Coun Sykes: Last News

Oldham has some of the highest child poverty rates in the UK. More than half of all kids across the borough are living below the poverty line.

A Lib Dem councillor in Oldham has lodged a complaint about a parish council's majority party amid a row over a newsletter ahead of the local elections.

Highway works being crammed in before the end of the financial year has turned March into the ‘month of madness’ for motorists and buses, a councillor says.

direct to your inboxDisabled people have been waiting so long to get a dedicated parking bay in Oldham they may be ‘dead or no longer be able to drive’, according to a councillor.Coun Howard Sykes, who leads the Liberal Democrat opposition group, says that some people in the borough have had to wait ‘almost three years’ for a parking space.He raised the issue with the council on behalf of one of his constituents in Shaw and said he found the answers ‘disturbing’.Coun Sykes said that 80 people are currently waiting for an assessment to determine whether they are eligible for a parking space.“These are all people who hold a Blue Badge and have severe disabilities,” he added.“They need a disabled parking bay to access a vehicle that is parked

presented later in the meeting, but overruled by a Labour amendment.Coun Hudson said: “I just want to say thank you to the Liberal Democrats on behalf of the people of Oldham for talking a load of crap which is unnecessary, when the sole purpose is to make sure the motion doesn’t get discussed tonight which is on people’s minds.“And I think people watching this will realise that governments and councils don’t care a toss about the people out there.”However Coun Sykes said changing road speeds across the borough is ‘the right thing to do now’ especially as more people were cycling and walking during the coronavirus crisis.“The Covid-19 pandemic has made us all too aware of how precious and fickle life is and has also made us more aware of