(15 minutes for public questions and 25 minutes for Councillor questions)
Minutes:
The Mayor advised the meeting that the first item on the agenda in 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 received from Syed Maruf Ali via Facebook:
“Please raise this question at the next full council meeting and ask the Mayor to read the questions. The Ritchie report into rioting in 2001 concluded that Oldham authority had done little to challenge racial segregation in education and housing. It claimed many of the town’s problems were not cause by race but as a result of poverty and social exclusion. The Ritchie report criticised Oldham council for failing to address segregation, education and housing etc. The report called for more investment, partnership working, capitalising on the mood of togetherness, and placing more focus on young people and education among the factors to help ensure the delivery of its vision. We the residents of Town Centre base especially from Primrose Bank and Coppice would like the local authorities and regional School commissioner to carry out independent investigation into if residents of Town Centre Case are being socially excluded from Good/Outstanding primary and secondary School due to each individual School admission criteria. Oldham Council are backing plans for a new school that discriminates against children who are not religious and children whose religion is not a member of the inter-faith forum. A proposed Church of England faith school in Oldham will select 50% of its pupils based on their parents’ religion. The Cranmer Education Trust – affiliated with the C of E – is proposing a new Christian faith school in west Oldham. As yet unnamed will select 50% of its pupils based on their parents’ religion. How is this School going to address the shortage of Secondary School places for residents of Town Centre Base especially from Coppice/Primrose Bank? What is the current position of Oldham council supporting / promoting faith School?”
Councillor Jacques, Cabinet Member for Education and Culture, responded that it was now more than 17 years since the disturbances in 2001. Significant progress had been made since then in addressing the problems identified in the report. It was important to move on and focus on Oldham today. There was an ambitious Oldham Plan which set out proposals for:
· Creating an inclusive economy which offered opportunities for all;
· Working with residents to deliver co-operative services which met their needs; and
· Developing thriving communities in ways which built the capacity for people to support themselves and others.
A key part of the plan was to ensure there were enough good and outstanding schools for all of our children and young people. Support for the free school proposed by the Cranmer Trust was to help the objective be achieved. The existing Bluecoat School was high performing and respected across the Borough. The new school would be a separate entity but would benefit from the expertise of Bluecoat. The new school would have its own admission policy and certainly not exclude disadvantaged students. It would be fully accessible to parents in Coppice/Primrose Bank. The proposed admissions policy set out the admissions policy set out by the Cranmer Trust had been reviewed by Council officers and per pupil projection figures would ensure the local children to which the question referred would all receive a place whilst the school would also be able to ensure a multi-ethnic population with an ethos of togetherness – which tied in with the recommendations of the Ritchie Report.
2. Question received from Louie Hamblett via email:
“In July the Shaw and Crompton Events group agreed that as this year of 2018 is the centenary of the first world war they would like to show their respect and appreciation to those who sacrificed so much.
So they set about to put poppies up on every lamppost within the town centre of Shaw and Crompton. In a very wet and windy weekend all lampost in July were furnished with a Poppy. Coincidentally I now notice that something similar has been done in Parliament square by the Town Hall ahead of remembrance day. I’d like to ask and invite the leader of the administration to thank the events group for their hard work and dedication to our forefathers.”
Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that it was important to commemorate Remembrance Sunday especially in the centurial year. The Leader provided his thanks to the groups and the countless volunteers and to the Royal British Legion in the organisation of events over the coming weekend. The Leader encouraged a visit to “A Story of Sacrifice” Exhibition that was currently in Oldham Gallery until 1 December.
3. Question received from Chris Ackroyd via email:
“How can i trust this Labour administration to look after my Council and town following the recent blood bath that saw Cllr Jean Stretton ousted, for the record can I thank Cllr Stretton for all her hard work, she did not deserve what happened.”
Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that the Labour Group meeting was a series of ballots and that group meetings were fairly pedestrian. With regard to trusting the current Leader, Councillor Fielding referred to his Annual Statement which would appear later on the agenda and what had been delivered.
4. Question received from Donna Gould via email:
“Parish Councils add real value to areas of Oldham providing an enhanced service to their residents when areas are often forgotten about or ignored by some at Oldham Council - for those wishing to form a Parish Council how would one go about setting a Parish Council up? Following the Leader’s comments, does the Council Leader support Parish Councils? and would he support the establishment of a Parish Council say in his own ward of Failsworth?”
Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise challenged the assertion that parts of the borough were not cared about and it would be necessary to establish a parish council to fill in the gaps. The Leader had researched and found the powers available to a parish council were cleaning and drainage of ditches, toilets, consultation to provide a burial ground and rights of way. The process to establish a parish council was to collect signatures from 7.5% of the electorate of the area, a governance review conducted and reviewed by the Council. The Leader had no objection to getting together in Failsworth. The Leader stated that Oldham Council did a fantastic job of maintaining the ditches in Failsworth.
5. Mr. Brown asked the following question:
“Question to be asked in person to a Cabinet Member. Please acknowledge receipt. Can you answer how many of our 60 councillors replied to last year's consultation regarding strengthening standards for elected mayors and councillors in England? And how many knew of this consultation?”
Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that the consultation had been considered by Group Leaders at the time and a response had been submitted in December 2017. The Leader had not sent a response as an individual and was not able to respond as to whether other members had responded. Each individual member would need to be contacted to advise if they had personally responded.
6. Mr. Bates asked the following question:
“I would be grateful for a public explanation as to the reason why suddenly after only a short period. Cllr Cheryl Brock” verbally “on the 5th Oct gave her resignation to her party Leader. This Cllr was highly respected in Failsworth and had many friends and neighbours. Concerns have been raised because of lack of contact for months with the Cllr. The reason being because during her short career she was an excellent communicator and also a credit to her party. Furthermore she was credited for the tireless work she put in especially for the lonely, the elderly, and vulnerable.”
Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that he did not have a conversation with former Councillor Brock on 5 October and was baffled by the premise of the question. It was not possible to resign verbally. Former Councillor Brock had resigned in writing on 25th October 2018 with immediate effect.
7. Question received from Mr. Kenyon via letter:
“I recently read an article in a local newspaper in which Cllr. Gloster misinterpreted the truth, this misinterpretation of actual facts meant that myself and my fellow constituent, Peter Brown, were portrayed in a negative way. Is Cllr. Gloster willing to give a written apology to Peter Brown and myself for misleading the General Public in this way?”
Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that he was unable to ask the question as this was Leader and Cabinet Member question time and Councillor Gloster was not a member of the Cabinet. The Leader of the Council advised Mr. Kenyon to write to Councillor Gloster.
8. Question received from Melanie Platt via email:
“Members may or may not be aware of a Guardian news report that Labour councils in the North East of England are refusing to house failed asylum seekers who have a criminal background, on the grounds of preserving Community Cohesion. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/27/uk-asylum-seekers-refused-housing-over-social-cohesion-issues. The government has agreed to their requests and no longer will house criminal failed asylum seekers in that region. This means that they have to housed elsewhere and as the North West is the nearest region this means we are being expected to house these criminals with all the problems this brings. Given the former council leader Jim McMahons comments this month that “It will harm communities and be of no benefit to those who are asked to live within them." What steps are Oldham council taking to make sure that the citizens of Oldham are kept safe from criminal elements being housed within the borough, and would the council consider following the example of other Labour councils in refusing to house these criminals in a town which has suffered more than it should in the past few years?”
Councillor Roberts, Cabinet Member for Housing responded that the Council did not house failed asylum seekers as they had no recourse to public funds. In Oldham, the government commissioned SERCO to provide housing and support to asylum seekers. The Council had a legal duty to consider individuals and families who were identified as in priority need of housing on a case-by-case basis. Social housing in Oldham was managed by partner housing providers including First Choice Homes. The majority of these were signed up to the Allocations Framework which used the Council’s allocation policy to decide to who let a home to. Oldham Council’s Housing Allocations Policy stated that a person would not meet the qualifying criteria (and therefore not eligible for social housing) if s/he or a member of the household was considered to be guilty of serious unacceptable behaviour. Unacceptable behaviour included (but not limited to):
· Conviction of illegal or immoral purposes
· Committing certain criminal offences in or near the home and still posed a threat to neighbours or the community
· Being violent towards a partner or member of the family
· Misusing prescribed or illegal substances unless there was evidence to show that an applicant was adhering to a drug reduction programme
· Behaving in a threatening manner.
At this point in the meeting, the Mayor advised that the time limit for this item had expired.
The Mayor reminded Members that the Council had previously agreed that questions would be taken in an order which reflected the political balance of the Council. The following questions were submitted by Councillors on Ward or District matters:
1. Councillor Shuttleworth asked the following question:
“The public counter at the Chadderton Police Station, on Broadgate closed in 2016, and now the building appears to be standing empty? Could the Cabinet Member responsible for policing, please tell us:
1. What if any services are being delivered from Chadderton Police Station?
2. What are the future plans for the building?
3. What is the annual cost of the PFI contract.”
Councillor Williams, Deputy Cabinet Member for Policing and Community Safety responded that no services were currently running and the building was currently empty. The Scenes of Crime Officers (SOCO) were going to move in and operate from the building, however, this would require the building to be refurbished and modified for this purpose. It was anticipated that the work would take place in 2019/20. Costings were not able to be provided. The property was owned by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, GMP Headquarters, Central Park, Northampton Road, Manchester M40 5Bp and of GMP Openshaw Complex, Lawton Street, Manchester M11 2NS.
