Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader backs Parliamentarian’s call for Houses in Multiple Occupancy (HMO) planning reform

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader and Shaw ward representative councillor Howard Sykes MBE has backed calls for reform of ‘permitted development rights’ (PDRs) to close loopholes that make it easy for developers to convert commercial properties into high density HMO housing. 

Councillor Sykes said, “We’re already battling a HMO epidemic in Oldham.  What we need is high quality housing for future generations, but planning laws that make it easy for greedy developers to prioritise cheap, multiple occupancy developments are a major barrier.”

Councillor Sykes has joined Liberal Democrat Housing Spokesperson Baroness Thornhill in calling for a review of Permitted Development Rights before the new legislation comes into effect.

“When planning laws are relaxed to allow developers to pack housing units into ex-commercial sites, the developer makes the big bucks, but the quality of housing is poor and its local people who suffer the consequences,” Sykes argued. 

“There is still time for the Government to get this right.”

Baroness Thornhill calls for review of Permitted Development Rights
Senior Lib Dem calls for permitted development rights review (themj.co.uk)

Sewage dumped into English rivers, lakes and coasts.

This has to stop!

Greater Manchester Police taking nearly 16 hours to attend burglary calls

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) took an average of nearly 16 hours to attend burglaries across Oldham and Greater Manchester shocking new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed. 

The average response time in England was nine hours and eight minutes but GMP came in at a chocking 15 hours and 56 minutes making it one of the worst performing forces in the country for burglary response.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “This government has effectively decriminalised burglary.  People across Oldham and Greater Manchester are being failed by Conservatives and Labour alike.”

“The Conservatives have been promising to fix policing for years now, and our Labour Mayor Mr Burnham also has questions to answer.”

Greater Manchester Police became only the second police force in the country to be placed into special measures in December 2020 after a series of failures including the failure to record 80,000 crimes across the city region.

Councillor Sykes said, “Having your home broken into is a traumatic and life-changing experience.  This is serious crime we’re talking about and GMP are nowhere near where we need them to be.”

“Clearly, we need a change of government to deliver the return to properly resourced community policing that people want and deserve.  But if Andy Burnham’s track record in Greater Manchester is anything to go by, then Labour and the Conservatives are just as bad as each other when it comes to policing.”

UPDATE – temporary traffic lights bottom of Buckstones Road Shaw

The faulty lights were reported earlier this morning.

The Council have issued a fine for no traffic operative on site as per permit condition. Hopefully was has arrived now.

If these lights fail again the contact number to report is: GTM – 08455040123

Happy Eid Mubarak.

Labour in chaos while Liberal Democrats are the only party to field a full slate of candidates in crucial Oldham local elections on 2 May

The Liberal Democrats are the only political party in Oldham to field a full slate of candidates in this year’s local elections.  The Labour Party has suffered the loss of two of its councillors even before a single vote has been cast. 

Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE has said that the local elections will be a “real opportunity for change after 13 years of failure under Labour.  If they cannot run their party; they do not deserve to run Oldham Borough.”

Now that the deadline has passed for the nomination of candidates, Sykes’s Liberal Democrats have emerged as the only party which has submitted a full slate 20 candidates.  Oldham Labour have been mired by scandal after two Werneth Ward councillors resigned from the party (Shoab Akthar and Nyla Ibrahim), leaving Labour without a candidate in that ward.

Councillor Sykes said, “The Liberal Democrats are the real alternative to Labour in Oldham.  People want a Council that will finally start listening and delivering change in every corner of Oldham Borough, as well as finally getting the basics right on our roads, parks and environmental crimes.”

The elections will be held on Thursday May 2^nd.  Voters are reminded that they will need to bring valid photo ID to the polling station in order to vote. 

Labour Party left without a candidate in Werneth Ward after resignation fiasco

Local elections – the issues and the big picture.

