Anti-social behavour High Crompton Park and near by streets

untitledInfo from the Police regarding the above.

Dear Councillor We understand the concerns of the local residents regards this increase in Anti Social behaviour within Crompton Park and surrounding streets.  There is a patrol plan in place and we are working closely with our partner agencies in order to tackle these issues.  Several youths have been identified and we are currently working with our partner agencies in order to kerb their behaviour.

In the last 7 days there has been a decrease in the number of reported incidents.  We urge anybody witnessing any anti social behaviour to report it either via 101 number or contact the Oldham Borough office on 0161 856 8825.

PC 12491 Fitzgerald Higher Crompton Neighbourhood Officer

Lib Dem Leader “disappointed” at recent Universal Credit Ruling

benefit-changes-logo-rgb-b_v_Variation_1The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Cllr Howard Sykes MBE, has expressed his disappointment that the new Tory Government has just decided that new claimants receiving Universal Credit should wait seven days for their benefits, rather than three.

Cllr Sykes said: “Last October, I wrote to the Secretary of the Social Security Advisory Committee, an important parliamentary body that advises the Government on social security matters, in response to a public consultation on the proposed change to a seven day wait.”

“In my letter, I repeated the objections I made when a seven day wait period was proposed for claimants of job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA). Unfortunately, despite most of the respondents to the latest consultation indicating that they too were opposed to the changes, the Secretary of State has just advised the Committee that he has still decided to go ahead anyway.”

Cllr Sykes said: “This latest proposal will have its greatest effect in Oldham.”

“Oldham was a pathfinder area for Universal Credit. We have almost 4,500 claimants, the largest number in the UK; and this figure is steadily increasing. New claimants will therefore continue to suffer financial loss as a result of these changes.”

“Many of these claimants are young adults under the age of 25. They are therefore unlikely to be entitled to redundancy payments if they are claiming after leaving employment. They may therefore have no immediate sources of ready cash to meet day to day needs and my primary concern is that these individuals will be forced to turn to ‘loan sharks’ to borrow money to survive or to food banks to eat.”

“These claimants will now have to wait seven days. The view of the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group is that if someone is unemployed they should be entitled to receive their benefits from day 1; no ifs, no buts.”

“It is also disappointing that whilst the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group raised objections to the proposal, the ruling Labour Administration did not.”

Council continues to give out parking tickets like confetti rather than correctly mark bays on Shaw Market Car Park as it promised more than 6 months ago

Parking-ticketCouncil continues to give out parking tickets like confetti rather than correctly mark bays on Shaw Market Car Park as it promised more than 6 months ago.

Please see my recent corresspondence on this matter.

From: Howard Sykes

Sent: 02 June 2015 15:44

To: Christine Emanuel; Angela Lees; Elaine McLean; Liz Wade

Cc: Jen Downing (Members); Parking Shop; Howard Sykes; Elizabeth Fryman

Subject: Shaw Market Car Parking REF 2629

Dear Ms Wade and Mrs McLean,

It is some six months since I met with your officers about this matter.

See email below – the three items highlighted in bold have still to be actioned some six months later and we continue to give tickets for those parked in the space on the Market like confetti.

Also in the absence of these works, and again at odds with what we discussed and agreed, we are still issuing tickets for the ‘fourth un-marked space’ see photos attached which I witnessed myself last week and also have evidence of others from social media.

When will these matters be progressed as we agreed?

When will we stop issuing tickets to people who park responsibly on the Shaw Market Car park but due to the Council’s failure it is not in a bay so we ‘do them’.

I await your response with interest as do many residents in Shaw.

Best wishes

Councillor Howard Sykes MBE

—————————————————————————————

From: Elizabeth Fryman

Sent: 12 January 2015 13:43

To: Cllr H Sykes; Christine Emanuel; Angela Lees

Subject: shaw market car parking

Hi

Just a few action points from our meeting:

  • CE/AL will get the two areas that cause issues measured up with a view to marking out as spaces.
  • CE will write to HS setting out what the constituent can do if unhappy with outcome of their appeal.
  • CE will get handyman to go over the most faded markings including the hatched areas.
  • CE will liaise with Dean G regarding double yellows on stretch of Milne St not currently marked up.

