The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has written to Oldham Council to ask that Remembrance Sunday services at war memorials across the Oldham Borough should this year be filmed and made available online for members of the public to watch.
In his letter to the Deputy Chief Executive, Helen Lockwood, Councillor Sykes laments that it was impossible to properly mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day in May and this will also be the case with Victory over Japan Day on 15 August because of the coronavirus restrictions preventing large public gatherings.
Councillor Sykes has asked the Council to now plan for online coverage of the Remembrance Sunday events.
Commenting Councillor Sykes said: “In Shaw and Crompton, many hundreds of local people join local Councillors, veterans from the Royal British Legion, local clergy and young people from the uniformed services to pay their respects at the Crompton War Memorial to all the servicemen and -women who served their country in time of war and sacrificed all. This is also the case at our war memorials elsewhere across the borough.”
“This year we are likely to able to only hold small physical services at each of war memorials and I want to ensure that no-one will be excluded from participating, despite Covid-19. If we can show these services online, anyone with a computer will be able to participate and they will be able to properly show their respects for the sacrifice others have made in the defence of their freedom. If we can allow the public to see Council meetings on-line, we absolutely must do this for our services on Remembrance Sunday.”
Mobile testing for people showing symptoms of Covid 19 is a vitally important tool in the effort to fight this pandemic effectively.
Oldham Borough has been highlighted as a location where a rise in cases of the virus over the past two weeks has placed Oldham Borough at risk of significantly increased restrictions should the spike not be addressed, not to mention the potential of residents falling ill, infecting others, and potentially dying as a result of being unaware they have contracted the virus.
Shaw Ward Councillors in consultation with public health colleagues managed to secure the promise of a mobile testing facility on Shaw market ground over the last week, arriving on Tuesday 4th August and again on Thursday 6th and Friday 7th.
Subsequently the Unit failed to turn up on Tuesday, despite appointments having been booked via the testing website, attended Thursday as agreed, and again failed to turn up on Friday until after 3pm, again despite tests having been booked.
On each day, despite assurances that residents were unable to simply attend and receive a test without an appointment, there is plenty of evidence that shows that people were able to do so.
Additionally residents who tried to book a test via the 119 system were told that Shaw did not have a testing site.
These issues have been raised by Councillor Howard Sykes with the appropriate agencies and subsequently the National Team responsible for Covid Testing have declared these failures as a major incident.
Howard Sykes said ‘ Shaw and Crompton residents have been treated like second class citizens, the whole process has been a farce and totally unacceptable. I have received assurances throughout the week that these issues were being resolved but as of 5pm Friday I am still unaware of how this vital service that saves lives will improve or even be available to Shaw residents moving forward. I have demanded answers and I expect the response to be 100% improved next week, it is simply not good enough’.
Further to my recent email regarding the postponement of some required technical changes to TV transmitters in the North West this April due to the Coronavirus outbreak, I am writing again to inform you that these have now been rescheduled to resume in August.
As previously noted, some Freeview channels are moving to new airwaves to allow for the future development of new mobile broadband services, following a decision by the UK Government. Digital UK is working with Freeview and co-ordinating the technical planning of the updates needed at transmitters. This programme of changes started in 2017 and has been taking place region by region across the country.
The final stages of required engineering work at the Winter Hill transmitter group (serving households across Liverpool, Manchester, Lancashire, Cheshire and north Staffordshire) will now take place on 12 August. This follows a successful update to main BBC services earlier in February this year and work on this day will be carried out on other commercial channels including ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5, and some HD services.
Residents who watch Freeview will need to retune their TV equipment if they find they are missing channels on 12 August. Those using other services based on terrestrial TV, such as YouView, BT TV or TalkTalk, will also be affected. Satellite and cable TV services are not affected.
A local information campaign will prepare people for the changes, including advertising and on-screen messages.
For the majority of viewers, retuning should be straightforward and will restore TV services to normal. Some older aerials may need to be replaced to continue receiving all channels. Viewers may be eligible for free in-home support, including aerial work if needed.
Anyone who needs advice, or who finds they are still missing services after retuning, can be directed to the Freeview Advice Line team for support on freephone 0808 100 0288. Information is also available on the Freeview website at www.freeview.co.uk/tvchanges
I would be grateful if you would please share this information with any relevant colleagues.
Should you have any further questions about the changes yourself, please contact us at industry@digitaluk.co.uk
The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has written to the Oldham Council Member with responsibility for World War Two commemorations and the Deputy Chief Executive asking Oldham Council to host special events to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory over Japan day on 15 August.
Councillor Sykes said: “Earlier this year, as every year, there was rightly a focus on commemorating the victory in Europe over Nazi Germany in May 1945. However, in the Far East, young servicemen from Great Britain and the Commonwealth continued to fight for three more months against a ruthless enemy and in a hostile terrain. These were the men of the Fourteenth Army, engaged in heroic actions to liberate Burma from Japanese occupation. Unfortunately, their exploits are not so well known and even their own commander described them as a ‘forgotten army.’
