Agenda and minutes

(15 minutes for public questions and 25 minutes for Councillor questions)

The Mayor advised the meeting that the first item on the agenda in Open Council was Public Question Time.  The questions had been received from members of the public and would be taken in the order in which they had been received.  Council was advised that if the questioner was not present, then the question would appear on the screens in the Council Chamber.

The following questions had been submitted:

1,       Question asked by Peter Brown:

          “Why does this Council allow Councillors to lie and deceive the public?”

          Councillor Jean Stretton, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that the Council did not allow Councillors to lie.  A process was in place for a member of the public who believed they had lied to, to make a complaint.  The member of the public was expected to identify the elected member and bring forward evidence.  It was not appropriate for every member to be besmirched.

2.       Question asked by Joe Fitzpatrick:

          “Who owns the land and buildings of the Collective Spirit free school, that is due to close at the end of this month, and if the land is sold for residential development, will Oldham council receive any payment for what was recently in the ownership of the residents of Oldham?”

          Councillor Jean Stretton, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that the land occupied by the school hand been transferred to the school by the Department for Education.  The Leader had written to the Secretary of State as under current legislation it was still a matter for the Secretary of State to decide.  The Council was seeking for the land to be returned and proceed with the plans before the school for a  capital receipt to be obtained.

3.       Question received from Henry Stewart via email:

          “When the transfer of housing stock took place between Oldham Council and FCHO was this conducted under 1) English Contract Law and 2) European Contract Protocols? Yes or no answers to each question will suffice."

          Councillor Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Cooperatives, responded yes to both questions.  The matter had been considered at the Council meeting held on 15^th December 2010 which included a report entitled “Housing Stock Transfer – Transfer Agreement” which was a matter of public record and available to view on the Council’s website. 

4.       Question received from Ian Bond via email:

          “Regarding the "Oldham Masterplan":  Given that you are confident enough to state that the development will bring in £50m to the local economy per annum (Oldham Chronicle, 3rd July 2017), can you inform the Taxpayers of Oldham how much this "Masterplan" is expected to cost and who will pay for it?”

          Councillor Stretton, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that the forecast development costs were in excess of £350m as stated in the Cabinet report.  It was not intended that the Council would invest on its own  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

Apologies were received from Councillors Ahmad, Ames, Brock, A. Hussain, Kirkham, Larkin, Murphy, Sheldon and Williamson.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Annual Council meeting held on 17^th May 2017 be agreed as a correct record.

In accordance with the Code of Conduct, elected members declared the following interests:

Councillor Sykes declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board.

Councillor McCann declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board, Unity Joint Venture Board and the MioCare Board.

Councillor Harkness declared a personal interest at Item 12 due to his employment at a school.

Councillor Harrison declared a personal interest by virtue of her appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor Jabbar declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board and Unity Joint Venture Board.

Councillor Chauhan declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor Dean declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board.

Councillor Ur-Rehman declared a personal interest by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board.

Councillor G. Alexander declared a personal interest by virtue of her appointment to the MioCare Board.

There were no items of urgent business.

The Mayor advised Council he had received a communication from the Leader of the Council regarding the recent tragic events which had occurred.

Councillor Stretton, Leader of the Council, spoke on the non-stop chain of events that had occurred and included the attack on 22^nd May in Manchester where the youngest were targeted at a venue which was seen as a home for fun and entertainment, 22 people were killed and 116 injured.  Emergency services had been deployed.  Residents of Oldham were at the event, two had gone to collect their daughters.  The impact on the borough had been significant.  Events had been held in memory of those lost with work carried out by officers and staff volunteers.  Reference was made to an incident at a mosque which was condemned across communities. Reference was made to the other atrocities at Westminster, London Bridge, Borough Market, the fire at Grenfell Tower and Seven Sister Road.  The aftermath of Grenfell was distressing.  The Leader raised that the Government should seek the reintroduction of fire safety accreditation.  The Leader offered the sympathy of the Council to all those affected by these recent events.  The Council would continue to support residents and communities and would stand against those who would do harm.  Extremists would not be allowed to change our way of life.

