Call for Nominations for the Oldham Sports Awards

Friday 1st July at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.  Guest Speaker: Beth Tweddle MBE.  Once again nominations are needed for the following categories:

  • Contribution to school sport
  • Sports Achiever
  • Disabled Sports Achiever
  • Young Volunteer of the Year
  • Volunteer of the Year
  • Changing Lifestyle Award
  • Club of the Year
  • Unsung Hero

The closing date for nominations is Friday 6th May 2016.  The nomination process has been made simpler and can be made through the following link: http://www.oldham.gov.uk/sports_award_nomination_form

My two allowed Questions to the Leader of Oldham Council for tonight’s Full Council meeting

questions-to-ask-your-LASIK-doctorLeaders Question 1 – Oldham Deprived and Unhappy

 My first question tonight concerns a disturbing recent report published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which has identified Oldham as the most deprived town in England.

In the study conducted by the ONS factors such as income, employment, health, education, skills and training, and crime were considered.

The study found that Oldham was the most deprived overall, with over 60% of our areas ranked in the most deprived 20% of all the areas of England.

This is an astonishing fact when you think it includes areas in the North East, Midlands, Yorkshire and elsewhere in the North West ALL OF WHICH are better than us!

I and my colleagues take no pride in topping this league table!

This time last year there was another survey published by the Rightmove estate agency chain; the Happy at Home survey asked UK homeowners questions about twelve factors relating to their experiences living in their area.

Oldham was placed 106th out of 130 local authorities.  And this was the aggregate score – we scored even worse on contentment and community safety at 123rd out of 130.

So, Mr Mayor, Oldham has once again been identified as both the most deprived Borough in England, and one of the least happy towns to live in the UK.

These are hardly accolades that we as elected local leaders aspire to; and they are hardly a great advertisement that will attract new business and new residents to our Borough as their location of choice.

Now we all know – because we live here – that all is not doom and gloom in our Borough.

We have great people, with our famed Northern humour, a ‘can do’ attitude and a proud history of industry and diversity.  We have great countryside and culture, but these national headlines do us no favours.

There has been much talk in this chamber of the significant physical regeneration that is being undertaken in this Borough, regeneration paid for ultimately by our hard-pressed Council Tax payers.

But if this physical regeneration does not lead to a real improvement in the economic fortunes and the physical and mental well-being of our most deprived and unhappy citizens it will have failed in what I see as one of its key objectives.

So my question to the Leader tonight.

What are we going to do to get ourselves not only off the top of this league table of most deprived but actually into another league altogether!

 Leaders Question 2 – Teenage Pregnancy

My second question to the Leader tonight, Mr Mayor, also references a recent publication by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) that equally makes disturbing news.

According to the ONS, Oldham’s teenage pregnancy rate is now the highest in Greater Manchester.  In 2014, 156 girls aged fifteen to seventeen became pregnant – this is a rate of 34.7 per 1,000 girls in this age bracket.

This is clearly concerning.

In October 2014, I rose to ask the then Leader a question about our Borough’s appalling record of tooth decay amongst children, but at that time I was also pleased to congratulate the Oldham Teenage Pregnancy Partnership on their work in reducing the teenage pregnancy rate by almost two thirds since 1998.

These latest figures demonstrate that there is still a lot of work to be done.

Mr Mayor, I am sure that in some instances the pregnancy is planned and the news is received with great joy, but in others this can be a very troubling occasion.

Frequently these teenagers begin motherhood at a great disadvantage, without the maturity, skills, financial and emotional support necessary to be most successful in the role.

Dependent often upon welfare benefits and socially isolated, they can begin their parenting role on the back-foot.

And despite their best efforts, they can also be subjected to disapproval and vilification by family members, by their peers and by the press, being dubbed ‘gym slip mothers’.

Sadly there have also been documented instances where medical professionals also share this prejudice.

So for my second question tonight, I would like to ask the Leader what is being done to ensure that the rates of unwanted teenage pregnancy in this Borough continue to decline and also to ensure that teenage mothers receive the support that they deserve in taking on the challenging responsibilities of parenthood at such a young age.

Cannabis use – information and advice

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Our local Shaw, Crompton and Royton Health & Well-being sub group have been looking into cannabis use and what is being done.  See info below and also the attached leaflet via the links.

