As you will no doubt be aware, work is ongoing at the Crompton Way / Milnrow Road / Linney Lane / Salts Street junction to install traffic signals / pedestrian crossing facilities.
As part of this work, it will be necessary to close Milnrow Road at its junction with Crompton Way on Sunday 21 September in order to take out the existing traffic island / pedestrian refuge and construct a new one.
Well Hello there, do you want to make YOUR Big Bill into a Little Bill…?
Little Bill is working with your Local Council and the Greater Manchester Energy Advice service to help make your home more energy efficient. We have a package of help available ranging from solar panels, new boilers and financial support for insulation (including solid wall insulation).
You may live in a Green Deal Communities area where you can also apply for up to £7,000 towards home improvements such as new windows and doors, central heating systems, solar panels and insulation.
Visit our website to see if you fall within these areas – Funds are limited, so hurry before it runs out!
Visit www.gmenergyadvice.co.uk to find out more or call 0800 009 3363 or 0161 234 5460 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).
Fancy being a Little Bill Show Home…?
We are looking for households in our Green Deal Communities areas to become a show home and demonstrate innovative energy-saving improvements and share their experiences. In return, we will be offering selected households up to £12,000 towards the costs of these improvements.
30 households across Greater Manchester will be selected, according to criteria including location, house type and the range of energy improvements that could be installed. This offer is only available to households in Little Bill Communities areas – check the website to see if you qualify.
Residents on low incomes – For residents who are on specific eligible benefits we also have access to grants to assist with boiler replacement and free insulation.
Terms and conditions apply, see our website for further information.
Best wishes,
Little Bill
Follow me on Twitter @asklittlebill
NB: GMEA is the new name for Greater Manchester Energy Advice Services which helped thousands of households benefit from warmer homes thanks to the Get Me Toasty campaign which ran in partnership with local councils from 2011 to 2013.
Councillors Rod Blyth, Mark Alcock and Howard Sykes.
Also Parish Councillors Aspinall, Farrell, Duffy, Hall, Stephens, Dodd, Robinson, Murphy and Wood will also attend.
7.30pm – 8.30pm, Lifelong Learning Centre, High Street, Shaw, OL2 8TB.
Thursday: September: 4, 11, 18
Shaw and Crompton Beating The Bounds 2014
Sunday 21 September 2014
Shaw & Crompton Parish Council are again celebrating the “Beating The Bounds” walk. Take part in this historic walk along the boundary of Shaw & Crompton. The walk is a circular route, of about 13 miles, taking in sites including, Jubilee, Pingot Quarry, Crompton Moor, Brushes Clough, Fullwood, and Ellen road; walkers can expect to see stunning views over the Pennines and Oldham and beyond.
The walk will leave from Dunwood Park, Shaw OL2 7UQ at 09.30am. If required a break will be taken at the Kings Arms, Grains Bar OL4 2JX ; other rest breaks will be available at St. Joseph’s Church, Shaw OL2 8SZ and The Puckersley Inn, 22 Narrowgate Brow, Royton OL2 6YD. For those who want an easier walk why not join us at the King’s Arms (approx. 12.00) or St. Joseph’s Church, (approx. 13.30 pm) or The Puckersley Inn, (approx.14.30 pm) where we then continue along the rest of the journey.
Anyone interested in participating in this free guided walk should meet at Dunwood Park Cafe, Smallbrook Road, Shaw, OL2 7UQ, at 09:15 am.
Walkers will need to be physically fit to take part in this intermediate-to-hard walk. Please bring a packed lunch and drinks sufficient for the walk together with water proofs and suitable footwear.
For more information prior to or on the day of the walk please contact:
Dr Ray Hughes, Clerk to the Council (clerk.shawcrompc@btconnect.com) on: 01706 847590 or Cllr Chris Stephens on: 07752968201
Shaw Baths
The closure of Shaw Baths was the subject of an officer report and presentation at last night’s Shaw and Crompton District Executive (22/07/14) following a request local councillors has made at an earlier meeting.
Many members of the public asked questions and the four items detailed below were also tabled at the meeting and voted upon. All of which would allow the Pool to re-open.
Shaw and Crompton District Executive resolved to:
1) Ask Oldham Council to spend the £50,000 identified in the report to fix the fault that caused Crompton Pool to close, plus any subsequent costs because of the length of time the Pool has deliberately remained closed so that the Pool can remain open, as promised until 2016.
Proposed Cllr Rod Blyth
Seconded Cllr Diane Williamson
2) Request that the recently announced Town Centre Viability money (£100K) be used to pay for the works to be completed so that Crompton Pool can remain open, as promised until 2016 – this would increase footfall into the Shaw Town Centre thus helping businesses.
Proposed Cllr Howard Sykes
Seconded Cllr Dave Murphy
3) Use the District Executive’s own resources to pay for the Crompton Pool works to be completed so that Pool can remain open, as promised until 2016.
