Oldham Labour quietly vote down plans for improved front line services for the public

Blink and you might have missed it, but at a meeting of Full Council this week (12/07), Oldham Labour Party voted down proposals aimed at improving essential frontline services like road repairs, parks and green spaces maintenance and prosecution of environmental crimes. 

The plans, titled “Time for Oldham Council to start getting the basics right”, were tabled by the Liberal Democrat Group.  But the ruling Labour Group took advantage of a chaotic meeting at Oldham Civic Centre, to quietly move the proposals to a vote without any debate. 

Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, who leads the Liberal Democrats in Oldham, said, “What a complete disgrace for the people of Oldham Borough.  People are fed up with the way Oldham Council routinely fails to deliver on the basics, like road maintenance, tackling fly-tipping and improving our parks and green spaces.”

“These are the things residents tell us are important.  The Labour Party have become obsessed with failed and expensive vanity projects in Oldham Town Centre.  They have let the wider Borough down.  When presented with a plan that would help refocus council resources onto the priorities of our residents, their reaction is to quietly vote it down without discussion and hope no one notices.”

“Oldham Labour like to say that they run a ‘Listening Council.’  Well last night proved that to be utter nonsense.”