Click on link for more info: Psychoactive Substances Act.1.3

Don’t forget, for friendly, confidential advice and information, you can call: FRANK on 0800 77 66 00 24 hours a day.  Calls are free from landlines and some mobiles.  There’s also a textphone for the hard of hearing on 0800 917 8765.  Or go to www.talktofrank.com

Action
Oldham Theatre Workshop: Oldham Theatre Work Shop has won a bid that was commissioned by the youth council. OASIS will be working closely to give specialist advice and input in the writing & developing of the piece. The long term plan is to take the production around secondary schools, colleges and the YJS team to raise awareness of the dangers of legal highs. They are hoping to have it ready for June but will be rolling out to schools in September.
Offer of  Drug and Alcohol training for Young people: Sessions will be tailored depending on the groups needs/issues, which would be identified by training request form. Training request form has been forwarded onto appropriate agencies/colleagues and contacts who work directly with Young People in the Crompton/ Shaw area. Brook/OASIS have:

·       Contacted all 3 schools, and have arranged to deliver an assembly to the whole of Year 10 at Oldham Academy North this Thursday. There in the process of arranging further assemblies for other year groups.

·       Booked in at Crompton House on 3rd May to deliver an assembly to the 6th form and will arrange additional sessions on sexual health and will try to arrange sessions on drugs/alcohol as requested.

·       Contacted Royton and Crompton to arrange sessions and they are awaiting a response.
Crucial Crew: Summary received that Crucial Crew will be delivered to Primary School children from all over Oldham. Involves workshops on a variety of topics on the theme of staying safe. OASIS staff deliver the risks of alcohol/drugs/smoking. The last one completed was last summer based at Mahdlo and saw over 2000 young people.

Although  OASIS don’t proactively target primary schools to deliver sessions, the vast majority of work is focused on secondary school age but they are willing to deliver sessions in primary schools when requested, they have delivered in a handful this academic year. Information of training shared with partners:

OASIS (Oldham Alcohol Substance Intervention Service) can deliver sessions on substance misuse, drugs, alcohol, smoking or legal highs to young people under the age of 19 in a variety of settings including:

•             As part of a PSHE programme

•             Tutorials

•             Targeted groups

•             Assemblies

•             Accredited 4 or 6 week programmes

•             Youth groups

•             Training providers

•             Colleges/6th forms

They can also deliver training for professionals.
Cannabis Information: The FRANK website is a good resource for any professional/ young   person to access if they have questions or concerns about any type of drug.  The information leaflets above are specific to Cannabis.
Legal High Professional Information Network (PIN): A Professionals Information Network (PIN) has been developed and over 60 people have signed up to it across the Partnership The PIN allows members to share information, experience and knowledge on New Psychoactive Substances (Legal Highs) and other drugs. Any professional/ councillor is welcome to join the PIN and view information. Anyone interested just needs to send me their e-mail address, so they can be invited to link into the site. The site is moderated by our Consultant on legal highs: Michael Linnell.  https://groups.google.com/d/forum/oldham-local-drug-information-system
The Psychoactive Substances Act: The Psychoactive Substances Act will come into force on the 6th April 2016. The Act will make it an offence to produce, supply or offer to supply any psychoactive substance if the substance is likely to be used for its psychoactive effects and regardless of its potential for harm. The only exemption from the Act are those substances already controlled by the Misuse of Drugs Act, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine and medicinal products. The attached brief summarises the Act (please be aware that its rumoured that it could be delayed to at least May and possibly as late as October). 
Legal Highs Training for Local Groups & Voluntary Organisations: OASIS & One Recovery will delivering small pieces of training (briefing sessions) to frontline staff from youth & voluntary groups in local communities on Legal Highs. This will be a very short session to ‘upskill’ these groups in recognising legal high use and their effects on young people/ adults who are more likely experimenting or using them recreationally. It’s hoped that we will be able to advertise the sessions on the VAO website.

Damning report shows homelessness will rocket due to Conservative housing bill

lgbt

A recently-released report from the Local Government Association shows that councils fear the Conservative Housing Bill will see a sell off of homes that will not be replaced and a rocketing of homelessness in communities across Britain.

The survey results are stark; of the councils which responded:

–          78% said there would be an increase in homelessness

–          90% of councils surveyed said their number of council homes would decrease

–          74% said the homes sold under Right To Buy would not be replaced

–          82% said there would be less estate regeneration

 Commenting, the Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Cllr Howard Sykes MBE, said:

“This report, which was called for by the Liberal Democrats on the Local Government Association, paints a very grim picture.  It is clear that this Conservative government is intent on devastating social and affordable housing for those most in need.  As a result there is likely to be a colossal rise in homelessness as poorer households struggle to find homes that are within their means.  Be in no doubt, the blame for this lies firmly at the Government’s door.”

