Thank you, Mr Mayor,  

This Council currently has a host of vacancies to fill at the senior and management level.

Over the last few years there has been an alarming level of turnover in the senior positions.

There has also been a number of key people leave or in the process of leaving as they approach retirement.

This puts Oldham Council and Oldham in a precarious position.  

This crisis of senior leadership retention is bad for continuity at the top… it also effects the delivery of frontline services and the performance of staff at every level, and across every department.

It also creates a disconnect or no connect, between senior officers and elected members of this Council.

At the induction event held for new members after the local elections, none of the senior executive team were present as promised.  Not one.  And no alternative has been put in place or even suggested to my knowledge. 

The relationship starts off on the wrong foot… and then it gets worse.  Because the turnover in the top jobs creates unstable working practices.

There are meetings which change times and dates with no rhyme or reason given.  Staff do not know who their line mangers are and are not being developed, supported, and managed as they should be.

We talk about staff being our biggest asset the reality is very, very different.

This is a cultural problem that we must get to grips with, it is residents who suffer from a Council which is constantly at odds with itself and fails to function to its best ability.

So, my question is this…. what is the Administration going to do about retention and recruitment for senior officers and in fact all staff?  

And will they also commit to collaborating with elected members right across this chamber to ensure that we foster the right relationship between officers and elected members, for the benefit of the people we are here to serve? 

Join the Summer Reading Challenge at Oldham Library  Get ready for an exciting adventure this summer! Oldham Library and Gallery Oldham are hosting the Summer Reading Challenge for children aged four to 11 years old. This amazing opportunity aims to keep kids active and engaged during the school holidays through the power of reading. The challenge begins with Sign Up Saturday on July 15, from 11am to 3pm. By signing up, children receive free materials from Oldham Libraries and the Challenge website. They’ll have the chance to explore new books, develop important skills, and discover new interests. Don’t miss the Sign-Up Saturday event at Oldham Library. Receive your Ready, Set Read! pack and enjoy themed activities including crazy golf, smoothie bikes, and a visit from World Champion skater, Jenna Downing. For more details on events, activities, and services available visit our webpage

“Speeders of Shaw beware” Liberal Democrats welcome active speed cameras after years of campaigning

Liberal Democrat councillors in Shaw have welcomed newly repaired speed cameras in Shaw and Crompton after years of campaigning for safer streets. 

Oldham Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “For years we have been fighting for cameras like the one on Milnrow Road in Shaw, to be made active again.”

“These cameras are there to do a job and it can be as serious as life or death.  So, I’m delighted that the years of work have finally paid off; and that the authorities have now listened to the people of Shaw and acted to make our roads safer.  We now need action on areas like Buckstones Road, Hillside Avenue and Crompton Way.”

Fellow Liberal Democrat councillor for Shaw, Hazel Gloster said, “Finally! Some action after years of frustration for Shaw residents.  Speeders of Shaw and Crompton beware!  I know this safety improvement will be cheered across the community.”

Liberal Democrats call on speed cameras to be made functional (Nov 2019)

CALL FOR SPEED CAMERAS TO BE MADE FUNCTIONAL – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

North Korea would be proud of Oldham speed camera secrecy (Sept 2020)

Secrecy over speed camera criteria “is something North Korea would be very proud of,” says Liberal Democrat Leader – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Councillor Sykes welcomes belated funding for safety cameras (Oct 2021)

Liberal Democrat Leader welcomes belated funding for safety cameras – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Anger as Shaw Residents wait years for working cameras (Apr 2022)

Anger as Shaw residents wait years for working speed signs despite the cash having been found – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Get on with it – Sykes welcomes long overdue speed camera repairs (May 2023)

“Get on with it”: Sykes welcomes “long overdue” speed camera repairs after years of campaigning in Shaw – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

R.Y.L.A. 2023

We are very pleased to announce that R.Y.L.A. will take place at Petty Pool this year.

R.Y.L.A. is a training course specifically designed for young people who already demonstrate some leadership abilities and a dynamic personality. Rotary’s purpose is to try to help to develop those skills to become lifelong assets.

This is an unrivalled opportunity for young people aged 15 to 16 years of age to attend a residential training course in a purpose built centre and meet others who also display this type of drive.

The instructors of this course have devised a programme that will stretch the students in various ways mostly involving team exercises outdoors and reflective exercises later in the evenings.

The course is scheduled to take place over a full week from Monday 14^th August to Friday 18^th August 2023.

