Over 10,000 WASPI women across Oldham stand to lose out in compensation after the Labour Government decided to ignore the independent ombudsman’s assessment of what should be paid out.
Oldham Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson Sam Al-Hamdani said: “The review was completed before Labour took office, and they were aware of the costs and the implications when they were discussing the budget.
“I know that there have been ongoing discussions between WASPI and the Ministers, and I genuinely expected better from this Government.
Sykes challenges Oldham Council Leader over Places for Everyone vote or would have if the meeting not been adjourned
Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has challenged the Labour Leader of Oldham Council over her administration’s refusal to honour a vote of elected members and write to the government calling for Oldham to be removed from the controversial Greater Manchester housing strategy – Places for Everyone.
Councillor Sykes said, “At the last meeting, councillors clearly voted to write to the Secretary of State asking for Oldham to be removed from Places for Everyone. It is clear that Labour’s strategy to concrete over our green spaces and line the pockets of developers is not what the people of Oldham Borough want. That’s part of the reason Labour no longer have a majority on the council.”
“Since the local elections, the Liberal Democrats have been clear about our promise to force another vote to leave this scheme. We have had that vote and the result was clear. But Labour are using every trick in the book to block the outcome.”
At a meeting of Oldham councillors this evening (18/12) councillor Sykes challenged council Leader Arooj Shah directly in the council chamber.
Councillor Sykes said, “Instead of honouring a democratic decision made by the council that they lead, this Labour administration has used every trick in the book to avoid writing to the Secretary of State.”
“They think they are being clever. I want them to understand that they are destroying the reputation of Oldham Borough. They are making a mockery of local democracy.”
“Will she now do what is the clear will of this Council and write to the Secretary of State requesting that Oldham is removed from the Places for Everyone scheme?”
“And, if she will not, is the Labour Group’s policy that this Council will have to vote again on Places for Everyone, just because they don’t like the result of the last vote?”
In November, this Council voted – by 30 votes to 29 – to write to the Secretary of State calling for Oldham to be removed from Places for Everyone in favour of our own local housing strategy.
Everybody in the Chamber knew what that vote was for.
That was clear from the speeches made by both Labour and opposition members – there was no doubt on the night.
What the Labour Group have done since is absolutely shameful.
Instead of honouring a democratic decision made by the Council that they lead, this Labour Administration has used every trick in the book to avoid writing to the Secretary of State.
They think they are being clever.
I want them to understand that they are destroying the reputation of Oldham Borough.
They are making a mockery of local democracy.
And they are proving to the people of Oldham, that Labour doesn’t care about the views of local people or their elected representatives – only when it suits their agenda.
So here in the open, in the full view of this Council and everyone watching, I want to give the Leader an opportunity to come clean and do the right thing.
Will she now do what is the clear will of this Council and write to the Secretary of State requesting that Oldham is removed from the Places for Everyone scheme?
And… if she will not…
Is the Labour Group’s policy that this Council will have to vote again on Places for Everyone, just because they don’t like the result of the last vote?
Oldham’s cabinet pushed back on critical decisions
Oldham’s Labour leadership have had two critical decisions referred back with requests for more evidence, after they were “called in” by councillors Mark Kenyon and Sam Al-Hamdani.
The two decisions were on the Princes Gate development site in Mumps, and on catering for local schools. The scrutiny committee voted unanimously to ask the Cabinet to review the decisions, with specific recommendations for extra information needed to justify them.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “We challenged how the cabinet arrived at these decisions. There was insufficient information in the reports to justify the decisions that were made – and the scrutiny committee agreed with us.
“We also want to know why more of the reports about these decisions is not public. Where there is a commercial contract under negotiation, I can understand specific elements being excluded, but that should be the exception, not the rule. Too much is happening behind closed doors.”
The decisions will now be reviewed by Cabinet, with additional detail being added that was not in the original reports.
Councillor Al-Hamdani continued: “I am desperate to see Princes Gate developed – and that’s why I want to see evidence that this is the best way to do that. The Council should be able to show that it has looked at different strategies and minimised any risks, and that means doing its homework first.
“I’ll be delighted if the Council comes back, answers all the questions that we put to it, and shows that this is the right decision – but it wasn’t able to do that in front of the scrutiny committee. It is therefore only right that it goes back and review the decisions it made and the process about how it got there.”
Greater Manchester Transport Committee to rubber-stamp bikes on trams
Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has welcomed news that commuters will soon be able to take push-bikes onto trams on a permanent basis right across Greater Manchester.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has been trialling a scheme allowing passengers to carry on their bikes, scooters and a greater range of mobility scooters. The trial period has concluded and now Greater Manchester’s ‘Bee Network’ Transport committee is expected to make the decision permanent at a meeting of councillors later today (12/12).
