Your local Liberal Democrat councillors have been concerned building work for the new health centre has appeared to stop.  We are pleased to report this will be only a short delay and serious construction works will start shortly.

Recently the old sub station has been demolished.

Below is the text of recent correspondence from NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care about the development and following a meeting with the site manager of the Shaw development.

Shaw Crompton GP Practice Development

I wanted to write to you formally to express my sincere gratitude for the work you have done in recent days with local businesses and residents in and around the Shaw Crompton GP Practice development.

Although the development is now in the hands of the third-party developer and the GP Practices concerned, my team and I remain involved in a slightly different way having secured the capital to develop the scheme.  That said I am aware of the concerns from local businesses about access impinging their commercial enterprises, so I am grateful for you meeting with the developer last week to help clarify matters for your residents and business owners.  I am pleased that there is now some common agreement that there should be no minimal access issues during the build process.

More generally, I thought it would be worthwhile clarifying the overall programme.  First and foremost, I continue to assert that this programme will happen.  We secured the capital and remain committed to that position.  

The only things that could now in effect materially change that are a withdrawal by the GP Practices, but that is unlikely as the building they currently occupy is at the end of its life; or withdrawal of the capital but that would be a national decision by Government which is also extremely unlikely as the funding has been committed to the developer now.

It is worth me pointing out that the scheme is delayed by around four to six weeks.  That is not uncommon in building programmes of this nature.  However, that delay is not consequent to anything other than complexity of building processes. In simple terms two issues have slowed matters down temporarily.

Firstly, the developers have identified some unforeseen contamination issues around oil and gas.  That has necessitated some remedial works to be undertaken to deal with those issues.  Secondly, some unforeseen costs around the sub-station have had to be dealt with but have taken quite a bit longer than we had anticipated in the overall programme plan.  I believe that this matter is now resolved.

In conclusion the scheme is slightly delayed by a small number of weeks, but I would expect visible activity will commence on site and people will be able to see it in the very near future i.e. once the contamination issues have been resolved to the Council inspector’s satisfaction.  

Highway weeds – for your information

Oldham Council have recently informed me that the firm they use to carry out weed treatment on highways, roads and footpaths could no longer offer the service due to staffing issues. As a result the council have had to retender for the contract.

This has meant the usual summer weed treatment will be delayed until later on this year, which could see more weeds than usual across the network.

The Council expects that weed control will be back to normal by end of this year.

Let see if this happens and how long it takes

Dear Councillor Sykes 

Thank you for contacting Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) regarding litter on the tram tracks at the Shaw and Crompton Metrolink stop. 

I have passed your comments onto the tram operator, Keolis Amey (KAM) Metrolink and asked that the area be cleaned up as a priority. 

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to reply to this email.

The next event on Crompton Moor will be on Saturday the 1^st of July 2023.

Meet in Brushes Clough car park for a 10:30am start.   Finish around 12:30pm.  

This task will be to carry out further tree maintenance for the trees which were planted by City of Trees on Slences land.  This involves clearing the vegetation from the base of the trees and replacing stakes and guards, as necessary.   The location involves a very pleasant walk, with great views, not to be missed!

Sykes slams wasteful spending as government introduces so called local government watchdog – which is just red tape and adds no value

Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE has criticised the launch of the ‘Office for Local Government’ (Oflog), the new government backed audit body for local councils. 

Oflog is set to be introduced by local government minister Michael Gove so that the government can work with councils to focus on ‘data, transparency, and financial outcomes’, according to a department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities statement earlier this year.

Councillor Sykes said, “This is an example of wasteful spending on useless red tape and more bureaucracy.  People want better front-line services like highways and green space maintenance. The government is trying to reinvent the wheel.  The Local Government Association (LGA) already provides the LG Inform service, which covers much of what Oflog would do.  LG Inform is doing its job so well that it’s become an award-winning service.” 

“No government agency based in London is going to be able to provide better local data or insight than local councils can do themselves.  So Oflog will inevitably become a very costly way of telling councils how little money they have, something they already know.  Wouldn’t it be better to simply give councils more funding for front-line services, rather than wasting it on bureaucracy?”

Oflog is set to be formally launched by the government in July. 

Delayed hospital discharges cost the NHS £2 billion last year as Liberal Democrats warn of local healthcare crisis 

Shocking new figures from healthcare charity ‘The King’s Fund’ have indicated that delayed hospital discharges costed the NHS nearly £2 billion last year.  Liberal Democrat councillors in Oldham have described a “deepening crisis” in local healthcare services controlled by Northern Care Alliance trust (NCA).

Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “£2 billion is an extraordinary amount of money that is being lost because the NHS can’t free up hospital beds.  It’s more than £5 million per day.”

“But the true cost of this deepening crisis in our Health Service is being paid by the thousands of people in our communities who are not receiving the vital care that they need.  People are waiting months for cancer treatment in some cases.  All the while, others are stranded in hospital beds for weeks on end waiting for the right care to be put in place so they can be discharged safely.”

“If we were building the NHS from scratch today, it would be obvious to everyone that we need a national health and social care service.  We have an ageing population and we’re living with increasingly complex physical and mental health needs in our old age.  It is clear that our underfunded social care sector cannot cope.” 

“The government must urgently fund social care, so that people can receive the care and support they need, in the home or in the community, leaving hospitals to deal with the emergencies and serious treatments that they are really meant for.” 

The King’s Fund

The hidden problems behind delayed discharges and their costs | The King’s Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)

More from councillor Sykes on social care

Mini-Budget: £13 billion a year removed from NHS and social care funding – 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.

June 29; July 6, 13, 20, 27.