The course is aimed at young people who already have something about them, a bit of drive, enthusiasm, character etc. this course is designed to stretch and develop young people like this.

Although we advertise the course for candidates aged 14 to 15 years of age dependant on the maturity of the individual, we can be flexible here.

Because of safeguarding regulations, we absolutely cannot accept any applications from candidates who already are or will become 18 years of age during the week of the course.

The cost per candidate is £300 funded by Crompton & Royton Rotary Club.

The course is scheduled to take place at Petty Pool over a full week from Monday 14th August to Friday 18th August 2023 if anybody is interested, please ask them to get in touch to discuss in more detail.

If you know of someone who may be interested, please contact either Garry at  garry.gillian@hotmail.co.uk or Andy at andy.czakow@outlook.com

TUESDAY THE 11^TH OF JULY 2023 – TOP LEAKY DAM – WETLAND WORK, MEET IN BRUSHES CLOUGH CAR PARK FOR A 11:00 AM START

THURSDAY THE 13^TH OF JULY 2023 – TOP LEAKY DAM – WETLAND WORK AND FENCING, MEET IN BRUSHES CLOUGH CAR PARK FOR A 10:00 AM START FINISH AROUND 03:00 PM

Before and after pics below.

Now need to sort the litter out which was also reported some time ago.

“Time for Oldham Council to finally start getting the basics right” say Liberal Democrats

Oldham Council’s Liberal Democrat Opposition is set to lay down a serious challenge to the ruling Labour Party at a forthcoming council meeting on July 12th. 

The Liberal Democrats, led by councillor Howard Sykes MBE will call on the council to “finally start getting the basics right”, as they table a motion demanding improved local services such as road repairs, park maintenance and action on environmental crime.

Councillor Sykes said, “People are sick of council services that don’t deliver.  You only need to walk around our communities, and you’ll see neglected parks and green spaces, overgrown footpaths and roads in a state of complete disrepair.  Meanwhile, littering, dog-fouling and fly-tipping offenders get off scot-free.  If the Labour administration take any pride in Oldham, they don’t exactly show it.”

Shaw Liberal Democrat representative councillor Hazel Gloster, who will second the proposal added, “When residents and councillors go to report these basic complaints, they end up being passed from pillar to post with no proper communication.  Nothing ends up getting done and it does tremendous damage to people’s trust in their local leaders.”

Crompton Ward councillor Dave Murphy, who will speak to propose the motion said, “Services across the borough are regularly falling short of agreed standards and this is about standing up for the people we represent.  If contractors or council departments are failing to get very basic things right, the first knock on the door should be coming from a member of the Labour ruling group.” 

“But that just isn’t happening in Oldham.  After 12 years in office, the Labour Party has become obsessed with flashy town centre projects that fail to deliver.  They have completely lost interest in the basic services that people rely on day in, day out.  The Liberal Democrats see it as our mission to put that right.”

Full council 12/07/2023 – Notice of Opposition Motion
Liberal Democrat Group

Time for Oldham to get the basics right

Proposed by: councillor Dave Murphy
Seconded by: councillor Hazel Gloster

This Council believes that:

Residents across Oldham Borough expect and deserve first class public services. 

Residents feel that services such as schools, maintenance of roads, planning, park maintenance and drain clearance represent some of the most significant work that the council does because they affect the everyday lives of the people we represent. 

When residents say they cannot rely on these services to be of consistent high quality, it undermines the trust that residents place in their council and their readiness to engage with services and that the Council should listen and take action.

Pride in service, strong communication, agility, resourcefulness and good interdepartmental cooperation are all essential values in delivering first class services across the board, and that these values must be set from the top down. 

This Council notes that:

There is a growing trend of complacent underperformance that affects much of the council’s key service delivery and it needs addressing.  This is keenly felt by our residents, who regularly tell us that they feel their council “does not get the basics right.”

Fly-tipping offences have spiralled out of control in Oldham, with the Borough seeing massive increases in offences when compared to other authorities across the North West.

Littering and dog-fouling offences continue unabated, with the council failing to issue Fixed Penalty Notices with any meaningful consistency or to come up with stronger solutions to tackle this ongoing issue. 

Oldham’s schools are falling behind, with more than half now deemed as ‘needing improvement and it cannot continue.

This Council resolves to:

Move away from vanity projects that do not materialise and refocus its priorities; directing as much effort and attention into supporting basic frontline services as it has done into regeneration projects.

To take this motion to Overview and Scrutiny to see what can be done to improve the situation and provide a report to council on their findings.