The Mayor took the opportunity to congratulate Councillor Jabbar, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Human Resource on being awarded an MBE.

The Mayor advised that two petitions had been received for noting by Council.

Economy, Skills and Neighbourhoods

Objections to the Proposal for the Installation of a Hackney Carriage Rank on St. Thomas’ Parade, Thomas Street, Lees, petition received 19^th April 2017 with 552 signatures (Ref:  2017-03)

Petition to Reduce Parking Problems on Thomas Street, Wild Street, Princess Street, Church Street, Albert Street and Stamford Street, Lees (Saddleworth West and Lees Ward) received on 16 May with 112 signatures (Ref: 2017-04)

RESOLVED that the petitions received since the last meeting of the Council be noted.

(time limit 15 minutes).

Councillor Ur-Rehman to MOVE and Councillor Fielding to SECOND:

This Council supports the TUC’s Dying to Work Campaign’s charter as being an imperative way of preserving the rights and dignity of its workers who are diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Currently, workers with a terminal illness do not have a ‘protected characteristic’, and therefore have limited legal protection. Employers are free to dismiss terminally ill workers once they can prove they have made ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the employee’s job to assist with the illness. In addition, this leaves an employee facing the possibility that they will lose their death in service benefits, adding further stress at a time when security for a family’s future should be protected.

This Council believes that it should be the right of the employee to choose when or if they leave employment. An employee who is diagnosed with a terminal illness should be properly informed of their options and decide what is right for them, safe in the knowledge that they will not be put under undue pressure by their employer.

This Council recognises that in order to encourage other organisations to respect the rights of any of their terminally ill employees, the Council must lead by example. Therefore this Council resolves to:

1)    Sign the Dying to Work charter and integrate its contents into our HR procedures.

2)    Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions lobbying for an amendment to the Equality Act 2010 that safeguards the rights of terminally ill employees.

3)    Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Borough’s three MPs asking them to do everything they can to press for an amendment to the Equality Act 2010 that safeguards the rights of terminally ill employees.

The Mayor informed the meeting that there was one item of outstanding business from the previous meeting:

Motion 1

Councillor Ur-Rehman MOVED and Councillor Fielding SECONDED the following motion:

“This Council supports the TUC’s Dying to Work Campaign’s charter as being an imperative way of preserving the rights and dignity of its workers who are diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Currently, workers with a terminal illness do not have a ‘protected characteristic’, and therefore have limited legal protection.  Employers are free to dismiss terminally ill workers once they can prove they have made ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the employee’s job to assist with the illness.  In addition, this leaves an employee facing the possibility that they will lose their death in service benefits, adding further stress at a time when security for a family’s future should be protected.

This Council believes that it should be the right of the employee to choose when or if they leave employment.  An employee who is diagnosed with a terminal illness should be properly informed of their options and decide what is right for them, safe in the knowledge that they will not be put under undue pressure by their employer.

This Council recognises that in order to encourage other organisations to respect the rights of any of their terminally ill employees, the Council must lead by example.

Therefore this Council resolves to:

1)    Sign the Dying to Work charter and integrate its contents into our HR procedures.

2)    Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions lobbying for an amendment to the Equality Act 2010 that safeguards the rights of terminally ill employees.

3)    Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Borough’s three MPs asking them to do everything they can to press for an amendment to the Equality Act 2010 that safeguards the rights of terminally ill employees.”

Councillor Jabbar spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor Gloster spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor Ur-Rehman did not exercise his right of reply.

A vote was then taken on the MOTION.

On being put to the vote, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

RESOLVED that:

1.       The Dying to Work Charter be signed and its contents integrated into the Council’s HR Procedures.

2.       The Chief Executive be instructed to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions lobbying for an amendment to the Equality Act 2010 that safeguards the rights of terminally ill employees.

