Pensioners to lose £20M

Government planning £20 million pensions heist as pensioners in Oldham set to lose hundreds of pounds

Shocking new figures revealed by Oldham Liberal Democrats show that pensioners in Oldham are set to lose hundreds of pounds over the next three years.  This comes as the government plans to undermine the ‘triple-lock’ guarantee, which exists to protect pensions from inflation. 

Shaw councillor and Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats, Howard Sykes MBE said, “The Conservatives are set to break the triple lock by not uprating pensions in line with earnings.  Instead, they will exclude bonuses, meaning that pensioners will receive a 7.8% rise in the state pension, not the 8.5% the triple lock should guarantee them.”

“This stealth cut would set each pensioner in Oldham back £550 over three years at a time when so many people are struggling.  It was the Conservatives who crashed the economy and sent inflation soaring, but they want pensioners to clean up their mess.”

Analysis by the Liberal Democrats shows that a total of £20.7 million in state pension payments would be lost in Oldham alone if the government doesn’t change course. 

Councillor Sykes said, “The triple-lock must be maintained.  People in Oldham deserve better than having their pensions plundered by this out of touch government.”

NOTES

Full Department of Work and Pensions data here:

House of Commons Library Data is broken down by parliamentary constituency.  Oldham Borough is comprised of two whole constituencies – Oldham West & Royton and Oldham East & Saddleworth – and one partial constituency – Ashton-Under-Lyne.  To find approximate figures for Oldham Borough as a whole, the Liberal Democrats divide Ashton-Under-Lyne data by three and combine this with the figures for the rest of the borough. 

More from Councillor Sykes on triple-lock pensions
Liberal Democrats commit to ‘triple-lock’ to protect pensioners in Oldham – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete not disclosed by Northern Care Alliance despite Freedom of Information request from the Liberal Democrats (12/09/23)

Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete not disclosed by Northern Care Alliance despite Freedom of Information request from the Liberal Democrats (12/09/23)

The government have confirmed that Reinforced Aerated Autoclaved Concrete (RAAC) is present in the roof of The Royal Oldham hospital.  RAAC is the same material that led to the closure of many schools across the country earlier this year, on safety grounds. 

The news comes despite Northern Care Alliance – the trust that runs The Royal Oldham Hospital – failing to disclose the existence of RAAC in the building when responding to a Freedom of Information Request submitted by the Liberal Democrats in September and replied to on 4 October 23.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “This method of construction was widely used for public buildings for many decades.  Concerns about safety were first raised in the early 1990s but no one has done anything about it.”

“After the fiasco in the summer over school buildings, the Liberal Democrats submitted Freedom of Information requests to establish which public buildings in Oldham might have issues with RAAC.  This failure to disclose the existence of RAAC at Oldham Royal is just the latest in a long list of reasons why greater scrutiny of Northern Care Alliance is needed.” 

On September 12th, the Liberal Democrats asked Northern Care Alliance to provide a full list of NCA buildings which contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, as well as the latest safety assessment of the state of the RAAC for each named site.  

In a reply dated October 4th, Northern Care Alliance said that inspections were ongoing, but did not specifically identify any sites containing RAAC. 

Councillor Sykes said, “The danger posed by ageing RAAC in public buildings is real.  But there is a disturbing lack of clarity about the scale of the problem.  The government must urgently reverse cuts to hospital maintenance budgets and take steps to rescue our crumbling hospitals.”

NOTES

Oldham Liberal Democrats have consistently called for the creation of a joint scrutiny panel to provide greater accountability and scrutiny of Northern Care Alliance services.  Read more:
Renewed calls for scrutiny of Northern Care Alliance as only 48% of cancer patients seen within two months – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

FOI response received by Oldham Liberal Democrats

From: Howard Sykes <howard.sykes@oldham.gov.uk>
Sent: 12 September 2023 11:28

FAO: Northern Care Alliance

RE: RAAC in Northern Care Alliance buildings

I would like to make a request for the following information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Please provide a full list of NCA buildings, whether currently open to the public or not, which contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). 

