Oldham Council 7 September 2016 – leaders questions from Councillor Howard Sykes

questions-to-ask-your-LASIK-doctorCouncil 7 September – Leaders Question 1

LOCAL PATIENTS FAILED BY ‘INADEQUATE’ TRUST DAMNED IN REPORT

Mr Mayor, my first question to the Leader tonight relates to the very disturbing findings of the report published last month by the Quality Care Commission (QCC) about our local Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust.

The Commission found the Trust to be providing ‘inadequate’ services overall, with several departments requiring ‘improvement’.

At the Royal Oldham Hospital, inspectors were concerned about ‘suitable and appropriate medical staffing’, especially in critical care, maternity, gynaecology and children and young people’s services.

In young people’s services it was found that there were no consultants in place after 5pm.  As though our children only get sick nine to five!

And in the high dependency unit, many standards for critical care were ‘not being met’ and that it was only during the inspection that ‘adequate’ staffing levels were provided, when for three years management knew of the shortfall.

Whilst none of us want to have to receive high dependency care, if we do, we surely have the right to expect to be treated to the highest standard in a unit with sufficient staff?

All of these deficiencies should be of great concern to us as the patients being most let down are amongst the most vulnerable patients in our hospital.

And can we be clear ‘let down’ means pain and death that could be avoided!

So where does the fault lie?

Not apparently with the staff described as ‘caring’ who continue to do their best with inadequate resources and numbers; instead it lies with the Trust Board and senior management whose conduct is described as ‘inadequate’.

I have been told that aside from health professionals, there are no Oldham residents directly involved in the Improvement Board and Plan put in place to attempt to address these serious concerns; can the Leader confirm if this is true?

If this is true why is there no Oldham citizen directly involved in making sure our Hospital and Pennine Trust improves?

This cannot, and should not, just be left to the so called health professionals; a number of which have close working and contractual arrangements with Pennine Acute Trust!

Does she agree with me this is a highly unsatisfactory state of affairs and a scandal that there is no one from our Borough representing our citizens?

Can the Leader also tell me what we are doing as an authority to put pressure on the Trust Board to address these shocking deficiencies in performance before the Trust goes into terminal decline?

Anything I am my colleagues can do to support her and her colleagues in this matter we will.

Council 7 September – Leaders Question 2

Pokémon Go

Mr Mayor, my second question tonight concerns one of the biggest social crazes to hit the UK in many a year and it is a craze that has been taken up across the whole nation by Britons of all ages but particularly the young and the young at heart – namely the phenomena called Pokémon Go.

According to Wikipedia Pokémon Go is “a free-to-play, location-based augmented reality game developed by Niantic for iOS and Android devices.”

What that means in plain English is that if you have the correct software on your portable electronic device that you can play ‘hunt the monster’ whilst visiting the park or crossing the street.

For those unfamiliar with the game, in essence you are able to track and catch virtual Pokémon creatures in real-world settings.

So what has this got to do with Oldham Council I hear you ask?

Well some novel ideas have been recently published about engaging Pokémon Go players with public services and in particular public health activities.

Our libraries are, whether they know it or not, virtual gyms, the only location where Pokémon players can go to ‘strengthen’ their monsters and meet with others playing the game.

Some libraries are taking advantage of this to let players know that they are welcome in to play and welcome to stay afterwards.

Some are even issuing badges to players who prove they have won a battle at the gym.

Other suggestions include:

Designating historical landmarks and public facilities as Pokestops, where special items are dropped and in-app lures can be set off, with Lure Parties to cash in on the fun;

Hosting meet-ups, and monster rather than art trails; Community get-togethers to search for Pokémon at the weekend and fund-raising events in partnership with charities.

Weight-loss and health campaigners can utilise one of the game’s key benefit – you have to walk to find the monsters and you are largely outdoors when you do so.

There is already some clear evidence of previous couch potatoes, or those holed up in their bedrooms playing Call of Duty on Xbox or Play Station are now walking and/or running around outside as they hunt on Pokémon Go.

Given the potential, I would like to ask the Leader what this Council is doing to harness this idea and whether we can work with our Youth Council to develop innovative ways in which we can use the power of this technology to connect our youngest residents with our public services?

And even more importantly use it to get people more active and therefore healthy and help tackle the ticking time bomb we have locally with obesity and in particular with obesity in young people.

