SHAW & CROMPTON DISTRICT MEETING and COMMUNITY FORUM

SHAW & CROMPTON DISTRICT MEETING and COMMUNITY FORUM

Tuesday 18th March 2014 6.00pm
Crompton Library, Farrow Street East, Shaw, OL2 8QY
Community Forum meeting which will start at the
rise of the District Exec (approx 6.15pm)

ALL WELCOME

Come along and talk to the Councillors and Officers Who work in and for your local area
(Police, Highways, Environmental Services, Housing Providers, Youth Service and more)

Working together we can address:
• Local Issues
• What you like about your area
• What is good about your area
• Matters we can assist you with
http://www.oldham.gov.uk/info/200608/meetings

A Valentine Day request – Pardons for Historic Convictions against Gay Men

Councillor Howard Sykes
5 Ballard Way
Shaw
Oldham
OL2 8DU

Please address all correspondence to:
Room 343, Level 3
Civic Centre
West Street
Oldham
OL1 1UL
E: howard.sykes@oldham.gov.uk
W: http://howardsykes.mycouncillor.org.uk
Twitter: @Howard_Sykes

The Rt. Hon. Simon Hughes MP
Minister of State for Justice
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ

Date:​​14 February 2014

A Valentine Day request – Pardons for Historic Convictions against Gay Men

The Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council welcomes the recent granting of a posthumous royal pardon to renowned mathematician, computer pioneer and World War 2 code-breaker Alan Turing from a conviction for ‘gross indecency’ in 1952.

This ‘offence’, now abolished, condemned many homosexual men for being in consensual relationships and in Turing’s case led to state-endorsed ‘chemical castration’, a disgusting punishment based on the misapprehension that sexual preferences can be medically ‘treated’ and a practice more akin to those of Nazi Germany.

This pardon was granted on Christmas Eve last year under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy after a request from the Secretary of State for Justice who said that “Dr Alan Turing was an exceptional man with a brilliant mind”.

75,000 other gay men were just as unfairly persecuted, including acclaimed playwright Oscar Wilde. Some of these men are still alive and have consequently carried the stain of having a ‘criminal’ record as a sex offender.

In 2012 this Government passed the Protection of Freedoms Act, which allows those convicted of homosexual offences to apply to have their entire criminal records removed if their past conduct in fact no longer constitutes a ‘crime’.

The Liberal Democrat Group believes that all such individuals convicted, whether living or dead, should now be pardoned without the requirement for a personal application.

We therefore call upon you to announce in February – which is appropriately LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual and Trans-sexual) month – a commitment by this Government to introduce the necessary legislation to effect this change as soon as possible.

After all, such a commitment is only appropriate when as Liberal Democrats we have championed gay marriage and equal rights for same sex partners.

Yours sincerely

Howard Sykes

Snaring on council land

Support British Wildlife – End Snaring

A number of people have contacted me about the above and specifically Oldham Council’s policy on its land.

I have continued to pursue Council Officers since this was raised regarding this very important issue.

I was amazed to find the council had no formal policy regarding the use of snares. In November I was advised that a report was being prepared so a policy on this matter could be agreed.

I am pleased to now confirm that on the 24 January that a report on this matter was formally approved implementing a ban all types of snaring on Council owned land.

SAVE SHAWSIDE PARK (Cowlishaw)

SAVE SHAWSIDE PARK (Cowlishaw)

I have recently learnt that there are currently proposals, out for consultation, about Shawside Park (Off Cowlishaw Lane/rear of Royton and Crompton School) possibly being used for housing development in the future.

These proposals if confirmed by the Planning Inspectorate could mean that Shawside Park will be lost and houses could be built in its place.

Responding to this consultation is about making it impossible/harder for the land to be used for future development and ensuring we keep Shawside Park as a piece of green space for local residents, their children and its recreational use.

If you do want to keep Shawside Park from being used for housing then I urge you to send your objections to the address below BEFORE 21 February 2014.

Below is a suggestion that may give you some ideas about what grounds to object on. Please feel free to expand/use your own words on this. You can of course add your own objections to it as well.

Some 20 years ago local residents ignored a similar consultation process about various pieces of land in Shaw and Crompton. I am afraid to say that a couple of important green spaces from then have now been built upon as a result.

Please do not let the same happen to Shawside Park – I have played in their as a child I want others to have the same opportunity.

Strategic Planning and Information
Neighbourhoods
Oldham Council
Room 310
Civic Centre
Oldham
OL1 1UG

OR: Email: spi@oldham.gov.uk

Dear Sir/Madam

Local Plan 2016 – 2026 Site Allocation Plan Ref No: 1551

I wish to lodge an objection to the use of Shawside Park, Cowlishaw Lane for residential, employment or mixed use.

I would like to see Shawside Park protected as Open Space.

I am concerned about the lack of recreational facilities in Shaw and Crompton and Shawside Park is the nearest park to Shaw Town Centre.

Yours faithfully
etc.

REMEMBER: Please include your name and address, including postcode and email if you have one.

Wildlife Walk around Crompton Moor – Sunday 16th Feb 14

Friends of Crompton Moor

SUNDAY 16th FEBRUARY 2014 10:30 am

In the CAR PARK AT BRUSHES CLOUGH on CROMPTON MOOR

(Nearest post code OL2 8LS Grid reference: SD 95119 10031)

Wildlife Walk around Crompton Moor

The purpose of which, is to not only to enjoy looking at the wildlife, but also to give people the opportunity to learn more about different areas, ask questions, and discuss future projects.

