Wildlife Walk around Crompton Moor – Sunday 16th Feb 14

Friends of Crompton Moor

SUNDAY 16th FEBRUARY 2014 10:30 am

In the CAR PARK AT BRUSHES CLOUGH on CROMPTON MOOR

(Nearest post code OL2 8LS Grid reference: SD 95119 10031)

Wildlife Walk around Crompton Moor

The purpose of which, is to not only to enjoy looking at the wildlife, but also to give people the opportunity to learn more about different areas, ask questions, and discuss future projects.

We would expect this walk to take about a couple of hours to complete, and hopefully the weather will be kind to us. Just in case, please dress appropriately, with waterproofs if necessary, and sturdy footwear. Bring along some refreshments, and we’ll make a stop somewhere where we can enjoy the views. Please leave any dogs at home for this walk, as we will be visiting some sensitive wildlife areas.

This walk is for members only – Membership is £5 per annum – non-members may join on the day

www.cromptonmoor.co.uk
Contact: Marian Herod Tel: 07792 156295
cromptonmoor@gmail.com

The 7th National Apprenticeships’ Week – 3-7 March 2014

Councillor J McMahon
Office of the Leader of the Council,
Room 347, Level 3,
Civic Centre, West Street,
Oldham
OL1 1UL

11 February 2014

Dear Cllr McMahon,

Re: The 7th National Apprenticeships’ Week – 3-7 March 2014

As you will be aware,, the National Apprenticeships’ Week, promoted by the National Apprenticeship Service, will soon be upon us.

The week is an opportunity to promote the value of apprenticeships to employers and to prospective applicants.

In the latest reported figures, over half a million employees were in apprenticeships, almost 50% more than when this Government came into office, in large measure because of significant public investment made through the Youth Contract.

Although, traditionally apprenticeships were seen as the preserve of young employees and historically male and, largely confined to the “metal bashing industries”, apprenticeships are now proving ever more popular with women and older workers as a vocational route.

So the success of apprenticeships is something we should all celebrate – indeed Get Oldham Working will in large part be judged by its success in getting our young people into apprenticeships.

I would therefore like to ask you if you can outline what this Council intends to do to promote apprenticeships in this borough during the National Apprenticeships Week?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Howard Sykes

Temporary Road works Shaw W/C 17 Feb 2014

Listed below are four approved temporary road works for the Shaw area to be carried out during school half term week commencing Monday 17 February

1a. Monday 17 February (one day)
Repair required to manhole cover and frame in Milnrow Road outside the Jubilee Inn Public House to be carried out under temporary traffic signals.

1b. Monday 17 February (one day)
Repair required to manhole cover and frame at the junction of Milnrow Road / Buckstones Road to be carried out under temporary traffic signals.

Both 1a and 1b are to be carried out on the same day but not at the same time, they will run consecutively. The contractor has been instructed to work off-peak only (9.30am – 3.30pm) and to have an operative on hand to manually operate the temporary traffic signals as and when required to manage queue lengths.

2. Wednesday 19 February (one day)
Replace telegraph pole in the verge adjacent to the footpath leading from Oldham Road to St. Mark’s Close, at the rear of 1 Otmoor Way. In order to site a vehicle as close as possible to the work it will be necessary to use stop/go boards to manage the traffic. The contractor has been instructed to work off-peak only (9.30am – 3.30pm)

3. Friday 21 February (one day)
Repair required to manhole cover and frame in Milnrow Road outside the Jubilee Inn Public House to be carried out under temporary traffic signals. This is a different cover and frame to item 1a above and is for a different utility company so it cannot be done at the same time. The contractor has been instructed to work off-peak only (9.30am – 3.30pm) and to have an operative on hand to manually operate the temporary traffic signals as and when required to manage queue lengths.

Whitfield Farm fined £18,000 for burning waste

“Many residents who have reported the burning of waste and have contacted myself and other local Lib Dem Councillors about this matter will be pleased to learn of the above,” stated Shaw Lib Dem Councillor Howard Sykes.

“These matters do take time and the wheels of the legal system are not quick.”

“However it is worth reporting such incidents on all occasions (do not assume others have or will) as it all helps build up evidence for prosecutions such as this,” he added.

“Details how to report such environmental concerns are listed below.”

Two companies which continued to burn rubbish on farm land despite a series of warnings have been fined £18,000 following a successful prosecution by Oldham Council.