2. Councillor Akhtar asked the following question:
“I am pleased that since the last Council meeting Bright Tribe has announced it is withdrawing as the sponsor for Werneth primary School. Local Councillors and parents had raised their concerns about the way the school was being run for many years. Could the Cabinet member for Education update us in regards to identifying a new academy sponsor for Werneth School and assure me and local parents that the Council will do all it can to ensure the new sponsor will raise standards at the school?”
Councillor Jacques, Cabinet Member for Education and Culture, responded that the Council was content that the local Pinnacle Trust, led by the Principal of the successful 6th Form College, had been approved by the Regional Schools Commissioner to take over Werneth School in Oldham. The local authority had an excellent relationship with this Trust, and indeed with all the trusts working in the borough, and the Council was confident the school would flourish under Pinnacle, working closely with the local authority. The headteachers from all schools, irrespective of which Trust they came from, regularly met with the Director of Education and his team and shared data and performance targets. There was no doubt that all headteachers and local authority officers in Oldham were driven by the moral purpose of securing the very best for the borough’s children and young people and worked together for this purpose. The Cabinet Member was confident in reassuring residents of the positive role of the MATs in the borough.
3. Councillor McLaren asked the following question:
“The Crossley playing fields in Chadderton Central Ward are an asset used and enjoyed by football teams from across Oldham. Car parking facilities for those using the pitches are provided on Petworth Road and adjacent to the Ancora restaurant off Broadway. Both these car parks are subject to serious anti social behaviour, involving cars spinning their tyres, drug use and sexual activity which are obviously a major concern for residents in neighbouring properties. Ward Councillors have worked with Local residents, OMBC Officers and GMP to try and resolve the issues, a scheme has been put in place to fence off the a section of the Ancora car park and this section of the car park will only be available when matches are being played. The Car park on Petworth Road lies within the Crossley estate and a number of the adjacent properties are adapted for use by people with disabilities and the antisocial behaviour is having a particularly adverse impact on them. It would be of great benefit to the residents of Petworth Road and the adjoining tower blocks If the use was of this Car park was also restricted to match days. Could the relevant cabinet member please consider what steps can be taken to deter those people wishing to use the Petworth Road car park for antisocial behaviour?”
Councillor Williams, Deputy Cabinet Member for Policing and Community Safety responded that the Community Safety Officer for the area had recently been made aware of the issues on the Petworth Road car park and had arranged a site visit for this week with colleagues from the Council’s Regeneration Department. Due to the location of the car park, work was ongoing to confirm who owned and/or was responsible for the maintenance of the land. The impact the behaviour would be having on some of the most vulnerable community members was recognised and as soon as the land status was confirmed Community Safety Services would work with partnership colleagues to develop a response which would seek to resolve the problems currently being faced by the residents who lived adjacent to the car park.
4. Councillor Heffernan asked the following question:
“Last winter, especially when we were battered by ‘The Beast from the East’ we all praised our hard-working gritting teams which got our network back up and running and demonstrated that they are ahead of our neighbours at this. The bad weather did appear to highlight a few issues. The M62 was closed due to snow, however, it did appear that traffic and lots of lorries had been told to go up the A672 which led to highways officers turning around several vehicles. Later in the evening, there were a considerable number of vehicles stranded around Delph with vehicles trying to pass when it was not safe to do so. There appears to be some issues with the flashing warning signs when some signs indicate a road closed and then others do not do so. More than once I noticed that the snow sign by Tesco on Huddersfield Road was indicating that the A62 was blocked after the road had re-opened. With this in mind, can I ask the Cabinet Member if she will please ensure that a system is put in place so that warning signs reflect the actual status? And can she also look at what communication we have the Highways Agency with regards to the use of diversion routes in the event of a motorway closure? Do we need to look to reduce the risk of people being stranded? Also we had the situation where Lower Turf Lane, Scouthead was seemingly removed from the list of highways to be gritted. It had only recently been reinstated. The gritters come down Huddersfield Road spreading and turn on to Lower Turf Lane. They travel about 300 metres not spreading and then continue onto Cooper Street again spreading grit. That short, steep downhill stretch gets very icy and dangerous. Children going to two schools, Springhead Infants and Knowsley Junior, aged from risings fives to eleven plus, and elderly people use it. For a short distance there is no pavement. Pedestrians are at the mercy of vehicles. Can this short stretch be included again on the gritting runs?”
