Oldham Labour Running Scared of Debate, say Lib Dems

20070503-free-speech-cartoon-via-citizen-arcaneThe Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has attacked the Labour Administration for its proposals to radically alter the Council’s constitution to stifle debate in the Council Chamber.

In the proposals to Wednesday’s Annual Council meeting, Labour want to reduce the number of Council meetings in the year at which questions and motions can be tabled by one and to then further reduce the number of questions that members of the opposition parties can ask.

Commenting Cllr Sykes said: “These proposals are not good for local democracy in Oldham.”

“In seeking to reduce the number of opportunities where members of the opposition can question the actions of Labour Cabinet members, the public will be left with the impression that Labour is scared of debate and they will ask why?”

“Perhaps Labour Cabinet members doubt their ability to respond effectively to questions from the floor of the Chamber, or perhaps they have something to hide, but there is no question that given their numbers (45 out of 60) it is always their will as the current majority party that shall prevail.”

“Surely in a vibrant and healthy democracy, we should be encouraging members of the opposition to have their say in the Chamber and they should have the right to expect proper, considered answers to their questions from the Leader and Cabinet members.”

Under the proposals, Cllr Sykes as Main Opposition Leader will see the number of questions that he can ask the Council Leader fall from three to two at each Council, a 33% reduction.  Also both the Conservative and UKiP group lose their right to ask a question and theory have to ‘share the right’ to ask one question between them.

“With such a large majority and control of the Council agenda why reduce the amount the current pitiful time allowed to the opposition even further,” stated Cllr Sykes.  “This is the sort of action you would expect in one party states like North Korea not in English local government.”

Cllr Sykes added: “This time slot is time well spent.  In the past, there has been significant accord on many issues between myself and the Council Leader Cllr McMahon and in recent Councils, I have raised a number of innovative proposals that the Administration is now investigating, such as establishing a Community Shop to help low-income households source high quality food at low prices, alongside help to find employment, to exploring the geothermic power beneath our feet as a renewable energy source.”

“The problem I encounter in the run up to each Council is not finding three good-quality questions to ask the Leader, but making a choice of which three of the many sensible and considered questions I have to hand to take into the Chamber.”

Labour’s other proposal to take other questions on a “politically balanced basis” also do not sit well with Cllr Sykes.

He said: “Labour backbenchers have exclusive access to their own Cabinet members in internal group meetings or in their Cabinet Office.  Councillors from other parties have neither.  The Council Chamber often still remains the best and only place for opposition members to raise issues that are of concern to their constituents, particularly where previous attempts to engage officers or Cabinet members have met with little or no response.”

“These proposals mean in effect that almost all of the time slot will be monopolised by Labour members with at most one, or perhaps two, questions available to members of the opposition.  For the smaller groups on the Council, Conservative (2), UKiP (2) and Independent (1) this means they will be lucky if they ever get to ask a question.  Previously ward questions were taken on an alternating basis and this was a sensible arrangement.”

Cllr Sykes stressed that his viewpoint was not just driven by expediency:

“As a Liberal Democrat, I strongly believe that it is important for all democratically elected representatives to have the opportunity to raise issues in the Council Chamber.  I feel particularly sorry that the Conservatives and UKIP as minor opposition parties are being even more short-changed by these proposals”.

Cllr Sykes has tabled amendmentquestions-to-ask-your-LASIK-doctors to the proposals to retain the existing arrangements.

LOCAL LIB DEMS WELCOME CLAMPDOWN OVER PAYDAY LOAN AND BETTING SHOPS

Neon sign of loan company in Moose Jaw in scenic Saskatchewan CanadaThe Leader of the Opposition and the Liberal Democrat Group, Cllr Howard Sykes, has endorsed the recent comments of his party colleague, Cllr Gerald Vernon Jackson, Leader of the LGA Liberal Democrats, who welcomed a new announcement that will enable councils to keep a lid on the numbers of payday loan companies or betting shops allowed to open.

Commenting Cllr Sykes said: “The Oldham Liberal Democrats have been at the forefront of the battle to combat the spread of payday loan companies and betting shops.  These lead to the impoverishment of already poor individuals. We have raised this issue in Council and with Government, and I am pleased that pressure from ourselves and fellow Liberal Democrats across the country will now lead to the introduction of new regulations that will place new curbs on payday loan companies and betting shops.

Cllr Vernon Jackson said: “Councils and their communities have repeatedly called for powers to tackle problems caused by the proliferation of betting shops and pay day loan companies.  We are pleased the Government has acted on the concerns expressed both by the LGA and Liberal Democrat Councillors.  Putting bookmakers in a new planning class will rightly ensure councils can consider and scrutinise all applications for new betting shops. However, this will not help areas with existing clustering of betting shops as it will still allow a rival betting company to simply take over a vacant betting or payday loan ship without needing planning permission.

