Latest news with #HowardSykes
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Council bid to back out of housing scheme rejected
A council's bid to back out of a controversial plan to build thousands of new homes across Greater Manchester has been rejected by the government. Councillors in Oldham, which is Labour-led but with no overall control, narrowly voted to withdraw from the Places for Everyone (PfE) housing scheme earlier this year over concerns about building on green belt land. But the government has formally rejected their request, which housing minister Matthew Pennycook said had "no justification". The council's Labour leadership welcomed the move, but Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes said the decision was a "betrayal of democracy". A cross-party group of Liberal Democrat, Conservative and independent councillors had voted for the withdrawal from the scheme in February. The move had to be signed off by the Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner because they had already voted to join in 2024. Under the plan drawn up by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, more than 11,500 homes would be built on sites in Oldham. In a letter to the council, Pennycook, responding on Rayner's behalf, said he could not approve the withdrawal "based on the information provided". He said: "PfE is an example of authorities doing the right thing – adopting a robust local plan only a year ago, which reflects strong cooperation between authorities. "Taking all of the above into account, and given that your letter does not set out a case for revocation, I see no justification to approve your request." The minister said the government was looking for "universal local plan coverage as quickly as possible" from local authorities across the UK. In Oldham, the PfE scheme will see green belt land in Beal Valley, Bottom Field Farm, Broadbent Moss, south of Coal Pit Lane, south of Rosary Road and other locations developed into residential and commercial areas. Oldham Council's deputy Leader Elaine Taylor said: "We're grateful the government have seen through the reckless attempts made by the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives to put our green belt at risk." Meanwhile Sykes said the rejection was a "betrayal that the people of Oldham Borough will not forget or forgive". He said he feared PfE would see the council "forced to provide more land including green belt for development in the very near future". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Council 'not exiting housing scheme', hints Rayner Council votes to leave controversial housing plan Oldham Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Oldham Council's bid to back out of housing scheme rejected
A council's bid to back out of a controversial plan to build thousands of new homes across Greater Manchester has been rejected by the government. Councillors in Oldham, which is Labour-led but with no overall control, narrowly voted to withdraw from the Places for Everyone (PfE) housing scheme earlier this year over concerns about building on green belt land. But the government has formally rejected their request, which housing minister Matthew Pennycook said had "no justification". The council's Labour leadership welcomed the move, but Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes said the decision was a "betrayal of democracy". A cross-party group of Liberal Democrat, Conservative and independent councillors had voted for the withdrawal from the scheme in February. The move had to be signed off by the Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner because they had already voted to join in the plan drawn up by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, more than 11,500 homes would be built on sites in Oldham. 'Reckless' In a letter to the council, Pennycook, responding on Rayner's behalf, said he could not approve the withdrawal "based on the information provided". He said: "PfE is an example of authorities doing the right thing – adopting a robust local plan only a year ago, which reflects strong cooperation between authorities. "Taking all of the above into account, and given that your letter does not set out a case for revocation, I see no justification to approve your request."The minister said the government was looking for "universal local plan coverage as quickly as possible" from local authorities across the Oldham, the PfE scheme will see green belt land in Beal Valley, Bottom Field Farm, Broadbent Moss, south of Coal Pit Lane, south of Rosary Road and other locations developed into residential and commercial Council's deputy Leader Elaine Taylor said: "We're grateful the government have seen through the reckless attempts made by the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives to put our green belt at risk."Meanwhile Sykes said the rejection was a "betrayal that the people of Oldham Borough will not forget or forgive".He said he feared PfE would see the council "forced to provide more land including green belt for development in the very near future". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
The 'monstrous £5 million scheme' that 'no one wanted'
Plans for a 'monstrous scheme' have been scrapped in after being branded 'totally pointless' by residents. The £5m project would have brought a new 'Cyclops-style' junction system to a famous roundabout in Shaw, Oldham. The aim was to make the crossing safer and encourage active travel through new cycle lanes. But locals vehemently opposed the scheme, describing it as a 'waste of money' that would 'destroy Shaw's last recognisable landmark', the 'Big Lamp Roundabout'. READ MORE: Residents spotted men coming and going at a small shop, and then a huge conspiracy started to unravel READ MORE: Tragic holiday couple found dead in ditch 'hours after van followed by police' Oldham council today confirmed the proposal would not go ahead, despite securing funding from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to complete the £3m to £5m project. The decision came after pressure from ward councillors, the town council and a 500-strong local interest group 'Supporters of the Big Lamp Roundabout Shaw Oldham'. The community was spearheaded by long-term local resident Beverley McManus, 63, who told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: 'A lot of people were very unhappy. [The works] would cause gridlock traffic and cut off the high street, which would kill the local businesses. 