“We need to stop this before it’s too late.  Liberal Democrats in the Lords have launched a major attack on the reforms and will be fighting them to the bitter end.”

“At December’s meeting of Council, the Liberal Democrats tabled an amendment calling for a local assessment to be carried out of the impact of the Housing Bill on the residents of our Borough.  I fear that our poorer citizens will suffer the devastating consequences of this mean-spirited legislation.”

Click on the link to see the report: LGA Executive – 3 March 2016 – Housing and Planning

A scandal that Conservative Trafford gets extra cash and Oldham gets Nowt, Says Sykes

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Cash strapped Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council will receive NOTHING from a £400M war chest to help Councils with funding cuts.  Trafford Council, ran by the Conservatives will receive £465,000 in ‘transitional’ funding from the Government.

This is cash aimed at helping councils cope with the transition from ‘dependence’ on the Government.

The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Cllr Howard Sykes, MBE, condemned the announcement:

“Quite clearly we have seen here a Conservative Government trying to curry favour amongst Conservative council leaders by offering them this bribe to keep quiet about spending cuts and remain on board.  Trafford Council which is one of the richest Councils in our region got almost half a million pounds; yet Oldham, a deprived Borough hammered by spending cuts and welfare reform, where there is a constant and increasing demand on Council services, has received nothing because its political hue isn’t blue.  This is simply naked cronyism!”

Liberal Democrats in Oldham are backing party colleagues in Rochdale who have submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Department of Communities and Local Government.  They are asking for an explanation of the ‘rationale’ behind the decision and if they are not satisfied with the response of Conservative Local Government Minister Greg Clarke MP will ask the Local Government Ombudsman to intervene.

Sykes backs Fairtrade Fortnight 2016

Fairtrade Fortnight Logo to accompany PRThe Leader of the Opposition and Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes, MBE, is urging local residents to get involved in Fairtrade Fortnight 2016 (29 February to 13 March) to help support farmers and growers living in poor communities around the world.

Cllr Sykes said: “Lack of food security is one of the world’s most critical issues.  Despite millions of farmers and workers in developing countries working hard to grow the food we eat every day, many do not earn enough to afford an adequate and nutritious diet.”

Research shows that half of the world’s hungry people, nearly 400 million, are estimated to live on small farms.*

Councillor Sykes added: “The Liberal Democrats strongly support the Fairtrade movement which guarantees the world’s poorest farmers and workers a decent and stable income for the products that they grow or make and bring to market.”

“I am proud that during my Administration, our Council became a local authority committed to purchasing and promoting Fairtrade products.  I am now asking as many people in our Borough as possible to get involved this Fairtrade Fortnight by purchasing products displaying the Fairtrade symbol.  This helps ensure a decent income for the poorest working families from around the world.”

Fairtrade works with 1.5 million farmers and workers in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin and Central America enabling them to earn a sustainable income and the Fairtrade Premium that they can invest in community, business and environmental projects.

For example, in Nicaragua, many coffee farmers suffer food shortages for the 3-4 ‘thin months’ before the coffee harvest.  Farmers at the Fairtrade coffee co-operative COOMPROCOM use the Fairtrade Premium to run programmes to grow food crops, and become more self-reliant.

Adam Gardner, Communities Campaigns Manager for the Fairtrade Foundation, said:

“Farming is the backbone of the world. It’s simply wrong that whilst farmers work hard to produce what we eat so many of them should go hungry themselves.”

“Shoppers in the UK can change this by making choices that help ensure food security for farming communities in developing countries; be it buying Fairtrade or campaigning against trade policies that can disadvantage farmers.”

“It is the support of campaigners such as the Oldham Liberal Democrat Council group that drives the Fairtrade movement forward and we hope the residents in the Oldham borough will join them this year.”

Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual campaign aiming to get shoppers, campaigners and businesses in the UK talking, thinking about and buying Fairtrade.

