Commonwealth Day is an annual celebration observed by people all over the Commonwealth in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe.
This year Commonwealth Day will be centred around the same theme as last year, which is also the theme for the forthcoming 2021 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The theme – ‘Delivering a Common Future’ – highlights how the 54 member countries in the Commonwealth family are ‘innovating, connecting and transforming’ to help achieve some of its biggest goals, like fighting climate change, promoting good governance and boosting trade.
Crompton Moor may have featured recently on a BBC Countryfile programme as a place of beauty and wonderment, but Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillor and Chair of Crompton Moor Users Group, Howard Sykes MBE, is concerned that the protection of the moor and our borough’s other much-loved open spaces is threatened by the Council’s failure to properly publicise the local orders that prevent irresponsible behaviour.
Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) allow local authorities to proscribe certain types of behaviour, imposing financial penalties upon those offenders who choose to ignore them. On moorland, a PSPO would typically prohibit the lighting of fires, the use of Chinese lanterns and irresponsible cycling and motor-cycling other than on certain defined routes, and place certain restrictions on dog-walking, hunting and dog fouling They are intended to keep the public safe and prevent harm to the natural environment.
Councillor Sykes wrote to Council officers asking why Oldham Council’s website had not shown details of the PSPOs in place across the borough for many months and why signage on the moor has not replaced. Commenting, he said: “Regrettably our green spaces are from time-to-time invaded by a few selfish and mindless idiots who chose to despoil our green spaces and ruin the quiet enjoyment for the vast majority. PSPOs are one means we can fight back against this lawless minority, but we cannot prosecute them if we do not publicise them.”
In the response, Councillor Sykes was informed that, after a review of over 200 existing PSPOs as required by law last year, the Council’s Legal Services Department is now authorising the new orders and will place the details on the Council’s website by the end of March, following his intervention. As to the physical replacement of the signs, there is still no news!
“It is disappointing that we shall have to wait another month for the website to show the details, but more worrying that there was no confirmation about the replacement of the physical signs”, added Councillor Sykes. “I am going to keep badgering Council officers on this as anti-social behaviour has gotten worse over the Lockdown and my wager is that it will become worse still when this is lifted.”
I have been informed the Bin Service are slightly behind with kitchen and garden waste collections due to an increase in tonnages with the good weather over the weekend.
Residents please be advised to leave bins /caddies out and they will collect first thing tomorrow morning.
After tens of thousands of supporters contacted the Government in support of a change to the Domestic Abuse Bill, to outlaw threats to share intimate images, the Conservatives have agreed that it should form part of the forthcoming Domestic Abuse Bill.
Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani, who was one of many to write to the Home Office calling for the legislation, was delighted to hear of the change. He said: “We need to change the UK’s culture around domestic abuse. This is another step in breaking down the taboos and attitudes which have let this situation fester for so long.”
The lockdown has focused attention on domestic abuse, with rates dramatically increasing, but even before the start of lockdown, it was already endemic. According to Government figures, in the year before lockdown, 2.3 million people suffered from domestic abuse. That’s one in every 30 people, suffering from violence in their own home, every year.
Sam continued: “It is shocking that so many people are suffering in silence. Just on those figures, it is likely that someone in your street has been abused in the last year.
“It is all too easy to look for stereotypes when it comes to domestic abuse. One of the hardest things about it is that there is no one type of victim, and no one type of abuser. It could happen to anyone.
“It is incredibly difficult to escape from an abusive relationship, and changing the law to protect women – for it is almost always women who are on the end of these threats – from this type of behaviour is an important step.”
Other changes are still vitally needed. Oldham Liberal Democrats have written to the Home Secretary to ask for the Rail to Refuge scheme, which gives free rail tickets to women seeking to escape abuse to be made permanent, and are campaigning to ensure that public sexual harassment is made a criminal offence.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is consulting the public on its proposed Nature Recovery Plan with a closing date for responses of 7 March. Liberal Democrat Leader Councillor Howard Sykes MBE is encouraging local people to respond; in the meantime, he has some sage words of advice ‘leave our nature be!’
Councillor Sykes is dismayed by the fact that the consultation is being conducted by the same authority that is responsible for the failed Greater Manchester Spatial Framework and is now developing a new Places for Everyone plan for the nine Greater Manchester authorities, eight Labour-led and one-Conservative, which remain wedded to rolling out a series of large-scale housing schemes on green belt sites throughout the city-region.
Commenting, Councillor Sykes said: “Our natural environment, whether a local park, a green field, woodland or a canal towpath, has been a source of solace, peace and quiet, and enjoyment for so people during an awful year when we have otherwise had to remain isolated at home during an unprecedented pandemic.”
“I welcome the fact that Greater Manchester has been selected for government funding to develop a nature recovery plan, but it seems to be completely at odds with those who seem dedicated to destroying our Green Belt by building thousands of new homes upon it, to be extolling the virtues of the natural environment.”
