Due to exceptionally high tonnages and participation there are a number of uncompleted collections.
Shaw, Crompton – Green Waste
Shaw, Comingled (brown bins and black caddies)
To ensure this does not have a knock on effect into next week there will be a a crew completing this work tomorrow morning.
Please leave your bins out for collection on Saturday 13th July.
I am pleased to report the above steps will be improved and remodelled during the summer school holidays and a hand rail will also be provided.
Hopefully this should make it easier for all users.
I asked the council to look at this problem when approached by users of these steps.
Funding for these works has come for the small delegated budget councillors Rod Blyth, Mark Alcock and I have direct influence over.
Temporary road closure to part of Beal Lane (Jubilee Street to Metro Crossing).
This is due to road and footway resurfacing/reconstruction.
Below are the details of when road is closed:
7am – 7pm, Mon – Fri and Sun if required.
5am – 8pm, Sat.
Pedestrian access along Beal Lane and to the Metrolink station will be maintained at all times.
Delivery access to be maintained to distribution centres at all times except for the Saturday closures.
The road will be open to traffic at the end of each working day.
Alternative Route: Beal Lane/Grains Road/Hillside Avenue/Buckstones Road/Milnrow Road/Crompton Way/Rochdale Road/Beal Lane, in both directions.
Please note the dates / times of the closure at Beal Lane as it will not be closed for the entire two week duration of work. The two Saturday closure dates have been agreed in advance with the distribution centres, who have arranged that no deliveries will take place during the agreed hours of working.
It has been arranged that deliveries to the distribution centres will be able to get through the closure along Beal Lane from Shaw Town Centre during the weekday closures; this in effect means that it will not be necessary for HGV delivery vehicles to use the diversion route at any time.
All other vehicles will use the diversion route.
If you have any questions regarding the work please direct them to Nigel Molden at nigel.molden@unitypartnership.com or 0161 770 1952
As usual Market Street will be closed for the above event; the diversion route will be Beal Lane, East Way and then Greenfield Lane/High Street.
Different to previous years the fun fair will be located on the Kershaw Street Car Park and NOT the Market Car Park (Westway). The 3 hour parking limit on this and other car parks will be suspend for the above event.
The temporary signals will be employed between Smallbrook Road and Bridge Street commencing Monday 20 May for four weeks, Monday to Friday off-peak only (9.30am – 3.30pm) and are required as part of the carriageway resurfacing works.
Also, it will be necessary at the end of the work to put in place a full road closure. I am urgently seeking details about this and as soon as I have any will post them on my web site.
If you have any queries regarding the work please contact Nigel Molden at nigel.molden@unitypartnership.com
Emergency Contact & Telephone Number in the Event of Traffic Signal Failure: John Dunn: 07831 386470
Last month, Oldham became a pilot area for a whole raft of sweeping reforms to welfare benefits introduced by the Government.
Welfare reform has led to several benefits being merged into one new Universal Credit claimed on-line, on the introduction of a new Local Council Tax Support Scheme, in a reduction in housing benefit for many in under-occupancy, and on the creation of Local Welfare Provision.
In Oldham, it is estimated that welfare reform will affect up to 17,000 citizens of ‘working age’ who depend wholly or in part on welfare benefits for their income; many of these residents will have a disability or a serious health condition.
Oldham Council will be a key player in the administration of welfare reform.
The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes has today published a paper to Cabinet member for Finance, Councillor Abdul Jabbar, and senior Council officers outlining 12 practical measures that the Liberal Democrat Group believes the Labour Administration should adopt to mitigate the impact of welfare reform on one particularly vulnerable group – the disabled.
In issuing this document, Councillor Howard Sykes said:
“Disabled people are a particularly vulnerable group and amongst those most likely to be worst hit by welfare reform.
Liberal Democrats in Oldham would like to see disabled people exempted from many of the provisions of welfare reform, as pensioners have, and we will lobby Government to make this so .
However, whatever the rights and wrongs of welfare reform, the reality is that it is here to stay in one form or other as any Government in power will need to address the ever spiralling benefits bill.
One of my concerns is that, in the rush to prepare for the introduction of welfare reform, agencies and officers may have paid insufficient attention to the needs of the disabled.
Oldham is a pilot authority for welfare reform – by establishing best practice here we can set a standard for other authorities introducing welfare reform from October.
The Liberal Democrat Group has issued a policy paper to Councillor Jabbar, Cabinet Member for Finance, and the Labour Administration outlining 12 practical measures that the authority should adopt to support disabled people in our borough faced with welfare reform.
I hope that, after a period of reflection, we will have the opportunity to meet with them to discuss the document and identify how we can take these measures forward.
This bi-partisan approach is identical to that which we have taken as a party in supporting the Administration on a number of issues, most recently the campaign to combat loan sharks”.
A Summary of the Liberal Democrat 12-Point Plan follows.
Oldham Council can support disabled people faced by welfare reform:
1. By ensuring that those disabled social tenants who ‘under-occupy’ and who require overnight care from non-resident carers are granted an additional bedroom under the size criteria.
2. By awarding housing benefit for an extra bedroom for a disabled child unable to share.
3. By adopting a new Discretionary Housing Payment policy that provides for indefinite payments to make up rent shortfalls where social tenants with disabilities occupy ‘significantly adapted properties’.