Thousands of events will be held in over 600 Fairtrade Towns, 1350 Fairtrade Schools, 170 Fairtrade Universities, and 7,500 Fairtrade Places of Worship.  You can find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight, and how to get involved in your local area, at http://fortnight.fairtrade.org.uk/

Notes

The Fairtrade Foundation is an independent certification body which licenses the use of the FAIRTRADE Mark on products which meet international Fairtrade standards. This independent consumer label appears on products to show that disadvantaged producers are getting a better deal from trade. Today, more than 1.3 million people – farmers and workers – across more than 70 developing countries benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

Over 5,000 products have been licensed to carry the FAIRTRADE Mark including coffee, tea, herbal teas, chocolate, cocoa, sugar, bananas, grapes, pineapples, mangoes, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, satsumas, lychees, coconuts, dried fruit, juices, smoothies, biscuits, cakes & snacks, honey, jams & preserves, chutney & sauces, rice, quinoa, herbs &  spices, seeds, nuts & nut oil, wines, rum, confectionary, muesli, cereal bars, yoghurt, ice-cream, flowers, sports balls, sugar body scrub and cotton products including clothing, homeware, cloth toys, cotton wool, olive oil, gold, silver and platinum.

Lib Dem Alternative Budget – Speech by Councillor Howard Sykes 24 Feb 2016

council-tax

Mr Mayor, I rise tonight to move the amendments to the Budget proposed by the Main Opposition Liberal Democrat Group.

In so doing it is interesting to comment that both the Conservative and UKIP as the Minor Opposition Groups have NOT bothered to table any amendments or offer any alternative to Labour’s proposals.

The Administration is proposing to increase Council Tax by two percent to create a ring-fenced budget of extra monies for adult social care, and a further one point seven percent increase to generally increase revenue.

As Liberal Democrats and a responsible opposition we support both moves but we have some clear differences from the Labour Administration as to where we should spend the general increase in revenue on and where additional savings could be made.

At this point, it would be remiss of me not to place on record my thanks to the all council officers and staff in making sure a balanced budget is presented.  Not an easy task this year to say the least.

The Lib Dem proposals are listed under Item 3e, Part 2, starting on Page 493 of tonight’s Council papers; it might be possible for all those who are not confirmed insomniacs to miss them.

Link to the Lib Dems Alternative Budget Proposals starting on page 493: http://committees.oldham.gov.uk/documents/g5890/Public%20reports%20pack%2024th-Feb-2016%2018.00%20Council.pdf?T=10

I would like therefore to highlight in summary, Mr Mayor, what the Lib Dems are proposing and why.

We would invest an extra five million pounds over the coming year in improving our Borough’s roads;

We would grant local councillors and the districts they represent a budget of £50,000 to spend in each of their wards to meet local priorities.

We would reverse an £80,000 cut proposed by Labour to retain three enforcement officers in post to combat dog-fouling, fly-tipping and litter in our communities.

We would invest £130,000 in establishing two new and additional gully cleaning teams.

We would invest more than £200,000 to restore the free Bulky Bob waste collection service for Oldham’s residents.

These investments reflect what our citizens say they want.  A Council that gets the basics right.  A Council that does its very best to help keep our Borough clean so we can all have pride in where we live.  And a Council that invests in our crumbling highways.

The other key question is how are we going to pay for this?

These basics will be funded by investing £1.2 million of the increase in extra revenue, but also by slashing more than £400,000 in unnecessary spending elsewhere at the Council.  This will enable us to invest £5 million to improve our highways.  To tackling the blight of fly-tipping, dirty streets, dog-fouling, blocked gullies and flooding.

Even in these harsh times we would increase Ward Budgets so that local Ward Councillors and local residents can work together with more cash – a million pounds across the Borough – to meet their local needs.

Mr Mayor, these investments will have a real positive impact on the lives of our residents in the communities in which they live, because we will be spending more on services ‘on the ground’ that they can see and value.

Our savings will hit bureaucracy and waste – with less spent on councillors, less on staff sickness, less on consultants, less on council publications and less on external conferences.  All things in these harsh times we need to and must cut back on.

So more spent on REAL services for REAL people; less spent on unseen, unloved and unvalued so called ‘back office’ functions in the Civic Centre.

Our proposals reflect our party’s differences in philosophy and priorities over those of this Administration.  REAL devolved power and to have REAL POWER you need the CASH!

Liberal Democrats have always believed that decisions should be made bottom up and not top down because it is our view that local leaders (councillors) and local people know best.

After all we seek more devolved decision making for Greater Manchester and our Borough from the Government and its institutions.  And rightly so: so using the same logic, our local districts should have more devolved decision making, more power and more cash.  After all what is good for the goose is good for the gander!

We have a common sense approach to spending, making investments to save money in the long-term and I should like to say more about this point here, Mr Mayor.

Given the limited amount of time available to me in this speech, I would like to focus on just one investment that we propose in our amendment and explain why this represents an invest to save measure.

I want to focus on gully cleaning and I make no apology for this.  In 2007, the Liberal Democrat Administration invested money in gully cleaning teams to prevent a recurrence of flooding problems inherited as a result of Labour neglect.

