chair |
| Diane Williamson | Group Secretary |
| Hazel Gloster | Group Treasurer |
| Garth Harkness | Group Political Secretary |
Official Spokespersons / Lead Members on Boards and Committees:
| Councillor | Board / Committee |
| Chris Gloster | Audit Committee |
| Garth Harkness | Performance and Value for Money Committee |
| Diane Williamson | Overview and Scrutiny Board |
| Hazel Gloster | Planning Committee |
| Chris Gloster | Licensing Committee |
| Diane Williamson | Standards Committee |
| Dave Murphy | Petitions and Traffic Regulation Orders |
District Leads:
| Name of Councillor | District |
| Diane Williamson | Lead, Shaw and Crompton |
| Sam Al-Hamdani | Official Spokesperson, Saddleworth and Lees |
A new discretionary grants fund to support certain small businesses which have been impacted by coronavirus and do not meet the existing cash grants criteria has been launched.
Grants of £2,000, £5,000 and £10,000 will be available.
The funding will be allocated in two phases with the first phase now open.
It will close on Friday 12 June at 5pm and the first payments made week commencing 15 June.
Phase one will prioritise the following applicants:
Oldham Council has set out detailed criteria on the local scheme to try and ensure as many businesses as possible can receive financial support.
Grant awards will be based on annual property costs:
The discretionary grant fund is for businesses that are not eligible for other coronavirus grant schemes and is primarily and predominantly aimed at:
A Mobile Testing Unit staffed by the army will be visiting Oldham from Sunday for 3 days until Tuesday 2nd June. It will provide testing for coronavirus for local residents (adults and children over 5 years) and keyworkers.
The Unit will be at the Old Leisure Centre Car Park, on Rock Street, in the Town Centre.
Testing will be by pre-booked appointment only and people can arrive either by car or by foot and are advised to follow the national social distancing guidelines.
These tests will only be able to tell people if they have coronavirus now. They will not be able to tell if they have been infected in the past. The common symptoms of coronavirus are a high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
Booking available from Saturday evening only
Residents wishing to book at test will be able to make an appointment through the national booking website – NHS testing from the evening of Saturday 30th May.
Employers of keyworkers can also book tests for their staff through the national employer booking portal. Employers need to register via e-mail following the guidance on the Coronavirus testing guidance site before they can refer their employees.
If you are not able to access the testing website, you can book a test by telephone by calling 119.
If the Oldham site is not listed on the booking portal it means that all the available testing appointments for the day have been filled. Home testing kits can also be requested via the same website and telephone number.
The Oldham Liberal Democrats and Councillor Howard Sykes (Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Opposition Leader on Oldham Council) have all signed a letter of support. This is to aid vulnerable children and protect local education. The National Education Union (NEU) Councillors Network has written a letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson for local councillors to sign up to.
Schools have been underfunded and struggling and the Covid-19 world has increased that mounting pressure. The signed letter has several key demands noted here:
Councillor Sykes says: “This letter of support, has been backed by thousands of councillors from all parties and non, hopefully it will send a strong message to central government. I am pleased that all Liberal Democrat Councillors on Oldham Council have signed it.”
Notes:
https://neu.org.uk/councillors-network
Letter to Gavin Williamson
Dear Gavin Williamson MP,
As local councillors, we are writing to raise concerns in relation to current school closures.
The first issue is our concern about the impact school closures are having on disadvantaged students and their families.
Students eligible for free school meals (FSM) have had mixed experiences when applying for the Government’s voucher scheme, with some unable to access vouchers to which they are entitled. We would like your assurances that all families with children eligible for FSM will receive vouchers for the full period of school closure, including school holidays. This may need to be in retrospect for families who have not yet been able to access their vouchers.
We would ask that the Department for Education (DfE) continues to work with local authorities who are at the forefront of supporting families facing unprecedented food insecurity in the current climate.
As you will know, holiday hunger is an issue for many families, and we would like your assurances that families eligible for FSM will be given food vouchers to sustain them during the summer holidays. We believe that this should become a permanent fixture within our school system, so no child need go hungry during the school holidays again.
We also have concerns about support for vulnerable children and the increased calls to domestic violence helplines nationally. We would ask that the Government continue to work with local authorities and schools to ensure vulnerable children do not ‘slip through the net’ and the necessary financial support is available to councils to support families fleeing domestic violence.
Finally, we are concerned by the current speculation on the end to school closures. We find current speculation unhelpful but would like to support the calls from the teaching profession that schools only be reopened when it is safe to do so, for both teachers and students.
We also ask that local authorities be given a role in coordinating with schools, trade unions and the DfE on a safe end to school closures.
We hope that the Government will continue to collaborate closely with local councils to support families and schools as we weather the current crisis and its aftermath. This will require an end to austerity and a new, long-term, funding settlement for local authorities and schools, to ensure they are best equipped going forward.
Yours sincerely,
The Undersigned
Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Liberal Democrats and Opposition leader on Oldham Council, is appalled at a new analysis. The shocking study shows the areas worst hit by Covid-19 will now receive some of the largest cuts in Government support.
Oldham Borough is in the top ten Councils hit harder than any other area by the virus. More than £100 million of public money has been diverted away from Councils in the bottom half of the English deprivation index. Oldham Borough is unfortunately one of those Council areas.
Conservative run areas are not receiving funding cuts in the same way. Many believe this is a sly political move by Boris Johnson and the Conservatives. Oldham Borough will now not receive £1.1 million diverted monies.
Councillor Sykes says “The cash was supposed to be for fighting Covid-19. Our communities need this money, our area is already struggling badly.”
“I commend bravery and hard-working nature of local people. However, Oldham needs the financial support! We cannot do without it.”
Residents are being invited to join a Greater Manchester-wide sing-along from their windows and doorsteps on Thursday May 28th at 7.30pm to show support for each other.
The event, called Together in One Voice, will be captured under social distancing guidelines with drones, street cameras and residents own films (user generated content) and edited together to produce a show for national release on the evening of Sunday 31st May.
Greater Manchester will once again harness the power of music and the benefits of singing to come Together In One Voice. The YouTube Live event with Manchester International Festival will feature songs and artists from Greater Manchester’s rich musical heritage past and present with a few special guest appearances.
The event will promote community spirit and encourage everyone to take care of their mental health in the weeks and months ahead.
For more details and to access the event go to www.togethermcr.com
