Sudden closure of hotline ‘an unexpected blow to Greater Manchester crime victims failed by GM Mayor’, says Sykes

Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE is dismayed that a hotline established to respond to the failure to record complaints from the 80,000 victims of crime across Greater Manchester is close on Friday 19 February.

Councillor Sykes had just recently written to the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to seek reassurance that such victims would continue to receive specialist support from Victims Support staff for the foreseeable future.

The Greater Manchester Crime Support Line was only launched back in December after a damning report from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found systematic failures at Greater Manchester Police which led to the force failing to record 80,000 reported crimes – including one in four violent crimes and many instances of domestic violence.

The report led to Greater Manchester Police being placed in special measures and the Chief Constable leaving office early.  The hotline was set up in response to the report to provide a mechanism for victims who had been ‘denied justice’ to seek redress.  Now just two months later it will be scrapped.

Councillor Sykes wrote to Mayor Andy Burnham about the hotline in January. The closure decision is so unexpected as in a recent reply to correspondence from Councillor Sykes, dated 5 February, Mayor Burnham assured him that “At this time no decision has been made as to how long the Crime Support Line will be operational for.”

Commenting Councillor Sykes said:  “This sudden decision represents an unexpected blow to Greater Manchester crime victims failed by police.  Operating a bespoke line for just two months and then closing it just smacks of ‘tokenism’, of ‘ticking a box’ to get Greater Manchester Police out of special measures, rather than a sincere effort to support the many thousands of victims of crime that have been failed by the senior leadership of the local Police service.”

Coronavirus: Shielding extended

The Government has extended shielding for the clinically extremely vulnerable to Wednesday 31 March.

Even if residents have had both vaccination doses, they should continue to follow shielding measures.

Meanwhile, a new system has been introduced in England to help clinicians identify an additional group of people who may be at high risk from Covid-19. These people have therefore been added to the shielding list.

Anyone added to this list will be notified by a letter from the Government and advised to stay at home as much as possible until 31 March. They will however still be able to go outside to exercise or to attend health appointments.

For anyone who has been shielding for a long time and is in need of support, help is available at www.oldham.gov.uk/shielding.

This also applies to those new to shielding who may also need support and advice. The Council should send a letter to these people and providing them with support at what is a difficult time.

Vaccine roll out update 19 Feb

Following national guidelines, if you are aged between 65 and 69 you will soon receive a letter, if you haven’t already, inviting you to book a vaccination appointment at the Greater Manchester Vaccination Centre, based at the Etihad Campus.

Choosing to have your vaccination at this site will be your earliest opportunity to receive the vaccine.

If you choose not to be vaccinated at the Etihad, you will be contacted by GP to book a vaccination appointment soon, but there may be a delay.

To book an appointment, visit: www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination.

Anyone unable to book online can call 119 free of charge, anytime between 7am and 11pm seven days a week.

If you are aged 60-64, you will be contacted by your GP to make an appointment at one of our six vaccination centres across the borough.

Residents who are Clinically Vulnerable (CV) and are at moderate risk from coronavirus will be contacted by the NHS to arrange a vaccination appointment.

Vaccination data

As of Wednesday 17 February, the number of first dose vaccinations given to Oldham registered patients is 52,801.

For more information, and all the latest statistics, visit: www.oldham.gov.uk/covid19data

Vaccine FAQs

For a list of frequently asked questions on the vaccine, please visit: https://www.oldham.gov.uk/info/201170/coronavirus/2674/covid-19_vaccination_programme

Oldham Liberal Democrats support more frequent, more reliable train service for Greenfield and Manchester

Liberal Democrat Councillors want to see a half-hourly train service from Greenfield to Manchester and Huddersfield, and an hourly train direct to Leeds, to make rail travel more frequent and more reliable for passengers.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, who represents Oldham on the Transport for Greater Manchester Board and is the Leader of the Opposition on Oldham Council, has responded to the Greenfield Rail Action Group to confirm that he supports the group’s aspirations for a better and more reliable train service to the only mainland train station actually located within the Oldham Borough. 

Following the introduction of a new timetable in May 2018, rail services were thrown into chaos, and many passengers at Greenfield were left stranded waiting for trains that had a shocking record for punctuality and reliability.  In 2020, the Manchester Recovery Task Force was formed with representatives from the Department of Transport, Network Rail, Northern, TransPennine Express, Transport for the North and Transport for Greater Manchester, to come up with proposals to restore the rail service.

The findings of the task force and a series of possible options were published by the Department for Transport on 14 January and are now open to public consultation.

Councillor Sykes, and his Liberal Democrat colleague, Councillor John Leech, from Manchester are clear where they stand. 

“Option 3 stands out as the one we want”, said Councillor Sykes, “it will help restore some of the trains to Greenfield as well as providing a more reliable service in the so called ‘congested corridor’ in Manchester.  It will better enable commuters to get to and from their places of work and students to get to their colleges and universities in towns and cities served by a new half-hour daytime service from Greenfield.  We also want to see the investment that is much needed and overdue to make this station completely accessible so all passengers can enjoy an improved service.”

Although both Councillors will be making representations supporting option 3, Councillor Sykes is clear that members of the public should have their say too:  “I would urge all passengers who use this station to use this opportunity to speak out in favour of more frequent and more reliable services and a fully-accessible station at Greenfield.”

The consultation can be found at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/951401/manchester-recovery-task-force-public-consultation.pdf

Responses can be made by email to performancerecoverytaskforce@dft.gov.uk or in writing to MRTF Consultation, 3rd floor, Department for Transport, Great Minster House,  3 Horseferry Road, London, SW1P 4DR

The Closing Date for responses is 10, March.

