A big THANK YOU to all who volunteer you make our community and place a better place to live and be.

It is Volunteers’ Week 2023!

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Opposition Leader and representative for Shaw, councillor Howard Sykes MBE has welcomed “long overdue” repairs to speed cameras, which were announced by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) last month (May). 

Councillor Sykes said, “Speed cameras are put in place to prevent accidents and save lives.  But they can’t do that job if they are left idle and broken for years as many cameras have been across Greater Manchester, Oldham including on the one on Milnrow Road in Shaw.”

In October 2022, TfGM reported that there had been an 8% rise in serious road incidents – leading to serious injuries or fatalities – across Greater Manchester over the preceding 12-month period.  During this time, dozens of speed cameras across Oldham and Greater Manchester have been left idle – awaiting repairs for years at a time.

Councillor Sykes said, “These repairs are long overdue but Greater Manchester’s leaders have not shown enough urgency on this issue.  I have been raising the need for these repairs time and again on Greater Manchester’s Transport Committee, yet it’s taken years for decision makers to get to this stage.  In the absence of working speed cameras, our roads become unsafe; and lives are at risk.  We cannot afford further delays and excuses.  ‘Get on with it’ is my message to TfGM.”

NOTES:

TfGM announcement (May 19, 2023)

Work upgrading safety cameras across Greater Manchester to begin this summer (tfgm.com)

Speed cameras left idle for years as road safety worsens (Oct 2022)

 Speed cameras left idle for years as road safety worsens – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Action needed on speed cameras to save lives say Liberal Democrats (Mar 2022)
Action needed on speed cameras to save lives say Liberal Democrats – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Call for speed cameras to be made functional (Nov 2019)

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

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has slammed Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham after it emerged that his former deputy, Baroness Beverley Hughes will earn £45,000 this year, despite resigning her position in January. 

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) – which Burnham heads – has decided to extend Hughes’s ‘temporary’ tenure as ‘Assistant Deputy Mayor’.  Councillor Sykes blasted Burnham for “creating a gravy train of expensive deputy mayors” whilst pointing to frontline emergency services (police, fire) that could make better use of the funds.    

Hughes resigned in January from her role overseeing police, crime, and the fire service.  It was then agreed that she would stay on in a newly created paid role as Assistant Deputy Mayor for six months.  That period is now over, and her contract has just been extended for a further six months.

The Deputy Mayor position that Hughes formerly held is now held by Kate Green, the former Labour MP from Trafford.  Meanwhile, Salford Council’s Labour Leader Paul Dennett is Mr Burnham’s second Deputy Mayor. 

Councillor Sykes said, “Does Greater Manchester really need two Deputy Mayors and an Assistant Deputy Mayor?  This just looks like the GMCA is creating meaningless jobs for Labour bigwigs.  There are questions that need answering here.  How long will this go on for?  Will the contract be renewed again in another six months’ time? With frontline emergency services on their knees, surely this money could be better spent on our police or fire services.”

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.

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.

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.  

Government has once again provided councils with funding to help tackle the Cost of Living crisis, by way of the Household Support Fund. This is the fourth round of the grant, and is provided specifically to allow Local Authorities to help low-income households experiencing financial hardship.

Previously awarded in six month tranches, this time funding has been agreed for 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. This allows the council to better weight funding at times of the year that residents struggle the most. The funding proposal as agreed provides the following support: 

• Food vouchers for children and young people eligible for free school meals (£15 for the spring holiday, £60 for the summer holiday and £40 per child for the Christmas and Easter holidays);
• Payment of £60 to carers in receipt of Council Tax Reduction; disabled residents in receipt of Council Tax Reduction and Housing Benefit claimants not in receipt of Council Tax Reduction to help with fuel costs;
• Funding to support meals for children via the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) scheme;
• Investment in supermarket vouchers for residents in emergency need of food via the Helpline;
• Investment in Local Welfare Provision to help with replacement white goods, and winter warm packs;
• Homelessness support to prevent threat of eviction and allow families to move on from homelessness accommodation;

Everyone who is eligible for a voucher, or payment, will receive them automatically. There is no need to apply.

The Household Support Fund also provides help such as fuel vouchers and energy-efficient items through our Warm Homes Team. Residents should call 0800 019 1084 or email: warmhomes@oldham.gov.uk to access this support.

The council are also working with Action Together and other voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise partners to provide support in areas such as:

• warm clothing and bedding, baby items, food, plus ad hoc help with energy costs;
• support for those who are struggling but aren’t eligible for benefits including those with no recourse to public funds;
• essential items for the elderly including food, help with household bills and energy;
• additional funding for Age UK to support older people in emergency need

Please see We Can Help page where residents can get in touch with the Helpline for general emergency help, advice and support on 0161 770 7007.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader welcomes passing of Care Leave Bill

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE has welcomed news that the Care Leave Bill – introduced to Parliament by the Liberal Democrats – will become law after passing its final stage in Parliament. 

“Millions of people care for loved ones, doing everything from day-to-day physical caring, washing, dressing, and feeding for those who cannot care for themselves, to things like shopping for a housebound elderly relative.  Yet far too many unpaid carers go without proper support and struggle to balance caring responsibilities and work,” said councillor Sykes. 

The Bill will give an estimated 2.4 million carers across the UK a statutory right to take five days of unpaid leave per year, helping carers to better balance work and care.  The Chief Executive of Carers UK Helen Walker called the Bill a “critical step” toward a fairer deal for unpaid carers.   

Councillor Sykes said, “The passing of this Bill is long overdue good news for unpaid carers in our Borough.  A right to five days each year for care is a really positive step in the right direction and recognises the huge responsibilities that unpaid carers take on for the benefit of others.”

NOTE

How did the Care Leave Bill progress through Parliament? Employment (Caring Leave) Bill – Parliamentary Bills – UK Parliament