Shaw Baths campaign stepped up by Lib Dems

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Liberal Democrats in Shaw and Crompton have handed in a 960 name petition to Oldham Council protesting against the decision to close the hundred year old baths.

The baths closed in May following a failure of the boiler and shortly after the local elections, the Labour administration in Oldham announced that the closure would be permanent.

The petition, gathered online and through street stalls from residents of Shaw and Crompton, calls on the council to re-open the pool immediately.

Lib Dem parliamentary spokesman for Oldham East and Saddleworth and Shaw resident Richard Marbrow said, “Shaw has had a swimming pool for well over a hundred years and Oldham Labour want to throw that history and a much loved community facility away.”

Crompton councillor Dave Murphy said, “Labour councillors made commitments to keep the pool open until a new pool at Royton was opened. They have completely broken that promise and we will hold their feet to the fire until they reverse course.”

The Lib Dem controlled district executive for Shaw and Crompton has offered money from district funds to Oldham council to re-open the pool but has received no response.

Richard Marbrow added, “We are now being told that the pool is too damaged to re-open, because the Labour administration did not take immediate action when the boiler broke down. If that is the case the Liberal Democrats will campaign for a new pool to be built.”

“Shaw and Crompton deserves decent leisure facilities and I will work alongside the borough and parish councillors for the area to get a pool re-opened in our town.”

http://www.richardmarbrow.org.uk/re_open_crompton_pool

UPDATE ROAD CLOSURE

pedestrians_safe-crossing-places_pixAs 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…?

ChasingTail_BillWell 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.

Rochdale Road/Fraser Street/Chamber Road Junction

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The Council has confirmed that until such time as the footway frontages on both Rochdale Road and Fraser Street are able to be opened fully to the public, the temporary footways will remain in place and therefore the temporary traffic lights must also remain.

Highways have had many complaints regarding the timings at these signals, however, drivers may not appreciate that they are four way signals with their own green phase on each of the four legs. This means that it will take between two and two and a half minutes between green phases on each leg, so that is six to seven minutes if your lights have just changed to red.

The signals have failed a couple of times which is unfortunate but cannot be avoided; things do malfunction from time to time.

Whenever a malfunction occurs please contact the signal company (Amberon) straight away. Phone: 07875 815 542.

Regarding the works at the shop loss adjustors have now completed their operation and the repair works are currently out to tender. Hopefully work will start in a couple of weeks.

I can assure people the owner of the business wishes these works completed as soon as possible so he can start trading again.

Despite efforts to do so I have been unable to obtain a completion date at this time, if I do I will update people.

Many thanks for your patience but for the safety of both pedestrians and drivers it is essential these signals are in place and working until these works are completed.

Shaw and Crompton Beating The Bounds 2014 – 21 Sept

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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

Lib Dems seek New Legal Powers to help Parishes go Green

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The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Cllr Howard Sykes MBE has written to Lord Wallace, co-sponsor of the Deregulation Bill, which has just had its Second Reading in the Lords.

In his letter, Cllr Sykes asks Lord Wallace, who sits as a Liberal Democrat in the House of Lords, to ensure “that the final bill contains the necessary clauses to permit Parish and Town Councils to be able to sell electricity that they produce through investment in renewable sources”. Other local authorities already have this power but Parish and Town Councils do not.

Cllr Sykes points out that this anomaly is “illogical” given that the generation of electricity from renewable sources is one of this Government’s highest priorities.

Cllr Sykes is confident that: “These changes in the legislation would allow these Councils to play a full part in the renewable energy revolution.

“5,000 community groups have already participated in renewable energy initiatives; so allowing 9,000 new Councils the power to do so could logically see a dramatic increase in such projects making a significant contribution to addressing climate change, and generating proceeds to spend on improvements in the local area”.

Both the National Association of Local Councils and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Local Democracy support Cllr Sykes’ position.

The legislative changes can be incorporated in the Deregulation Bill to:

• Classify Parish and Town Councils as ‘Local Authorities’ and so allow them to sell any electricity they generate.

• Grant the General Power of Competence to trade to these Councils

Shaw Baths

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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

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