Carriageway works (adjustment of ironwork) are due to take place at Crompton Way/Linney Lane junction. The works are programmed for starting on Saturday 21/11/2015.
Temporary 4 Way traffic lights will be in operation. Hopefully the works are expected to be completed in the day.
Friday 27th November 2015 Market Street, Shaw
An opportunity for one lucky winner (Primary School aged child from schools in Shaw and Crompton) to switch on Shaw and Crompton Christmas Lights with Bouncy Ben.
Find the form at Cissie Barlow’s Traditional Sweet Shop, Interiors, Robert Glass, Pamper your Princess, J D Williams, Playhouse 2, Shaw Lifelong Learning Centre and Crompton Library.
Or email: shawandcromptonlights@gmail.com or use the link below:
APPROVED Xmas Comp application slips
Include: Child’s Name, Address, Age, Primary School and Telephone number. Competition closes at 5pm on Friday 20th November 2015.
The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, who sits on the Committee of Transport for Greater Manchester, has condemned Labour and Conservative Councillors for blocking a proposal to allow dogs on trams.
“Constituents have told me that they would like to see dogs allowed on trams, and TfGM’s own polling shows most people are in favour. Dogs are allowed on buses and on trains without any problems so why not on trams? This would enable responsible dog owners to take the tram across Greater Manchester to walk with their pet, or just use the tram to link into main line train services when visiting relatives or going on holiday,” claimed Councillor Sykes
“The Lib Dem proposal was a modest first step – a trial to allow dogs on trams. Why the Labour and the Conservative councillors would gang up together to block even a trial, against the wishes of the public, beggars belief,” he added.
The decision was taken at the TfGM Policy sub-committee last Friday. The Chair did not permit any discussion and moved directly to a vote. A final decision will be made on Friday 13th November at the full TfGM Committee.
“We are not giving up,” Cllr Sykes said. “The Liberal Democrats will make the case next Friday – I will try to speak on this if I am allowed to.”
The TfGM report proposing a limited trial of dogs on trams can be found here: http://www.transportforgreatermanchestercommittee.gov.uk/tfgmc/downloads/download/1104/capital_projects_and_policy_sub_committee_-_friday_6_november_2015_-_meeting_paper
Temporary signals will be in place on Fraser Street, at its junction with Salts Street, from 9th – 13th November, to undertake works to an electrical supply.
Q1 – Talk Talk Cyber Attack
The Leader will be aware of the cyber-attack conducted on 21st October against one of Britain’s biggest internet service providers, Talk Talk.
As a consequence of this attack, a significant amount of individual customer data was stolen, including bank account numbers, sort codes, credit and debit card details, dates of birth and the names, email addresses and phone numbers of customers.
To their credit, according to a spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit: “TalkTalk have done everything right in bringing this matter to our attention as soon as possible,” and they are co-operating fully with an ongoing criminal investigation, which has now led to an arrest.
Nonetheless this news will still be very worrying for our residents who pay their bills with the Council electronically on-line or who choose to pay via a debit or credit card.
What information can the Leader provide us about the impact, if any, of the Talk Talk attack on the Council’s operations and its customers – the residents of this borough – and what reassurance can he provide them that the Council has the most rigorous safeguards in place to keep the personal and payment details of our residents safe from prying eyes?
Q2 – Conservative threat to Generation Oldham
My second question concerns a clear and present danger to a plan that has enjoyed cross-party support in this Chamber – namely the proposal to generate our own green energy through the Generation Oldham project.
The Leader may be aware that the new Tory Government has recently proposed changes that will make it difficult if not impossible to continue to develop community owned renewable energy schemes.
When the Liberal Democrats controlled the Department of Energy and Climate Change whilst in coalition, a favourable regime was put in place to provide a generous subsidy by the payment of a Feed in Tariff (or FIT) to community energy projects.
As a result over 5,500 community energy projects were established over the lifetime of the Coalition Government – making a major contribution to our country’s energy needs without creating a carbon footprint.
The new Government intends to unravel this regime by cutting the FIT by up to 90% in January 2016. Under their proposals FIT payments to roof mounted solar schemes will be reduced from 12.47p for every kilowatt hour of electricity they produce to 1.63p.
I have recently responded – as I am sure many others have – to the Government consultation on this matter opposing the changes but I have no doubt they will still go ahead.
Given that this Council’s Generation Oldham proposals are based on the generation by roof mounted solar panels of 1 megawatt of electricity, can the Leader please tell me whether these proposals would make this scheme unviable and whether any solar panels can be installed before January to enable us to claim the existing subsidy and salvage what we can from this Conservative inspired train wreck?
Mr Mayor, Michael Meacher served the people of Oldham faithfully as Member of Parliament for 45 years, since being first elected in June 1970.
Elected when he only 30, Michael served as a junior minister in industry, health and social security under Labour Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, and later, after the return of a Labour Government, as environment minister under Tony Blair.
Michael was never afraid to speak out – sometimes as a minority voice in his party – about issues that he felt passionately about – the environment, housing, and nuclear weapons.
These were issues on which he had my complete support and admiration.
Always a man of great principle, Michael to his great credit was prepared to sacrifice his ministerial position in protest over the conduct of the Iraq War. And we now know that he was right on this also.
One political issue for which Michael was particularly admired was his commitment to safeguarding our environment.
I have it on good authority from a personal friend who was working for a Non-Governmental Organisation that he regarded Michael as the best Environment Minister their organisation had ever had dealings with – now that is praise indeed!
Although he spoke out on national issues, Michael was never afraid to speak out for the people of Oldham on the issues that mattered to them, and in a period of increasing austerity and a north-south divide there was never more need for a dedicated advocate for this town in Westminster.
On a personal level, I enjoyed working with him when I was Leader of the Council. I always found Michael approachable and willing to work across party boundaries on issues of importance that affected the borough of Oldham and its people. I also enjoyed Michael’s company (and that of his partner) at the many social functions at which we met.
So it was a real privilege to be able to speak in support of the proposal that the Council award Michael the title of Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Oldham for his outstanding service and dedication in 2013.
Mr Mayor, with Michael’s passing I regret to say that Oldham has lost a great friend and a great advocate, and for whoever is about to follow him into Westminster, Michael’s will be very big shoes to fill.