The Greenfield Rail Action Group can be found on Facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenfieldstationusers/

Lib Dems call on Chancellor to give 24,322 carers in Oldham a break

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to “give carers a break”, by giving councils immediate emergency funding so they can provide the support services unpaid carers need to take a weekly break.

More than 24,322 people in Oldham are looking after elderly, disabled or vulnerable people during the Covid pandemic.

In a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, Ed Davey highlights research from Carers UK showing that nationally:

  • 64% of carers have not been able to take any breaks from their caring role during the pandemic,
  • 74% feel exhausted and worn out as a result of caring during Covid, and
  • 44% say they are reaching breaking point.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Chancellor to provide local authorities with emergency funding in his Budget on 3rd March at the latest.

Launching the campaign, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said: ”Our wonderful carers deserve more support, but they are too often forgotten and ignored by people in power.

The Chancellor mustn’t ignore carers any longer. He must provide local councils with emergency funding now, to finally give carers a break.

“Liberal Democrats are working to build a more caring society as we emerge from this pandemic.”

Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani added: “People in Oldham looking after their loved ones are doing a remarkable and important job in very difficult circumstances.

“Oldham’s unpaid carers have taken on dramatically increased caring responsibilities during this pandemic. Most haven’t been able to take a single break since the pandemic started. Most are simply exhausted.

“Liberal Democrats are standing up for carers and calling on the Government to give them a break.”

According to the 2011 census, 24,322 people in Oldham provide unpaid care – although the number is now thought to be much higher. The local 2011 census data is available from the Office for National Statistics at www.nomisweb.co.uk.

The Carers UK report ‘Caring behind closed doors: six months on’ is available here.

Liberal Democrat Leader appeals to Home Secretary over DBS checks for Councillors

The Oldham Liberal Democrats have appealed to the Home Secretary to change the law to make it lawful and easier for local authorities to conduct enhanced criminal records checks (now called DBS checks) on local councillors.

The Leader of the Opposition and Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has recently corresponded with the Disclosure and Barring Service, which is responsible for carrying out DBS checks.  They informed him that under the law as it currently stands local authorities are unable to carry out such checks on elected members.

Dismayed at the response, Councillor Sykes yesterday wrote to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel MP, asking her to ‘make Councillors a specifically listed role in the Exceptions Order to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (so) local authorities would then be able to conduct regular DBS checks on elected members’.

In his letter, Councillor Sykes also writes:  “Councillors not only serve their constituents, but they also routinely serve as corporate parents, school governors or in other capacities which may bring them into contact with children and vulnerable residents.  I feel sure that you will agree, Home Secretary, that in these circumstances there is an absolute imperative, as there is with staff, to ensure that safeguarding issues are considered paramount.”

‘It is my view that one measure local authorities could adopt to improve public confidence in the propriety of their councillors is to require them to undertake a ‘rolling DBS’ check so any convictions would come to light and be open to public scrutiny as soon as is practically possible rather than years later.  Or in some occasions never come to light at all!”

Commenting Councillor Sykes said:  “I now hope that common-sense will prevail and that the Home Secretary will write back to me with a promise to change the current legislation to make such checks lawful for local authorities and so help maintain the public’s trust in their elected representatives.”

Have your say on landlords licensing in Shaw

As part of Oldham Council’s Licensing of Private Landlords consultation they are holding virtual pre-booked 10-minute discussion slots so you can give your views. To book a slot and to find out how to take part, visit the website here.

Alternatively to book your session email landlordlicensing@oldham.gov.uk or telephone 0161 770 2244 with your preferred session, date, time and contact details.

There is limited availability on these sessions, so please book quickly if you want to be involved.

Change in Spindles ownership represents chance for Changing toilet

Oldham Council is currently consulting the public on its future plans for the Spindles Shopping Centre, and Liberal Democrat Councillor Louie Hamblett is hoping that the Council’s purchase of Spindles represents the chance for a new Changing Places toilet and new accessible toilet signage to be installed to make the town centre shopping experience more welcoming for everyone.

Councillor Hamblett and his Liberal Democrat colleague, Councillor Hazel Gloster, brought a motion to the September 2020 Oldham Council meeting in support of the Crohn’s and Colitis UK campaign ‘Not every disability is visible’ seeking new toilet signage that makes clear that not everyone who uses a disabled toilet has an obvious visible disability. The motion also called for ‘Changing Places’ toilets which provide better facilities to meet the needs of more profoundly disabled people to be fitted in major Council buildings.

Speaking of the opportunity the Council’s acquisition of Spindles represents, Councillor Hamblett said: “Now that the Council has bought Spindles, I hope to see new toilet signage and a Changing Places Toilet fitted within the centre. The Liberal Democrats want to see ‘Not every disability is visible’ signage installed on all the accessible toilets across the council’s property portfolio. This signage helps to educate the public and staff that not everyone who uses an accessible toilet has an obvious disability and asks them to be more understanding of people who do so.

“Changing Places toilets meet the needs of all people with a disability that some standard accessible toilets do not. People with profound and multiple learning disabilities, as well people with other physical disabilities such as spinal injuries, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis often need extra equipment and space to allow them to use the toilets safely and comfortably, and this equipment and space is provided within a Changing Places toilet.”

Councillor Hamblett added: “As we hopefully emerge from Lockdown later this year, it is important Oldham is welcoming to all of its residents and visitors. The Spindles and Town Square shopping centres, our award-winning cinema, art gallery and library, the Oldham Sports Centre and the Tommyfield Market are likely to be amongst the places they will want to visit. I hope that Oldham Council will ensure that these town centre buildings are equipped with the right toilet facilities and signage to provide for the needs of all our disabled guests when they do so.”

Members of the public can, if they wish, comment in support of Councillor Hamblett’s call for new accessible toilets for the Spindles at https://online1.snapsurveys.com/s/jjyf1 The closing date is 8 March 2021.