Environmental health officers were called to Whitfield Dairy Farm, Mossgate Road, Shaw following complaints regarding deliberately started fires.

Officers spoke to company representatives and advised them that the smoke produced was causing a nuisance to residents in the Shaw and Milnrow areas.

Despite these warnings the companies continued to burn all types of household waste and tyres.

On August 17, 2012 the local authority issued a Nuisance Abatement Notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 instructing the representatives not to burn waste.

However, the firm continued to break the terms of the notice. Council officers witnessed full household clearances being burnt including tyres, a toilet, wiring, wood and plastic, on two different sites on the farm.

The council started legal proceedings and on January 28 the case was heard at Oldham Magistrates’ Court.

The bench did not believe that the waste was burnt without the owner’s knowledge. They also found that the owner of the land failed to take all reasonable precautions to prevent the burning of waste which caused severe smoke nuisance in the surrounding area.

The two companies that own the land where the fires took place – Whitfield Dairy Farm Ltd and WDF Estates Ltd – were found guilty of breaching the abatement notice on six occasions and were fined £18,000 with costs of £2,900 awarded to the council.

If you have information about anyone polluting the environment ring 0161 770 4502 or email environmentalhealth@oldham.gov.uk

Questions from the Leader of the Opposition to the Council Leader – Oldham Council 5th Feb. 2014

1) Monitoring Air Quality:

As one of the foremost cotton towns, with a continued legacy amongst our citizens of poor respiratory and cardio-vascular health, we must all recognise the importance of clean air to the well-being of the residents and wildlife of this borough.

Certainly in Shaw and Crompton, ward members, being conscious of the on-going impact of diesel fumes from the many HGVs that pass through our ward, en-route to and from local distribution centres, have campaigned long and hard for the installation of a station to monitor air quality. This campaign was recently rewarded when such a station was installed on Crompton Way.

Councillors may be unaware that the Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollutants estimates that up to 29.000 deaths in the UK per year are attributable to poor air quality and that the World Health Organisation has recently classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans.

I was therefore recently concerned to hear of a suggestion by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that the legal obligation be removed from local authorities to monitor air quality.

I am sure that the Leader will want to join me in seeking to maintain our Council’s commitment to carrying out these checks, and to continue to participate in the work of the Greater Manchester Air Quality Network, so can I invite him to join me (and the other group leader on Oldham Council) in sending a joint letter to the Minister expressing our concern over this issue?

2) Use of Discretionary Housing Payments and Local Welfare Provision Monies:

I would like to ask the Leader about the use of money allocated by the Coalition Government to provide relief for the poorest and most deserving residents of this borough affected by welfare reform.

I am referring to two ‘pots’ of money given by the Department of Work and Pensions – the DWP – to this authority – the Discretionary Housing Payments fund and local Welfare Provision Fund.

In the 2013 – 14 financial year, Oldham Council has received £498,000 in order that it “may be awarded, in addition to any welfare benefits, when a local authority considers that a claimant requires further financial assistance towards housing costs”.

It is principally used to meet shortfalls, where an award of housing benefit falls short of the rent owed on the property.

The sum that Oldham Council received this year was significantly larger than that received previously, with the intention that it be used in large part to meet rent shortfalls for those social tenants who were deemed to be under-occupying so they might have time to secure a smaller property or to increase their income (by taking up employment or taking in a lodger) to pay the rent.

As of the start of this week, £327,000 – or approximately two thirds – has been spent.

The Local Welfare Provision replaced a number of grants and social fund loans in April and is intended to “meet the short term emergency and immediate support needs of vulnerable people” and “assist vulnerable people to establish or maintain a home in the community”.

The DWP awarded £1,038,000 to this authority for this purpose.

My understanding is that by mid-December £453,000 – or under half of this money – had been spent.

However, only £213,000 of this went to needy applicants. £80,000 was spent on beefing up our welfare rights service, which we welcome. But worryingly £160,000 was spent on administration. There must surely be something wrong when Oldham Council is spending £4 on administration for every £5 awarded in grant?

We are now in the final quarter of the current financial year.
At this point, we have spent two thirds of one budget and under half of another.

So can the Leader please tell me how he intends to speed up payments in the final quarter to ensure the poorest and most needy residents of this borough get the money they are entitled to as the Government expected when it awarded this Council the money?