Councillor Sykes – who is the Liberal Democrat Transport Spokesperson for Greater Manchester – said, “This is great news and a real win for common sense.”
“Allowing bikes on trams will encourage public transport use, especially for people who live that bit further from the tram stop. It will mean more options for commuters and less traffic on the roads. I think this is the right decision and it’s something I’ve been asking about for a very long time. I’m pleased the trial has been such a success.”
CAZ signs saga rumbles on as Burnham waits for government permission to take them down
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has confirmed he is waiting on the government to confirm whether or not now out-of-date Clean Air Zone signs across Greater Manchester can be removed.
The mayor’s controversial Greater Manchester-wide Clean Air Zone was put on hold in February 2022, but Burnham has since relaunched the project albeit without plans to charge road users.
Leader of Oldham’s Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE had written to Burnham asking when the old signs would be removed and who would pay for the removal. Burnham’s office responded saying that they were waiting for the government to confirm the signs could come down.
Councillor Sykes said, “I think the fact that these signs are still up sends the wrong message. Mayor Burnham is trying to talk about the new strategy for clean air across Greater Manchester but people are driving past his congestion zone charging signs several times a day and remembering what a pig’s ear he made of it all last time. So, he’s just screaming in the wind at the moment until his government lets him take down those signs.”
It is understood that the cost for removing the signage across Greater Manchester will be covered by the government. A Freedom of Information investigation conducted by Oldham Liberal Democrats in 2022 revealed that Transport for Greater Manchester had spent more than £3 million on signage spanning the whole of Greater Manchester for a scheme that never came into effect.
Councillor Sykes writes to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham over CAZ signs
Andy Burnham Mayor of Greater Manchester
Dear Mr Burnham,
Removal of CAZ signs across Oldham and Greater Manchester
Following the recent update of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Strategy, it is now clear that the vast majority of CAZ road signs will have to be removed, including those in Oldham Borough.
As you will be aware, a significant amount of public money has been wasted on CAZ signs given the review which very quickly followed after they were put up across Greater Manchester.
I am writing to ask when this work is set to be carried out? I would be grateful if you could provide a breakdown of the anticipated costs involved and provide assurances that costs will not be passed on to local authorities.
I look forward to your detailed response.
Burnhams reply:
Hi Councillor Sykes,
Thank you for getting in touch with me following the latest update on Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Plan (CAP). As you will be aware, Greater Manchester Authorities have made a submission to the government which shows that only the proposed investment-led plan meets the requirement to deliver compliance in the shortest possible time and by 2026 at the latest. Under the proposed plan, signs installed for a Category C charging Clean Air Zone across the city region would no longer be required.
The investment-led plan is currently with Government for feedback and, ultimately, a final decision on the proposal and subsequent removal of signs is for Minsters to make.
TfGM, acting on behalf of the ten Greater Manchester local authorities, contracted with McCann & Co Ltd for the installation, maintenance and decommissioning of signs across 18 local authorities for a Greater Manchester wide Clean Air Zone. All costs associated with the Clean Air Plan, including the costs of signage, continue to be funded or underwritten by government. The costs associated with the removal of signage will be considered by the Air Quality Administration Committee once feedback has been received from the government and negotiations with the contractor on the scope of work have concluded.
I trust the above provides you with a useful update in relation to the Clean Air Plan and reassures you that this issue is being addressed with the relevant partners across our region. Thank you again for getting in touch to raise this with me.
Councillors could have backed the Liberal Democrat plan to pull out of Places for Everyone (PfE) and save our local green spaces as early as July this year.
The reason that didn’t happen is because the so-called Shaw Independents made a deal with Labour and blocked our withdrawal from Places for Everyone until a report could come forward in November. They kicked the can down the road instead of just voting to withdraw and that’s why we’re in this mess. People are furious that the so-called Shaw Independents have put their dodgy deal with Labour above the wishes of the people who elected them. Sadly, when you vote Independent in Shaw and Crompton you just get Labour in disguise.
Liberal Democrats have been against Labour’s Green Belt Grab from the very start and it is because of our Liberal Democrat councillors working together with others that we have gotten this far. Labour’s plan is to ignore local democracy and push ahead with their Green Belt Grab. I hope Liberal Democrats and other councillors will continue to fight them.
This latest from the so-called Shaw Independents is just an attempt to hide their embarrassment. They voted to keep Labour in power. They voted to stop Oldham coming out of Places for Everyone when they amended the Liberal Democrat motion, supported by Labour, to pull out of PfE.