Councillor Sykes is therefore urging everyone to have their say and use this opportunity to send in their comments condemning Labour’s new Green Belt homes plan. “This is the first phase of the next battle, but if we all say ‘yes’ to nature and ‘no’ to Labour’s plan to concrete over our beautiful open spaces we might give our local countryside a fighting chance of still being available for future generations to enjoy.”
Oldham’s Labour Cabinet may claim that the proposed 2.99% rise is the lowest in Greater Manchester, but residents still face the second highest Council Tax bills in the city region.
Of the ten local authorities, the Oldham Liberal Democrats have identified that only Labour-run Stockport presented a higher Council Tax bill to residents in 2020. Oldham’s bill for a Band D property was £1,678 compared to Stockport’s £1,691.
Councillor Howard Sykes MBE said: “In these difficult economic times, when we are all counting the pennies, Oldham Council Tax payers will, I am sure, be glad that bills will go up by 2.99% this year rather than the 5% that is permitted without a referendum, but this is small comfort when bills are already so high to begin with.”
“That is why the Liberal Democrats continue to seek further savings and efficiencies from Council bureaucracy where we can to free up more cash for front line services, and that is what we shall do again when we present our Budget Amendment to Council on Thursday 4 March.”
Shaw Ward Liberal Democrat Councillors have asked that the latest planning application to convert the former Weavers Answer PH on Milnrow Road, Shaw; to a nine bedroom premises to provide ‘supported living’; is raised from a council officer delegated decision to the full council planning committee in order that the application can receive full public scrutiny.
Councillor Howard Sykes said: “this application was refused in January 2021 by planners, when the applicants applied for an 18 bedrooms hostel.”
“Despite major revisions to the plan, residents and ward councillors still have grave concerns about the proposed use of these premises and the lack of detail in the application and as a consequence we have asked for it to be raised to Planning Committee so it can be scrutinised and the developers challenged in an open and transparent forum if required.”
The reasons submitted to the planning department as listed below:
1. No Design and Access Statement to satisfy, amongst other things, compliance with relevant equality legislation in terms of design.
2. The internal arrangements of the premises would provide insufficient living space for residents.
3. Fear of increased crime and anti-social behaviour that current residents are witnessing already, the premises themselves have already been subject to substantial criminal damage, fly tipping has taken place adjacent to the site. ASB already takes place outside.
4. Two recent HMOs in immediate vicinity may be contributing to this increase.
5. Policing services are stretched and will be so further if these premises become a hostel for transient residents.
6. Impact on health services. Application now states supported living, where is there a need for supported living of this type? What type of supported living is required and if there is a medical need what impact will this have on the current stretched services in Shaw and Crompton where patients are having to attend Royton for appointments/treatment.
7. Applicants have (contrary to their statement upon application) closed off the front main entrance to premises and put a window in, and now intend to use another entrance obscured by a bus shelter which would impact upon bus stop users particularly if residents congregated at the door smoking etc.
8. Highways, no provision identified for staff vehicles or residents vehicles in an area already struggling for short and long term parking to service the shops thereby impacting upon current local amenities.
9. Visual impact. It is unclear if developers intend to render this property as per last application, it is unclear if applicants intend to alter the current roof design. If this is still the case that is totally unacceptable for the street scene and should be a planning condition whatever this development subsequently becomes.
With one week to go, Conservative Government plans to reopen schools fail to pass muster, says Liberal Democrat Leader, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE.
“Whilst we all want to see all our children back at their desks, a return to school must be safe for our children, our teachers and our other school staff,” said Councillor Sykes. “Parents will rightly want to have the assurance that the government is not simply rushing into things just to satisfy a deadline on the Prime Minister’s ‘roadmap’ and that our children’s health will in no way be compromised by a March 8 return to the classroom.”
The Oldham Liberal Democrats believe that the government has a whole series of questions to answer before it can pass the test:
How can we be sure that school transport will be safe to use?
Will regional or local approaches will be considered that take account of local infection and vaccination rates?
If an immediate full return for all pupils to school is not possible what phased approach will be taken across year groups, and will rotas be considered in the short-term to ensure that all pupils spend some time in the classroom?
How will the testing for COVID-19 infection be carried out on a regular basis amongst pupils, where and when will it happen, and what impact will this have on the delivery of teaching?
How will parents who are reluctant to send their children back to school, or children be reluctant to attend, be supported to make the right choice?
What additional support will pupils with mental illness, disabilities or Special Educational Needs receive so they can benefit fully from a return to education?
Councillor Sykes said: “These, and many other questions, remain unanswered. Although I am absolutely confident that teachers and other school staff will do their utmost to make this work, I have absolutely no confidence in the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, who failed our young people so abysmally with his discredited algorithms in the recent examinations fiasco.”