Councillor Shah, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services responded that the M62 was controlled by Highways England and where a decision was taken to close a motorway there would inevitably be disruption. However, officers had been working closely with colleagues from Highways England and the police which result in an agreement that an alternative diversion route would be introduced should a similar set of circumstances be repeated. This involved closing the motorway at an earlier junction to allow more favourable diversion routes and reduce the impact on the rural Saddleworth community. Every effort was made to ensure signs reflected the current status, any delays in updating the signs were kept to a minimum even during times when the service was at full stretch. Lower Turf Lane was not a main gritting route having been removed as part of an overall review of the gritting network many years ago, the road being unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles as was clearly signposted. It was confirmed that the primary gritting route for this area did not involve turning down Lower Turf Lane from Huddersfield Road.
5. Councillor Taylor asked the following question:
“The Ward Councillors and many residents in Chadderton Central ward, were dismayed to learn that First Bus were making changes to the 415 bus service that would mean that the half hourly service would be reduced to an hourly service. Many of our residents depend on the 415 bus route to provide them transport to Oldham College, Oldham Town Centre and recreational facilities such as Foxdenton Park and Oldham Leisure Centre. These changes will have a detrimental impact on many of our residents, including young and older people, wishing to access education, training, leisure and retail facilities. Elected Members were also disappointed at the total lack of consultation with them or the service users prior to this decision being taken. Could the relevant Cabinet Member please raise this issue with TfGM and First Bus and do all in their power to have the half-hourly service reinstated.
Councillor Shah, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services responded that this issue has already been raised with TfGM and First Manchester, who operated the service. Unfortunately the nature of the bus service industry is such that neither the Council nor TfGM has any control over the route or frequency of services. Due to their budget position, TfGM were unable to intervene to maintain the frequency of the 415 service. Furthermore, there was no duty on the operator to consult service users, their only legal duty was to notify the local transport authority (TfGM) if they wished to make any changes. Recently, the statutory notice period was increased from 56 to 70 days prior to service revision. TfGM had now also contacted First and invited them to comment in response to this question but this had not yet been received. Engagement would continue with TfGM to try and address bus service issues and for the offer for our residents to be improved.
6. Councillor Phythian asked the following question:
“Andy Burnham’s visit to Royton last month to launch Royton’s inclusion in the Mayor’s Town Centre challenge scheme is welcome. Could the relevant cabinet member provide an update on the progress of Town Centre regeneration in Royton and how the Town Centre Challenge will help us to achieve this?”
Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that since the GM Mayor’s visit in September, the Council had submitted the planning application for the works to the Town Hall and Library buildings. Demolition had commenced at Highbarn House which would release a brownfield site for residential development and ease pressures on the green belt. A meeting had taken place with Chris Boardman, GM Cycling and Walking Commissioner who gave an overview of the Beelines Project that planned to create a city-region-wide cycling and walking network, which reflected some of the objectives of the Royton Masterplan. The Town Centre Challenge status would help future-proof Royton to become a multi-functional destination well linked to GM’s transport infrastructure by bringing together all the key stakeholders and partners in a concerted effort and represented the Council’s commitment to regeneration beyond Oldham Town Centre and develop and stimulate the local economy. The Town Centre Challenge Status represented the commitment of the GM Mayor’s Office supported the work of the Council, it also enabled the use of the Mayor’s ‘soft’ powers and branding to bring forward potential investment and delivery partners.
7. Councillor Garry asked the following question:
“We should all be aware, the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo massacre will take place on the 16 August 2019. Given the significant contribution of many Oldhamers to the events of that fateful day, could I ask what plans, if any, the Council has to commemorate this important local event?”
Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise agreed that the Peterloo Massacre marked a turning point in Britain’s democracy. It was the fight of ordinary people for civil rights and liberties which were still important issues today. Peterloo was one of the most important political events ever to take place in Manchester. There was a significant contingent of men and women who brought their children into Manchester to peacefully call for political reform and expected speeches, not the bloodiest political clash in British history. There were casualties from Oldham. It was therefore important that the fateful day was commemorated. Gallery Oldham will have a main gallery exhibition devoted to Peterloo from 27th May to 23rd September 2019 and there would be associated talks to accompany the exhibition. Oldham was working closely with Manchester Histories who had been awarded a heritage lottery fund grants and there were proposals to join up with larger initiatives across the region. The Council was working with the People’s History Museum who were leading on an education / schools pack which ensured that local information related to Oldhamers was included. Events were in the early stage of planning and Council members would be kept informed as further plans emerged.