3.       The Chief Executive be instructed to write to the Borough’s three MPs asking them do everything they can to press for an amendment to the Equality Act 2010 that safeguards the rights of terminally ill employees.

(time limit 20 minutes)

The mental health and wellbeing of young people is suffering due to lack of appropriate funding by Central Government, in a recent survey of primary school head teachers,  almost 80% of those who responded said a lack of money prevented them providing mental health services in schools. We know that more than half of all mental illness starts before the age of 15 and it is clear from front line school teachers and head teachers that they are increasingly faced with problems of mental health issues among their students. It is therefore a false economy to cut funding for services for children and young people.

As a Youth Council we have held Mental Health as a priority issue for 6 years, because young people in Oldham tell us it’s a priority issue, professionals we work with tell us it’s a priority issue, our regional and National counterparts tell us it’s a priority issue and the Government need to acknowledge and address this priority issues

In Oldham there is cross sectoral agreement recognising the problem of mental ill health and the will to act jointly with governmental support. The Council, CCG, schools, colleges and other partner organisations are working in partnership with our young people on projects such as MH2K, the school and college emotional and mental wellbeing framework and the Youth Councils "Kerrching" funding stream. We have also been lucky enough to receive some funding from the CCG to commission training around a range of children and young people’s Mental Health topics for front line practitioners in Oldham. But this isn’t enough, without adequate funding from Central Government these initiatives will have limited impact.

In 2015 we were part of a Youth Select committee on young people’s mental health, the report from that committee made a number of excellent recommendations including:

 Adequate funding for Young people’s mental health services so it is no longer the Cinderella of Cinderella services but rather receives funding proportionate to that of Physical health.

A whole school approach to addressing The Emotional wellbeing of students that includes mandatory minimum training for teachers on Mental Health, the inclusion of trained counsellors in all schools and improved access to Counselling services.

Additional support for young people during the stressful exam period and a call for the Department of Education to lead on piloting, evaluating and sharing good practice projects to promote this.

The Youth Council acknowledges and supports the excellent work being done by the Council and its partner agencies including Oldham Youth Council and thanks all those involved in developing and implementing this work.

Increased funding from government specifically to address mental health and wellbeing for pupils, students and young people would enable the council to sustain current programmes that are meeting with success but are limited by funding.

We therefore ask Council to resolve to ask the Chief Executive to write to both the Minister of State for Education and the Minister of State for Health, requesting the Government to  ...  view the full agenda text for item 9.

The Youth Council moved the following MOTION:

“The mental health and wellbeing of young people is suffering due to lack of appropriate funding by Central Government, in a recent survey of primary school head teachers, almost 80% of those who responded said a lack of money prevented them providing mental health services in schools.  We know that more than half of all mental illness starts before the age of 15 and it is clear from front line school teachers and head teachers that they are increasingly faced with problems of mental health issues among their students.  It is therefore a false economy to cut funding for services for children and young people.

As a Youth Council we have held Mental Health as a priority issue for 6 years, because young people in Oldham tell us it’s a priority issue, professionals we work with tell use it’s a priority issue, professionals we work with tell us it’s a priority issue, our regional and National counterparts tell us it’s a priority issue and the Government need to acknowledge and address this priority issue.  In Oldham there is cross sectoral agreement recognising the problem of mental ill health and the will to act jointly with government support.  The Council, CCG, schools, colleges and other partner organisations are working in partnership with our young people on projects such as MH2K, the school and college emotional and mental wellbeing framework and the Youth Councils ‘Kerrching’ funding stream.  We have also been lucky enough to receive some funding from the CCG to commission training around a range of children and young people’s Mental Health topics for front line practitioners in Oldham.  But this isn’t enough, without adequate funding from Central Government these initiatives will have limited impact.

In 2015 we were part of a Youth Select committee on young people’s mental health services so it is no longer the Cinderella of Cinderella services but rather receives funding proportionate to that of Physical health.

