Issue - meetings

(time limit 30 minutes)

Councillor Sheldon, Leader of the Conservative Group

Question 1: Oldham Coliseum

It was noted that the Oldham Coliseum theatre closed at the end of March 2023 but according to a recently published independent report £137,000 could have saved it from closure. The Council has authorised £1 million of grant funding recently to preserve activities at Boundary Park yet has provided nothing for Oldham Coliseum. The new theatre building is smaller, with a reduced seating capacity and will lack the necessary atmosphere. Will the Leader of the Council authorise expenditure in the sum of £137,000 to, at least temporarily, keep the Coliseum theatre open?

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, replied that it wasn’t a decision of the Council that led to the closure of the Oldham Coliseum theatre. The building would have cost too much to properly repaired and maintained. The Council was not able to authorise additional funding but is engaged in ongoing discussions, with the Coliseum’s management committee regarding future plans.

Question 2: Government Funding

Councillor Sheldon commented on additional funding that the Council had received, from the Conservative Government to finance projects in the Oldham Borough. The additional funding included approximately £6 million for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) services and £1.5 million for various traffic and transport initiatives. Councillor Sheldon, therefore, asked if the leader of the Council would join him in welcoming the additional funding, that the Council has received, which will benefit the local community.

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, replied that she did indeed welcome the additional funding that the Borough of Oldham had recently received from the Government but she also advised that the Council’s services had been underfunded by the Government over a number of years.

Councillor Sykes, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group

Thank you, Mr Deputy Mayor,

I want to begin by paying tribute to all the pupils across Oldham Borough who have received their A Levels, T Levels, B Tecs, GCSEs and other qualifications recently. 
Mr Deputy Mayor, as a Council, we have MUCH work to do when it comes to education in our Borough. 
The latest OFSTED inspections across some of our secondary schools paint a very mixed picture. 

For far too many people in Oldham, there just isn’t the option of sending your children to a high performing school.

Too many secondary schools are rated as inadequate or in need of improvement. 

The impact of the pandemic years is still keenly felt across the schooling system and too little is understood about the impact that these years of disruption have had on pupil attainment. 
School absences are spiralling out of control. 

Persistent absences have risen by more than 80% in the last four years.  The damage that this missed classroom time is doing to the future life chances of our next generation cannot be overstated. 
This is unacceptable.  And it should be the top priority of this Council to help put it right.
Last month I wrote to the Director of Children’s services following  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9