Shaw and Crompton Christmas Lights Switch On Competition

christmas-lights

Friday 27th November 2015 Market Street, Shaw

An opportunity for one lucky winner (Primary School aged child from schools in Shaw and Crompton) to switch on Shaw and Crompton Christmas Lights with Bouncy Ben.

Find the form at Cissie Barlow’s Traditional Sweet Shop, Interiors, Robert Glass, Pamper your Princess, J D Williams, Playhouse 2, Shaw Lifelong Learning Centre and Crompton Library.

Or email: shawandcromptonlights@gmail.com or use the link below:

APPROVED Xmas Comp application slips

Include: Child’s Name, Address, Age, Primary School and Telephone number. Competition closes at 5pm on Friday 20th November 2015.

Save Shaw Market Petition presented

HS and DW market petition hand in

Local Shaw and Crompton Lib Dem Councillors Howard Sykes MBE and Diane Williamson recently handed in a 350 plus name petition about Oldham Council’s plans for Shaw Market.

At first Labour wanted to move the Market onto the South side of Market Street that joins High Street.  Now they want to move it to the North side of Market Street adjoining Rochdale Road.

“The latest news is that the Labour Council will press ahead with its plans, with the Market moving permanently,” stated Councillor Howard Sykes.  “We expect them to formally confirm this at the Licensing Panel on 2 November.”

Local councillors are campaigning to leave the Market where it is.  They want to see Shaw Market stay on its present site with investment to bring farmers markets and Christmas markets to the area as well.  Leaving the Market where it is also makes additional market days possible including the various charity events as well as more specialised markets.

“We want to see the cash Labour has allocated for the move spent instead on revitalising Shaw Market on its existing site by replacing the fixed market stalls with pop-up stalls on Market Day (Thursday) and removing the perimeter units,” stated Cllr Williamson.

“This solution will not only remove the shelter that attracts youths intent on anti-social behaviour but also provide more free car-parking on non-Market Days, therefore contributing to the general vitality of Shaw’s District Centre,” said Councillor Sykes.

“We are not surprized the new venue appears to be popular.  The Council has thrown the kitchen sink at this with free events, promotions, advertising, questionnaires and staff.  It just shows what can be done.  If the same amount of effort was made to promote the existing site I am sure that would have been successful.  Remember the ‘staying put’ option was refused to be included in the consultation.  You have to ask why?” he added.

“We shall see what happens in the longer term when all this existing ‘excitement’ has evaporated,” stated Councillor Williamson.  “Also the Council needs to come clean on its plans for the ‘old market site’ if it presses ahead with its plans.”

“In addition our proposal also prevents potential traffic problems that can happen when Market Street is closed forcing all vehicles, including HGVs and buses, to use Eastway,” added Councillor Williamson.

Councillors Sykes and Williamson handing in their petition

LABOUR SUPPORTS HUGE ‘GOLDEN GOOD BYE’ PAYOUTS DESPITE CUTS

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The Leader of the Opposition and Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, expressed incredulity that the ruling Labour Group of Oldham Council should oppose a Government proposal to limit pay-outs to staff leaving the Council to £95,000.

Concerned by some eye-wateringly generous pay-offs by councils and elsewhere in the public sector, the Government has been consulting on setting a £95,000 limit on these so called ‘Golden Goodbyes’.  These are payments made to council staff made redundant, pensioned off early or who leave early by ‘mutual consent’.

In its response to the consultation, Oldham Council stated: “the level is set too low” and “unrealistic in relation to Senior Officer, Chief Officer and Chief Executive Pay”…representing…“less than one year’s salary”.   Oldham Council wants the cap to be set at £120,000.

Cllr Sykes said: “These pay-outs have until now been uncapped.  The Labour Administration appears to live in an ivory tower by opposing the £95,000 pay-off cap suggested by the Government.  For most Oldhamer’s, £95,000 would represent a small fortune.  I am sure that most council tax payers in the Borough would resent paying even this and would want a limit on council staff pay-offs.”

“At a time when Oldham Council will be forced to make massive cuts to services, where making every penny will count, I am surprised it is not thinking more about exit benefits for top staff and therefore retaining services for ratepayers.”

The Lib Dem opposition on Oldham Council are also concerned that the authority’s response to the Government was not presented to councillors before it was sent off.

“It’s another example of the lack of transparency Oldham Council has with some matters when it comes to spending council tax payer’s cash.  Without my intervention we would all still be in the dark about this matter,” added Councillor Sykes.

Demolition of Shaw Baths

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Investigatory work on the demolition of Shaw Baths is now taking place.

The demolition of the building is expected to start in January 2016.

I am sure many of you will agree with me when I say that it will be a sad day to see this building, which has been part of our heritage since it was built in 1899, no longer present in Shaw and Crompton.

Demolition – Provisional Timetable:

ACTIVITY DATE
Asbestos Survey 08/10/15 – 09/10/15
Asbestos Removal 12/10/15 – 11/11/15
Planning Application submitted 12/10/15 or 13/10/15
Demolition of Building (approx. 10 weeks) 04/01/16 – 14/03/16

The site compound is shown edged blue below.

The red hatching shows the part of the road that will have a temporary closure on it for the duration of the demolition (this part of the road does not have any impact on any of the current car parking spaces).

The closure and site compound will enable safe working and give the contractors and their equipment space to manoeuvre.

Access to the site will be from High Street and the site compound.

Baths site

Oldham Lib Dems join Fair Deal Devo campaign

img94joktmu72322The Leader of the Opposition and Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has pledged the support of Oldham Liberal Democrats for the Fair Deal Devo campaign launched by the Manchester Evening News, Bolton News, Wigan Evening Post and Oldham Evening Chronicle.

Cllr Sykes: “Although the Chancellor has talked a lot about devolution and about the fabled Northern Powerhouse, the Government has yet to prove that it is sincere in its intention by offering a fair funding deal for Greater Manchester.”

“Liberal Democrat Councillors in Greater Manchester are ready and willing to accept the challenge and responsibility of devolution to make our region still Greater, but we need to have the cash to make it happen.  This is why we welcome and are backing the Deal Devo campaign.”

The Oldham Liberal Democrat Group has been calling for fair transport funding for the region to close the gap between London and Greater Manchester, and is opposed to further Police and local authority funding cuts and the government proposals to close both of the borough’s courthouses.

Cllr Sykes added: “Devolution represents an exciting opportunity for local authorities across Greater Manchester to work together to transform the lives of the region’s residents and to make service improvements that reflect local needs and that create local jobs.  But it will not work if Government money does not follow the transfer of power, and we will not accept any attempt by Government to merely pass on responsibility for carrying out difficult cuts.”

The Oldham Liberal Democrats are firmly committed to seeing transparency in the work of the new Combined Authority – where all the Greater Manchester councils work together using the devolved powers and budget.

“It isn’t enough just to tell people what’s going on.  The new Combined Authority will be assuming responsibility for a massive devolved budget amounting to many billions of pounds and will be taking on board new areas of work affecting the lives of millions of people.”

“The Liberal Democrats do not believe in telling people what we will do and then doing it for them.  We want to actively involve Greater Manchester residents in making the decisions that affect their lives and in shaping the services that their taxes pay for.  And we want to work with people and communities to deliver those services more effectively and in a more responsive and accountable way.”

“So we want information to be in plain English, and available on-line and on demand, and we want all meetings to be open to the public and to be webcast so taxpayers can call their representatives to account.  That’s real democracy and that’s what as Oldham Liberal Democrats we aspire for in the new structure for the Combined Authority.”