Please let me know any mis- representations and additions!

Liz Fryman, District Coordinator, Royton and Shaw & Crompton District Partnerships Neighbourhoods, Royton Town Hall, Rochdale Rd, Oldham OL2 6QG.  T: 0161 770 5161.

Don’t’ suffer in silence – report all hate crime

stop the hateReporting a Hate Crime

Don’t’ suffer in silence – report all hate crime

What is Hate Crime?

A Hate Crime is any behaviour that someone thinks was caused by hostility, prejudice or hatred of:

  • Disability (including physical impairments, Mental Health problems, learning disabilities, hearing and visual impairment)
  • Gender identity (people who are transgender, transsexual or transvestite)
  • Race, skin colour, nationality, ethnicity or heritage
  • Religion, faith or belief (including people without a religious belief)
  • Sexual Orientation (people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual)
  • Alternative Subculture/ Lifestyle (the way a person looks or dresses) – Groups that are described as subcultures often include punk rockers, ravers, metalheads, goths, emo and indie

There are lots of different types of Hate Crimes. These could include:

  • Physical attacks – such as physical assault, damage to property, offensive graffiti, neighbour disputes and arson;
  • Threat of attack – including offensive letters, abusive or obscene telephone calls or text messages, groups hanging around to intimidate and unfounded, malicious complaints;
  • Verbal abuse or insults – offensive leaflets and posters, abusive gestures, offensive comments and/or name calling, dumping of rubbish outside homes or through letterboxes and bullying at school or in the workplace.

How do I report a Hate Crime?

Even if you are unsure you have been a victim of a Hate Crime it is important to speak to someone. You can report a Hate Crime to any of these agencies:

  • Emergency – In an emergency you should phone 999
  • Non – Emergency – You can phone Greater Manchester Police on 101 or you can go to any police station.

If you don’t want to call the Police or if you want extra support, you can call the Stop Hate Helpline.  The helpline is confidential and independent.

  • Stop Hate Helpline – you can phone 0800 138 1625 for the FREE confidential 24-hour hate crime reporting service.

Anyone can be a victim of Hate Crime or Incident

A victim is any person who lives, works or visits Oldham and is subjected to a hate motivated incident or crime. A victim is also someone who witnesses another person being subjected to a hate motivated incident or crime.

A perpetrator or offender is any person who commits acts of hatred against other people because of their race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, faith or religion, age, gender, sexuality or disability.

Why should you report Hate Crimes?

If you tell us what is happening, different agencies (such as the Police, Local Authority, charities and housing providers) can take action against the perpetrator and support victims and witnesses.

When you report Hate Crimes, you are making a bigger difference than you may think.

It helps you get support.  It helps us make your local area safer.

Most Hate Crimes are not reported. Your reports help us to understand how Hate Crime affects your community and then tackle the problem.

Oldham Labour Running Scared of Debate, say Lib Dems

20070503-free-speech-cartoon-via-citizen-arcaneThe Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has attacked the Labour Administration for its proposals to radically alter the Council’s constitution to stifle debate in the Council Chamber.

In the proposals to Wednesday’s Annual Council meeting, Labour want to reduce the number of Council meetings in the year at which questions and motions can be tabled by one and to then further reduce the number of questions that members of the opposition parties can ask.

Commenting Cllr Sykes said: “These proposals are not good for local democracy in Oldham.”

“In seeking to reduce the number of opportunities where members of the opposition can question the actions of Labour Cabinet members, the public will be left with the impression that Labour is scared of debate and they will ask why?”

“Perhaps Labour Cabinet members doubt their ability to respond effectively to questions from the floor of the Chamber, or perhaps they have something to hide, but there is no question that given their numbers (45 out of 60) it is always their will as the current majority party that shall prevail.”

“Surely in a vibrant and healthy democracy, we should be encouraging members of the opposition to have their say in the Chamber and they should have the right to expect proper, considered answers to their questions from the Leader and Cabinet members.”

Under the proposals, Cllr Sykes as Main Opposition Leader will see the number of questions that he can ask the Council Leader fall from three to two at each Council, a 33% reduction.  Also both the Conservative and UKiP group lose their right to ask a question and theory have to ‘share the right’ to ask one question between them.

