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.

Item I would have raised if Labour had not ran the clock out at tonight’s Full Council meeting – about air quality

aqmrc_bannerGreater Manchester Combined Authority Minutes 27-11-2013 Page 91, Item 161/15 – Low Emissions Strategy and Air Quality Action Plan

Can I remind the Leader that I asked her predecessor a question in relation to the maintenance of air quality standards in Council in February 2014?

This remains a serious issue.

It is estimated that around 30,000 people die every year in the UK because of poor air quality and it has a serious impact on residents with respiratory and cardio-vascular illness.

Given the importance of this issue, can I seek the assurance from the Leader that this Council will be responding to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s consultation being held as part of a review of the proposed action plan?

Questions from the Leader of the Opposition to the Council Leader – Oldham Council 5th Feb. 2014,  Monitoring Air Quality:

As one of the foremost cotton towns, with a continued legacy amongst our citizens of poor respiratory and cardio-vascular health, we must all recognise the importance of clean air to the well-being of the residents and wildlife of this borough.

Certainly in Shaw and Crompton, ward members, being conscious of the ongoing impact of diesel fumes from the many HGVs that pass through our ward, en-route to and from local distribution centres, have campaigned long and hard for the installation of a station to monitor air quality.  This campaign was recently rewarded when such a station was installed on Crompton Way.

Councillors may be unaware that the Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollutants estimates that up to 29.000 deaths in the UK per year are attributable to poor air quality and that the World Health Organisation has recently classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans.

I was therefore recently concerned to hear of a suggestion by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that the legal obligation be removed from local authorities to monitor air quality.

I am sure that the Leader will want to join me in seeking to maintain our Council’s commitment to carrying out these checks, and to continue to participate in the work of the Greater Manchester Air Quality Network, so can I invite him to join me (and the other group leader on Oldham Council) in sending a joint letter to the Minister expressing our concern over this issue?

Oldham Council needs National Living Wage Accreditation, say Lib Dems

national-living-wageThe Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE is proposing a motion to next Wednesday’s Council meeting (23 March) that Oldham Council should seek accreditation as a National Living Wage employer.

Councillor Sykes said: “I am proud as a Councillor when, in December 2013, Oldham Council adopted a resolution proposed by the Liberal Democrats to become a National Living Wage employer.”

“In April 2015, the National Living Wage was introduced for all Council staff, and five hundred and forty of our lowest paid staff received a pay rise as a result.”

“The Council should be proud of this achievement and we should say so publicly. One way of doing this is by applying for accreditation with the National Living Wage Foundation.”

Councillor Sykes is supported by his Liberal Democrat colleague Councillor Diane Williamson, who is seconding the motion.

Councillor Williamson added: “The Liberal Democrats believe that we should as a Council apply for formal accreditation. 1,800 other employers across the UK, including some local authorities, have already done this.  This would allow the Council to publicly display the Living Wage Employer Mark.  Not only would this be an example that other forward-thinking employers could follow in our Borough, but it would be an outward sign that Oldham Council pays a decent wage to its employees for a decent day work and would be a useful tool when recruiting staff.”

 The motion is below: 

Council 23rd March 2016 – Notice of Opposition Business –

Motion – Becoming an Accredited Living Wage Employer

Council notes that the Living Wage Foundation:

  • Exists to recognise and celebrate the leadership shown by living wage employers in raising the living standards of workers.
  • Establishes two Living Wage rates every year for employees outside and inside London.
  • Has over 1,800 employers accredited with them, with over 1,000 having registered as payers of the National Living Wage in the past year.
  • Permits accredited employers to proudly display the Living Wage Employer Mark.

Council further notes that:

  • Oldham Council first resolved to become a National Living Wage employer as a result of a motion brought to full Council in December 2013
  • The National Living Wage was introduced as the minimum pay scale for all staff in April 2015.
  • As a result five hundred and forty staff had a pay increase.
  • In his annual statement to September Council the Leader of the Council rightly highlighted the fact that this was a commendable achievement.

However despite this achievement, Oldham Council is not currently Living Wage accredited and therefore has not yet received the Living Wage Employer Mark.

Council therefore resolves to ask the Chief Executive to:

  • Seek accreditation with the Living Wage Foundation and
  • Ensure that the Living Wage Employer Mark is proudly displayed on appropriate pages within the Council’s website and in appropriate printed materials.

Spring into Shaw and Crompton community marketplace

advice-post-it-anthony-design17 March 2016 4.00pm – 6.30pm Shaw Lifelong Learning Centre High Street, OL2 8RQ

Do you want to find out about local services? Would you like to speak to someone face to face? Why not come along and ask us anything?

Claim your free raffle ticket for a chance to win a prize. Watch our expert circus performers. You can even have a go yourself.

Funded by your Shaw and Crompton Lib Dem ward councillors

Attendees at Spring into Shaw and Crompton
Oldham Council Warm Homes
First Choice Homes
Making Space
Lifelong Learning
MAHDLO
Housing & Care 21
Get Oldham Working
Smoking Cessation
Friends of Jubilee Colliery
Friends of Dunwood Park
Right opportunities
Friends of Crompton Moor
AGE UK
PCSO’s
Promobility and Dial a Ride

Ward councillors will be attending on the day – why not pop in and have a chat?

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

Friday’s Refuse and Recycling Collections – 4 March

refusecollector

Despite the Council’s best efforts this morning they have reluctantly had to suspend all today’s refuse and recycling collections for safety reasons.

Refuse only : leave bins out and they will be collected as soon as possible.

All recycling : please return bins/containers to property and they will be collected on the next schedule collection day where extras will be taken in clearly marked bags.

So for Shaw and Crompton that means your green bin will be emptied next week and your brown bin in two weeks.

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.