Liberal Democrats call for End to Last Post

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The Leader of the Opposition and Shaw Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, is proposing a motion to the next meeting of full Council (7 September) demanding the replacement of five post boxes that have disappeared from various locations in Shaw and Crompton over the last nine months.

Councillor Sykes roundly condemned the unresponsiveness and inactivity of the senior management of Royal Mail over this period. He said:

“Over this period I have written numerous letters asking then demanding action to Royal Mail senior managers, including the Chief Executive.  At least I have been able to find a local letter box in which to post these, but many of my constituents, a lot of whom are elderly, infirm or disabled, cannot and so they encounter great difficulty in sending mail.  Those most inconvenienced are the residents of Dunwood Park Courts who found themselves without a post box since last November.”

“It is simply unacceptable that Royal Mail, which by law is meant to maintain a universal postal service and be a customer-facing business, has failed to replace these letter boxes over the time.  How much longer are customers expected to wait?  At this rate, and with the Royal Mail’s attitude that replacement will happen sometime in the future at an undisclosed date, my constituents might not even be unable to post Christmas cards for a second year running.”

Councillor Sykes’ motion calls on the Council to write corporately to the Chief Executive and Chairman of Royal Mail demanding immediate action.  Councillor Sykes also wants to see a new statutory right for local authorities and local people to be consulted by Royal Mail before a post box is lost or is not immediately replaced.

Liberal Democrat Crompton Councillor Diane Williamson, who is backing the motion, added:

“This is no requirement in law for the Royal Mail to carry out a consultation before taking action and removing a post box, or after a short period of time if they fail to replace one that is stolen or damaged.  Shaw and Crompton Councillors do not believe that this is acceptable.”

We are therefore asking the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports asking for one to be created in law as clearly the voluntary arrangements have totally failed my own, and Councillor Sykes’s constituents who have been massively inconvenienced over many months.”

The motion reads: Missing Post Boxes

Council believes that it is a disgrace and a scandal that over the last nine months five Royal Mail post boxes have disappeared in Shaw and Crompton.

Council recognises that this has caused great inconvenience to residents; most particularly to those living on Dunwood Park Courts, who have been without a local post box since November 2015, and to the many elderly, infirm or disabled residents living adjacent to these five locations, who struggle, or simply find it impossible, to walk to the next available post box.

Furthermore, Council is deeply disappointed by the:

  • lack of urgency in the response from the Chief Executive of Royal Mail to representations made on this matter by local Councillors
  • vague promises made to reinstate these post boxes at some unspecified future date
  • apparent lack of a statutory requirement for Royal Mail to consult with any local authority, and local residents, before a post box is removed from a public location

Council resolves to request that the Chief Executive writes to:

  • The Chief Executive and Chairman of Royal Mail Plc conveying this Council’s robust view on this matter and demanding the early reinstatement of these post boxes as a matter of urgency
  • The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport asking the Government to establish a statutory requirement for Royal Mail to consult any District or Unitary Council, and local residents, prior to the removal (or non-replacement for a period of more than one calendar month) of any public post box from their area

Proposed safety improvements Rochdale Road, Fraser Street/Chamber Road

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After a long campaign by local residents and your local Liberal Democrat Councillors Oldham Council has now made some suggestions to make this area safer.

See link for plan: Rochdale Road Fraser Street Shaw Safety Measures

Re: Proposed Raised Junction Plateau and Speed Cushions – Rochdale Road / Fraser Street / Chamber Road, Shaw

Additional traffic calming measures are proposed to be introduced on the B6194 Rochdale Road / Fraser Street / Chamber Road, Shaw.

The works seek to introduce road safety measures as a result of reoccurring collisions which have taken place in the vicinity within the last few years.

The attached plan shows the extent of the road safety measures, which include:

  • The introduction of raised junction plateau;
  • Introduction of speed cushions on Rochdale Road;
  • Refreshing existing road marking;
  • Proposed carriageway resurfacing including new ironwork;
  • Skid resistance coloured surface treatment;
  • Repositioning of selected street furniture in order to improve visibility

Should you have any queries about this scheme you can contact me either on the telephone number or by the email address below.

