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
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.
Warm Welcome for Lib Dem Manifesto Pledge to Triple Early Years Funding
The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has warmly welcomed the recent announcement by the Liberal Democrats that they will more than triple investment in the early years pupil premium from £300 to £1000 per child if they form part of the next Government.
The early years pupil premium was announced in March 2014 and is currently worth £300 for every disadvantaged child. Last week Lib Dem Schools Minister David Laws announced that as part of the party’s manifesto this would be increased to £1000.
On hearing the news, Cllr Sykes said:
“By committing this extra money to help the youngest disadvantaged children in society, the Liberal Democrats will ensure that every child gets the best possible start in life, is ready to learn when they start school and so have an opportunity to get on.
As children in early years are only in part time education this represents an equivalent investment higher than the primary school pupil premium, demonstrating the huge importance that Liberal Democrats place on early years education.
This will benefit over 170,000 disadvantaged children from 2015-16”.
Notes
• Increases to the Early Years Pupil Premium will follow the same pattern as the schools Pupil Premium – with the value gradually increasing over the lifetime of the parliament until it reaches £1000 per child. Because children in early years are only in part time education this is an equivalent rate higher than the primary school pupil premium.
• It will pay early years providers an additional amount per year for each eligible child that takes up the full 570 hour entitlement with them.
• The eligible groups will be children from low income families (defined as meeting the criteria for free school meals); children that have been looked after by the local authority for at least one day; have been adopted from care; have left care through special guardianship; and children subject to a child arrangement order setting out with whom the child is to live (formerly known as residence orders).
• As with the schools pupil premium, the Liberal Democrats would not impose restrictions on how providers spend the Early Years Pupil Premium. However, Ofsted will hold providers to account for how they’ve used the money to support their disadvantaged children through the regular inspection process.
• It is estimated that over 170,000 children could benefit from the EYPP in 2015-16 and future years.
• More information on the early years pupil premium is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/early-years-pupil-premium-and-funding-for-2-year-olds
http://www.libdems.org.uk
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 welcome findings of recent Sanctions Review
The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Cllr Howard Sykes MBE, has welcomed the recent findings of the independent review carried out by Matthew Oakley, a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Ian Duncan Smith MP.
The review was published on 22nd July; just days after Cllr Sykes had written to the Minister with his concerns about the operation of the benefits sanction regime and delays in the publication of the report.
Cllr Sykes said: “Whilst I cannot solely claim the credit for the timing of the publication of the report I am sure that my recent letter, along with many others, must have made the Minister realise that benefit claimants and policymakers were anxious to see this report sooner rather than later. The review included a public consultation that ended in January and, as I made plain in my correspondence with the Minister, the delay was I felt long enough.”
The review makes a number of core recommendations; all of which have been accepted by Minister of Employment, Esther McVey, MP, for the Government.
These recommendations included:
• Improving the letters sent to claimants
• Broader communication improvements
• Improving claimants’ understanding of what they are required to do
• Improving understanding of the sanctions process
They are intended to:
• Improve claimants’ understanding of what is expected of them in looking for work and how a sanction may be applied if they should fail to do so
• Raise the awareness of claimants of their rights to seek a review of the decision and to make an appeal
• Raise the awareness amongst claimants of the availability of hardship funds
Cllr Sykes welcomed the findings:
“In my letter to the Secretary of State, I called on him to strike the right balance between placing robust expectations on claimants to find work and giving them the right help and support to do so. Often claimants are not told what is expected of them and so may not be offered the chance or the right support to meet the requirements before being subjected to a sanction.
“As a sanction can result in benefits being withdrawn from a claimant for between four weeks and – in the most extreme instances – three years, I sought to impress upon the Secretary of State that claimants should be given the information and support they need to take responsibility and make the right choices, as well as being made aware of their right to seek a review of the decision to impose a sanction or to appeal against that decision or to make a claim for a hardship payment.
“I am pleased to say that my recommendations to the Secretary of State have been mirrored in the findings of this report.
“I now hope that claimants will be better informed as a result of the report to be able to comply with the requirements of seeking work, and so not jeopardise their entitlement to benefit, and also be more empowered to challenge effectively decisions made against them when they have good reason to do so”.
Cllr Sykes added:
“The cross-party Parliamentary Work and Pensions Select Committee said that whilst sanctions can be a ‘useful tool for encouraging engagement with employment support’, sanctions should only be used as a ‘last resort’. I hope that these changes will lead to claimants being offered a chance to make the necessary behaviour changes first (a warning if you will) before they lose their income”.
The review and the Government’s response can be found at:
Jobseeker’s Allowance sanctions: independent review: call for evidence – Consultations – GOV.UK
Temporary signals will be in place on Milnrow Road, near to the junction with Dunwood Park Courts, on 18th August for one day. The signals are required to enable the contractors to find a buried stop tap for ‘The Woodlands’ property.
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
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