'It's also an iconic landmark for Shaw. I was born and bred here and it's been here all my life. It greets you as you're coming into Shaw. We've got nothing else in the town to identify us - no town hall, no police station, no baths. Everything's been taken from us, and that's our last identifying feature.' She added: 'If it's not broken, don't fix it. It was a daft idea from the start. I'm so pleased they've seen sense.' Ward councillors Howard Sykes and Marc Hince also opposed the roundabout. Liberal democrat councillor Sykes previously stated the scheme for an 'eye-watering sum ... beggars belief', while Hince called the plans a 'monstrous scheme'. Council leader Arooj Shah said the council bid for the money believing the changes 'could be beneficial for our residents'. "Based the strength of feeling after the scheme landed with the public and key local stakeholders - including the Town Council - we will not be progressing with these plans,' she confirmed. "It's important in times like this to listen. We'll now work with TfGM to see if there's any way that this money can be repurposed in Shaw or within other schemes in Oldham." While many residents celebrated the decision online, with a number saying there was 'no justifiable reason' to bulldoze the landmark, some responded with eye-roll emojis. One resident admitted to 'never noticing the landmark in all the years she'd driven past it' while another noted 'the lamp isn't even that big'.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oldham council to cut agency spending after splashing £56m in four years
Oldham council says spending on agency workers will come down after the authority shelled out £56m in four years. Figures from a freedom of information request, seen by the Manchester Evening News, showed 'eyewatering sums' were spent on temporary workers in social care, children, environmental services, and more. The town hall spent more than £20m on agency workers in 2023, the figures showed, but this fell to nearly £10m last year. It spent more than £9m in total on agency staff in 2021, and £16.5m in 2022. READ MORE: Vaping horror as first ever study reveals deadly side effects READ MORE: LIVE: Police cordon off flats as man found dead after fire breaks out Oldham council's deputy leader, Coun Abdul Jabbar, accepted there has been an increase in agency costs, but said the overall amount of spending is coming down and there are plans to reduce this further. This is being done by pushing to transfer agency roles back to permanent jobs in Oldham. Recent reports have found that councils across the north west are spending more on agency workers than previously. A report by the Local Government Association last year found that town halls are becoming more reliant on agency staff, and said there was an 'adult social care workforce crisis' behind the problem. It comes at a time when budgets for many councils are having to stretch thinner each year, with some having to make cuts to local services. Oldham's Lib Dem group leader, Coun Howard Sykes MBE, said agency staff are 'filling the gaps' in services across the borough. 'The Labour-run council needs to look at which agency workers can be made permanent and where we can be recruiting locally,' he added. 'If there is a job of work to be done and the cash to pay for it, these should be permanent jobs for local people. 'At the moment, Oldham council is spending more money for short-term staffing solutions, and that hurts the standard of services residents receive at the same time as hurting council taxpayers in the pocket.' Coun Jabbar said bringing more agency workers back to permanent roles is 'absolutely a key priority' in Oldham. 'The council has experienced increases in agency costs over recent years due to high inflation, an increased demand for social care particularly in children's services, market conditions and the availability of permanent staff. 'The transfer of services provided by in-house company the Unity Partnership back to the council in 2022/23 meant that a significant amount of agency expenditure previously incurred by Unity Partnership is recorded as agency expenditure incurred by the council. 'These figures show that there has been a significant reduction in agency expenditure, and we expect to see a considerable decrease in agency costs in the next financial year.'
BBC News
13-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Oldham Council votes to leave Greater Manchester's controversial housing plan
A council has narrowly voted to withdraw from a controversial housing scheme for more than 10,000 new homes after months of fierce debate about building on greenbelt decision by Oldham Council, which is Labour-led but with no overall control, will see officers write to the government to request the borough is withdrawn from the Places for Everyone (PfE) PfE housing blueprint drawn up by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) aims to see 170,000 homes built in nine of the region's boroughs, including 11,500 in Democrat group leader on the council Howard Sykes, who voted for the withdrawal, said the "developer-led" plan did not put the needs of people first. A group of Liberal Democract, Conservative and independent councillors have been demanding the council pulls out of the joint scheme since the local elections in May 2024, when Labour lost overall control of the council. PfE was signed off before that election by Oldham Council and eight other councils in the city region. Stockport Council, the only other authority in the GMCA, already pulled out of PfE in 2022 before it was signed the narrow vote on Wednesday night, the council will now write to Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner, requesting the authority be taken out of the scheme. 'A mistake' The plans are supposed to use a "brownfield-first" approach to help fight the housing crisis. In Oldham, this would see building on land in Beal Valley, Bottom Field Farm, Broadbent Moss, south of Coal Pit Lane, and south of Rosary the scheme has long sparked resistance over its inclusion of greenbelt told councillors: "Expensive luxury housing on the greenbelt is not the answer to the housing crisis. "This will be a developer and profit-led plan, not a people and need based plan."Is Labour really suggesting that the best Oldham can do is back a plan that was designed in Manchester ten years ago, with no idea about the local challenges we face? "I think we can do better."Labour councillors maintained it would be a mistake to withdraw from PfE, including council leader Arooj ShahShe said: "It shocks me how brazen some people are about misleading our residents."It would be a mistake for Oldham, for the greenbelt and for our residents who desperately need housing. It would lead to further developments on the greenbelt."The Lib Dems know that because it's the same that's playing out in Stockport where [the Lib Dem leadership] are now dancing to the tune of developers."The vote was won by 31 votes to 29 to loud applause from councillors and members of the public. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