Proposed Cllr Diane Williamson
Seconded Cllr Rod Blyth
4) Request the Council uses a mixture of all its own funds, the Town Centre Fund and the District Executives funds to pay for the Crompton Pool works to be completed so that the Pool can remain open, as promised until 2016.
Proposed Cllr Dave Murphy
Seconded Cllr Howard Sykes
Each resolution was agreed unanimously by Councillors Mark Alcock, Rod Blyth, John Dillon, Dave Murphy, Howard Sykes and Diane Williamson
Questions to the Leader of Oldham Council – from Cllr Howard Sykes – Oldham Council Meeting 16 July 14
Q1. Closure of Crompton Pool
I would like to ask my first question about Crompton Pool, known to local people as Shaw Baths.
After the “temporary” closure of the baths in May, there were many weeks with no public announcements or updates for local elected Members or service users.
It was only earlier this month that the bombshell was dropped when the Cabinet Member suddenly announced that the pool will not re-open.
Does the Leader not fully appreciate the depth of anger and frustration felt by local people when they finally heard that this popular facility will now remain permanently closed because this Council will not find £50,000 to carry out the necessary repairs to a boiler to re-open it?
For the sake of only £50,000, many hundreds of local swimmers, members of a local swimming club and the pupils of local schools have been denied the use of a much loved and valued facility in their hometown.
This decision, taken behind closed doors and without a scintilla of public consultation, amounts to a total betrayal by this Labour Administration of the promise made to the people of Shaw and Crompton that the baths would remain open until the new facility at Royton opens in 2016.
Would the Leader concur that this action is not conducive to community cohesion as the people of Shaw and Crompton, who have also seen their local tip closed and plans to redevelop the health centre come to naught, feel more like the ‘have nots’ in this borough?
The people of Shaw and Crompton deserve to be treated better.
Q2. The Manchester Street and Union St West Footbridges
My second question concerns the employment of a rather larger figure than £50,000 – this time to demolish a white elephant rather than preserve a much needed local facility like Shaw Baths.
The Manchester Street footbridge cost £800,000 to build in 1993/94 or about £1.5M at today’s prices.
It has always been a source of problems from the day it eventually opened – later than planned I might add.
It has been subjected to repeated vandalism, it was described as “difficult to use” especially by older people and for those pushing prams, and it was used as an informal ‘youth centre’ and a vantage point for those intent on attacking and robbing passers-by.
All these issues were predicated by the then Lib Dem Opposition who fought the proposals to build this white elephant tooth and nail, calling the structure a totally unnecessarily crystal palace in the sky!
Now there is a proposal to demolish the footbridge with the work starting in August.
Can the Leader confirm that the cost of demolition is expected to be at least £500,000?
So at today’s prices that is £2M for this folly!
Now that £2M would make a substantial contribution not just to fix Crompton Pool but to replace it?
But that is not the end of this sorry story. It gets better – on top of the £2M, at a later date will be the cost of providing some alternative crossing provision at this or near to this location.
Now if we want to spend money on bridges lets do something about the Union Street West footbridge near the Sixth Form College.
This was built in 2000 at a cost of £900,000 or £1.3M in today’s prices. This bridge has always been plagued with vandalism, broken glass panels and structural problems.
In October 2009, cabinet member Councillor Shoab Akhtar was quoted in the local media: “Hundreds of people use this bridge every day and they are growing concerned and feel vulnerable especially with longer nights approaching.
There is nothing allocated to the bridge in this year’s Capital Budget but I urge the council to find the money to get this fixed as soon as possible.”
Will the Leader tell me whether, if five years on, Cllr Akhtar will see his wish granted?
Q3. Camera Cars
The Leader will doubtless recall that at October’s Council an Administration Motion attacking proposals by Conservative Ministers in the Department of Communities and Local Government to ban the use of CCTV camera cars received cross-party support.
Following the resolution, our then Chief Executive at the request of council wrote to the department outlining our objections.
Minister Brandon Lewis in his response invited the Council to respond to a forthcoming consultation on parking. This ran from December to 14th February 2014; hardly an end date we would have picked as the proposal was so unloved.
On 21st June, the department published the findings of the consultation.
In this it is reported that local authorities, cycling groups, disability groups, schools and transport groups were almost all universally opposed to this proposal, and that even groups representing motorists had mixed feelings.
I do hope that, given the depth of feeling in this chamber, that Oldham Council also submitted its comments in opposition to the proposal.
Despite this Conservative Government Ministers want to press ahead with their proposal for a ban by amending the Deregulation Bill now before Parliament.
Can I invite the Leader and Conservative and UKIP Group Leaders to join me in writing a letter to the co-sponsors of the Deregulation Bill, Oliver Letwin MP and Lord Wallace of Saltaire, asking them to resist the inclusion of clauses aimed at introducing the ban, and to also write to our three local MPs asking them to support the Council’s position?