4. By ensuring the DHP also meets rent shortfalls for disabled people requiring an extra room for medical equipment.
5. By exploring the creation of a Hardship Fund to support disabled people with rent shortfalls who are not able to access additional bedroom entitlement or the DHP.
6. By developing a support package for disabled people moving home.
7. By offering the 12-month instalment scheme for Council Tax as a default scheme to new payers.
8. By promoting the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme to those occupying adapted properties.
9. By promoting the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme to those who are ‘severely mentally impaired’ or their careers, support workers and family members.
10. By exploring the creation of a Hardship Fund to support disabled people with Council Tax arrears.
11. By arranging direct payments of rent and Council Tax for disabled and ‘vulnerable’ clients eligible for this facility.
12. By ensuring that Local Welfare Provision meets the needs of the disabled and vulnerable.
If anybody would like a copy of the full report please email me directly.
Get payment advice at your local event
If you are worried about paying your Council Tax or struggling to make payments, don’t ignore the problem.
At your local drop-in session you can get advice and support, as well as discussing payment options that will help make it easier for you to manage your budget.
At the events we can help you to:
Set up a Council Tax direct debit.
We will help you fill in a form so that the payment is made each month directly from your bank account. Remember to bring your bank details with you.
Open a Council Tax Jam Jar Account with Oldham Credit Union.
A Jam Jar Account helps you to manage your budget and prioritise your spending. Opening an account will also give you access to fair loans and savings. To set up an account you will need to bring two forms of identification with you, which must include your name, address and signature.
Acceptable documents are:
Rent book
Tenancy agreement
Mortgage letter or statement
Passport
Birth Certificate
Utility Bill, i.e. gas, water, electricity, telephone
Driving Licence
Union membership card
Work’s identity card
Wage slip
Bank card
Bus pass with photograph
Medical card
The two nearest events are taking place on:
Tuesday 7 May:
2pm – 5pm
Crompton Library
Farrow Street East, Shaw OL2 8QY
Wednesday 8 May:
9am – 12noon
Oldham Library
Greaves Street, Oldham OL1 1AL
If you are struggling to pay your Council Tax, don’t ignore the problem. Contact us urgently to discuss payment options T: 0161 770 6622 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday.
Visit: Access Oldham, Civic Centre, Oldham 8.40am and 5pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am to 5pm Wednesday
Due to a vehicle break down this morning there are small pockets of food and garden waste in Shaw that have not been collected.
Please note that this will be collected on Saturday and should take 2-3 hours.
Oldham’s Director of Public Health is encouraging parents across the Borough to vaccinate their children against Measles, Mumps and Rubella.
Alan Higgins is urging parents who have not yet had their children vaccinated and young adults who missed out on their vaccinations to contact their GP to arrange their MMR vaccinations as soon as possible.
The move is part of a new national campaign aimed at getting as many 10-16 year olds as possible vaccinated before the next school year.
New figures show that measles cases nationwide are at their highest level for 18 years with almost 2,000 cases during 2012 and 159 in Greater Manchester alone.
There have been no confirmed cases of measles in Oldham this year and only one last year: the lowest rates in Greater Manchester.
However, the recent outbreak in Swansea, where more than 900 cases have been confirmed since November, shows that measles is still a problem.
Parents can ensure their children and teenagers are fully protected against measles, mumps and rubella with two doses of the MMR vaccine. Most children get the first dose of MMR at 13 months old and the second dose is offered to children when they reach 3 years and 4 months. The two doses together offer almost complete protection from the disease.
Over the last two years more than 95 per cent of Oldham children have been given the MMR vaccine. However, following the coverage of the now discredited link between MMR and Autism in the late 1990s take-up of vaccinations was lower at around 80 per cent.
We are now encouraging any parents and young people who missed out on their vaccinations to speak to their GP.
Alan Higgins, Oldham’s Director of Public Health, said: “Oldham has a good take-up rate of the MMR vaccination at present but there is an historical problem.”
“In the late 1990s and early 2000s many parents had concerns about what is a now discredited link between MMR and autism.
“As a result the take-up of vaccinations then was lower and, given the recent outbreak in Swansea, we’d like to encourage those parents who didn’t have their child vaccinated at the time to contact their GP to arrange for an MMR jab as soon as possible.
“Even if those children are now young adults it is not too late for them to be vaccinated.
“The key message to parents is that MMR is safe – it’s free and it can save lives.”
Parents and young adults wanting to know more about MMR should contact their GP or visit www.nhs.uk
Copy of a letter delivered to residents in the blast area.
I am pleased we have managed to do this for local residents again.
————–
Dear Residents
As a lot of the building works are coming to completion and more residents are returning to their homes, Oldham Council will be providing another opportunity for residents to dispose of unwanted items.
To continue with our support of the local community to return to normality, we propose to supply 3 large skips for the use of the residents which will be placed at the following locations:
• Edmond Street
• Corner of Chancery and Buckley Street
• Oak Street – section directly to the rear of Buckley Street.
These will be in place from Friday 3 May with a planned removal on Tuesday 7 May. However, should there still be spare capacity for more items, this period will be extended.
Once these skips have been removed, no additional skips will be provided by the Council.
Should you have any further large items that need to be removed, these should be booked through the normal process of Bulky Bobs Service on 770 6644. Please note that this may incur a fee.
As usual all general household black bag waste should be placed in the normal refuse bins provided.
Oldham Council fully appreciates your support in this matter.