Concerns have been raised over the fact multiple HMOs without up-to-date licences are registered in Oldham.

However, Lib Dem Cllr Sam Al-Hamdani has raised concerns after he questioned the council over a number of HMOs which appear to have expired licences on the public register.

“Residents of HMOs and near HMOs need to know that they are being run properly. The Council has failed to respond when it has been drawn to their attention that a number of properties show as having expired licences, and that is not good enough.

“If the Council fails to ensure that HMOs are up to standard, they are letting down many vulnerable people who live in them, and potentially the residents who live nearby too. It should be straightforward to answer all the questions that I raised, and I am extremely concerned that three weeks after I was promised a response, I have heard nothing.

“I lived in a shared house when I was a student and when I was first working, as do many people. HMOs are often looked down on, but if they are well run they are an important way to make more housing available. Sadly the rules around licensing exclude too many properties from the requirements, and need to be overhauled. We should be pressing for more HMOs to be licenced, instead of which the Council seems to be failing to enforce the licencing rules we have.”

Liberal Democrats call for two-month cancer guarantee as over 1,000 people in Oldham wait more than 62 days for treatment

The Liberal Democrats have called for a new legal right for cancer patients to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral, as part of a plan to boost survival rates and improve treatment for those affected by the disease.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Everyone knows someone whose life has been turned upside down by cancer.  Too many people are still waiting, far too long for a diagnosis, or to start treatment after being diagnosed. We must do right by them and get them the care they need when they need it.”

The latest NHS figures show that, in the last year under Northern Care Alliance Trust (NCA) which covers Oldham, 1,049 cancer patients waited more than 62 days to start treatment after being referred.  Only 48% of NCA patients were treated within two months, below the government target of 85%.

Councillor Sykes said, “Every time a patient has to wait for treatment it is agonising, not just for them but for loved ones as well.  This is the reality for more than half of cancer patients across Oldham right now and it just isn’t good enough.”  

“The Liberal Democrat plan includes new radiotherapy machines, cutting the time for new medicines to reach patients, a new cancer research law, and better support for cancer patients and their families.  We would give cancer patients a new legal right to treatment within two months of an urgent referral, to make sure they get the care they deserve.”

“This forms part of our ambitious plan to end unacceptable cancer delays and boost survival rates.”

NOTES

NHS statistics on cancer waiting times are available here. 
More from councillor Sykes on cancer waiting times More than 900 people in served by the Northern Care Alliance (which includes Oldham) left waiting more than two months to start cancer treatment – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Changes to popular service before move to a new home

There will be temporary changes to our Local Studies and Archives Service this winter, as the service prepares to move to its new home in the redeveloped Spindles centre.

The current base at 84 Union Street will close to the public on 30 November 2023. A new temporary home for the service will then open in March 2024 within Oldham Library, prior to the move to Spindles when the new permanent archives centre is created in 2025.

Moving to a new site is a huge task and the council will have to reduce some of its archive services until this work is done.

Users of all Oldham libraries will still be able to enjoy free access to family history websites, including Ancestry and FindMyPast, as well as to census information from 1841 to 1921 online on our public computers.

From March 2024 the council will be able to offer the popular Local Studies service in the main library, with access to newspapers on microfilm and a fantastic range of local history publications.

For more information click here 

Willow planting at the wetland area Great Meadow.

SATURDAY 7^TH OF OCTOBER MEET IN BRUSHES CLOUGH CAR PARK FOR A 10:30AM START.

Liberal Democrats commit to ‘triple-lock’ to protect pensioners in Oldham

Following their national party conference, The Liberal Democrats have announced plans to protect pensioners against the cost-of-living crisis.  The party has committed to the ‘triple-lock’, which ensures that pensions increase in line with inflation, wages or 2.5% – whichever is highest.   

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE, who attended the conference, said, “Our triple-lock pension plan is needed now more than ever.  Pensioners are particularly vulnerable to the cost-of-living crisis because their fixed incomes can be eaten away by inflation.  We can’t let runaway inflation caused by the carelessness of this government destroy people’s livelihoods in old age.”

Figures revealed by the Liberal Democrats show that almost 55,000 pensioners could benefit across Oldham Borough. 

Councillor Sykes said, “The Liberal Democrats are the only party standing up for the triple-lock on state pensions.  Many pensioners across our communities are already worried sick about the cost of heating and eating.  The Conservatives and Labour are now eyeing up their pension pots too.  Why should pensioners pay the price for the damage the government has done to the nation’s finances?”     

NOTES

Data on the number of pensioners in each constituency can be found here.  Oldham Borough is comprised of two whole parliamentary constituencies – ‘Oldham East and Saddleworth’ and ‘Oldham West and Royton’ – as well roughly one third of the Ashton Under-Lyne constituency.

For the purpose of translating House of Commons Library data into figures for the metropolitan borough of Oldham as a whole, the Liberal Democrats take the combined figures for ‘Oldham East and Saddleworth’ and ‘Oldham West and Royton’ combine them with one third of Ashton-Under-Lyne’s total.  This gives an approximate figure for the borough – where only Parliamentary data is available.  

A half-thought through list of stations that will be 10 minutes nearer to Manchester is no substitute for a high quality rail infrastructure, after Rishi Sunak has crumbled in the face of years of Conservative mismanagement and scrapped the Tories headline HS2 project.

The scrapping of the project will have massive implications for Saddleworth, with the East–West Northern Powerhouse line dependent on HS2 infrastructure being constructed. With Bradford apparently now listed as being one of the stations getting works, local Liberal Democrat councillor Sam Al-Hamdani has questioned what this means for the high speed line which was scheduled to run through Saddleworth.

He said: “Rishi Sunak seems to have just thrown a large shopping list of projects up in the air and named a few, with no thought or consideration as to how they actually fit together.

“We have been desperate for clarity on the Northern Powerhouse line, which is threatening to bulldoze through Saddleworth, and push all the local services out of the way. Does this mean that they have reverted to their original plans to build a line through Bradford? Who knows!

“The Government seem to be playing the hokey cokey with huge multi-billion projects. You put Euston in, you take Manchester out … all we know for certain is that it has completely shaken private investors’ confidence in the North West.”

End of the line for levelling-up promise as Prime Minister set to abandon HS2 

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has responded to the news that HS2’s Manchester leg is set to be scrapped by the Prime Minister later today.   

The Shaw councillor, who is the Liberal Democrats spokesperson on Greater Manchester’s Transport, branded the move “a betrayal”.

Councillor Sykes said, “After all the empty talk we’ve heard from this government about levelling up, this latest betrayal over HS2 shows what they really think of Greater Manchester.  As always, the Conservatives have no ambition for the north of England, their levelling-up promise has come to nothing.  They continue to treat us as second class when it comes to investing in transport.” 

NOTES

Yes or No Prime Minister: Sykes slams Sunak on HS2 betrayal
“Yes or no, Prime Minister”: Liberal Democrats slam Sunak on HS2 “betrayal” – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

More from councillor Sykes on transport investment
So called investment in the North’s rail network – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)Conservative government sends Northern rail plans into buffers – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Pop along for advice, help or to discuss any issue or matter with your local Liberal Democrat councillors.

Shaw and Crompton Advice Surgeries (no appointment necessary) held on the following Thursdays at Shaw Lifelong Learning Centre – 7:30pm to 8:30pm.

October: 5, 12, 19, and 26.