“This is why councils ultimately need much greater local discretion to shape their high streets and help stimulate local economic growth. The introduction of a new cumulative impact test would rightly give councils the power to also veto new shops in areas already saturated by betting shops if firms can’t prove a new shop would benefit the local economy.

“Communities need more say on what type of businesses and shops open in their local area. This is vital in getting people back out shopping in their local high street or town centre”.

Liberal Democrat Budget Options – Spend to Save on Two Key Services and Cut Waste

thCAGDS5F2The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Cllr Howard Sykes MBE, will be presenting the Group’s budget options to today’s Council meeting.

Cllr Sykes said that he: “recognises that this is a very challenging time to present a budget and that hard choices are having to be made within the administration’s budget proposals.

“As in previous years, we are seeking to challenge when appropriate, offer constructive suggestions and options to cut unnecessary spending and seek to put resources into the basic services affecting the majority of our residents.

The amounts involved are comparatively small but will have a positive impact on two key services in this borough.”

The Liberal Democrats are proposing investments in gully cleaning and youth services.

Cllr Sykes continued: “For just £165,000 we could reinstate the level of gully clearing carried out under the previous Liberal Democrat administration with a further three teams being employed to jet out gullies that have been filled with soil and other debris.

“Such an investment can be termed spend to save as jetting means clogged gullies do not have to be dug out at huge expense. It also ensures that there is less risk of homes flooding, less water and ice on the roads, which endangers drivers and pedestrians, and, in the long term, a reduction in damage to the roads caused by frozen water breaking the road surfaces.”

In its other spend to save measure, the Liberal Democrat Group wants to make available a further £272,000 in 2016/17 for investment in youth services by the District Partnerships/Executives.

Commenting, Cllr Sykes said: “The Liberal Democrats firmly believe that local ward councillors and local peopl know best where money can be best spent on services in their locality. Local knowledge and requirements should determine the allocation of this money in each of the districts.

The Youth Service is an excellent service and investment in it saves money in the long run as young people are productively engaged rather than – in some instances – engaging in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Our proposal will I hope be accepted by the administration in the same way they accepted our suggestion that this years cuts to District staffing be decreased.”

Deputy Leader Cllr McCann, who will be seconding the amendment, stated that the extra money for the proposed investment will be found “reducing management, council publications, subscriptions and conferences and increasing income from optional council services”.

The Liberal Democrat Group is also proposing that in 2016/17 (ie during the next financial year) a review of the number of councillors takes place, with a reduction in numbers being considered.

Cllr McCann added: “A reduction in Councillors to two per ward instead of three would generate a minimum saving of £212,000 per year. We believe that such a reduction is possible now we have a Council run by a Cabinet rather than committees. We know this proposal will be popular because this was one of the suggestions that came forward from the public in the consultation over the budget”.

Cllr McCann was also pleased to see that the Labour Administration has adopted one of his suggestions in last year’s Budget debate that budgets on the Council’s capital programme could be reduced because of delays and efficiencies that he had identified.

He stated: “Last year, some Labour Councillors were adamant that I wanted to put the redevelopment of Oldham and Royton town centres ‘on hold’. In fact my common sense suggestion was that the figures in Labour’s budget simply did not stack up. Put simply they were allocating more money than they could spend in the financial year given delays in the capital programme.

It is interesting that this year Labour have quietly slipped in this very same proposal to the tune of some £5 million, hardly small beer. I am delighted that by building on our suggestion some of the harsh cuts to services have been mitigated and actual efficiencies found “.

Sir Winston Churchill Statue Petition

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I have had that much interest and support on this matter I have now launched a petition on this matter.

Use the link below to sign up and show your support: http://www.richardmarbrow.org.uk/howard_churchill_statue

Words of petition are:

Statue petition Churchill

24 January 2015 represents the 50th anniversary of the death of former war-time Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Sir Winston Spencer Churchill.

Winston Churchill started his political career as the Member of Parliament for Oldham, serving the constituency from 1900 to 1906, and was also awarded the honour of Freeman of the Borough.

Given Sir Winston’s historic connection with Oldham we petition Oldham Council to erect a statue in his image.

The location of such a statue to be ideally in the new Parliament Square, or on the steps of the restored Oldham Town Hall, or at another prominent location in the Town Centre, if deemed more appropriate.

This statue should be funded, as many were in the past, by the Council soliciting business sponsorships and subscriptions from the general public, rather than just through recourse to public funds.

FOR HELP AND ADVICE – SHAW WARD SURGERIES

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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: January: 8, 15, 22, 29

NO APPOINTMENT REQUIRED

FOR HELP AND ADVICE – SHAW WARD SURGERIES

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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: December: 4, 11, 18
NO APPOINTMENT REQUIRED