A whole school approach to addressing The Emotional wellbeing of students that includes mandatory minimum training for teachers on Mental Health, the inclusion of trained counsellors in all schools and improved access to Counselling services.  Additional support for young people during the stressful exam period and a call for the Department of Education to lead on piloting, evaluating and sharing good practice projects to promote this.

The Youth Council acknowledges and supports the excellent work being done by the Council and its partner agencies including Oldham Youth Council and thanks all those involved in developing and implementing this work. 

Increased funding from government specifically to address mental health and wellbeing for pupils, students and young people would enable the council to sustain current programmes that are meeting with success but are limited by funding.

We therefore ask the Chief Executive to resolve to asked the Chief Executive to write to both the Minister of State for Education and the Minister of State for Health, requesting the Government to ensure that adequate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Leader of the Main Opposition, Councillor Sykes, raised the following two questions:

Question 1:

“I am sure that every member in this Chamber will have been as horrified as I as to see the image of the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower and the impact that it had on both the building, the tower’s residents and its neighbours.

The latest estimate is that there will be at least eighty lives lost; many residents are still missing; and the survivors of the blaze remain traumatised; coping with injuries and missing loved ones; without any possessions and with no certainty about their future housing circumstances.

It would be remiss of me at this point not to condemn the woeful response of this Government to the needs of the fire’s victims and the shameful absence of Prime Minister; Theresa May in the aftermath of this enormous tragedy.  Strong and stable – I think not.

I have a stark message for the Prime Minister – it is your job to lead the nation in times like this and on this occasion you failed miserably.

It would also be true to say, in my opinion, that the local council for the area; Kensington and Chelsea; was an embarrassment to all involved in local government.

Both the Officer and Political Leadership of that council has failed their residents big time.

I am pleased to say this is in stark contrast to Oldham Council when we have had to face emergencies such as Maple Mill and the tragic gas blast in Shaw.

On a more positive note, it was however a tremendous relief to learn, following enquiries made by my Liberal Democrat colleague; Councillor Chris Gloster; that none of the tower blocks in this Borough have been clad with any inflammable material as Grenfell appears to have been.

At a time like this, I am sure the Leader will want to reassure members of this Chamber; and more importantly the residents of our Borough’s tower blocks; and their friends and relatives; that all of the components of any type of external cladding system used in this Borough are safe.

Also that the evacuation procedures for tower blocks in Oldham have been thoroughly reviewed in recent days to ensure that they are up-to-date and follow best practice. 

I would like to ask the Leader for this reassurance tonight and also for a brief summary of what advice to tenants and occupiers of such tower block is in the event of a fire?

Also, what is happening to other public buildings in the Borough that could possibly be clad with similar materials as used in Grenfell such as leisure facilities, education buildings and health service accommodation to name just three?”

Councillor Stretton, Leader of the Council responded that by saying she agreed with the assessment of the Government’s and local authority’s response to Grenfell.  The Leader explained that it has been established that there were no social housing blocks with cladding similar to that used at Grenfell in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

(time limit 20 minutes):-

a) 20^th March 2017

b) 24^th April 2017

The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 20^th March 2017 and 24^th April 2017 were submitted:

Members raised the following question:

Councillor McCann – Cabinet Meeting, 24^th April 2017, Item 9:  Oldham Community Leisure Update.  Councillor McCann asked for confirmation that any support for OCL that regarded cash flow covered short term imbalance and not covered by immediate income or reserves.  If it was long term, and an early review was required, that the core business of OCL could continue and provide a good service and was a sound model.

Councillor Jabbar, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Human Resources responded that OCL provided a fantastic service and managed its facilities in a great way.  OCL was a key partner in the corporate approach.  The issue raised in the minutes was temporary due to an interruption in the business plan related to anticipated income.  There was no long term issue with the organisation.

Members raised the following observation:

Councillor Harkness – Cabinet Meeting, 24^th April 2017, Item 7:  Council Tax Discount for Care Leavers.  Councillor Harkness commented that he was pleased to see a concrete outcome.