This flooding also impacted on the quality of highways and footways with water and frost damage causing surfaces to break up and massively shortening road surfaces useful life and leading to an outbreak of pot holes and other road surface defects.

So this is something we did before and it is a proposal that we will continue to raise as an Opposition group.  This is about getting the basics right, it is about common sense.

Blocked drains generate surface water which damages road surfaces, creates potholes, and represents a road hazard, particularly when frozen.

Surface water can also seep into adjacent homes and, with our recent incessant rain and the experience of some of our residents we should all be mindful of this, it causes flooding.

It is also a laborious and expensive process to clear blocked drains as they must be dug out by hand.  And how expensive I hear you ask – well let me tell you it is more than five times, yes FIVE TIMES more expensive than what it would have cost to jet clean them in the first place.

A failure to invest in adequate gully cleaning is such a false economy.

As I have previously said this is about getting the basics right – spending a little more now routinely jetting gullies before they get blocked to make a colossal saving when they do later.

And this is just the financial saving – the personal saving to residents not having to risk life and limb navigating icy and water-logged roads, or having to salvage their water-damaged possessions from flooded homes, is incalculable.

The Administration will tonight talk a lot about the capital investment being made on regeneration projects in our town centre, and this is all well and good, but our proposals are about getting the basics right.

We can have as many prestigious retail and leisure developments as you like in our town centre.

But if we have crumbling highways and flooding, litter and dog-fouling on our streets, the quality of life and value of self-worth of our residents will not be what it should and can be.  Getting these basics right will also help attract those inward investors that we all seek.

Mr Mayor, I have talked so far about the differences of philosophy and priorities that exist between this Administration and ourselves, however it would be remiss of me not to also talk of our common ground.

It is our job as an Opposition, a responsible Opposition, to seek to challenge the Administration over finance and to offer constructive suggestions and options to make further savings without damaging services and to invest to improve those services for the citizens we all serve.

However it is also our responsibility as an Opposition to continue to stand four-square alongside the Administration in continuing to resist local government cuts and to fight for a fair deal for our Borough.

As I have stated in this Chamber before, I will do all that I can to work with the Council Leader to ensure that Oldham’s case is heard in the distant corridors of Whitehall and London.

It continues to be a very difficult time for elected Members – of whatever party – and their Officers to have to balance a Council budget, so I pay tribute to all  – councillors and officers – who this year have shouldered their responsibilities in bringing to us a balanced budget tonight.

In the majority of instances, Mr Mayor, the Liberal Democrats have supported the Administration.  In this Chamber, we have backed the savings proposed in Tranche One, in Tranche Two and in the main, in Tranche Three, with the notable exception of proposing to reverse the most unfortunate cut in the numbers of enforcement officers.

Where we can we will continue to support this Administration – this is not about Opposition for Opposition’s sake – and tonight again we will support most of the Administration’s proposals in this Pale Green Book.

But let us not be in any doubt that times are going to get tougher yet!  Last year I predicted – and I quote – “whoever forms the next Government; things will not change much and in a couple of scenarios could get a lot worse!”

Well, Mr Mayor, I regret to say that with the outright election of a hard-line Conservative Government, dedicated to so called continued austerity and the desire of a now-unfettered Conservative Chancellor to ‘cut, cut and cut again’, my worst fears have been realised.

So we must continue the fight with central Government for fair finance and for fighting our corner as Oldham within a devolved Greater Manchester but we must also be mindful of the reality that cuts will continue during the lifetime of this Parliament.

That is why we, as Liberal Democrats, recognise that, with a shrinking budget and less money to play with, we should focus what little money we have on where it will make the greatest positive impact.

That is why I believe that we need to work together to look to make budget reductions in ways that retain those services that are core to our business and are valued most highly by our residents; to continue to invest money where this will enable us to work smarter and to reduce bureaucracy, duplication of effort, and waste.

We must always – ALWAYS – try to protect the services needed by the most vulnerable residents of our Borough.  These are the priorities that drive the Liberal Democrats and these priorities underpin the proposals we have brought to this Chamber tonight.

Mr Mayor, I do hope that members from other parties in this Chamber will share these priorities – and that they will want to support our proposals.  With this in mind, I therefore commend our proposals to this Chamber.

POSTSCRIPT: Only the 10 Lib Dems and one Independent Councillor voted for the above proposals.  The two Conservative and two UkiP Councillors where happy to support the 45 Labour Councillors and Labour’s budget – as usual.