“Crunch time” for Places for Everyone in Oldham
After months of delay and tense debate, Oldham councillors are preparing for another vote on Places for Everyone – Greater Manchester’s controversial housing development strategy – after the Liberal Democrats forced an emergency meeting for Wednesday February 12th.
Leader of Oldham Liberal Democrats councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Labour have used every trick in the book to stop us making a formal request to the government to come out of Places for Everyone and protect our green belt.
“The Liberal Democrats are leaving no room for doubt. We have called an emergency meeting and we will have a clear vote on whether councillors want to withdraw or not.”
The Liberal Democrat motion submitted for the meeting is titled ‘Oldham Council requests to withdraw from Places for Everyone’.
Sykes said, “This is crunch time for all opposition councillors to come together and do right by the people of Oldham Borough, who have made their objection to this loss of green belt abundantly clear. Places for Everyone is not about affordable housing, it is about developer profit.
“Labour do not have a majority. So, there is nowhere to hide for non-Labour members. Not turning up is just like voting to stay in! If everyone else does the right thing and votes with the Liberal Democrats, Oldham Council will have to formally request to leave the scheme to the Secretary of State, and we will be free to develop our own brownfield first housing strategy.”