“With such a large majority and control of the Council agenda why reduce the amount the current pitiful time allowed to the opposition even further,” stated Cllr Sykes.  “This is the sort of action you would expect in one party states like North Korea not in English local government.”

Cllr Sykes added: “This time slot is time well spent.  In the past, there has been significant accord on many issues between myself and the Council Leader Cllr McMahon and in recent Councils, I have raised a number of innovative proposals that the Administration is now investigating, such as establishing a Community Shop to help low-income households source high quality food at low prices, alongside help to find employment, to exploring the geothermic power beneath our feet as a renewable energy source.”

“The problem I encounter in the run up to each Council is not finding three good-quality questions to ask the Leader, but making a choice of which three of the many sensible and considered questions I have to hand to take into the Chamber.”

Labour’s other proposal to take other questions on a “politically balanced basis” also do not sit well with Cllr Sykes.

He said: “Labour backbenchers have exclusive access to their own Cabinet members in internal group meetings or in their Cabinet Office.  Councillors from other parties have neither.  The Council Chamber often still remains the best and only place for opposition members to raise issues that are of concern to their constituents, particularly where previous attempts to engage officers or Cabinet members have met with little or no response.”

“These proposals mean in effect that almost all of the time slot will be monopolised by Labour members with at most one, or perhaps two, questions available to members of the opposition.  For the smaller groups on the Council, Conservative (2), UKiP (2) and Independent (1) this means they will be lucky if they ever get to ask a question.  Previously ward questions were taken on an alternating basis and this was a sensible arrangement.”

Cllr Sykes stressed that his viewpoint was not just driven by expediency:

“As a Liberal Democrat, I strongly believe that it is important for all democratically elected representatives to have the opportunity to raise issues in the Council Chamber.  I feel particularly sorry that the Conservatives and UKIP as minor opposition parties are being even more short-changed by these proposals”.

Cllr Sykes has tabled amendmentquestions-to-ask-your-LASIK-doctors to the proposals to retain the existing arrangements.

Budget welcomed – by local Lib Dems

thCAGDS5F2Lib Dem Group Leader and Opposition Leader on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes, commented:

“The key things in the budget that will have a welcome impact upon the citizens of Oldham Borough include:

  • Help for lower and middle income earners by increasing the Personal Allowance by further £200 so that from April 2016 the tax threshold increases to £10,800 and from April 2017 to £11,000.

Raising the Personal Allowance was a commitment by the Liberal Democrats when they joined the Government. At that time, Prime Minister David Cameron said that it was not affordable – but the Liberal Democrats have done it.

An average worker is now over £800 a year better off as a result of this measure.

By 2017/2018, 27.2 million workers will have benefited from increases in the personal allowance and we will have lifted over 3.7 million out of income tax altogether.

  • Help for children with mental health problems by providing £1.25bn of new funding over the next five years to treat 110,000 more children with mental health issues, and provide rapid access to treatment for new mothers.

This investment has been secured following a recent personal commitment by the Deputy Prime Minister, Liberal Democrat Party Leader Nick Clegg.

  • Help for motorists by cancelling Labour’s fuel duty increase for September, so that fuel duty will have been frozen for five years – the longest freeze for more than 20 years.

This will give a total saving to the typical motorist of more than nine pounds every time they fill up their tank.

  • Help for people buying a house with a new Help to Buy ISA providing up to £3,000 for first time buyers using their savings to buy a home.

This is in addition to home owners making mortgage repayments benefitting from Britain’s lowest interest rates throughout the lifetime of this Parliament.

  • Help for savers by creating a new savings income allowance so that 95 per cent of individuals can now save completely tax free.

This will mean more money in the pockets of savers who work hard to put money aside.

  • Help for pensioners by introducing Steve Webb’s proposal to give people who have already bought an annuity greater flexibility over how they access its value.

This is on top of the Triple Lock commitment made by the Liberal Democrats that pensions should rise by inflation, average earnings or 2.5% each year, whichever is the highest figure, meaning that pensioners no longer face the humiliation of the 75p ‘rise’ grudgingly given by Gordon Brown’s miserly Government.