Howard Sykes
16 July 2014
Dear Sir or Madam
RE:DOG CONTROL ORDER: CLEAN NEIGHBOURHOODS AND ENVIRONMENT ACT 2005
We receive numerous complaints annually concerning dog owners who allow their dogs to foul in public places; in order for the Neighbourhood Enforcement team to fully investigate a complaint please provide me with the following information
* The times when the owner takes their dog out
* The location where the fouling has occurred
* A description of the dog
* A description of the owner
* If the dog owner is using a car, the registration number
Dog owners who do not clean up after their dogs face an immediate £80 fixed penalty fine or face prosecution by the Local Authority which can result in a fine of up to £1000.
Should you have any queries or require any further advice, please contact the Enforcement Officer on the above telephone number or email below.
Tel: 0161 770 2244
Email: environmentalhealth@oldham.gov.uk
Cllr Howard Sykes pleased by Metrolink Car Parking Boost
Liberal Democrat Shaw Councillor Howard Sykes has welcomed the announcement that more car parking spaces will be created at the Shaw and Crompton Metrolink station to serve local commuters.
Cllr Sykes, a Shaw Councillor since 1987, now represents Oldham Council on the Transport for General Manchester (TfGM) committee. He was pleased to hear that Oldham Council has negotiated the purchase of a new site for car-parking off Beal Lane and that plans are in-hand by TfGM to create a further 45 car-parking spaces.
Commenting on the plans, Cllr Sykes said:
“For many years now, in fact from well before the closure of the Oldham – Rochdale railway line in 2009, Shaw and Crompton Liberal Democrat Councillors have been campaigning for more parking at the Shaw and Crompton Station.
“Shaw and Crompton was always the busiest station on the old railway line and this has not changed with the opening of Metro-link.
“Existing car-parking is always full well before 8 am. If we are serious about making Metrolink an attractive and green option for commuters, we need to provide sufficient parking spaces for them to ‘park and ride’.
“The latest plans provide for 45 more spaces, doubling existing provision. Until now, commuters have had to drive the extra distance to Derker Station, an option that is unreasonable and not environmentally friendly.
“The proposal for the new ‘Park and Ride’ spaces will be reported at a meeting of Transport for General Manchester this coming Friday.
“Now that the purchase of the land is in place, I would urge the officers responsible at Oldham Council and at TfGM to make every effort to carry out the necessary works to bring these new spaces into operation as a priority, so we can all feel the benefits as soon as possible.
As you are probably aware the off licence at the junction of Fraser Street and Rochdale Road was hit by a vehicle over the weekend and the building will need demolishing. Emergency traffic management was introduced when the incident occurred (i.e. heras fencing and barriers) but this is not suitable for any length of time as Rochdale Road traffic is having to travel on the wrong side of the road and pedestrians are left vulnerable due to the footway being closed..
Arrangements have therefore been made for four way lights to be introduced which will allow pedestrian provision to be created and traffic to confidently travel on the wrong side of the road.
At present it is not possible to advise how long the lights will be in operation.
Lib Dems announce: Your pension to be protected by law
The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes, has welcomed the recent announcement that the Liberal Democrats are committed to protect pensions by law.
Lib Dem Pensions Minister Steve Webb has confirmed that pensioners would be guaranteed to earn at least an extra £790 per year by the end of the next Parliament under the party’s manifesto plans.
These changes mean the state pension will be worth at least £131-a-week by 2020, up from just £97.65 four years ago.
On hearing the news, Cllr Sykes said:
“Thanks to the Triple Lock guarantee that has been introduced by the Liberal Democrats in government, the basic state pension has been raised each year of this Parliament in line with average earnings, prices or 2.5%; whichever has been higher. The triple lock was a key demand from the Liberal Democrats in Coalition negotiations.
“The means the state pension is £440 higher per year in 2014-15 than if it had increased in line with earnings from the start of this Parliament, and worth over £800 a year more in total.
“Only the Liberal Democrats are committed to write this guarantee into law, giving pensioners more certainty that their pension will continue to rise in future”.
Announcing the plan, Lib Dem Pensions Minister Steve Webb said:
“A decent income in retirement for pensioners is central to the Liberal Democrat vision of a fair society.
“For decades, successive Labour and Conservative governments allowed the state pension to decline after Mrs. Thatcher broke the ‘earnings link’ in 1980. Our manifesto promise of a ‘triple lock’ has been implemented every year since 2010 and means that the state pension is already a higher share of the national average wage than at any time since the early 1990s.
“But if we are serious about having a decent state pension we need to go further. That is why the Liberal Democrats will guarantee in law that in each year pensions will rise by the highest of wages, prices or 2.5%.”
The Liberal Democrat plans are in stark contrast to the Labour years, which on one occasion saw Gordon Brown increase the state pension by just 75p-a-week.
The triple lock guarantee would ensure an increase in the value of the state pension of at least £790 per year by the end of the next Parliament.