Liberal Democrats call for Proper Funding for Public Health Services

At the next full meeting of Oldham Council (Wednesday 12 December), the Liberal Democrats will be proposing a motion calling on the Conservative Government to restore disastrous cuts made to public health.

The motion will be proposed by Councillor Chris Gloster and seconded by Councillor Garth Harkness.

In the 2015 Budget, the Chancellor announced a £200 million in-year cut to the Public Health Grant, followed by a further real-terms cut averaging 3.9% each year (until 2020/21) in the 2015 Spending Review.

These cuts are having a significant impact on public health services and functions. By way of example, research conducted by Action on Smoking and Health and Cancer Research UK shows that, following reductions to the Public Health Grant in 2015, 2016, and 2017, stop smoking services were cut in 39%, 59% and 50% of local authorities respectively year-on-year. Now, 4 in 10 local authorities are not able to offer a stop smoking service for all smokers in their area.

Commenting Councillor Gloster said: “Oldham is a borough with a high incidence of poor health. Many of our residents suffer from long-term health conditions and many others are at risk of developing such diseases as cardiovascular disease, liver disease, diabetes, CPD and cancer, often because of a poor diet or poor life style choices. Taking funds away from prevention services that prevent ill health is a false economy. Smoking, obesity and alcohol account for 80,000, 30,000 and 7,000 early deaths each year respectively; and smoking remains the single biggest cause of preventable cancer.”

The Liberal Democrats want to see increased and sustained Government funding for public health to address health inequalities in deprived boroughs like Oldham, but the present Government is instead proposing to cut existing funding and make Councils rely on business rates

Councillor Gloster added: “The Government is looking to phase out the Public Health Grant by 2020/21 and to replace this with funding via business rates retention. This might work in a local authority area with low rates of long-term ill-health and a very vibrant local economy, but in an economically-deprived borough like Oldham it is unlikely to stack up and this will mean that poorly people will suffer as they will no longer have access to the vital health services that they need. We want to see Oldham Council support the Cancer Research UK campaign for the Public Health Grant to be restored.”

Sustainable Public Health Funding

Council notes that:

Around four in ten cancers are preventable, largely through avoidable risk factors, such as stopping smoking, keeping a healthy weight and cutting back on alcohol.

Smoking accounts for 80,000 early deaths every year and remains the largest preventable cause of cancer in the world. Additionally, obesity and alcohol account for 30,000 and 7,000 early deaths each year respectively. All three increase the risk of: cancer, diabetes, lung and heart conditions, poor mental health and create a subsequent burden on health and social care.

The public health grant funds vital services and functions largely delivered by local authorities to prevent ill health and reduce the burden placed upon the NHS and local authorities; for example, social care for smoking-related illnesses is estimated to cost local authorities £760 million per annum.
In 2018/19 and 2019/20 every local authority will have less to spend on public health than the year before.
The Government is looking to phase out the Public Health Grant by 2020/21 and to replace this with funding via business rates retention.

Council believes that:

The impact of cuts to public health on our communities is becoming difficult to ignore.
It is vital that local authorities have enough funding to deliver the functions and services they need to provide. Deprived areas, like Oldham, suffer the worst health outcomes, so it is also vital that areas with the greatest need receive sufficient funding to meet their local challenges.
Taking funds away from prevention is a false economy. Without proper investment in public health services, people suffer, demand on local health services increases and the economy suffers. Poor public health costs local businesses heavily through sick days and lost productivity.
We must restore public health funding or our health and care system will remain locked in a ‘treatment’ approach, which is neither economically viable nor protects the health of residents.

Council resolves to:

Continue to support and fund public health initiatives to the best of our abilities – to prevent ill-health, reduce inequalities and support a health and social care system that is fit for the future.
Ask the Chief Executive to write to:
Cancer Research UK setting out this Council’s support for their call for increased and sustainable public health funding.
The Secretary of State for Health calling on the Government to deliver increased investment in public health and to support a sustainable health and social care system by taking a ‘prevention first’ approach.

Proposed by Councillor Chris Gloster. Seconded by Councillor Garth Harkness.

Liberal Democrats Opposed to Fast-Track Fracking

The Oldham Liberal Democrats are submitting a motion to the next full meeting of Oldham Council opposing Government changes to planning procedures on fracking matters.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Dave Murphy is proposing the motion and Councillor Derek Heffernan is seconding it.

Councillor Murphy explained: “The Conservative Government is quite simply trying to circumvent established local planning procedures because they know that fracking is simply not popular with either Councils or the public. Recent fracking activities on the Fylde Coast have demonstrated that there are public health issues with fracking activities, such operations involve many vehicle movements, ground disturbances that have led to earth tremors, and the real danger that fracking could lead to the pollution of local water supplies. It is only right that where such operations are contemplated that local people and their elected Councillors are able to properly consider them under established planning procedures.”

He added: “And this is not simply about fracking. There is a danger that the government could decide that other contentious planning issues, such as building new nuclear power plants or housing on the green belt, could be considered at national level, denying local people and local Councillors any say in what goes on in their area. At the end of the day they are the people who have to live with the consequences. This goes completely against the grain of localism, which is about divesting power to local communities, and it is fundamentally undemocratic, and this is why as Liberal Democrats we are opposed to these changes.”

