The Tour of Britain cycling event, is set to return to Oldham on the afternoon of Sunday 3 September.
Elite riders from across the globe will be battling it out from Altrincham to Manchester, with the Oldham section of the race coming through Uppermill, Dobcross, Delph, Grains Bar and Shaw, before then crossing over into Rochdale.
A full map of the route – which is the same as the previous route when the Tour came through Oldham in 2019 – is on the Tour of Britain website here.
Find out more about the event, including road closure information, here.
Liberal Democrats call for action on poor secondary education standards in Oldham
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has written to council chiefs following a set of “very mixed” OFSTED results across Oldham’s secondary schools.
Councillor Sykes’s Liberal Democrat Opposition Group say that Oldham council must act “where schools that were inspected were deemed to be inadequate.”
Councillor Sykes said, “These results should tell the council that more needs to be done. The reality for far too many families in Oldham is that sending your children to a performing secondary school is just not an option. Too many pupils are being let down because standards are not high enough across the board. That needs to change as a matter of absolute urgency.”
The Liberal Democrats also warned of dangers facing school budgets after the government announced a new pay deal for teachers and school support staff but refused to release any new funding to pay for it.
Councillor Sykes said, “Teachers and support staff deserve a fair pay deal. But instead of funding a fair deal, the government has decided that schools need to find the money themselves.”
“After years of budget cuts and with energy bills soaring, many schools will be looking at reducing the hours of staff to balance the books. It will be children whose education has already been disrupted by the pandemic who lose out if this happens, it’s a scandal.”
In a letter to Oldham Council’s Director of Children’s and Young People’s services, councillor Sykes asked the council to provide its strategy for driving up standards across secondary schools in Oldham.
Councillor Sykes said, “It’s not just about ticking boxes at the next inspection. Schools and the council need a plan to tackle absences. School absences are up by more than 80% since 2019. When kids miss school, it leads to other problems further on in life. We want to see the council taking these figures seriously and working to drive improvements.”
16/08/23
Gerard Jones Director of Children’s and Young People’s Services
Dear Mr Jones,
RE: Action on poor secondary education standards in Oldham
You will be aware of the very mixed results yielded by the recent OFSTED school inspections across Oldham.
Whilst several schools received encouraging feedback, it is concerning to note that several schools in our Brough, notably the secondary schools that were inspected, were deemed to be inadequate or in need of improvement.
Several factors currently contribute to the precarious and challenging period which our schools find themselves in. The impact of the pandemic on education is still ongoing. The cost-of-living crisis continues unabated and its impact on families and on children is abundantly clear. It is also clear that teachers and school support staff are also impacted.
I am writing to request an overview of Oldham Council’s current strategy to assist schools in their efforts to improve standards following this most recent inspection.
I would be grateful if you could address the following points in your response:
What additional cost-of-living support is being offered to schools, pupils; and staff?
What is being done to track the lasting impact of the covid pandemic on pupil attainment?
What is being done to tackle persistent and severe absences across our borough, particularly in secondary schools?
What is the impact of the government’s unfunded pay deal for schools, with a particular view to the tension between balancing school budgets and the need to maintain current levels of support staffing?
What are the current levels of demand for free school meals and are Oldham’s schools able to meet demand?
United Utilities fail to provide figures on sewage dumping
– Higher rainfall likely to mean large increase in sewage dumped in rivers
United Utilities are refusing to provide real time data on sewage, despite other water companies doing the same, which is likely to be covering up increased sewage being dumped into local rivers.
This July was the wettest since 2009, with rainfall in Greater Manchester at 170% of its average levels. Environmental campaigners have warned that sewage discharges in 2022 – which went on for an eye-watering 2.4 million hours – were still lower than they could have been due to low rainfall levels, and that this year’s higher rainfall levels are likely to mean substantial increases.
Liberal Democrat councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “We know that United Utilities dumped sewage into Oldham waterways more than 2,500 times in 2022 – that was more than 14,000 hours. In the north west, we have now had well above average rainfall in January, March, June and July, which is likely to mean that we have had even greater levels of sewage dumping.
“It is outrageous that companies are being allowed to get away with this.”
While Thames Water has started providing real time data on sewage dumping, United Utilities are among the many companies who have refused to do so, meaning that people will not be able to find out the condition of local rivers right now until March next year.
Sam continued: “We know that this data could be provided; we also know that United Utilities needs to invest heavily into its measuring equipment so that it can properly assess the damage being done – but they haven’t done it yet.
“It is galling to see United Utilities paying out bumper dividends to shareholders again and again – another £300 million was paid out this year – and yet they can’t even tell us how much sewage they are putting into local rivers.
“The Liberal Democrats have managed to change legislation to hold the water companies to account, but this failing Tory government seems determined to ignore the problems and let them carry on destroying our rivers. This must end.”
Work has been completed to provide residents and businesses with additional parking spaces during the ongoing construction of Shaw’s new Health Centre.
Shaw councillor and Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats Howard Sykes MBE said, “Local Liberal Democrat councillors have been working flat out to make sure the new health centre got off the ground. But during the construction, people need to be able to get to work and use the businesses on the high street as usual.”
“We have worked to make additional parking available at the Westway and Kershaw Street carparks, along with some addition on street parking on Farrow Street East and Milne Street. We have taken on feedback from residents and businesses to make sure the best scheme is in place. I am delighted that the extra parking spaces are now in place.”
Liberal Democrats supporting Shaw town centre during health centre rebuild
Oldham Liberal Democrats warn of NHS winter crisis as government confirms no extra beds this winter for Greater Manchester
Oldham’s Liberal Democrat leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has warned of another NHS winter crisis heading for Oldham and Greater Manchester. The Shaw councillors’ comments come after the government confirmed 900 additional hospital beds across the country to cope with pressure on NHS services, but no extra beds were granted to Greater Manchester trusts.
Councillor Sykes said, “Once again, Oldham and the rest of Greater Manchester is being left to fend for itself.”
“With A&E services in crisis, GP surgeries backed up and waiting lists for serious treatments growing with no end in sight, local trusts like Northern Care Alliance which serves Oldham are already failing to cope.”
“Clearly the Conservative government are walking away from any pledge to support the NHS in Greater Manchester. Liberal Democrats want clear action on the NHS. By fully funding social care, investing in additional hospital beds in our region, increasing the drive to recruit more of nurses and paramedics and tightening up rules around ambulance wait times, we can deliver the world class health service that people in Oldham deserve.”
This is to fix the blocked gully grid I reported a few weeks ago.Hopefully will not take long but you never know when you dig down.
The Oldham Borough Council hereby gives Notice that no person shall cause any vehicle to proceed along Hawksmoor Drive Shaw at its junction with Store Street. The One-Way traffic restriction on Copley Street shall be suspended for the period of this notice.
The restrictions are required to allow the emergency repairs to a sinkhole and will be in force for a period of 21 days from the date of this notice or until the works are completed whichever is the lesser period.
The alternative route for those affected by the restriction shall be Hawksmoor Drive, Copley Street.