Councillor Jabbar, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Human Resources welcomed the observation.  Councillor Jabbar was glad to bring the proposal forward. Councillor Jabbar was grateful for cross party support and hoped that the scheme benefitted those establishing an independent way of living.

RESOLVED that:

1.       The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 20^th March 2017 and 24^th April 2017 be noted.

2.       The question and response on the Cabinet minutes be noted.

3.       The observation and response on the Cabinet minutes be noted.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1

Councillor Chadderton to MOVE and Councillor Mushtaq to SECOND:

Funding cuts have been imposed on public services by Conservative and Conservative-led governments since 2010.

In the 2017 General Election voters delivered a verdict that saw the Conservatives lose their overall majority in the House of Commons. This was a clear message to the Government that the British people were fed up with austerity. Locally this was reflected in results that saw all three Oldham Labour MPs increase their share of the vote by more than 10 percentage points compared with 2015.

This Council urges the Government to end the austerity programme that has decimated public services, depressed wages and pushed more children in to poverty.

Council resolves to: 

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer setting out our opposition to austerity with details of the impact it has had on the Borough of Oldham.

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the three Oldham MPs, thank them for the work they are doing to campaign against austerity and offer our support in continuing this campaign.

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Mayor Andy Burnham, compelling him to campaign for a fairer funding model for the Greater Manchester region.

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Conservative Chair of the Local Government Association and offer our support in his campaign against his party’s cruel cuts to Local Government.

Motion 2

Councillor Akhtar to MOVE and Councillor Jacques to SECOND:

The UK science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills deficit has been reported widely for many years, in Oldham we have endeavored to address this problem by working with schools and colleges.

This Council understands the need to address local skills needs and social aspiration by developing a keen and able future workforce in the industries that matter to the region. To do this we must ensure that young people are able to develop the skills in science, technology, engineering and maths in ways that will excite them and inspire them to consider science or engineering careers.

The Oldham Enterprise Trust has successfully worked in partnership with schools, colleges and a wide variety of other organisations to make STEM subjects both exciting and enjoyable. They have done this via the Primary Engineer Programme which allows schools to introduce basic engineering principles to young people in primary schools.

Similarly the Go4SET project allows secondary schools to link teams of Year 8/9 pupils with employers and universities to offer a 10 week Science, STEM Project. These projects also allow them to develop their business, organisational and interpersonal skills that further education establishments and employers will be looking for. 

This council acknowledges the success of the Primary Engineer and Go4Set projects and requests that the Chief Executive writes to the Oldham Enterprise Trust thanking them and asking them to pass on our thanks to all those involved in these projects and for their commitment to the young people  ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

Motion 1:

Councillor Chadderton MOVED and Councillor Mushtaq SECONDED the following motion:

“Funding cuts have been imposed on public services by Conservative and Conservative-led governments since 2010.

In the 2017 General Election voters delivered a verdict that saw the Conservatives lose their overall majority in the House of Commons.  This was a clear message to the Government that the British people were fed up with austerity.  Locally this was reflected in results that saw all three Oldham Labour MPs increase their share of the vote by more than 10 percentage points compared with 2015.

This Council urges the Government to end the austerity programme that has decimated public services, depressed wages and pushed more children into poverty. 

Council resolves to:

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer setting out our opposition to austerity with details of the impact it has had on the Borough of Oldham.

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the three Oldham MPs, thank them for the work they are doing to campaign against austerity and offer our support in continuing this campaign.

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to Mayor Andy Burnham, compelling him to campaign for a fairer funding model for the Greater Manchester region.

·       Instruct the Chief Executive to write to the Conservative Chair of the Local Government Association and offer our support in his campaign against his party’s cruel cuts to Local Government.”

AMENDMENT

Councillor McCann MOVED and Councillor Harkness SECONDED the following amendment:

“Insert in Paragraph 1, Sentence 1 after ‘public services’ ‘and a pay cap imposed on public sector workers.’