“And it is all fully paid for by delivering on Liberal Democrat policy:

  • By reducing the lifetime allowance for pension contributions that benefit from tax relief from £1.25m to £1m – affecting only the top 4% of wealthiest individuals.
  • By increasing the bank levy which will raise £4.4bn over the next five years.
  • By cracking down on off-shore tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance on those who are serial avoiders.

The Liberal Democrats have been cracking down on those who dodge tax with 40 loopholes, left by the last Labour Government, closed so far. This has resulted in billions of pounds in additional tax being collected over the course of this Parliament.

The latest measures announced in the budget will raise an extra £3bn – money that can be spent on schools and hospitals.

  • By ensuring capital gains tax entrepreneurs’ relief is well targeted and only available when someone is making a meaningful withdrawal from that business.”

“The economy is growing because of the hard work of people and businesses throughout Britain.

The UK currently has the fastest growth among G7 economies. At the end of 2014, the number of people in work was at a record high of 30.9m

This shows that in the face of rising instability around the world the Liberal Democrat plan is delivering stability and growth.

Also there are no pre-election give-aways which I also welcome.”

 

Liberal Democrat Budget Options – Spend to Save on Two Key Services and Cut Waste

thCAGDS5F2The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Cllr Howard Sykes MBE, will be presenting the Group’s budget options to today’s Council meeting.

Cllr Sykes said that he: “recognises that this is a very challenging time to present a budget and that hard choices are having to be made within the administration’s budget proposals.

“As in previous years, we are seeking to challenge when appropriate, offer constructive suggestions and options to cut unnecessary spending and seek to put resources into the basic services affecting the majority of our residents.

The amounts involved are comparatively small but will have a positive impact on two key services in this borough.”

The Liberal Democrats are proposing investments in gully cleaning and youth services.

Cllr Sykes continued: “For just £165,000 we could reinstate the level of gully clearing carried out under the previous Liberal Democrat administration with a further three teams being employed to jet out gullies that have been filled with soil and other debris.

“Such an investment can be termed spend to save as jetting means clogged gullies do not have to be dug out at huge expense. It also ensures that there is less risk of homes flooding, less water and ice on the roads, which endangers drivers and pedestrians, and, in the long term, a reduction in damage to the roads caused by frozen water breaking the road surfaces.”

In its other spend to save measure, the Liberal Democrat Group wants to make available a further £272,000 in 2016/17 for investment in youth services by the District Partnerships/Executives.

Commenting, Cllr Sykes said: “The Liberal Democrats firmly believe that local ward councillors and local peopl know best where money can be best spent on services in their locality. Local knowledge and requirements should determine the allocation of this money in each of the districts.

The Youth Service is an excellent service and investment in it saves money in the long run as young people are productively engaged rather than – in some instances – engaging in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Our proposal will I hope be accepted by the administration in the same way they accepted our suggestion that this years cuts to District staffing be decreased.”

Deputy Leader Cllr McCann, who will be seconding the amendment, stated that the extra money for the proposed investment will be found “reducing management, council publications, subscriptions and conferences and increasing income from optional council services”.

The Liberal Democrat Group is also proposing that in 2016/17 (ie during the next financial year) a review of the number of councillors takes place, with a reduction in numbers being considered.

Cllr McCann added: “A reduction in Councillors to two per ward instead of three would generate a minimum saving of £212,000 per year. We believe that such a reduction is possible now we have a Council run by a Cabinet rather than committees. We know this proposal will be popular because this was one of the suggestions that came forward from the public in the consultation over the budget”.

Cllr McCann was also pleased to see that the Labour Administration has adopted one of his suggestions in last year’s Budget debate that budgets on the Council’s capital programme could be reduced because of delays and efficiencies that he had identified.

He stated: “Last year, some Labour Councillors were adamant that I wanted to put the redevelopment of Oldham and Royton town centres ‘on hold’. In fact my common sense suggestion was that the figures in Labour’s budget simply did not stack up. Put simply they were allocating more money than they could spend in the financial year given delays in the capital programme.

It is interesting that this year Labour have quietly slipped in this very same proposal to the tune of some £5 million, hardly small beer. I am delighted that by building on our suggestion some of the harsh cuts to services have been mitigated and actual efficiencies found “.