Two Liberal Democrat councillors from Saddleworth are calling on Oldham Council to ditch what they term as "spin" and focus on getting the basics right, ahead of May’s local elections. Councillors Alicia Marland and Helen Bishop have submitted a motion for debate at the full council meeting on Wednesday, March 25, which aims to redirect funding from non-essential publicity campaigns to environmental services and neighbourhood maintenance.

The motion comes amid criticism that the authority is failing on key issues such as fly tipping, potholes, and blocked drains. The councillors argue that Oldham is now one of the worst areas in the region for fly tipping, while potholes continue to damage vehicles and pose safety risks, and drains and gullies are frequently left uncleared.

Cllr Marland, who represents Saddleworth West and Lees, said: "People across Oldham borough are very clear what they want their council to prioritise. And it is not flashy media campaigns which talk about getting the basics right, but don’t actually lead to action."

"This Liberal Democrat plan would lead to real action by reversing the huge cuts that Labour and their Labour-backing Independent coalition partners have made to environmental services. This is a top priority for us because those cuts make it harder to do everything from road repairs to keeping up our parks."

Cllr Bishop, representing Saddleworth South, added: "The Liberal Democrats want to strip away funding from council propaganda initiatives like Don’t Trash Oldham, which wastes money that should really be used on filling potholes, treating weeds, unblocking drains and caring for our parks and green spaces. We are saying it is time to scrap the spin and focus on getting the basics right."

The motion calls for the council to prioritise reversing the deep cuts to environmental services and neighbourhood maintenance, and to allocate funding away from non-essential publicity and marketing campaigns into frontline services. It also asks for a quarterly report on performance in tackling fly tipping, potholes, and street cleanliness, including benchmarking against neighbouring authorities.

Oldham’s Liberal Democrat leader, Councillor Howard Sykes, believes the council is ramping up positive news stories as the pre-election period begins on Monday, March 30. He said: "It’s remarkable how much spin the council has got lined up this week. There’s an award ceremony for various groups in the districts in a beauty contest for funding they have had to bid for. There’s the official opening of the new Market Hall replacing Tommyfield. Next, the leader will be resurrecting her pet project with Eton College, but I bet we do not get told an opening date for the Coliseum Theatre or why the Town Square car park is still not open."

"The timing is very interesting. Right before the local elections begin properly."

Opponents of the ruling Labour group say they are braced for a barrage of positive announcements in the coming weeks, but argue that these distract from persistent problems in neighbourhoods across Oldham. The motion, if successful, would require the council to provide regular updates on how it is addressing environmental issues and street maintenance, comparing its performance with nearby boroughs.

The debate highlights ongoing tensions over resource allocation, with the Liberal Democrats pushing for more transparency and a sharper focus on frontline services. Residents across the borough, from Saddleworth to the town centre, are likely to follow the outcome closely as the election campaign gets underway.