Yours faithfully – Hamera Farooq, Assistant Engineer, Direct line: 0161 770 1959, Email: hamera.farooq@unitypartnership.com

Oldham Liberal Democrats say Veterans deserve Recognition in Census  

Lib Dem Cllrs Diane Williamson and Howard Sykes back the Count me in campaign by the Royal British Legion

The Leader of the Opposition and of the Liberal Democrat Group, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, is proposing a motion to the next meeting of full Council (7 September) backing  a national campaign by the Royal British Legion that the 2021 Census should count current and former service personnel in by asking specific questions about their circumstances.

Commenting, Councillor Sykes said: “Current and former service personnel have served and fought for their country. Some have been killed, more wounded, and all have been changed by this experience.”

“As a Council we have recognised their exceptional contribution to our community by signing up to the Armed Forces Community Covenant, yet we, and our public sector partners, are hampered in our efforts to provide for their needs, and those of their family members, by the lack of information we have available about their circumstances.”

“From our last Census, we know how many people in our borough claim to be Jedi knights, yet we know very little about the real-life warriors who live in our midst.”

The motion is being supported by Liberal Democrat Councillor, Diane Williamson, Shadow Spokesperson for Neighbourhoods and Co-operatives. She added:

“As a Council we want to support service personnel and their families, yet we are hampered by the lack of information available to us from official sources. Changing the Census to ensure that we capture the right information will make this become an invaluable tool to enable us to better meet their needs. We are calling on our local MPs and Secretary of State for Defence to back our veterans and back this campaign.”

The nine Councillors of the Oldham Liberal Democrat Group will all show their personal support for the campaign by signing individual pledges.

The motion reads:

Council 7th Sept. 2016 – Notice of Opposition Business –  Count Them In: Making the next census count for our Armed Forces community

This Council once more wishes to place on record its admiration for the courage, service and sacrifice of members of Her Majesty’s armed forces, past and present, during military conflicts, in countering terrorism and in carrying out peacekeeping and humanitarian duties.

This Council notes:

  • The obligations it owes to the Armed Forces community within the Borough of Oldham as enshrined in the Armed Forces Covenant; that the Armed Forces community should not face disadvantage in the provision of services and that special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given the most.
  • The absence of definitive and comprehensive statistics on the size or demographics of the Armed Forces community within the Borough of Oldham. This includes serving Regular and Reserve personnel, veterans, and their families.
  • That the availability of such data would greatly assist the council, local partner agencies, the voluntary sector, and national Government in the planning and provision of services to address the unique needs of the Armed Forces community within the Borough of Oldham.

This Council therefore resolves to:

  • Support and promote The Royal British Legion’s campaign ‘Count Me In’ to include a new topic in the 2021 census that concerns military service and membership of the Armed Forces community.
  • Urge elected members for this Borough to sign up as individual supporters to the ‘Count Me In’ campaign.
  • Ask the Cabinet Member with responsibility for the Community Covenant to write to the Secretary of State for Defence, The Rt. Hon Michael Fallon MP, setting out the Council’s position that we wish to see the UK Parliament approve a final census questionnaire in 2019, which includes questions concerning our Armed Forces community, for use in the 2021 Census.
  • Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Borough’s three Members of Parliament asking them to also make representations on this matter to the Secretary of State for Defence.

Lack of post box – entrance to Dunwood Park Courts, Milnrow Road, Shaw

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Councillor Howard Sykes says Royal Mail fail to follow their own rules re the missing post box (nearly 10 months now) at the entrance to Dunwood Park Courts, Milnrow Road, Shaw, Oldham.

Copy of letter I have sent today – my 10th about this matter!

See my first and his response in January:

http://howardsykes.mycouncillor.org.uk/2016/02/15/councillor-demands-missing-royal-mail-post-box-is-replaced/

23 August 2016

Mr Steve Buckley, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Royal Mail Plc, 100 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0HQ

Dear Mr Buckley,

Re: Disappearance of Royal Mail Post Box, Dunwood Park Courts, Shaw, Oldham.

Thank you for your recent letter of 7 August to which I replied on 15 August.  Whilst I am grateful for your response, we are still no further forward and this is now my ninth communication with you about this matter.

This particular Post Box has been missing since November 2015 and it is a disgrace and a scandal that the residents of Dunwood Park Courts and surrounding area have been without a Post Box for nine whole months.  The majority of these residents are elderly, infirm or disabled and are having to travel to simply post a letter.