Where applicable, please also provide information relating to the most recent safety/structural assessment of the state of the RAAC for each named site.  

Please acknowledge receipt of this request.

Best wishes.

Councillor Howard Sykes MBE 

From: FOIRequest <FreedomofInformationRequests@nca.nhs.uk>
Sent: 04 October 2023 09:55
To: Howard Sykes <howard.sykes@oldham.gov.uk>
Subject: FOI 13169 – Response

Good Morning,

The Trust has now completed collation of data to support a response to your recent Freedom of Information requests for the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

Details requested have been attached to this email.

As part of the disclosure log, all responses to Freedom of Information requests are posted on the Trust’s website. Please click on the link below to view the response to your request.

https://www.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk/application/files/7616/9640/9629/NCA_FOI_Response_Report_FOI_13169.docx

We trust these details will assist with your enquiries.  If we can be of any further assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Questionnaire

As a Trust we are keen to monitor and improve the services we offer. We’d be grateful if you could take the time to answer the following questions and provide us with any other feedback that may assist us with this process:

Were you satisfied with the handling of your request?    YES/NO
Was your request handled in a timely manner?               YES/NO
Were you provided with sufficient information to assist you with your request?YES/NO

Yours Sincerely

Anisa

Freedom of Information Office

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Bury | Oldham | Rochdale | Salford

Email: FreedomofInformationRequests@nca.nhs.uk

Oldham Liberal Democrats lead calls for new protections for private renters

Oldham Liberal Democrats lead calls for new protections for private renters


Liberal Democrats councillors will set out new plans to protect private renters at a meeting of Oldham Council next week (01/11).  Saddleworth North representative and Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Housing councillor Garth Harkness said, “Private renting is becoming increasingly unaffordable and insecure in Oldham Borough.”

“The private rented sector is like the Wild West.  There aren’t enough regulations in place to crack down on cowboy landlords, poor quality living conditions and unfair evictions.  This also does not reward responsible landlords either.”

Councillor Harkness will move a motion in the council chamber next week (1/11/23) that calls on Oldham Council to get tougher on rogue landlords by issuing and enforcing improvement notices where conditions are unacceptable.  This includes issues with excess cold as well as damp and mould.   

According to the homelessness charity Crisis, the end of a private rented tenancy is now the leading cause of homelessness in England.

Earlier this month, several of Greater Manchester’s leading housing and homelessness charities came together to announce a new campaign declaring a “private renters’ emergency”.  Their campaign was supported by Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE who will second the Liberal Democrat motion next week.  

Councillor Sykes said, “Wages are not keeping up with the rising cost of renting and this is already having devastating consequences for families in Oldham.  Urgent changes in the law are needed to give private renters more protections from runaway rents and poor-quality housing.  We also need to build more homes to rent!”

“But it’s not just about pointing the finger at the government.  Here in Oldham, we need the council to act proactively, to support residents when they are living in substandard homes, and to crack down on landlords when they aren’t meeting basic requirements.  The Liberal Democrats are setting out an action plan including the use of fines, improvement notices and licensing powers, that the council can use to ensure a fair deal for private renters.”  

Liberal Democrat Motion in full

Full Council 01/11/2023 – Notice of Opposition Business

Liberal Democrat Group Motion: A fair deal for private renters

Proposed by: councillor Garth Harkness. Seconded by: councillor Howard Sykes MBE

This Council notes:

  • The number of private renters in Oldham has grown significantly over the last decade
  • There are more than 4.4 million UK residents who live in a private rented home
  • In England, 1 in 8 private rented homes have at least one severe hazard, and 4% of private rented homes have an energy efficiency rating of F or G, meaning they are also illegal to rent out.
  • The end of a private sector tenancy is one of the leading causes of homelessness.
  • Black and minority ethnic households are more likely to experience poor housing outcomes including homelessness.
  • Oldham Council has a statutory obligation to ensure that no private rented tenant is living in substandard accommodation

This Council believes:

  • Private renters should not have to live in homes that are damp, in a poor state of repair, overcrowded or unaffordable
  • That data and communication resources at the Council’s disposal can be better used to engage with private renters
  • More frequent events, such as the Landlord Forum held in November 2019, would offer an opportunity for all landlords operating in Oldham to meet and discuss the issues that affect them and their tenants
  • That too little is known about people who face homelessness, whether they are evicted or are forced to leave their family or friends’ home, and this impedes efforts to prevent homelessness
  • The Government should bring forward the legislation it pledged in December 2019 immediately so that tenants can no longer be evicted without a reason

This Council resolves to protect private renters by:

  • Serving improvement notices on homes with severe hazards to invalidate Section 21 notices and enable Rent Repayment Orders if the landlord fails to comply
  • Serving improvement notices for excess cold in homes that fail Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards
  • Helping private renters claim back rent through rent repayment orders when they are eligible to do so
  • Enforcing the ban on letting agent fees by issuing fines to criminal letting agents
  • Taking action on overcrowded homes through licensing, increased inspections and a strategy for increasing the supply of homes for families and single adults
  • Committing not to use landlord licensing to enforce immigration law
  • Working more closely with the local police force to protect private renters from illegal evictions and appoint one person accountable for enforcing the Protection from Eviction Act
  • Publishing the breakdown of homelessness cases arising from the private rented sector by ethnicity
  • Recording and publish the tenure breakdown of homelessness cases, in particular those arising from family/friends being unable to house someone
  • Joining with Generation Rent, the national voice of private renters, in campaigning for the legislative change private renters need to live in safe, secure and affordable homes.
  • Supporting Generation Rent’s campaign for a National Register of Landlords
  • Making sure the Council website has useful advice and information for private renters that is easy to find; makes it easier for private renters to understand how the council can help enforce their rights, sets reasonable expectations; and allows for checking if a privately rented home has a landlord licence using Landlord Licensing, Council Tax, Energy Performance Certificate & Tenancy Deposit data to identify private rented homes to communicate directly with private renters

Former Very site Linney lane

Oldham Council have granted planning consent for 130 three- and four-bedrooms homes on the former Very Site at Linney Lane including affordable housing spread over the site.

The development of this site has always been a contentious issue for Shaw residents.  Whilst it has always been clear that these homes will be built based on government planning law and advice from Oldham Council Planning officers.

Concerns raised by Liberal Democrat councillors and responding to resident feedback concerned about roads infrastructure, health provision and school places has seen the developers Bellway Homes entering into an agreement to pay £2.4 million to be spent locally on health facilities, road upgrading and additional school places.

Councillor Hazel Gloster said ‘The repurposing of this brownfield site whilst a welcome use of land outside the greenbelt needed to reflect residents’ genuine concerns.  The funding which will be split equally over the two phases has been hard fought for but achieved by your Liberal Democrat councillors.

GMP child protection must be reviewed by police inspectorate

GMP child protection must be reviewed by police inspectorate

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) should investigate GMP’s handling of child protection, say Oldham Liberal Democrats, who have written to HMICFRS to request a review of the force.

GMP was last reviewed in 2014, but has since had assurance review reports published into failings in South Manchester and Oldham; with further reports due on Rochdale and across Manchester as a whole.

Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “It is nearly a decade since GMP were assessed; and there have been clear findings since which mean that people are concerned that survivors are being failed.

“If we are to have confidence that GMP has changed from the organisation that was criticised by the two assurance reviews, then an independent review is needed that would help identify any further issues, or help to give people reassurance in the organisation if that is warranted.”

In the latest review carried out by HMICFRS of the Met Police, it was found that vulnerable children were being put at risk, particularly around failing children in care who go missing; using “victim-blaming” language, and being slow to respond if at all to reports of runaways from local authority homes.

Councillor Al-Hamdani continued: “The failings identified in the Met review completely mirror what we heard in the assurance review carried out in Oldham. It is therefore vital that we get an investigation from an independent body which can assess whether the required improvements have been carried out.”