The 75th anniversary of VJ-Day represents a long overdue opportunity to recognise the courage, tenacity and sacrifice of these men. And let us not forget to the terrible privations endured by our prisoners of war treated so horribly by many of their Japanese captors. For them, the war’s end and liberation could not come soon enough.”
Councillor Sykes has welcomed news that an exhibition of photographs and memories of local people from World War Two that will open in Tommyfield Market on 14 August, but he would like the Council to do more by hosting a service with the Mayor of Oldham and representatives from the Royal British Legion, Far East prisoner of war associations, and the Burma Star Association at the Oldham War Memorial. He also wants to ensure that Oldham’s Asian communities are represented: “Most of the fighting men of the Fourteenth were born in the Indian sub-continent and their descendants would now be citizens of India, Bangladesh or Pakistan.”
Councillor Sykes is also encouraging members of the public to print off and display posters to mark VJ-Day: “I hope that for August 15 we can see them in windows everywhere. Let us all show that in our borough, the men of the fighting Fourteenth Army are not forgotten.”
The posters can be accessed from the British Government’s website at:
We know a number of residents have been unable so far to book a test locally and we would like to apologise to them for this.
Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes has already asked if it can stay longer and also if it can come again. As of now still no response on either matter – will keep people posted as best I can.
National track and trace appears to be a bit of a shambles to me.
Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, has written to the Metropolitan Mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Andy Burnham, asking him to ‘get tougher to tackle the spike in Covid-19’ with a greater police presence on our streets and on our trams.
Councillor Sykes is, like many of his constituents, getting increasingly annoyed and frustrated at seeing the actions of a ‘selfish few’, who are ‘frequently and flagrantly’ flouting the regulations on social distancing and the requirement to wear face coverings on public transport and in shops and takeaways.
Commenting Councillor Sykes said: “Individuals acting in this manner are endangering themselves and others around them and may well be aiding the transmission of this deadly illness. We need to everyone to understand that compliance with the regulations is not only a legal requirement, but also necessary to get this disease under control. We have had education and most people have understood, but a reckless minority are ignoring the law and now is the time when we need enforcement. I have asked Mayor Burnham to get tough and ensure we have an effective and active police presence in our communities and on public transport to punish those offenders who will not comply.”
The wording of the letter to the Mayor Andy Burnham, sent 31 July, is as follows:
To the Metropolitan Mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr Andy Burnham
Dear Mayor Burnham,
Re: Enforcement of Covid 19 regulations
I am writing to you in connection with yesterday’s announcement by Health Secretary Matt Hancock MP that new restrictions will be imposed throughout Greater Manchester from today making it illegal for people who do not live together to meet in a private home or garden.
My concern relates to how these restrictions and other regulations will be legally enforced by officers of the Greater Manchester Police.
The situation regarding enforcement was poor before the recent announcements.
I receive regular complaints from travellers and shoppers that previously-imposed government requirements that anyone travelling by public transport or visiting a shop or take-away wear a face covering are frequently and flagrantly flouted by a very small but significant minority, seemingly without penalty.
The actions of this selfish few not only annoy, and frustrate, the majority of law-abiding residents of Oldham Borough who adhere to the regulations, but they also represent a clear and present danger in public health terms, fostering the likelihood of increased transmission which would, if unchecked, lead to the eventual imposition of a full local lockdown.
The law provides for punishment for such transgressions. Concerned members of the public, Council officers, shop workers, and drivers and guards on public transport may seek to challenge or check this behaviour, but they cannot impose the force of law and inevitably police officers never seem to be present.
Sometimes an appropriate ‘quiet word’ from a uniformed officer or PCSO could be all it takes.
I believe it is now time for some enforcement so I would like to ask you about your plans to impose a greater police presence on public transport and in our communities as an immediate priority to get tough on these offenders? The time for a softly, softly approach has gone, we now need to get tougher if we are to really tackle this spike in Covid 19 and avoid further deaths – it really is that simple.
People have had problem making books for the above.
To be fair this in the National test and trace system and the way it is set up.
I have raised this with the Council (Director of Public Health) and below is the latest information.
Thank you for highlighting the problems that residents have been having with booking tests on the government portal and calling 119 today.
I followed this up with Department of Health and Social Care and have been told that demand for testing in both Oldham and Rochdale has been very high today, and therefore all available testing slots have been taken up.
One of the challenges with the national booking portal is that once all slots are booked at a site, it is no longer listed on the portal until more slots become available.
This means that anyone looking for a test, including those answering calls to 119 won’t be able to see that the site exists. We have raised this issue with the team previously and I will do so again to see if we can get some changes made to both the way information is presented on the site and the script used by call handlers.
I will also ask for some additional wording to be adding to our local communications to highlight that if the site isn’t listed this is because slots are fully booked.
Unfortunately the mobile testing unit, such as will be in Shaw, isn’t able to accept walk ups, so residents will need to book in order to access testing.
However, more slots should be available for booking tomorrow once the Wednesday and Thursday time slots are released.
I will be following this up with the national team tomorrow to try to get some changes made to the booking portal and 119 script for the future.
