Valerie Leach

Cllr Valerie Leach – Saddleworth West and Lees Ward

MY WARD PRIORITIES

•    A strong voice for Saddleworth
West and Lees

•    Revitalisation of Lees village

•    Improved sports and other

amenities for young people
in the ward

Work in thecommunity

Throughout 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the way that the Council and Councillors have worked. The Council has proactively responded, distributing emergency food and medicine, providing vital social care, running testing centres and now rolling out the vaccination programme.

All Council meetings – of the full Council, interactions with council staff, training sessions - have been held virtually, accessed via phone or laptop. I have actively participated in them all so that I could continue to represent you throughout this difficult time.

I have responded by telephone and by email to requests from members of the community for information or for help and I have kept in touch with local community groups as much as possible. I look forward to becoming more active personally again when restrictions are finally lifted.

•      The Lees, Springhead and Grotton Business Hub has continued actively to support local small businesses. I continue to support the Hub.

•      The scheme to improve the central Lees village area with funding from the Local Investment Fund started work early in 2021. Fellow Councillor Hewitt and I allocated extra funding for the scheme to provide additional green amenity for the area. 

•      To reduce the unhealthy impact on children of air pollution, I met again with council officers and heads of Hey with Zion and St Edwards primary schools to plan for the introduction of a scheme to cut down the amount of traffic close to the schools. The scheme will be funded by OMBC and Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

•      I provided additional support for the Lees Park Eco Centre and Growing Hub which provides training and facilities for residents, with a special focus on working with children and young people.

•      I continued to work with the Springhead Football Club in its efforts to improve the pitch and the club’s facilities.

•      Early in 2020, I was appointed Deputy Cabinet Member for children and young people, with special responsibility for early childhood development. The focus will be to support families in improving outcomes for infants and young children in their early years. 

CONTACT ME

E: Valerie.leach@oldham.gov.uk
M: 07966 297 171

SURGERIES

Face to face Ward Surgeries are cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.  Please contact me by phone or email for any issues or problems.