Insert in Paragraph 2, Sentence 3 after ‘austerity’’ and ‘continued pay caps on public sector workers’.

Insert at the end of Paragraph 3 ‘and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers’.

Insert in the first bullet point of Paragraph 4 after ‘austerity’ ‘and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers.’

Insert in the second bullet point of Paragraph 4 after ‘austerity’ ‘and the 1% pay cap on public sector workers.’

Insert a final bullet point in Paragraph 4 ‘Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Royal College of Nursing to express this Council’s support for their “Scrap the Cap” campaign, which seeks to end the 1% pay cap on nursing staff and other public sector workers.”

Amended motion to read:

“Funding cuts have been imposed on public services and a pay cap imposed on public sector workers by Conservative and Conservative-led governments since 2010.

In the 2017 General Election voters delivered a verdict that saw the Conservatives lose their overall majority in the House of Commons.  This was a clear message to the Government that the British people were fed up with austerity and continued pay caps on public sector workers.  Locally, this was reflected in results that saw all three Oldham Labour MPs increase their share of the vote by more than 10 percentage points compared with 2015.

This Council urges the Government to end the austerity  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Councillor Harkness to MOVE and Councillor Turner to SECOND:

This Council:

·         Notes that in 2014 / 15 there were an estimated 1.3 million female victims and 600,000 male victims of domestic abuse and that, on average, 100 women and 30 men a year are killed in situations involving domestic abuse.

·       Remains totally committed to opposing domestic violence in all its forms, to supporting its victims, and to working for a society where all members of our community treat one another with compassion, kindness and respect.

·       Believes that Government should share these priorities and is therefore bitterly opposed to Conservative Government proposals requiring victims of domestic violence seeking legal aid to provide a prescribed piece of evidence to prove they have been subjected to abuse.

·       Notes that such evidence can include a letter from a General Practitioner for which some GPs charge a fee of up to £75, as this sits outside of the NHS contract.

·       Believes that it is totally unreasonable to expect the victims of domestic violence to pay such a fee; that many such victims will struggle to find the fee.

Council resolves to

·       Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Minister of Justice outlining this Council’s opposition to the imposition of a requirement for victims of domestic violence to produce letters or similar evidence of abuse to access legal aid and asking the Government to scrap this requirement.

·       Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Borough’s three Members of Parliament and the new Mayor of Greater Manchester asking them to support this position.

·       Ask the Health and Well-being Board and the Domestic Violence Partnership to contact local GPs asking them to make a commitment not to charge victims for letters until such time as this requirement is scrapped.

·       Register as a supporter of the ‘Scrap the Fee’ campaign established by Tom Watson MP and Wythenshawe Safe Spots.

Motion 2

Councillor Gloster to MOVE and Councillor Hudson to SECOND:

Council notes with revulsion that, at 10.31 pm on Monday 22 May 2017, a terrorist attack took place at the Manchester Arena when a 22 year old British Muslim man detonated an improvised explosive device within the confines of the arena killing himself and 22 innocent adults and children and injuring a further 119 adults and children, 23 of them critically.

Although any deaths or injuries in such a terrorist outrage are horrific, the Council and people of Oldham were especially saddened to hear that amongst the dead were two women from Royton, Alison Howe and Lisa Lees.

The perpetrator of this atrocity, Salman Abedi, claimed to have performed this act of terrorism in the name of Islam.

This Council condemns terrorism in any form, and does not recognise or believe that this horrific act had anything to do with Islam, but was committed by a deranged man who had been radicalised into the mistaken belief that he would be going to a better place, when in fact his only achievement  ...  view the full agenda text for item 13.

Motion 1:

Councillor Harkness MOVED and Councillor TURNER seconded the following motion:

“This Council:

·               Notes that in 2014/15 there were an estimated 1.3 million female victims and 600,000 male victims of domestic abuse and that, on average, 100 women and 30 men a year are killed in situations involving domestic abuse.