Changes to the Planning System to Fast-track Fracking

Council notes:

With concern that the government is proposing two major changes to the planning system as it applies to shale gas extraction (or fracking) by:
Granting automatic planning permission for exploratory drilling prior to fracking, using ‘permitted development’ rules. This would remove the need for companies to submit a planning application and so also reduce local democratic scrutiny.
Including shale gas production projects in the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime. This would take decision-making powers on shale gas production away from local councils and hand it to central government.
That wherever fracking has been proposed, it has been opposed by the public and local authorities because of real fears about noise, traffic, air pollution, the impact on the countryside, and the effects on climate change.
That the Cardiff Business School has produced a report that reveals that to replace 50% of the UK’s projected future gas imports for 2021-2035 would in the most likely scenario require around 6100 fracking wells to be built on well pads that could cover the area of 4900 football pitches. This would require the equivalent of drilling and fracking one well every day for fifteen years.

Council believes that:

The Government’s proposals completely contradict the principles of localism and set a dangerous precedent for planning authorities in denying them the right to determine certain types of planning applications locally and in denying members of the public and communities their say during the planning process.
‘Permitted Development’ – the category of planning that the government wants to move shale gas exploration drilling into – which was designed for developments with a low environmental impact and is an inappropriate category for drilling which has such wide-reaching implications for local communities and climate change.
Bringing fracking applications under the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime will be harmful to local communities.
Local authorities and local people are best placed to continue to make decisions throughout the planning process on matters that affect their locality, including fracking.

Council therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to:

Write to the relevant government ministers outlining this Council’s objections to the proposed changes and requesting that fracking applications, or indeed on any other planning matter relating to our locality and its people, be determined locally.
Copy in our three local Members of Parliament and the Mayor of Greater Manchester and ask for their support on this issue.

Proposed Councillor Dave Murphy, Seconded Councillor Derek Heffernan.

Help and advice Dec 18 – May 19

Liberal Democrat Leader seeks Establishment of Greater Manchester Business Forum to encourage Trade with Palestine

The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has today written to Councillor Sir Richard Leese, Deputy Mayor for the Economy in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Leader of Oldham Council asking them to organise high-level events in Greater Manchester and in Oldham to enable the Palestinian Trade Representative in the UK to meet local business people to discuss British – Palestinian trade.

The date is especially auspicious as 29 November is in fact the United Nations Day for International Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Councillor Sykes is backing the ‘1% initiative’ launched by the UK Government and the Palestinian Authority earlier this year. This seeks to promote Palestinian information technology businesses as prospective partners to UK businesses needing their services; it is hoped that 1% of UK business will be awarded to Palestinian firms. This will help the Palestinian economy to flourish, meaning the new nation will be less dependent on aid and will help create jobs for Palestinians in their home country.

Commenting, Councillor Sykes said: “Whenever we see news about Palestine, it is usually concerned with the ongoing dispute between the Palestinian people and their Jewish neighbours and the scenes are invariably violent. I am sure that many people have been shocked by the appalling plight of the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza. However there is another unreported side to Palestine in which, despite the adverse circumstances, the Palestinian people are seeking through their own industry and intellect to develop their economy and nation.”

Councillor Sykes added: “It is little known that Palestine has the potential to meet the IT outsourcing needs of many UK businesses and at a very competitive cost. The Palestinian ICT sector currently employs 6,000 people and it constitutes over 7% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, and there are over 3,000 new IT graduates leaving Palestinian universities every year, all keen to find employment. I think we should give them a helping hand by hosting some events to which our local businesses can be invited. Hopefully this will lead to some bi-lateral trade deals.”

Palestine has expertise in software development and testing, network management and maintenance, business process outsourcing, web development, mobile applications, quality assurance and other technical areas. Graduates speak English to a good standard, and the Arabic accent is clear and easy to understand. Furthermore there is only a two hour difference between UK and Middle Eastern time.

In July 2018, the Minister of State for the Middle East Alastair Burt MP announced that the UK Government will provide up to £38 million in aid over the next five years to Palestine, in part to aid economic development. One of the objectives of the aid package is to ‘connect Palestinian IT firms and UK businesses to create jobs for Palestinians.’

Dunwood Park Cafe

McGrother Building, Dunwood Park, Shaw

Following a tender process, Pure Innovations have been selected to operate the café within the McGrother Building, Dunwood Park.

They will provide a community focused café. Heads of terms have been agreed with the proposed operator and the Council’s Legal Dept has been instructed complete the new lease.

Currently the building only has temporary planning permission to operate a café and this had expired. Pure Innovations have submitted a planning application for a permanent change of use to a café and the decision should be confirmed by the Planning Dept towards the end of the year.

Also as required an application has been made to the Heritage Lottery Fund for their consent to this new letting and café operator.

It is hoped that the new café will be open early in the New Year and Pure Innovations are looking forward to working with all the local groups and communities to promote the use of Dunwood Park and encourage further visitors to the park.