8. Councillor H. Gloster asked the following question:
“In Shaw and Crompton there are social housing estates where the responsibility for the maintenance of pathways, roadways and weeds falls between the Council, First Choice Homes Oldham and Housing 21. Unfortunately at times, the service provided to residents falls way short of expected standards, as one or more parties tries to pass the buck for carrying out the work and things are left in a mess. In Shaw, the areas where these issues have arisen are the Britannia Avenue-Oak Street estate, the Smallbrook estate, the Cunliffe Drive-Pemberton Way estate and the Cedar Grove-Hawthorn Crescent estate and, in Crompton, the Assheton Road estate. For example, from time to time Britannia Avenue can be a disgrace. The verges become in dire need of cutting, the kerb edgings are weed strewn and litter is prevalent across the estate. Britannia Avenue is very close to the Shaw and Crompton Metrolink stop and does not present a positive visual image to residents and visitors alike. Residents complaint to elected members, elected members complain to officers and ultimately things happen, but this is not a satisfactory situation and it should not be happening in the first place. Can the Cabinet Member responsible please outline what can, and will, be done to bring the parties together to convince them to adopt a joined-up approach and carry out the maintenance work that is necessary, both now and in the future, so the lives of residents do not continue to be blighted?”
Councillor Shah, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services responded that Environmental Services and FCHO worked together to ensure that the maintenance of the estates mentioned follow the same maintenance regime as other parts of the Borough. The clearly defined ownership plans that were available ensured the responsibility for any works to be undertaken could be directed to the right area. A walkabout would be arranged between officers of the Council, FCHO and Members to ensure that there was a clear understanding of the work undertaken by the respective organisations.
9. Councillor Hewitt asked the following question:
“My question is about the proposed link road by Russell Homes in their planning application for housing at Knowls Lane. The Council’s Local Development Framework Policy 17 of the Council’s DPD (Gateways and Corridors) states that the Council will continue to safeguard,or identify land for a number of future transport infrastructure proposals, including the extension of Lees New Road. Paragraph 6.90 goes on to recognise that the extension is necessary to unlock the housing allocation at Knowls Lane and that the provision of the highway link would be part of the development costs and not at a cost to the public purse. But this link is for the designated housing H2.1.10 to which there is no objection, there is no mention of the OPOL land which is on a par to Daisy Nook in its beauty. Can the Cabinet member for Housing and Planning tell us the weight given to this paragraph and policy 17 in relation to other policies (Policies 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 16, 19, 21, 22, 23 and 25) which this development as a whole does not adhere to and which would stop this development.”
Councillor Roberts, Cabinet Member for Housing responded that the Knowls Lane planning application was likely to be heard by the Planning Committee n 14th November 2018. If the Cabinet Member were to comment about the weight that should be given to any particular planning policy, that could possibly be seen as pre-determining the application or trying to influence member of the Planning Committee. This would be left to be determined by the Planning Committee in the normal way. However, the reason the Knowls Lane applicant was seeking to build housing in addition to the allocated site was simply because the cost of building the link road was such that additional house numbers were required to afford its construction. Unfortunately, the original housing allocation nowadays did not have a sufficient density of proposed housing to support the construction of a link road without it resulting in unacceptably high density levels that would conflict with adjacent areas housing density, its character and appearance.
10. Councillor A. Alexander asked the following question:
“Old maps show that this area of OPOL land is covered in streams, springs and pools of water underground, hence we have local names like Springhead and Waterhead. Houses that have been built on Knowls Lane are already prone to flooding, in their basements and it cannot be got rid of. This is a big environmental question and part of many questions as to why this land is required for development, Could the cabinet member for Housing and Planning please tell me who is responsible for the conclusion that houses can be built on a Flood Plain by Knowls Lane, in Lees? How did they reach the conclusion that it is only surface water running into the area?”
Councillor Roberts, Cabinet Member for Housing, responded that the proposed Knowls Lane development was not located on the flood plain as illustrated in the applications flood risk assessment, a document that had been reviewed by the relevant statutory and Council consultees and found to be sound. Whilst the development has yet to be determined by the Planning Committee, it was to be noted that part of the site was already a phase 2 housing allocation. This meant that part of the site had been accepted as a housing allocation for many years following the local plan public inquiry and the testing such a process involved.
At this point in the meeting, the Mayor advised that the time limit for this item had expired.
RESOLVED that the questions and responses provided be noted.