We would expect this walk to take about a couple of hours to complete, and hopefully the weather will be kind to us. Just in case, please dress appropriately, with waterproofs if necessary, and sturdy footwear. Bring along some refreshments, and we’ll make a stop somewhere where we can enjoy the views. Please leave any dogs at home for this walk, as we will be visiting some sensitive wildlife areas.

This walk is for members only – Membership is £5 per annum – non-members may join on the day

www.cromptonmoor.co.uk
Contact: Marian Herod Tel: 07792 156295
cromptonmoor@gmail.com

The 7th National Apprenticeships’ Week – 3-7 March 2014

Councillor J McMahon
Office of the Leader of the Council,
Room 347, Level 3,
Civic Centre, West Street,
Oldham
OL1 1UL

11 February 2014

Dear Cllr McMahon,

Re: The 7th National Apprenticeships’ Week – 3-7 March 2014

As you will be aware,, the National Apprenticeships’ Week, promoted by the National Apprenticeship Service, will soon be upon us.

The week is an opportunity to promote the value of apprenticeships to employers and to prospective applicants.

In the latest reported figures, over half a million employees were in apprenticeships, almost 50% more than when this Government came into office, in large measure because of significant public investment made through the Youth Contract.

Although, traditionally apprenticeships were seen as the preserve of young employees and historically male and, largely confined to the “metal bashing industries”, apprenticeships are now proving ever more popular with women and older workers as a vocational route.

So the success of apprenticeships is something we should all celebrate – indeed Get Oldham Working will in large part be judged by its success in getting our young people into apprenticeships.

I would therefore like to ask you if you can outline what this Council intends to do to promote apprenticeships in this borough during the National Apprenticeships Week?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Howard Sykes

Temporary Road works Shaw W/C 17 Feb 2014

Listed below are four approved temporary road works for the Shaw area to be carried out during school half term week commencing Monday 17 February

1a. Monday 17 February (one day)
Repair required to manhole cover and frame in Milnrow Road outside the Jubilee Inn Public House to be carried out under temporary traffic signals.

1b. Monday 17 February (one day)
Repair required to manhole cover and frame at the junction of Milnrow Road / Buckstones Road to be carried out under temporary traffic signals.

Both 1a and 1b are to be carried out on the same day but not at the same time, they will run consecutively. The contractor has been instructed to work off-peak only (9.30am – 3.30pm) and to have an operative on hand to manually operate the temporary traffic signals as and when required to manage queue lengths.

2. Wednesday 19 February (one day)
Replace telegraph pole in the verge adjacent to the footpath leading from Oldham Road to St. Mark’s Close, at the rear of 1 Otmoor Way. In order to site a vehicle as close as possible to the work it will be necessary to use stop/go boards to manage the traffic. The contractor has been instructed to work off-peak only (9.30am – 3.30pm)

3. Friday 21 February (one day)
Repair required to manhole cover and frame in Milnrow Road outside the Jubilee Inn Public House to be carried out under temporary traffic signals. This is a different cover and frame to item 1a above and is for a different utility company so it cannot be done at the same time. The contractor has been instructed to work off-peak only (9.30am – 3.30pm) and to have an operative on hand to manually operate the temporary traffic signals as and when required to manage queue lengths.

Whitfield Farm fined £18,000 for burning waste

“Many residents who have reported the burning of waste and have contacted myself and other local Lib Dem Councillors about this matter will be pleased to learn of the above,” stated Shaw Lib Dem Councillor Howard Sykes.

“These matters do take time and the wheels of the legal system are not quick.”

“However it is worth reporting such incidents on all occasions (do not assume others have or will) as it all helps build up evidence for prosecutions such as this,” he added.

“Details how to report such environmental concerns are listed below.”

Two companies which continued to burn rubbish on farm land despite a series of warnings have been fined £18,000 following a successful prosecution by Oldham Council.

Environmental health officers were called to Whitfield Dairy Farm, Mossgate Road, Shaw following complaints regarding deliberately started fires.

Officers spoke to company representatives and advised them that the smoke produced was causing a nuisance to residents in the Shaw and Milnrow areas.

Despite these warnings the companies continued to burn all types of household waste and tyres.

On August 17, 2012 the local authority issued a Nuisance Abatement Notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 instructing the representatives not to burn waste.

However, the firm continued to break the terms of the notice. Council officers witnessed full household clearances being burnt including tyres, a toilet, wiring, wood and plastic, on two different sites on the farm.

The council started legal proceedings and on January 28 the case was heard at Oldham Magistrates’ Court.

The bench did not believe that the waste was burnt without the owner’s knowledge. They also found that the owner of the land failed to take all reasonable precautions to prevent the burning of waste which caused severe smoke nuisance in the surrounding area.

The two companies that own the land where the fires took place – Whitfield Dairy Farm Ltd and WDF Estates Ltd – were found guilty of breaching the abatement notice on six occasions and were fined £18,000 with costs of £2,900 awarded to the council.

If you have information about anyone polluting the environment ring 0161 770 4502 or email environmentalhealth@oldham.gov.uk