·               Remains totally committed to opposing domestic violence in all its forms, to supporting its victims, and to working for a society where all members of our community treat one another with compassion, kindness and respect.

·               Believes that Government should share these priorities and is therefore bitterly opposed to Conservative Government proposals requiring victims of domestic violence seeking legal aid to provide a prescribed piece of evidence to prove they have been subjected to abuse.

·               Notes that such evidence can include a letter from a General Practitioner for which some GPs charge a fee of up to £75, as this sits outside of the NHS contract.

·               Believes that it is totally unreasonable to expect the victims of domestic violence to pay such a fee; that many such victims will struggle to find the fee.

Council resolves to:

·                 Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Minister of Justice outlining this Council’s opposition to the imposition of a requirement for victims of domestic violence to produce letters or similar evidence of abuse to access legal aid and asking the Government to scrap this requirement.

·                 Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Borough’s three Members of Parliament and the new Mayor of Greater Manchester asking them to support this position.

·                 Ask the Health and Well-being Board and the Domestic Violence Partnership to contact local GPs asking them to make a commitment not to charge victims for letters until such time as this requirement is scrapped.

·                 Register as a supporter of the ‘Scrap the Fee’ campaign established by Tom Watson MP and Wythenshawe Safe Spots.”

Councillor Roberts spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor Rehman spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor Dearden spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor S. Bashforth spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor Jacques spoke in support of the motion.

Councillor Harkness exercised his right of reply.

A vote was then taken on the MOTION.

On being put to the vote, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

RESOLVED that:

1.               The Chief Executive be asked to write to the Minister of Justice outlining this Council’s opposition to the imposition of a requirement for victims of domestic violence to produce letters or similar evidence of abuse to access legal aid and asking the Government to scrap this requirement.

2.               The Chief Executive be asked write to the Borough’s three Members of Parliament and the new Mayor of Greater Manchester asking them to support this position.

3.               The Health and Well-being Board and the Domestic Violence Partnership be asked to contact local GPs asking them to make a commitment not to charge victims for letters until such time as this requirement is scrapped.

4.               The Council be registered as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

(time limit 7 minutes)

The minutes of the Partnership meetings were submitted as follows:

MioCare                                                          16^th January 2017

                                                                      13^th March 2017

Health and Wellbeing Board                             31^st January 2017

                                                                      14^th March 2017

Unity Partnership Board                                   27^th February 2017

Oldham Leadership Board                               9^th March 2017

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Partnership meetings as detailed in the report be noted.

(time limit 8 minutes):-

The minutes of the Joint Authorities were submitted as follows:

Greater Manchester Combined Authority                    24^th February 2017

                                                                      31^st March 2017

                                                                      28^th April 2017

Joint GMCA/AGMA Executive                          24^th February 2017

                                                                      31^st March 2017

Police and Crime Panel                                    27^th January 2017

Greater Manchester Waste Disposal                17^th March 2017

Authority                                                         26^th April 2017

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue

Authority                                                         20^th April 2017

Transport for Greater Manchester                              17^th March 2017

                                                                      16^th June 2017

National Park Authority                                    17^th March 2017

                                                                      7^th April 2017

In moving the National Park Authority minutes, Councillor McLaren confirmed that he had been present at the meeting held on 7^th April 2017.

Members raised the following questions:

Councillor McCann – Transport for Greater Manchester, 16^th June 2017, Item 17/21b) – Councillor McCann noted with thanks the efforts of TfGM for the improvement of carriage capacity. 

Councillor McCann – Transport for Greater Manchester, 16^th June 2017,– Councillor McCann noted with interest the proposal for the transfer of rails stations to oversight and management by TfGM and would be grateful of any acknowledgement for any input to problems and provisions for disabled access.

Councillor Briggs responded that Greenfield, along with other stations, were put into a bidding process and this continued.  Officers would continue the bidding process.  Councillor Briggs said his colleague who would be taking over as the spokesperson would progress this as well.

