Crompton War Memorial, High Street, Shaw commencing at 10.55am.
A procession will assemble at the Royal British Legion Club, Newtown Street, Shaw, at 10.30am proceeding to the War Memorial at 10.40am.
ALL WELCOME come and join us and make sure we never forget.
Q1: Oldham’s Brexit Preparations
Boris Johnson plans to take us out of the European Union and will implement his deal if he wins the General Election.
Oldham Borough has received and continues to receive thousands of pounds in EU funding.
We still wait for any clarity on the ‘Prosperity Fund’ which is supposed to replace all EU funding.
There is a real fear despite the promises that the ‘cake will be smaller’ and places like Oldham will lose out.
The UK Government has also paid Oldham Council £315,000 for so called “Brexit Preparations”.
Our future is now less clear and more uncertain, so we must prepare and prepare for the worst.
Of the £315,000 of UK Brexit preparation money, Oldham Council has currently spent £35,000 in total.
£20,000 has gone on foodbanks and £15,000 making sure that European child nationals in care receive settled status before the deadline of 31st of October.
So, that leaves a rather substantial pot of money £280,000 to be exact.
I am most interested to know what this Council has planned to do with the money.
I hope there are already measures in place, however if there are no detailed plans, can I be advised what the timeframe for release of the funds and a spending plan be put forward.
Q2: Progress 8 in Oldham Schools
The relatively new accountability measure for Secondary Schools, is called Progress 8.
Progress 8 tracks how pupils make progress from the end of Primary school to the final stages of High school.
Schools used to be judged on performance, whereas now this measure is based on pupil progression.
Once again in Oldham, as with other education matters, our score is below the nation average.
Regrettably our Progress 8 score is also behind the national average.
What is even more concerning, is that four of our secondary schools fall into the well below average category.
To put this into perspective, those same four schools are in the bottom 12% of all schools, nationally.
This year, four out of 13 schools locally are well below average and five out of 13 are below average.
This is worse than last year; we have not improved; the direction of travel is in the wrong direction!
We are performing much worse than the national average, but also worse than our neighbours in Rochdale and Manchester.
Now credit where credit is due, Waterhead Academy is the only school that shows improved performance, others are deteriorating.
We have seen an overhaul of the SEN provision locally after Oldham Borough received a damming report by OFSTED in 2018.
Despite this, Oldham Borough persistently fails to give the standard of results that parents and pupils want and expect.
How will your administration address this perpetual underperformance in our Secondary Schools?
The situation is getting worse and not better.
I am interested to know when the Labour Council will reverse the stagnation or decline in standards that have plagued our local education system since 2011.
Shaw and Crompton Advice Surgeries (no appointment necessary) held on the following Thursdays at Shaw Lifelong Learning Centre – 7:30pm to 8:30pm.
November 7, 14, 21, and 28
Children are now often exposed to unsafe levels of pollutants outside of schools at peak times. Road transport is one of the biggest contributors to pollution in Oldham Borough. Councillor Diane Williamson wants “No-Vehicle-Idling zones” around schools across the Borough.
Harmful fumes from cars and buses waiting nearby schools can stunt lung growth and harm child development. The Liberal Democrat team are bringing this new policy to Oldham Full Council on the 6th November 2019.
Councillor Williamson states: “Only a handful of schools across the country are trialling No Vehicle Idling zones, yet these schemes bring many health benefits. Not having any measures to prevent air pollution poses a serious threat to the health of young people.”
Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani, who is supporting the clean air motion criticises widespread inaction on this issue: “The Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan is vague. So, this Council needs to do more and be proactive on this issue. Why wait for the full plan, when we can act now?”
The Liberal Democrats want to look at what has been effective in other areas and repeat those same successes. Councillor Williamson wants as many No-Vehicle-Idling Zones, around as many schools in the Borough as possible.
This year’s Anti-Bullying Week has the theme “Change Starts With Us”. The awareness event is happening from Monday 11th November – Friday 15th November 2019.
Oldham Borough Liberal Democrats are seeking to refresh the Council’s anti bullying policy and raise awareness at the 6th November 2019 Full Council Meeting.
People of all ages are bullied because of their race, culture, faith, appearance, sex and identity. Councillor Garth Harkness, who is also a teacher, says this bullying can take place in person but often happens online. He wants to focus on the root problem in local schools and at the Council itself.
Councillor Harkness states: “Bullying infiltrates every level of society. Even in government. This Council needs to communicate with schools in Oldham Borough about the packs released to schools for anti-bullying week.”
“These will include lesson plans, and cross curricular activities for students and teachers. This will go a long way in raising awareness and dealing with the issue in schools”
Councillor Louie Hamblett who is seconding the motion is also calling for Anti-Bullying training for Councillors and Council staff.
Councillor Hamblett says “Oldham Council needs to adopt the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s definition of bullying. Oldham Council staff should be encouraged to undertake the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s online training module, so they can feel more confident in identifying and calling out or reporting bullying behaviour.”
Councillor Howard Sykes MBE highlights constant Northern Rail service failures. Councillor Sykes, who is also Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on Transport in Greater Manchester, says customers are experiencing a poor or non-existent service from Northern Rail. The Oldham Liberal Democrats are tabling a resolution about this matter to 6 November Council Meeting. This is a call to change the current operator and demand the Government act.
Councillor Sykes MBE says: “It is a great shame that Northern Rail have failed to resolve a huge raft of issues. There are always two sides to every story, but customers are constantly reminded that Northern Rail dodges responsibility and provides a sloppy service. The fact they have now admitted Pacer Trains will still be running in 2020 when they promised they would not is the final nail in their coffin for me.”
North West Members of Parliament and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham also want to remove the franchise from the current operators.
Northern recently introduced further penalty fare routes across the network. Councillor Hazel Gloster who is seconding the motion in November said the additional penalty routes are an insult to rail users.
Councillor Gloster stated: “The quality of service has never been poorer. They need to get their service right before they think about adding extra charges to the public. It is simply unacceptable and it’s another reminder that the government need to step in and resolve this rail crisis.”