These are the facts. They are out of their depth in a dodgy deal with Labour and they are praying people in Shaw and Crompton will forget what they’ve done.
“Impact on Oldham Borough still unclear”: Sykes writes to council finance chief as major voluntary sector organisation collapses
Last week, reports emerged that the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisations (GMCVO) – the body at the centre of major projects across Greater Manchester including homelessness prevention and schemes to help people back to work – had suddenly collapsed into administration.
The news is expected to have significant impacts for all of Greater Manchester’s local authorities, including Oldham Borough, as council’s work to prepare their budgets for 2025/26 over the coming weeks.
Leader of Oldham’s Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE has said that the impact on services in Oldham is “still unclear”, stating that Oldham Council’s senior leadership has yet to brief elected members on the situation at the GMCVO and how it may impact Oldham Borough’s voluntary sector.
Councillor Sykes said, “With council budgets completely hammered, the role of the community voluntary sector has become more important with each passing year. These organisations fill the gaps that have been left as other services keep getting cut back. But volunteer organisations rely on the type of financial and administrative support that has previously been provided by the GMCVO.”
Sykes has written to Oldham’s Cabinet Member for Finance, councillor Abdul Jabbar, calling on him to outline the impact of the GMCVO collapse for Oldham.
“As of right now, the impact on Oldham is still not clear. It is for the Cabinet Member to reply in detail. There are volunteer projects across Oldham Borough who will be nervous about the future and about where to go for advice and support.”
Sykes writes to Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance following the collapse of the GMCVO
Councillor Abdul Jabbar Deputy Leader of Oldham Council Cabinet Member for Value for Money and Sustainability
Dear councillor Jabbar,
RE: The impact of the GMCVO moving into administration
I am writing to you in your capacity as the Cabinet Member for Finance regarding the recent announcement that the Greater Manchester Centre for Voluntary Organisation (GMCVO), the key body dedicated to supporting social and economic development across our region, has entered administration. This news has raised significant concerns regarding the continued support for essential projects and services in Oldham Borough, particularly those reliant on GMCVO funding and administrative assistance.
In light of this development, I would like to request your urgent clarification on the anticipated impact on Oldham’s community and voluntary sector. Specifically, I would be grateful if you could provide a comprehensive breakdown of the following:
GMCVO-Funded Projects in Oldham Borough: Please outline which projects within Oldham currently receive funding from the GMCVO and explain how their operations are expected to be impacted during the financial years 2025/26 and 2026/27. This information is vital for understanding the scale of potential disruptions and planning any necessary interim support.
Administrative Support for Projects in Oldham Borough: Identify the projects in Oldham that benefit from administrative support provided by the GMCVO, such as bid writing and other forms of assistance critical in securing additional funding and resources. I request that you detail the measures your administration is taking to ensure that these projects continue to receive the essential support they require to maintain their operations and pursue their objectives.
This situation is deeply concerning as it could have far-reaching consequences for the social and economic wellbeing of our communities at a time of unprecedented challenge and need in the voluntary sector. It is essential that we assess the situation comprehensively to safeguard the continuity of valuable services and programs that depend on GMCVO’s involvement.
Your timely response to these queries will be greatly appreciated, not only to inform the Opposition but also to provide reassurance to the community organisations and residents of Oldham who may be directly affected by this significant change.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your detailed response.
The decision to hand over Princes’ Gate to Oldham Council’s partnership with Muse has been “called in” by Liberal Democrat councillor Sam Al-Hamdani – who asked for more information on the multi-million pound decision after it was taken in a private session of the Council’s Cabinet.
Princes’ Gate has been a long-term target for commercial development, with stalled projects for a hotel, a Lidl supermarket, and Marks & Spencer. The Council has now u-turned on making the landmark site at the gateway to the town a commercial one, and is instead solely building residential properties there.
Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “There are significant potential costs involved in this development for the Council, which were not included in previous budget planning. Such a change in approach should be as transparent as possible.
“This is the gateway to Oldham town centre, and a prime transport interchange with the tram stop, bus stops and bypass. It is essential that these decisions are taken transparently and cooperatively.”
The plan for Princes’ Gate in 2014 was for 150,000 sq ft (14,000 sq m) of retail space created, along with 800 homes and 700 parking spaces. The current proposals are for around 295 new homes. Details of the decision will now be heard in a specially added scrutiny meeting on 17 December.
Councillor Al-Hamdani continued: “This Labour-run council has a history of massive overspending, and massive under delivery. This project is now a prime example of that – it’s a fraction of the size, a decade late, and being decided on in Cabinet after the public and press have been excluded. Is that good enough for the people of Oldham?”
