After Oldham Council has accepted that no houses have been built for social rent in the borough in the last seven years, Shadow Cabinet Member for Housing Sam Al-Hamdani called it ‘a betrayal of the needs of the poor, and the Government’s claims about levelling up’.

He said: “When people talk about what is needed in Oldham, they want housing that people can afford. Unfortunately, the Government has hijacked the term ‘affordable housing’, which they have defined as anything that is rented or sold at 20% below the market rate for that area.

“What most people actually want to see more of are the homes defined as for ‘social rent’, in Government language, which in Oldham would normally be at around 50% of the market rate, and which is retained by local authorities or registered social landlords. That is the housing we need, and that is the housing we are not getting.”

Recent developments in Oldham have seen energy efficient homes developed at Primrose Bank and Holly Bank, which have been rented at “Local Housing Allowance Rates” which has made them much more attainable. Councillor Al-Hamdani welcomed this work and called for more like it.

He continued: “For years, the Government has blocked Oldham Council from being able to access the grants that would make social rent housing a reality, and they have now only introduced it at a reduced rate.

“Time and again, Oldham Council are not developing what we need, but time and again, the Government are asking them to operate with one hand tied behind their back. It makes a mockery of the ‘levelling-up’ agenda, and it leaves people with nowhere to go.

“This week I have been working on cases for residents, some with mental health issues and some fleeing domestic abuse, who need places to live. The end result of years of underinvestment in housebuilding is that they have nowhere to go. That needs to change.”

You do need to live in Shaw and Crompton.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Group Leader and Shaw councillor, Howard Sykes MBE has been campaigning against cash machine closures in recent years and has welcomed the recent Queen’s Speech announcement about cash machines (ATMs).

According to analysis from consumer researchers at ‘Which?’, since 2015, almost half of the UK’s bank branch network has closed.  In addition, a further 12,178 free-to-use cash machines have vanished since 2018. 

During yesterday’s Queen’s Speech, the government pledged to introduce a Financial Services and Markets Bill, which will contain measures to protect cash machines and keep them readily available to businesses and members of the public.

“Access to cash is vital for businesses and individuals, even in today’s environment where so many transactions are cashless.  We have already lost several cash machines in Shaw and Crompton.  I tentatively welcome yesterday’s announcement, and as always the devil will be in the detail to see if the proposals have teeth to stop the decline in free ATMs.”

“People must be able to access their own money with ease.  Having readily available ATMs on our high streets can be a real lifeline for residents and for businesses. Liberal Democrat councillors will continue to lobby for access to cash to be protected across our communities.”  

The fight against low-quality HMOs and for more brownfield development has been raised with the Minister for Housing Stuart Andrew MP by local Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet Member Sam Al-Hamdani.

He said: “We keep seeing HMOs appearing on our streets, many of them using the loophole that allows smaller ones to bypass the planning system altogether. Too often they are terribly low quality, crammed in to make the most money out of the smallest space.

“At the other extreme, we keep seeing developers pushing for more and more four- and five-bedroom developments on green spaces. Councils rarely get the financial support to drive brownfield development, and have little or no legal powers to force development to take place on brownfield first.”

Councillor Al-Hamdani wrote to the Housing Minister to demand that this approach is reconsidered, so that meeting the housing targets can be done without the current sacrifices to quality or to green space.

He continued: “The Liberal Democrats have been leading the fight against the lack of support for higher housing standards for years. At the local level, that means we have campaigned for a restriction on building HMOs through the local plan, as well as voting against the Places for Everyone proposals which – despite improvements, still see more building on green spaces.

“We need to see change on this, and it must come from the highest level. The Government must see that loading ever higher targets for building on to local authorities is currently driving down standards, and creating a situation where poorer people are forced into low-quality ‘cattle-pen’ accommodation.

“It should be possible to build the housing we need without sacrificing quality and open spaces. Right now, that is not happening, at either the local or the national level, and there is no progress being made while the two political administrations fight it out.

“If no effort is made to change this, the left hand will continue not to know what the right hand is doing. And it will be the people of Oldham who will be left in the middle with no solutions.”

At a Group meeting held on 7 May, the Oldham Borough Liberal Democrat Group elected councillor Howard Sykes MBE as their Leader and councillor Chris Gloster as their Deputy Leader. 

Councillor Howard Sykes said: “I am grateful once more to my colleagues for their support for my work as Group Leader and delighted that Chris will continue to serve as my Deputy. 

It was great to welcome newly elected councillor Alicia Marland from Saddleworth West and Lees to the team, and to welcome Dave Murphy and Hazel Gloster back for Crompton and Shaw Wards.  After Friday’s results, the Liberal Democrats are up one to nine councillors and I know that all of us will continue to make a difference.”

“Liberal Democrats will be the only real opposition party holding Labour to account on Oldham Council.  We will work as a united team to offer common-sense solutions to the Borough’s problems and challenge the Labour Administration to cut waste and focus spending on the value-for-money services that the public wants,” added councillor Sykes.

“Labour is now at a crossroads.  With just 21 of the 60 seats up for election they lost six seats and gained one so a net loss of five, including their Leader; several more had some close calls.  Labour now must elect a new incumbent and it will be interesting to see who emerges as the winner from the contest.  I sincerely hope that that person understands that the Labour needs to make a major course correction to focus on what really matters.”

Councillor Sykes set out the Liberal Democrats’ priorities for Oldham Council:

“Labour really do need to wake up and smell the coffee.  They need to get the basics right – they need to make our Borough safer, cleaner, and greener.  They need to invest in our districts and work with the communities we represent rather than keep doing things to them and making them feel neglected.”

“These are the issues the public tell us are important and we will continue to champion them at every opportunity,” he added.

Thank you!

I am delighted to have been re-elected as a Borough councillor for Shaw, and to be able to continue working with all my Liberal Democrat colleagues on Oldham Council to make the Borough better.

The public of Shaw have again put their faith in me and I will continue to work all year round for Shaw and its community.

I will ensure that we are not forgotten by Oldham Council and the Labour Administration, who are obsessed with developing Oldham Town Centre, neglecting our outlying districts and villages such as ours that are equally in need of investment and some quality development.

We must also continue to fight to make Shaw safer, greener and cleaner.

Thank you to everyone who voted. 

I have received  a lot of personal messages from constituents I have helped over the years which really makes me immensely proud to be your community champion and council representative.

Thank you once more!

Result:  Lib Dem Hold

Turnout: 32.35%

We are extremely pleased with the election results last night.

Both locally and nationally the Liberal Democrats made gains.

Any election when you walk out with more seats than you walk in with is a good one, and this was certainly that.

It is great to see my two of my hard-working colleagues returned – councillors Dave Murphy and Hazel Gloster, in Crompton and Shaw Wards.  They both champion the areas they represent, work hard all year round and are valued group members.

Our gain was in Saddleworth West and Lees by Alicia Marland, who won a seat off Labour and now joins our team there of Mark Kenyon and Sam Al-Hamdani, was the icing on the cake and very well deserved.  She will be an excellent addition to our team.

With nine councillors we continue to be the real opposition to Labour who again had a beating at the polls locally.

Labour really do need to wake up and smell the coffee.  They need to get the basics right – they need to make our Borough safer, cleaner, and greener.  They need to invest in our districts and work with the communities we represent rather than keep doing things to them and making them feel neglected.

These are the issues the public tell us are important and we will continue to champion them at every opportunity.