I must express my disappointment in the lack of urgency in your response; while you have given vague responses, you have as yet failed to supply a date to reinstate this Post Box.

Other Post Boxes have been replaced, why not this one?

Ofcom’s most recently published statement on regulatory protections for the provision of postboxes states that Royal Mail must ensure that:

  • there is a post box within 0.5 miles by straight line distance of at least 98% of delivery points (i.e. people’s houses) nationally; and
  • for the remaining 2% of delivery points, Royal Mail must provide sufficient access points or other means of access to the universal service (e.g. collection on delivery from very remote or isolated locations such as farmhouses) to meet the reasonable needs of users.

How does the failure to replace or relocate this post box comply with the above?

I have also attached a copy of Royal Mails own protocols for mail box removal and relocation.

I have highlighted a number of sections that appear to have not been followed with this postbox.  They are reproduced in full below.

When a box needs to be taken out of service, either temporarily sealed or permanently removed, a notice will be displayed to tell customers why and give details of the nearest 3 alternative posting facilities.

Not aware the above has been complied with.

Where it is possible to do so, we will provide a four week notification to consumers when we plan to remove or relocate a box. However, sometimes a four week period is not possible because a significant proportion of removals and relocations are due to events outside of our control – such as when a box is damaged or stolen.

Appreciate four weeks is not always possible but this is now nine months!

If we have to remove a posting box

 Before we take a decision to remove a postbox, a number of things are taken into consideration:

  • Whether the original issue can be overcome
  • Feasibility of repairing a box
  • Finding a suitable alternative site
  • The distance to and location of the next nearest 3 alternative boxes
  • That the needs of customer in the area will still be met if the box isn’t replaced
  • The number of delivery points which may now be further than half a mile from a box

Nine months on not aware any of the above has been done?

Therefore, and I take no pleasure in being so blunt and direct but the other eight approaches about this matter have not helped resolve matters for my constituents.

A detailed and considered response to the highlighted sections from your own protocols would be appreciated.

I would also expect a specific and detailed response and a date of if and when this Post Box will be replaced or relocated.

I would urge you to replace this particular one or relocate VERY nearby as the elderly residents are in need of a local Post Box.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely – Howard Sykes

Royal Mail protocol for postbox removal and relocation (off their web site)

 https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/132/related/1

 We are committed to retaining our ‘six days a week’ collection from all our 115,000 postboxes. In the
UK, we have one of the highest numbers and densities of postboxes in Europe and this hasn’t changed over the past decade.

From time to time, it may become necessary to remove or relocate a postbox. We don’t remove boxes due to under-utilisation. There are, however, various reasons why we might have to take a box out of service:

  • A risk to the safety of our postmen and postwomen
  • The security of the mail in a particular postbox may be compromised
  • Building works mean it’s not possible to access a postbox
  • Re-routing of traffic, making it dangerous for us to collect from a postbox
  • A request to remove a postbox from private land by the landowner
  • Damage to a box due to a road traffic accident

When a box needs to be taken out of service, either temporarily sealed or permanently removed, a notice will be displayed to tell customers why and give details of the nearest 3 alternative posting facilities.

Where it is possible to do so, we will provide a four week notification to consumers when we plan to remove or relocate a box. However, sometimes a four week period is not possible because a significant proportion of removals and relocations are due to events outside of our control – such as when a box is damaged or stolen.

If we have to remove a posting box

 Before we take a decision to remove a postbox, a number of things are taken into consideration:

  • Whether the original issue can be overcome
  • Feasibility of repairing a box
  • Finding a suitable alternative site
  • The distance to and location of the next nearest 3 alternative boxes
  • That the needs of customer in the area will still be met if the box isn’t replaced
  • The number of delivery points which may now be further than half a mile from a box

If a postbox has to be relocated

 Where we have to relocate a postbox we will always:

  • Inform customers of the reason why, via a notice on or near the box
  • Consult appropriate parties, such as local councils, land owners and engineering contractors;
  • Complete relocation/repair work within reasonable timescales, usually six months.

 What to do if you have a problem

  • If you would like to discuss the removal or relocation of a box in your area or you are experiencing a problem, please contact us using the help centre link to the right of this page.
  • To help us answer your query, please remember to note the location of the box and its individual identification number.