Disappearing bins: Oldham Council blasted for neglecting Dunwood Park

Disappearing bins: Oldham Council blasted for neglecting Dunwood Park

Liberal Democrat councillors and residents have been left appalled after Oldham Council removed a number of public bins from Dunwood Park in Shaw, without providing replacements or offering an explanation some weeks ago. 

Shaw representative and Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader, councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “The Council have left the place looking like a tip.  Rubbish is piling up and people who use the park are rightly furious.”

“We had two perfectly good bins in the park.  Where have they gone?  And when are we getting them back?  These are very simple questions, but Oldham Council have just been silent.  I have contacted a number of different Council Officers about this, but it is a wall of silence.  People in Shaw are getting a disgraceful service from Oldham Council at the moment.”

After receiving complaints from local residents last month, councillor Sykes took the issue up with Council Officers, but has been left appalled by the lack of interest or response.

“This is not good enough and people who use Dunwood Park deserve better,” stated councillor Sykes.

More from Oldham Liberal Democrats on waste management in Oldham
Dunwood Park missing/removed bins – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)


Lack of replacement bins leads to dirty streets
Lack of replacement bins leads to dirty streets – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Liberal Democrats demand protected status for rivers in Oldham as sewage dumped more than 1,500 times last year  

Liberal Democrats demand protected status for rivers in Oldham as sewage dumped more than 1,500 times last year  

The Liberal Democrats have called for a new protected status for local rivers and marine protected areas, after shocking figures reveal that United Utilities dumped sewage 1,574 times in across Oldham in 2023 according to Environment Agency data.

Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, the Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats, has welcomed the party’s General Election pledge to introduce ‘Blue Flag’ protected status for rivers and waterways in England.  He called for new punishment taxes on the “profits of polluting water firms”.

Councillor Sykes said, “The Conservative government has allowed water firms to get away with destroying our environment.  Across Oldham, sewage was dumped into waterways more than 1,500 times last year.  That’s more than four times a day.” 

“This is disgusting vandalism of our natural environment, and we have to put a stop to it.”

The Liberal Democrats have supported new taxes on the profits of water companies who dump sewage since 2022 and have now launched their new ‘Blue Flag’ status policy ahead of the General Election on July 4th.

The introduction of Blue Flag status would set legally binding targets to prevent sewage dumping in those sites, giving special protected status for swimmers and wildlife.

Councillor Sykes said, “We need to flush the Conservatives out of government.  They have voted time and again to block new taxes on polluting water companies.  The next government must get serious about cracking down on this destruction of English rivers.”

Liberal Democrat analysis of Environment Agency data of sewage discharges in bathing water sites can be found here. Figures for Oldham are taken by combining the Oldham West and Royton and Oldham East and Saddleworth constituencies.

More for councillor Sykes on rivers and sewage dumping
Sewage dumping hits unprecedented levels – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

Liberal Democrats slam government as 73% of burglary cases go unsolved in Oldham Borough

Liberal Democrats slam government as 73% of burglary cases go unsolved in Oldham Borough

New data uncovered by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that a staggering 73% of burglary cases across Oldham went unsolved in 2023, up 7% on 2022.  The party have called for a new ‘police response guarantee’ to ensure all domestic burglaries are attended by a police officer and properly investigated.

Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “People have lost faith in both the Conservatives and Labour over crime and policing.  Empty promises come and go with each passing Prime Minister, but the lack of frontline policing stays the same.” 

“The Liberal Democrats would deliver a Burglary Response Guarantee, to ensure that police attend and properly investigate every incident of domestic burglary.  This is hardly radical; it’s what people expect and deserve.  People are sick of seeing the community plagued by crime.  We need to kick out this failed government and start getting a grip on basic policing.”

The guarantee will appear in the Liberal Democrat Manifesto for the general election.  The party is also calling for a new online crime agency to better protect people against fraud and scams. 

Councillor Sykes said, “Unfortunately, online fraudsters and scammers are becoming increasingly common.  People need protection from this sort of crime, and they deserve support if they are a victim.  But this can be provided by specialist officers and staff, meaning that frontline officers can be kept free to tackle crime on the streets, like the worrying rise in unsolved burglaries we are currently seeing.”

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) released a report in 2022 that said that most victims of burglary were “not getting the justice they deserve.” 



More from Oldham Liberal Democrats on policing and crime
Greater Manchester Police taking nearly 16 hours to attend burglary calls – Howard Sykes (mycouncillor.org.uk)

The data was uncovered in an FOI request to all police forces in England and Wales. 

33 of 43 police forces across England and Wales provided full responses with data provided for 329 local areas.
Their responses, which can be accessed here, provided the following data:
How many burglary cases were recorded, broken down by Local Policing Area, in the following calendar years: 2023, 2022 and 2021.
How many of those cases were closed without a suspect being identified, also broken down by Local Policing Area, in the following calendar years: 2023, 2022 and 2021. 
The Liberal Democrats are calling for a new statutory guarantee that all domestic burglaries must be attended by the police and properly investigated. 

To implement this guarantee, we are calling on the Government to: 

Return to proper community policing, where officers have the time and resources, they need to focus on preventing and solving crime;

Urgently draw up a strategy to tackle the shortage of detectives;

Set up a new national Online Crime Agency, to better protect people from online crime while freeing up local forces’ time to tackle burglars. 

Shaw Health Centre – update

Shaw Health Centre – update.

Everything on site is progressing well and handover of the new medical centre is planned for mid July.

The only outstanding issue remains the revised entrance location on Westway (it is proposed to revert back to the original one) and the Stopping Up Order off Ashworth Court (for adopted highway), work to resolve and progress both matters is in hand.