With just over two months until voters go to the polls, Oldham’s Liberal Democrats have branded government plans to introduce photo ID checks at polling stations as “chaos”. New figures reveal that a shocking 1% of the near 2 million eligible voters without ID have applied for an acceptable form of photo identification.
Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “The government have rushed these laws through with no time for councils to implement them. It’s very likely that the result will be people in Oldham are denied the right to vote because they don’t have ID or don’t know to bring it with them to the polling station.”
Councillor Sykes said, “Liberal Democrats have been opposing the Voter ID regulations since they were first introduced into Parliament via the Elections Act. The Labour Party had the chance to block these new laws as they passed through the House of Lords, but they chose to stand by and let them pass.”
Liberal Democrats in Parliament are calling for the rollout of photo ID requirements to be halted and for the regulations to be immediately revoked.
If you don’t want to vote in person, or cannot due other commitments (work/ill/away etc.) at the elections on Thursday 4 May, 2023, for any reason, then you can apply for a postal vote by writing to:
Elections Office, Oldham Council, West Street, Oldham OL1 1UL. Or calling: 0161 770 4718. Or emailing: elections@oldham.gov.uk
Completed applications need to be returned NO LATER than 5pm on Tuesday 18 April.
I have just been informed that following the significant downfall of snow they have experienced disruption to our waste collections.
Please note we have outstanding waste and recycling collections in Royton, Shaw and Crompton.
Residents are advised the following:
General waste/Paper card/Glass, cans, and plastic bottles– crews will return for outstanding work first collection on Monday (13th March) morning
Food and Garden collections – we will collect any additional waste next Friday (17th March), so residents are advised to return their bin/food caddy back to their property.
Liberal Democrat Opposition councillors are set to force a vote calling for Oldham to withdraw from Places for Everyone, Greater Manchester’s regional housing strategy.
At next week’s meeting of the Council (March 15), Liberal Democrat members will push for Oldham Council to withdraw from the controversial plan, which would large scale developments on a number of green spaces across Oldham.
Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Places for Everyone does not work in the best interest of Oldham Borough. It will do nothing to clean up and repurpose brownfield and ex-industrial sites. All of that is considered too difficult. Instead, the priority is to use precious green spaces. Once they are gone, they are gone forever.”
In December 2022, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities removed the mandatory housing targets that plans like Places for Everyone are based on.
Councillor Sykes said, “The Labour ruling group in Oldham have always claimed that government housing targets were forcing them to build on green belt. Well, those top down, mandatory targets no longer exist.
“So, it is time to remove Oldham Borough from Places for Everyone as an immediate priority. Liberal Democrats recognise that tackling the housing crisis is essential. But we will not do that by allowing developers to stick mansions on all our green spaces. A plan that works for all of Oldham Borough must include much more ambitious use of our brownfield and ex-industrial buildings.
“Crucially, that plan should be drawn up here in Oldham, by Oldham Council in consultation with the people we represent.”
Full council 15 March 2023 – Notice of Opposition Business (Liberal Democrats)
Motion: Removing Oldham Borough from Places for Everyone
Proposed by: councillor Sam Al-Hamdani
Seconded by: councillor Hazel Gloster
This council notes that:
In December 2022, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities made a statement in the House of Commons in relation to an update on the Levelling up Bill.
This statement effectively represented a move away from top-down, mandatory housing targets.
The Secretary of State further added it will be up to Local Authorities, working with their communities, to determine how many homes can actually be built, taking into account what should be protected in each area, be that in our precious Green Belt or National Parks.
The Secretary of State further outlined how those local authorities with local plans at an advanced stage of preparation who will not benefit from these provisions can take advantage of transitional arrangements to produce plans that are compliant with the new guidance.
It has always been the position of Oldham Council that Places for Everyone (and the Green Belt development therein) was only necessary because of the top-down, mandatory housing targets that the government was imposing on local authorities.
This council believes that:
Although this Council is part of the Places for Everyone submission, we have no adopted local plan.
As such the housing need calculation made within Places for Everyone is now obsolete and not in line with national guidance.
Tackling the housing crisis is essential, in order to provide fairer futures for the next generation; and that a plan that works for all of Oldham Borough is best developed in Oldham Borough, by this Council and in consultation with the people we represent.
This council resolves to:
1. Withdraw Oldham Council from the Places for Everyone Plan as an immediate priority.
2. Develop a joint approach to calculating housing need though community consultation; with a reinforced brownfield first policy and a focus on ex-industrial clean up and repurposing of Oldham’s industrial legacy buildings.
3. Reaffirm our commitment to the preservation of Green Belt and the places of natural beauty that make Oldham Borough unique.
4. Failing the above the Council seeks an urgent review of housing allocations in Places for Everyone Plan, to ensure the numbers are reduced and are reduced specifically on green sites in Oldham.
5. Write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to request a national brownfield first policy along with the funding to enable decisions to build the houses we need to be made, in the places we need with the infrastructure we need such as health services, schools and transport
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has warned council bosses of the increased risk councils face from cyber-attacks.