Click on the link to find out more:

Vote Liberal Democrat on 2 May (youtube.com)

Oldham Council failed to renew dog fouling enforcement order leading to years of missed fines and being able to crack down on this anti-social behaviour

Oldham Council has been blasted for failing to renew several enforcement orders for environmental crime.  Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Opposition councillors have revealed that the Council has failed to issue a single Fixed Penalty Notice for dog fouling since 2021. 

Details uncovered by Liberal Democrat representative for Saddleworth West and Lees councillor Mark Kenyon confirm that no fines were issued for dog fouling in the years 2022 to 2024.  When pushed by Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Oldham Council was forced to confirm that it failed to renew its enforcement orders for dog fouling, leading to years of missed fines despite hundreds of reported offences they were not able to crack down on.

Councillor Sykes said, “This is an unforgivable and basic error for the Council to be making.  By failing to get the basics right like this, the Council has missed hundreds of opportunities to prosecute an environmental crime and tackle this anti-social behaviour.”

This follows on from the news that Oldham Council allowed public space protection orders (PSPO) covering green spaces and moor lands to lapse in late 2023, meaning that the Council has been unable to prosecute environmental crime in those areas for more than six months. 

Councillor Sykes said, “People will be appalled to learn that the Council has failed to protect our moors and green spaces.  Over the years we’ve had fires on the moors started by disposable BBQs and alike.  This is exactly the sort of crime we would currently be unable to prosecute because the Labour administration has left our green spaces without proper legal protection.  We now find we our powerless about dog-fouling, makes you wonder what else has not been done doesn’t it.”  

Liberal Democrats announce full list of candidates for Oldham local elections

Oldham Liberal Democrats have announced their full list of candidates covering the 20 wards of Oldham ahead of the local elections on May 2^nd.

The Liberal Democrats are currently the second largest group on Oldham Council and will be looking to build on the 10 seats they currently hold.  This year’s local elections are set to be a tense affair as the ruling Labour Group sets out to defend its slim majority of just two seats and avoid a fourth consecutive year of losses. 

Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “These elections are a real opportunity for change in Oldham.  People want a council that gets the basics right on our roads, for our parks and on children’s services.  That’s what the Liberal Democrats offer.”

The Liberal Democrat Leader said that in power his party would remove Oldham from the controversial ‘Places for Everyone’ development scheme, which contains plans to build housing on green belt sites like Beal Valley.  The party has also pledged to do everything possible to restore Oldham Coliseum to its Fairbottom Street home by redirecting town centre regeneration funding so that the historic venue can be restored.

Councillor Sykes said, “Under Labour, the council has become obsessed with flashy projects in Oldham town centre.  Districts like Shaw and Crompton, Lees and the Saddleworth villages have been left out in the cold.  We would invest in our districts.”

“Oldham Labour have run out of ideas and its time to replace them and start delivering the improvements that the people of Oldham expect and deserve.”

The elections will be held on Thursday May 2^nd.  Voters are reminded that they will need to bring valid photo ID to the polling station in order to vote. 

FULL LIST OF CANDIDATES BELOW:

CROMPTON – Diane Williamson

SADDLEWORTH NORTH – Garth Harkness

SADDLEWORTH SOUTH – Amy Wrigley

SADDLEWORTH WEST AND LEES – Mark Kenyon

SHAW – Hazel Gloster

ALEXANDRA – Martin Dinoff

CHADDERTON CENTRAL – Abdul Malik       

CHADDERTON NORTH – Dominic Cadman

CHADDERTON SOUTH – Mick Scholes

COLDHURST – Rachel Pendlebury

FAILSWORTH EAST – Barbara Beeley

FAILSWORTH WEST – Lynne Thompson

HOLLINWOOD – Roger Blackmore

MEDLOCK VALE – Shona Farnworth

ROYTON NORTH – Jeff Garner

ROYTON SOUTH – Tom Penketh

ST JAMES – Roger Hindle

ST MARY’S – Mohammed Hussain

WATERHEAD – Joe Beeston

WERNETH – Hamza Uddin