The Liberal Democrats represent the only effective opposition to Labour on Oldham Council.  Unlike the Conservatives, we speak out on the issues that our electors care about in Full Council and we fight for what our communities want.

• We are opposed to Labour’s plan to build homes on the Green Belt.  
• We are opposed to a giant incinerator in Royton.  
• And we are opposed to Labour spending £68 million of Council Taxpayers hard-earned money on ‘Spendles’.

We want to see a Healthier, Greener and Cleaner Oldham Borough.

This year in our latest annual budget proposals, we found the money to invest

• in three new health centres for Shaw and Crompton, Saddleworth, and Chadderton;
• in energy efficiency measures;
• to improve footpaths; and to tackle speeding, anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and dog-fouling.

As usual the Conservatives offered no alternative to Labour and failed to support our proposals.

The Liberal Democrats have a straightforward philosophy – to be a voice for the voters we represent and the communities we serve in Crompton, Shaw, Royton, Saddleworth and Lees.

To deliver the best value-for-money services that we can for Council Taxpayers, and to cut Civic Centre bureaucracy and waste to make money available for frontline services and lower Council Tax bills.

Hope you can join me for our event this Sunday the 25^th, our task being the restoration of drainage facilities on the reservoir access path.

The current BBC weather forecast for Sunday is sunny intervals and a gentle breeze, likely temperatures of 9º/11º (Not Warm!) and ~10 mph winds so please ensure you have your favourite hot & or cold liquids, appropriate  clothing & footwear and a packed lunch if you are up for the day – it may feel colder than it really is.

If you have any issues that you may wish to discuss prior to Sunday, please do not hesitate to email (on either address) or text / phone me on 07961107860.

For those of you that have not already done so, please could you let me know if you intend to join us on the day.  

I look forward to seeing you in the Crompton Moor Car Park at 10.30 on Sunday. Thank you.

Edward John Fulton (aka Ed / Eddie), Countryside Volunteer Ranger, (Mob) 07961 107860 [Calls may be recorded], (Text) 07961 107860, (Fax)  01706 661813. (E)  edward@edwardjohnfulton.uk 

You do need to live in Shaw and Crompton.

I am pleased to report, on the back of the clean up by Metrolink last week and following contact from me, the Very Group have cleaned their sites that front Linney Lane and Beal Lane.

Local Conservatives may talk of their respect and admiration for the late HRH Prince Phillip, but they have been hurtful and shown only disrespect in using an out-of-date image of Oldham councillors, which shows several elected members who are now sadly deceased.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Group Leader councillor Chris Gloster was disgusted when he saw on a Conservative election leaflet photographs of three councillors who have died.

Commenting, councillor Gloster said:  “The leaflet is in very poor taste.  Clearly local Conservatives do not care about hurting the feelings of relatives, friends and party colleagues of the deceased in using this out-of-date image.  Two of the three councillors, Susan Dearden and Brian Ames, sadly died in February and March 2018 and the third, my dear friend, former Mayor of Oldham councillor Derek Heffernan, in December 2019.  Getting an up-to-date image of the current 60 councillors would have been so easy but local Conservatives obviously could not be bothered.”

What makes the use of the image worse is that the Conservative election ‘promise’ not only represents breath-taking hypocrisy on their part, but it cannot be kept. 

“At every Annual Budget meeting of the Council from 2012 until 2020, the Liberal Democrats proposed a cut of Councillor numbers from 60 to 40 to save money.  The Conservative Group never did.  The reason we did not do so again in 2021 is that Councillor numbers in the Oldham Borough has been reviewed by the Electoral Commission in 2020 and fixed at 60”, added councillor Gloster. 

“When the Commission called for comments on councillor numbers late last year, the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group wrote back calling for a comprehensive cut in Councillor numbers to two from three per electoral ward.  The Council took a vote at its meeting on 4 November 2020 to propose to the Commission that councillor numbers remain at 60, the Conservative councillors present voted with Labour, the Liberal Democrats did not.  Against our wishes, the Commission stuck at 60, and now whatever the Tories might say it is now too late to do anything about it.”

If you are showing Coronavirus symptoms, you can get a PCR test at:

• Southgate Street, next to Oldham Library
• Peel Street, Chadderton
• Honeywell Centre, Hadfield Street

You must book an appointment online.

Find out more by visiting www.oldham.gov.uk/testing_with_symptoms

If you are not showing Coronavirus symptoms, there are a number of options for rapid lateral flow tests. You can:

• Get tested at a number of pharmacies across Oldham
• Collect home testing kits from Lees Library, Crompton Library, Failsworth Library or The Link Centre
• Order kits online

Find out more by visiting www.oldham.gov.uk/testing_without_symptoms

Remember to always wear a mask and socially distance when visiting one of our testing sites.

Vaccination data

Vaccination data from across Oldham is published twice a week. As of 8 April, there have been 107,986 of Oldham’s registered population aged 18 or over, vaccinated with their first dose.   

To view the figures visit: www.oldham.gov.uk/covid19data

Local Liberal Democrat Councillors have begun the fight to make the Greater Manchester Pension Fund, one of the largest municipal pension funds in the UK, ‘green’. 

The Oldham Liberal Democrats first proposed that Oldham Council declare a Climate Emergency and were delighted to support the Administration’s ambition to achieve carbon-neutrality for Oldham Council by 2025 and for the Borough by 2030.

In March Group Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE wrote to the Council’s representative on the Greater Manchester Pension Fund management advisory board calling for it ‘to rapidly divest from fossil fuels’.  He has yet to receive a reply nearly a month later.

In March 2019, the Greater Manchester Pension Fund held investments of £1.71 billion in fossil fuel companies and funds.  The biggest holdings are in BP and Shell. 

Councillor Sykes explained:  “There was a meeting of the pension fund’s advisory board on 19 March and I wrote to the Council’s Deputy Leader to ask him, as our representative, to raise our concerns.  It is wrong for Oldham Council and the other Greater Manchester authorities, who are committed to tackling climate change, to support a fund which continues to hold sizable investments in fossil fuel businesses.”

The Greater Manchester Pension Fund has only made a vague commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050, justifying its target by citing fiduciary duty and the need to make the best possible returns for investors.  Councillor Sykes is not impressed.

“This at a moment in our history when time is fast running out to arrest irreversible climate change; if this does not happen our future pensioners will hardly appreciate the benefits of fiduciary duty when they are struggling to breathe,” added Councillor Sykes.  “It’s time for GMPF to stop making excuses and to use its expertise and investments to rapidly divest from fossil fuels and thereby help to create a safer, healthier future for all GM residents.”

Councillor Sykes concluded:  “I now hope that the Deputy Leader will furnish me a reply as soon as possible.  Climate change is above party politics and I hope that can work together on this issue to help make the Greater Manchester Pension Fund fossil fuel free in the future.”

St George’s flags will to be flown in Dunwood Park, High Crompton Park and in Shaw Town Centre outside the Lifelong Learning Centre.

Flags will be in place for St George’s Day in the Town Centre and it is intended to leave them up until after Saturday 15^th May in support of the British Legion 100^th Anniversary.  Many thanks to the Shaw & Crompton Events Group, which local Lib Dem councillors support, for organising this part of our celebrations.

The Big Lamp Lights should be on red on from Monday 19 April to Monday 26 April.

Parish Council Town Crier will, I understand, be out and about doing a shout or two.