(timelimit 15 minutes)
Minutes:
The Mayor advised that the next item on the agenda was Public Question Time. 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, the question would be read out by the Mayor.
The following questions were submitted:
1. Question received from Eddie Keating via email:
Once again we find ourselves fighting to achieve residents parking only status and despite the council actually stating there would be no more areas given this status what happens, Godson St and surrounding streets are given residents parking which as stated made the estate the hospital staff and visitors go to area. Jim Mc Mahon who has been as helpful as he can be contacted the hospital CEO who literally fobbed us off with no real solutions. We managed to arrange a meeting with Zaiem Khan (once again no sign of a councillor) the district coordinator who was extremely helpful and sympathetic to our cause but once again could not really help in moving this issue forward or offer any real solutions. So if we could ask the question on behalf of the residents at the next council meeting it would be most appreciated. Question being how do we achieve residents only parking for the residents of the estate as mentioned?”
Councillor Ur-Rehman, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services responded that there was an ongoing increased high demand for on-street parking around Royal Oldham Hospital. Due to the volumes, at this time adding additional residents only parking areas on an estate-by-estate basis could not be seen as a solution as it would result in displacing parking to other nearby residential streets. Local residents were consulted on a scheme and were not in favour of it. Councillors Jabbar and Malik had been in contact with Mr. Keating. The Council was working with the hospital and was currently carrying out a review of its Town Centre Parking Strategy. In addition, the Royal Oldham Trust had commissioned the Oldham Hospital Masterplan which would consider parking need strategically in addition to other matters. The outcomes of these strategic reviews would seek to propose solutions that would either make further residents only parking schemes in the area either unnecessary, or be viable to be implemented.
2. Question received from Yvonne O’Mara via email:
“Our new campaign to end homelessness by covering essential costs for people on the streets or at risk has just launched with the website www.realchangeoldham.co.uk<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.realchangeoldham.co.uk&data=02%7C01%7CYvonne.omara%40depaulcharity.org.uk%7Cff4cc693407d4556a72908d7261b8736%7C717fb8abbacc47f78a0992a18e33b7a0%7C0%7C0%7C637019771991718310&sdata=yEMa5gIdHtVO2M5am8ZIPnsv0g1Dci8YFioJJSROuw4%3D&reserved=0>. As someone who has recently been homeless and now living with Real Change Oldham partner De Paul, thank you for the support the Council has already shown. How else does Oldham Council think the Council and its members can help spread the word about this new way to give to people who are homeless or at risk in Oldham?”
Councillor Roberts, Cabinet Member for Housing, responded that Real Change Oldham was a new local partnership which aimed to ensure that no one stayed or became homeless due to a lack of money for essential items that some might take for granted. It supported some of the most vulnerable residents and gave practical support to cover essential costs needed to help. Donations went directly towards practical items people needed to build their lives away from the streets; things like ID to register with a landlord, bus fares to get to key appointments or money for the electric meter to settle into their new home. There were lots of ways Oldham Council and its members could help in raising awareness of the Real Change Oldham campaign:
· Share the campaign on social media by going to the website and following the footer at the bottom of each page;
· Become a Real Change Ambassador and introduce the Partnership to a business or community group you are in touch with;
· Get an image or poster from the homelessness team and use in a newsletter or put on display;
· Invite someone from the campaign along to a community event, conference or team activity to talk about what they are doing;
· Hold a fundraising event like a bake sale or run the event so the campaign could raise funds to cover essential costs for people;
· Real Change Oldham was looking for volunteers with connections to entrepreneurs and businesses in the borough to get the word out about how they could contribute to ending homelessness in the area;
· Follow the example of the Youth Mayor which had nominated Real Oldham as her charity;
· Place a bid on one of the ‘Our Oldham’ art works on display at Oldham Library; or
· Just make a donation at realchangeoldham.co.uk.
Getting involved in this partnership approach to ending and preventing homelessness and together Real Change could be brought about in Oldham.
3. Question received from Trevor Widdop via email:
“When will action be taken to stop the violation of double yellow line car parking on Broadbent Rd/Ripponden Rd junction? Since 1st April 2019 not one ticket has been issued (details released under FOA 2000). Cars are parked here day in day out.”