Councillor Sykes said, “Experts in cyber security have been telling us for some time that councils are at risk from cyber threats. Some councils have already fallen victim to attacks, resulting in the loss of cash and interrupting essential services to vulnerable residents.”
A freedom of information response made available to Oldham Liberal Democrats has revealed that there was an attempted cyber-attack against Oldham Council in 2020.
Councillor Sykes said, “The risk will only increase the longer the government and council bosses go without acting on these warnings.”
In January, MPs heard from victims of cyber-crime at a meeting of Parliaments’ joint committee on national security strategy. In some cases, local councils do not have – or cannot afford – the insurance that protects them in the event of a cyber-attack.
Councillor Sykes said, “We know we are at risk in Oldham, so council bosses must ensure the best protections are in place to guard both services and residents against the threat of cyber-crime. I have written to the Chief Executive of Oldham Council and hope he can reassure me all possible steps to protect the Council and its residents have been taken.”
Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has hit out at Oldham council’s Labour leadership after they voted down vital cash-injections, set out by the Liberal Democrats for safer streets, road maintenance, children’s social care and district funding.
Councillor Sykes said, “We have a Labour controlled council which fails to get the basics right on road safety and maintenance, environmental crime and cleaning up our green spaces. Time and again, they choose to prioritise vanity projects in Oldham Town Centre at the expense of fairer funding for all our districts and communities across Oldham Borough.”
Speaking after the Liberal Democrat plan was rejected by an alliance of Labour and Independent councillors, Sykes said, “Our Liberal Democrat proposals would have prioritised the things that residents want to see from the council. We’ve gotten used to this Labour administration voting down our ideas. It was extremely disappointing to see the so-called Independents vote down money which would have been used right in the heart of our local communities.”
At the budget setting meeting on March 1, councillors also debated proposals from the Conservative Group which drew criticism for proposed cuts to district grants – the funding that is given to each ward in Oldham for localised projects. The Conservative Group was split and divided on its own budget proposals, with Councillor Barnes (Con) deciding to abstain on his own party’s plans, after a series of blistering interventions from Liberal Democrat members.
Councillor Sykes, who represents Shaw, said, “It beggars’ belief that the Conservatives have tried to axe cash for things like Remembrance Sunday events, Christmas lights and even Royal occasions like the Jubilee.”
“How Conservative councillors will be able to look the people they represent in the eye after this is beyond me.”
The Conservative amendment failed to pass, with Liberal Democrat councillors voting against.
I’m proud to rise in support of our Liberal Democrat budget proposals this evening.
Our priorities reflect the real priorities of people across Oldham Borough.
We seek to build a safer, greener and cleaner Oldham with fairer futures for the next generation.
New funding for ’20 is Plenty’ residential streets
A New parks and recreational spaces fund
More cash to tackle crumbling roads and footpaths
More action on enviro crimes (litter, fly-tipping, dog fouling)
New children’s social care residential home
Tonight, the Liberal Democrats are setting out a plan that focuses our resources on getting the basics right. That is what our constituents deserve and expect, Madam Mayor.
Our proposals set out plans for 20 is plenty streets. Safer neighbourhoods, where 20 mph is more than enough for residential areas.
Real action on Environmental Crime. Getting to grips with this administration’s pitiful record on tackling littering, fly-tipping and dog-fouling offences.
Earlier this year it was confirmed that the Council issued only 64 littering fines in 2022, down from 194 in 2020, when Covid restrictions were still in place. The Council also confirmed that fewer fly-tipping fines were handed out – 33 in 2022, down from 50 in 2020. It is an understatement to say this direction of travel is very much in the wrong direction.
We would establish a much-needed designated parks and green spaces fund.
Our green spaces were a lifeline during Covid but we need to invest in them now.
Social care is one of the greatest challenges that government at all levels must grapple with.
We must break our dependency on the private sector by providing care places in our Borough, run by the council. And we must bring down our agency spend by training and retaining top-quality care workers here in Oldham.
Yes – There is a national crisis in social care recruitment and retention and yes – it requires national solutions. National solutions like a Carers Minimum Wage.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for a new minimum wage for care workers – two pound per hour higher than the current minimum wage.
We urge colleagues across the chamber to get behind that policy because it would be transformative for the caring professions that we all know are under-valued and under-incentivised.
But what we can do locally, is provide more council-led facilities for care. These Liberal Democrat Budget proposals would deliver a new children’s residential care home in Oldham.
This makes sense for our young people but also makes financial sense and pays for itself very quickly.
Properly resourced youth services can act as a lifeline for many and they provide the first opportunity for the early intervention that we know alleviates pressure on other services further down the road.
Our plan would provide funds to improve youth services across all the districts of our Borough.
And finally, we would provide more cash to fix our crumbling roads and establish some budget provision to do something about the dreadful state of our pavements.
So I commend our proposals to you. A safer, cleaner, and greener Oldham.
These are the people’s priorities. What you – the people of Oldham – have told us you want from your Council.