Members raised the following observations:

Councillor Williams, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority, 20^th April 2017 – Councillor Williams noted that the Fire Authority had been abolished with effect from 8^th May 2017.  The Fire Committee which had been established would be set up from 30^th June and spokespersons arrangements would be finalised under the new arrangements in order for members questions to receive a response.

RESOLVED that:

1.       The minutes of the Joint Authority meetings as detailed in the report be noted.

2.       The questions and responses provided be noted.

3.       The observation be noted.

Consideration was given to the report of Director of Legal Services which informed members of actions that had been taken following previous Council meetings and provided feedback on other issues raised at the meeting.

RESOLVED that the Update on Actions from Council be noted.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Legal Services which sought approval for the establishment of a Charitable Trust Committee to exercise the Council’s common law/statutory duty to act as Charitable Trustee and sought agreement for the terms of reference of the Committee as attached to the report.

The Council had a responsibility to discharge its legal duty to act as charitable trustee in respect of any assets held by the Council which were subject to charitable trusts for which it was the sole trustee.    The Council had performed this duty by means of full Council. However, owing to the extent of its responsibilities to act as charitable Trustee, it was not always convenient for the Council to discharge its legal duty in full Council.  Therefore, it would be expedient for the Council to establish a Committee to be convened on an ad-hoc basis, as and when the need arose.

RESOLVED that:

1.       The establishment of a Charitable Trust Committee to exercise it role to act as charitable trustee on behalf of the Council as and when necessary be approved.

2.       The terms of reference for the Charitable Trust Committee be approved.

3.       The Charitable Trust Committee which comprised five members and would meet on an ad-hoc basis be approved.

4.       The principle that membership of the Committee should remain outside the political balance of the Council be approved.

5.       The membership of the Charitable Trust Committee, as circulated, be approved.

Consideration was given to a report of the Director of Legal Services which detailed the results of the Royton North Ward By-Election and the subsequent review of the composition of political groups with the change in committee seats from 75 to 74 and changes to the Performance and Value for Money Selection Committee.

RESOLVED that:

1.       The result of the Royton North Ward By-Election be noted.

2.       The composition of the political groups as outlined in the report and changes to the Performance and Value for Money Select Committee composition and the Members from that agreed at the Annual Council meeting held on 17^th May 2017 be agreed.

Consideration was given to a report which sought approval of the refreshed Corporate Plan 2015-2020 and endorsement of the Oldham Plan 2017-22.

The Corporate Plan required to be updated due to the significant changes to the Oldham Plan and changes in the Council’s approach.  The Plan also needed to reflect key changes such as Greater Manchester Devolution and the emerging corporate messaging around the reworked corporate objectives with the new #outbit, #yourbit and ‘result.  The revised corporate objectives were detailed at Appendix 1 to the report.

The Oldham Plan was the Partnership Plan for the Borough.  It was a collective statement of intent about the borough and set above all organisations and drove Partnership delivery.  It had been agreed by the Oldham Leadership Board to resent the direction for the borough and the Partnership for the next five years.  The review was required due to fast changing policy context of devolution, austerity and Brexit.

The Oldham Plan was detailed at Appendix 2 of the report and had been approved by the Oldham Leadership Board on 3 May 2017.

RESOLVED that:

1.       The reviewed Corporate Plan 2015-2020 be approved.

2.       The Oldham Plan 2017-22 be endorsed.

Consideration was given to the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2016/17.  The report outlined the purpose of Overview and Scrutiny, the roles and responsibilities of the Overview and Scrutiny Board, Performance and Value for Money Select Committee and the Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee.  The report contained a summary of the work undertaken by Overview and Scrutiny in 2016/17 and outlined how individuals could get involved in Overview and Scrutiny.  Councillor McLaren expressed his thanks to members and officers in the support of Overview and Scrutiny over the last twelve months.

Councillor Hudson spoke on the report.

RESOLVED that the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2016/17 be approved.