Councillor Ur-Rehman, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods responded that the Council’s Civil Enforcement Officers enforced the whole of the borough and when vehicles were seen in contravention of the restrictions, a penalty charge notice would be issued. It had been requested that the area be given extra attention by the officers over the coming weeks to try and alleviate illegal and inconsiderate parking, however, it was to be noted that during the observation time to see if loading or unloading was taking place, drivers may return to their car and drive away. Any blue badge holders could park on double yellow lines for up to three hours.
4. Question received from Simon Nicholson via email:
“I would like to ask what Oldham Council is doing about the use of fireworks in the borough, especially late at night? What means are being used to enforce the law as people are blatantly flouting it at present.”
Councillor Shah, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Social Justice and Communities, responded that the issue of enforcement against the use of fireworks during night time hours was a police enforcement responsibility. The Council was involved in a Greater Manchester wide operation called Operation Treacle that pulled together activity from Councils, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) and the Police. The Trading Standards team from the Council were involved in proactive work focussing on underage sales and safety standards of the products. The team also sent safety and advice information to all points of sale as well as reacted to any intelligence reported by members of the public. All other enforcement activities, which included the licensing of premises that sold fireworks, were carried out by GMFRS. Council was also once again holding its Big Bang Bonfire and Fireworks spectacular on Tuesday, 5th November this year when residents and visitors in Oldham could enjoy the occasion in a safe environment.
5. Question received from Jeffrey Schofield via email:
“Hello, My name is Jeffrey Schofield I run a community clean-up group called Hathershaw litter Busters and get support from the local authorities and was wondering to report and prosecute fly tipping and anti-social behaviour could we have some more camera's around Hathershaw seeing as I hear there are funds available. Thank you for your time.”
Councillor Shah, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Social Justice and Communities expressed her appreciation for all the hard work Mr. Schofield and the community clean up group carried out in Hathershaw. Councillor Shah confirmed that the Council had four deployable CCTV cameras already located around Hathershaw in areas where persistent issues of both fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour had been reported. Councillor Shah suggested that an officer arrange to meet with Mr. Schofield and the group so further opportunities could be explored on where work could be done together as well as explain the justification needed before any new possible sites for CCTV could be considered.
6. Question received from Anthony Prince via Facebook:
“Hi, I have a question for our Councillor's. How many places of worship in Oldham pay no business rates?”
Councillor Jabbar, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services responded a Non-Domestic property that was a ‘place of religious worship’ was exempt from Business Rates under Schedule 5 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) rather than the Council decided whether a property should be exempt. Any buildings which were exempted by the VOA did not appear in the Ratings List which the Council used to calculate a bill for Business Rates so the Council could not advise as to the number of places of worship for which no Business Rates were payable.
7. Question received from John Power via email:
“I would like to know if the u turn that has been suggested by Councillor Sean Fielding about building in the centre rather than in our green spaces will be put into action, as developments such as Knowls lane have been approved when false statements regarding OPOL was put to members when the meeting was held. Also is it not a conflict of interest when one George Hulme who is the son of the housing senior is allowed to vote when we all know targets need to be met?”
Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise explained first that public question time at the meeting was different as the questions would not be read out but would be summarised by the relevant Cabinet Members as part of the response. This would allow for more questions to be fit into the time allocated. The questions and responses would be published on the Council’s website.
In response to the question, Councillor Fielding was not clear as to what u-turn had been perceived. Since becoming Leader of the Council in May 2018 it had been clear that it was an ambition to build as many as residential units as possible in the town centre to support the local economy which was trying to be built there. If the by-product of that was that it took pressure off the greenbelt allocations the Council was required to make as part of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF), then all the better. With regard to the recent Knowls Lane Planning Application, 50% of that site had already been designated as a housing site. An additional area of land adjacent to that site which was designated as OPOL was proposed to be developed upon, but none of that land was greenbelt and so the decisions around GMSF had not had a bearing upon that. Councillor Fielding also confirmed that Councillor Hulme’s relationship to the Cabinet Member did not preclude him from voting on the Planning Committee.
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.