Please be aware that there are pockets within Shaw and Crompton that have not have received their scheduled food and garden collection by end of today.

I am told this is due to the increased amount of garden waste which has been placed out for collection this week.

Residents are advised that they will be back to undertake collections tomorrow (Saturday 12^th May) and residents should therefore leave bins out for collection.

Liberal Democrats back Moves to curb Addictive Gambling

The Oldham Liberal Democrat Group has welcomed news that a move to cut the maximum stake on addictive gambling machines from £100 to £2 that could be announced soon.

The government is understood to have accepted recommendations that stakes for Fixed Odds Betting Terminals (FOBTs) should be reduced to £2, and a final announcement is expected shortly now the local elections are over.

Commenting, Leader of the Opposition and of the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, said: “Bringing the stakes down to £2 would help prevent vulnerable players from losing £100 in seconds in a single play, which many people simply cannot afford to lose. It is an issue that Liberal Democrats have been campaigning on for a while now, and we back Government action being taken on this issue.”

“The harm to individuals, and their family members, caused by addictive gambling is becoming an issue of growing national concern. Research has shown that problem gambling, often linked to FOBTs, leads to debt, anti-social behaviour, crime and poor mental health. This creates huge costs for the NHS, councils and the criminal justice system. People losing money through Fixed Odds Betting Terminals often turn to payday lenders and loan sharks to pay off debts or fund their gambling habit.”

Notes:

Fixed Odds Betting Terminals or B2s are touch screen roulette machines found in betting shops across Britain, on which gamblers can play casino style games, currently with a £100 maximum stake per spin.

Oldham Council Liberal Democrat Opposition Leadership Team announced for 2018/19

At a Group meeting held on 9 May, the Oldham Borough Liberal Democrat Group appointed, unanimously and un-opposed, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE as their Leader and Councillor Chris Gloster as their Deputy Leader. The Group also elected its other officers for the year.

Councillor Howard Sykes said: “I am grateful to my colleagues for their unanimous support once more for my work as Group Leader. Sadly the former Deputy Leader John McCann lost his seat in last week’s local elections and I shall miss his expertise and enthusiasm, but I am looking forward to working with our new Deputy Leader, Chris Gloster.”

“I am also pleased to welcome my new ward colleague, Councillor Hazel Gloster, to the group, and to welcome back Councillor Dave Murphy. They both have proven records of working for the people of Crompton and Shaw and I know that they will make a real difference. The Liberal Democrats remain the only real opposition party holding Labour to account on Oldham Council.”

“The voters who backed us can reassured that, under my leadership, we will continue as a Group to speak out and to work as a united team. We will offer common-sense solutions to the Borough’s problems and challenge the Labour Administration to cut waste and provide the value-for-money services that the public wants.”

“As the Liberal Democrat Opposition, we shall also oppose further central government cuts to Council finances and fight plans by the Greater Manchester Mayor and Labour leaders to build thousands of houses on our irreplaceable Green Belt. And green spaces.”

The Liberal Democrat Group: Leader – Howard Sykes; Deputy Leader – Chris Gloster; Group Chair – Dave Murphy; Political Secretary – Garth Harkness; Treasurer – Hazel Gloster; Group Secretary – Diane Williamson.

Roadworks Bulletin – W/C 14 May 2018

Roadworks Bulletin – 14 May

27 April – 58/59 buses from Oldham

I continue to do all we can to improve the First bus service on a number of routes. Below is latest about failures on 27 April.

If people let me have specific details: times, stops and dates, I am happy to take up with First and TfGM. We need and deserve a better service than we have.

Hi Councillor Sykes,

We’ve received a response from First regarding the 58/59 buses last week. Please see the email text below.

The roadworks (temp lights) on Shaw Rd caused severe delays. They had not caused us real issues before Friday but the permit changed from low impact to High impact on the day. We were unable to react quick enough to counter this change.

The following services failed:

The 1709 from Oldham was cancelled because it was 25 minutes late due to the roadworks.

1701 from Oldham cancelled because of a late meal break.

1741 from Oldham cancelled because of a late meal break.

The 409 suffered delays due to congestion in Rochdale, these could have been a mitigating factor in the late meal breaks.

I know colleagues are noting down failures and there are regular meetings where they are being discussed.

Shaw and Crompton election results 3 May 2018

Many thanks to those who supported us in the elections on May 3.

Shaw Ward

Result: LIB DEM Hold

Turnout: 30.57%

Name of Candidate	Party	Number of votes
	The Conservative Party Candidate	427
	The Liberal Party Candidate	217
GLOSTER Hazel	Liberal Democrats	1,023
	Labour and Co-operative Party	672

Crompton Ward

Result: LIB DEM Hold

Turnout: 32.25%

Name of Candidate		Party	Number of votes
		Labour Party	628
		The Conservative Party Candidate	541
MURPHY Dave		Liberal Democrats	1,359
	Q	Independent	102