“Greater Manchester Police must be investigated” say Oldham Liberal Democrats

“Greater Manchester Police must be investigated” say Oldham Liberal Democrats

Senior Liberal Democrats in Oldham have again called for investigations into Greater Manchester Police following the publication of a new report into historic child sexual exploitation in Rochdale.  The Leader of Oldham Council’s Liberal Democrat opposition councillor Howard Sykes MBE and his Deputy, councillor Sam Al-Hamdani, have called for action to be taken against those in positions of authority who failed children in Oldham and Rochdale. 

Councillor Sykes said, “The report that has been published earlier this week details the most horrific and disgusting abuse of children.  It once again highlights the need for Greater Manchester Police to be formally investigated.  Those failings cannot continue to go unaddressed.”

Commenting on the publication of the Rochdale report, Councillor Al-Hamdani said, “My heart goes out to the people identified in this report who were failed time and again.  There should be a formal, independent investigation of GMP which has the power to take action against the organisation and guilty individuals.”

The Rochdale report was written by Malcolm Newsam CBE and Gary Ridgway – a former detective superintendent.  Both men also co-authored a report into child sexual exploitation in Oldham, which was published in June 2022. 

At a recent meeting of Oldham Council, councillor Sykes questioned the borough’s leadership over the lack of consequences for those who were found to have failed children. 

Councillor Sykes said, “How many officers from Greater Manchester Police have faced disciplinary action and how many officers are still in post?”

“There must be a full independent inquiry into GMP’s failing.  Anything less is not acceptable.”

“We must do everything possible to encourage victims of sexual violence past and present to come forward and support them when they do.”

Oldham Liberal Democrats have called on the Home Office to commission a full public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham.

Article: https://howardsykes.mycouncillor.org.uk

“20 is plenty for safer streets” say Oldham Liberal Democrats

“20 is plenty for safer streets” say Oldham Liberal Democrats

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat Opposition have tabled proposals for safer residential streets across Oldham in a Full Council meeting later this month.  The Liberal Democrat motion calls for a roll-out of 20mph zones on the Borough’s residential roads. 

Saddleworth West and Lees representative councillor Mark Kenyon, who will move the motion on December 13th said, “More than half of all accident casualties occur on roads with 30mph limits.  A pedestrian is seven times more likely to die if they are hit by a vehicle travelling at 30mph than they are at 20mph.  And it is the elderly and young who are most at risk.”

Shaw Liberal Democrat councillor Hazel Gloster said, “Safer communities is a top priority for our residents.  People want to see the Council take action to make it safer to get about.  It’s about getting the basics right.”

The Liberal Democrats have consistently backed campaigns aimed at improving road safety, most notably with the “20 is Plenty” campaign for reduced speed limits on residential streets. 

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader and Leader of Oldham Council’s main opposition group councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Speed limits are just one tool available to the Council.  We also want to see more speed cameras, and preferably ones that actually work.  The minority of people who make our streets unsafe should be prosecuted.”

“We have brought motions to Council in the past and we have asked numerous questions of every Council Leader we’ve had over the last few years.  It shouldn’t take serious incidents or even fatalities before the Council’s Leadership starts to listen.  Liberal Democrats will continue to make the case for safer streets until meaningful action is taken.”

HMO licensing on the agenda for round table

HMO licensing on the agenda for round table

Council bosses have put greater oversight of HMO licensing on the agenda for a housing roundtable in February following pressure from Liberal Democrat councillor Sam Al-Hamdani.

Following repeated challenges over a substantial number of HMOs in Oldham which had expired licences, and the discovery that none of the Council’s oversight and scrutiny committees were reviewing the licences, the situation is now going to be reviewed with input from councillors.

Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “HMOs are vital to provide housing in our borough, but if they are poorly run, they can leave vulnerable people in insecure and appalling conditions.

“Often people only complain at the planning process, but it is at licensing where the current conditions of the buildings are checked, along with meeting any terms such as around antisocial behaviour and security.

“That was why I was horrified to find out that there was no public oversight of the process, and that several HMOs were still in use despite their licences having expired as much as six months earlier.

“It is vital that the licensing process is far more robust. There should be more powers from central government to allow us to challenge owners, but the Council can and should be already be doing more.

“We can’t end up in a situation again where this number of HMOs are allowed to carry on running without the proper licences in place. I’m glad the Council has started to listen to my concerns – I’ll be happier when they’ve actually done something to give us greater opportunity to challenge poor quality housing.”

Rain rain go away

After heavy rainfall, a small park in the Shawside area turned into a pond. This meant the area was unusable and children couldn’t play on the equipment. This isn’t the first time this issue has occurred and after speaking with a resident, it happens quite often after periods of heavy rainfall. Knowing this is a popular spot for local children and especially dog walkers, I contacted the council to ask for their help. They sent a team out to clear the standing water and everything was fine, until it happened again. I reached out again and this time, the team cleared the water and also used equipment to clear the blocked drain on the park which was causing the flooding. This issue seems to have been resolved as the flooding hasn’t occurred since. It’s something I will keep a close eye on, especially in the winter months when icy conditions only make things worse.

Pesky Pigeons Move On

After a resident reported to me a serious issue with their neighbour feeding over 100 pigeons, I got in touch to find out more information. This problem had been occurring for over 12 months and was only getting worse. I stepped in and contacted the council over this issue, which nearly caused them to move house due to all the problems it caused. An anti-social behaviour warning was served (a precursor to an ASB notice) instructing the neighbour in question to stop hand feeding the pigeons, and instead to install hanging bird feeders which not only deter pigeons but also attract more species of birds. This issue has now been resolved. The pigeons have moved on, the residents in the surrounding area are happy and a new population made up of various species of birds have moved in.