And what he intends to do with any underspend – which particularly in the case of the Local Welfare Provision is likely to be significant?

3) Zero Hours Contracts:

The use of zero hours’ contracts by employers has recently attracted significant criticism.

The Get Oldham Working strategy, a key corporate priority for this Council, includes a commitment (to quote from the Council’s own website) “to support ‘Fair Employment’ by promoting a Living Wage and tackling issues like ‘zero hours’ contracts”.

We had the debate about introducing the National Living Wage at last Council, so for tonight I will confine myself to a question relating to ‘zero hours’ contracts.

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Dr Vince Cable, MP, has launched a public consultation on a range of proposals to reform the use of ‘zero hours contracts’ in the labour market. The closing date for the submission of comments is 13th March of this year.

The Leader will recall that I asked for a special hearing of the Overview and Scrutiny Board to be convened to respond to a similar consultation last summer by Government on the Work Capability Assessment.

I would like to ask the Leader to convene a similar hearing of O + S to which elected members and other interested parties, such as employers’ bodies and trades unions, are invited to attend, or otherwise contribute, in order that this Council can make a collective submission by the deadline.

New Metrolink Service to open via Oldham Town Centre

Metrolink services between Rochdale Railway Station and Central Park will be replaced with buses for nine days from Saturday (18 January) as the final connections are made to bring Oldham’s new town centre tram line into service.

The weeklong changes will allow the track between Werneth and Oldham Mumps to be severed and connected to a brand new alignment into and through the town centre.

When the new track, overhead power lines and systems have been connected, final testing will begin and this will be followed by the start of passenger services.

A like-for-like replacement bus service will be provided during the work, calling at all the affected stops.

Details of where to catch replacement buses are now available at stops, online at www.metrolink.co.uk or by calling the Metrolink team on 0161 205 2000.

Unless adverse wintry weather conditions affect progress on the ground, the line will open to passenger service on Monday 27 January – several months ahead of schedule.

The line has four new stops – Westwood, Oldham King Street, Oldham Central and Oldham Mumps, with the latter integrating tram and bus services and providing a new, free park and ride site for Metrolink passengers.

SHAW and CROMPTON DISTRICT MEETING and COMMUNITY FORUM

SHAW and CROMPTON DISTRICT MEETING and COMMUNITY FORUM

Tuesday 28th January 2014

6.00pm
Shaw Lifelong Learning Centre
High Street, Shaw,
Oldham, OL2 8TB
Community Forum meeting which will start at the
rise of the District Exec (approx 6.15pm)

ALL WELCOME

Come along and talk to the Councillors and Officers
Who work in and for your local area
(Police, Highways, Environmental Services, Housing Providers, Youth Service and more)

Working together we can address:

• Local Issues
• What you like about your area
• What is good about your area
• Matters we can assist you with

http://www.oldham.gov.uk/info/200608/meetings

Bridge Street footbridge

Extract from a letter from TfGM to local residents.

Oldham and Rochdale Metrolink line – Work on Footbridge at Bridge Street, Shaw

As you may be aware, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has recently announced that it is targeting Monday 27th January for the start of Metrolink passenger services through Oldham town centre, unless adverse wintry weather conditions affect progress on the ground.

Connecting the new line to the network will require a weeklong closure of the existing section between Central Park and Rochdale Railway Station, which is scheduled to start on Saturday 18th January.

During this temporary closure we will be carrying out some additional work along certain sections of the Oldham and Rochdale Metrolink line.

Work will include improvements to the handrail and stairs on the footbridge over the Metrolink track at Bridge Street, Shaw.

This scheduled work will take place between the hours of 7am and 7pm on Saturday 18th January 2014 and Sunday 19th January 2014.

This work will involve:

• Removal and replacement of the handrail to stairs

• Refurbishment (grinding and cleaning) and repainting the existing balustrade to the stairs.

• Installation of new anti-slip stair treads.

Please note that if the painting is not completed within the time frame above work will need to be completed between 8 am and 6 pm on Monday 20th January to Wednesday 22nd January, dependent on weather conditions.

A footpath closure will be in place from 7am on Saturday 18th January until 6pm on Wednesday 22nd January.

A signed diversion route will be in place via Smallbrook Rd.

This closure will be removed if the works are completed early.