The Oldham Liberal Democrats have written to senior council officers calling for more action to protect the borough’s public rights of way.

“During the restrictions placed on all our leisure activities throughout the COVID-19 lockdown, our local countryside became more inviting, and many more residents have taken the opportunity to enjoy a walk along our local paths,” said Group Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE.

“The recent welcome appointment of a new footpaths officer has meant that we now have more capacity to protect, register and promote our countryside footpaths for the benefit of Oldham residents.  I am particularly keen to ensure that the new officer continues our good work with responsible local landowners and walkers’ groups.  He also must work to bring back into use, make more accessible, and register (if appropriate) more footpaths,” stated councillor Sykes.

The government have set a deadline that all countryside footpaths must be registered by 1 January 2026 and the Ramblers Association is leading a national campaign to record the estimated 49,000 miles of ‘lost’ footpaths across England and Wales.  The organisation Slow Ways is also promoting access to the countryside by creating an online interactive map linking each village, town, and city in the UK.

Councillor Sykes would like to see the Council being pro-active in embracing these campaigns.  “It would be wonderful if we could ensure that all of our so-called ‘lost’ footpaths are registered with the help of local walkers and if access to the Slow Ways network could be advertised on our website.”

“One final given is however the need for there to be a dedicated budget in place to make public footpaths fit-for-purpose and accessible, some require repairs and obstructions to be removed before they can be walked.”

Don’t Lose Your Way – https://www.ramblers.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/dont-lose-your-way-2026.aspx

Slow Ways https://beta.slowways.org/

The roads will be closed from 10am – 10pm to give plenty of time to rig the stage and set up Market stalls.

Loads of things to do more details to follow.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has written to the Chief Executive and Leader asking for a portrait of the HM The Queen to be displayed in the Council Chamber.

“Council debated this issue earlier this year when we sat in the Queen Elizabeth Hall.  Now Councillors will finally be returning to the Council Chamber for their deliberations in December (delayed from November), it seems the opportune time to display a portrait of Her Majesty the Queen in the Council Chamber and at the Civic Reception, particularly as we celebrate her Platinum Jubilee next year,” said Councillor Sykes. 

Booster programme

Anyone who is eligible for a booster can now get their third jab at one of our walk-in clinics across the borough. You can also book via the national booking system from five months although you will still need to wait until six months after your second jab to receive your third dose.

Those eligible include:

• Those living in residential care homes
• All adults aged 50 years or over
• Frontline health and social care workers
• All those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe Covid, and adult carers
• Adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals

This third dose will be Pfizer or Moderna, even if people received AZ for their first two doses.

12 to 15-year-olds

Young people aged 12 to 15 can have a vaccination by appointment using the National Booking Line. 

Appointments are available at Royal Oldham Hospital and young people can also receive their vaccine at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, which has greater availability.

Any child who missed their original school appointment or any home-schooled children yet to have their jab can book via the National Booking Service website

Around one in seven young people (14%) are suffering from long Covid, according to a study from Great Ormand Street Hospital. This is symptoms lasting more than 15 weeks and can include respiratory illness, chest pain and palpitations. So while the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death is low, the effects of Covid can still be life limiting for many young people if they do catch the virus. 

Parents who are unsure about whether to consent to their child being vaccinated can find the most accurate information at: Why you should have your child vaccinated 

War Memorial commencing at 10.55am. 

A procession will assemble at the Royal British Legion Club, Newtown Street, Shaw, at 10.30am proceeding to the War Memorial at 10.40am.

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.  At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.”

I have been informed by the council that despite their best efforts they will not complete all the food and garden collections in Shaw and Crompton today.

They will have a number of small pockets outstanding on the country round (the smaller vehicles used for hard access areas).

Residents are advised that their missed bins will be collected first thing on Saturday morning so you should leave their bins out for collection. They apologise in advance for any inconvenience.

Oldham Council are being held to account on their promise to implement any relevant findings of the Home-Office sponsored Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) by Liberal Democrat Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani.

With the most recent report by the Inquiry covering child protection in religious organisations and settings, Councillor Al-Hamdani has written to the Council’s Managing Director of Children & Young People, and its interim Chief Executive Harry Catherall, to ask for an update on the work that has already taken place, and for what it has planned to do going forward. 

Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “The previous chief executive had confirmed that the Council would implement any relevant recommendations from the Independent Investigation, and I wanted to ensure that our incoming chief executive was fully aware of the work that has been done, but also the work that still needs to be done on this.

“While we are still waiting for the report on child exploitation in Oldham to be published, there is important work that we can and should already be doing, and it is vital that the new senior management of the Council have full awareness and oversight of it, to ensure that does progress.”

The latest report is on child protection in religious organisations and settings, with previous reports including child sexual abuse in contemporary institutional contexts, on engagement with children and young people, and on support services for ethnic minority communities in the last 12 months.

Councillor Al-Hamdani continued: “I hope that when we hear from the inquiry into historic allegations in Oldham that no-one says ‘lessons will be learnt’. It is about improving our culture and our practices, and – as we are with the implementation of these recommendations – working every day to make things better, and to rebuild confidence and trust, for survivors, and for anyone affected by these terrible crimes.”

The Oldham Liberal Democrats have been shocked to read that North West water company, United Utilities, has the worst record for poisoning our local rivers with raw sewage – and that Conservative MPs chose to back them in a recent vote in Parliament.

Figures published by the Environment Agency show that in 2020 water companies discharged raw sewage into rivers in England more than 400,000 times last year.

Untreated effluent, which includes human excrement, wet wipes, and condoms, was released into waterways through overflows for more than three million hours in 2020.

The biggest offender was North West water company United Utilities which did so for 726,450 hours, almost one quarter of the total.

“Thank goodness, Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger, the four animal characters from Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows, are not around today boating and fishing in our local rivers; because if they were having a day out on the Beal, Irk and Tame, they would most likely been poisoned like our other local wildlife is by such discharges,” said Liberal Democrat Group Leader and Shaw Councillor Howard Sykes MBE. 

Liberal Democrat and Labour MPs recently backed a proposal from the House of Lords that would have amended the government’s Environment Bill to require the government and water companies to work to reduce discharges of untreated sewage and ‘take all reasonable steps’ to avoid using combined sewer overflows. 

The amendment was defeated when 265 Conservative MPs voted against it.

Councillor Sykes added:  “The vote demonstrated that when it comes to a contest between profits and public health, most Conservative MPs put profit first.  Just like United Utilities, and Britain’s other water utilities, who continue to focus more on making bumper profits and paying shareholders huge dividends than they do on investing to tackle this problem.”

“The Environment Agency has declared that every river in England is polluted; that  is why the Liberal Democrats brought a motion to the last full meeting of Oldham Council (3 November) calling on the government and United Utilities to clean up their act and make the Beal, Irk and Tame safe for Mole, Rat, Toad and Badger and their friends again.”

Shaw and Crompton Advice Surgeries (no appointment necessary) held on the following Thursdays at Shaw Lifelong Learning Centre – 7:30pm to 8:30pm.

November 11, 18 and 25

First Bus are offering free bus travel across the entire network including the Vantage service operated on the guided busway from Leigh and Atherton to Manchester Royal Infirmary this Thursday 11th November and Remembrance Sunday 14th November to serving Armed Forces personnel, cadets, and veterans to help them attend commemorative events.

To claim free travel, all current and former military personnel will need to wear their uniform or medals or show their military ID card when boarding the bus.

First drivers may also pull over to honour the two-minute silence at 11am on Remembrance Day, 11th November and Remembrance Sunday, 14th November where it is safe for them to do so.