Issue - meetings

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1: A new Start for Oldham Borough

To be Moved by Councillor Harkness

To be Seconded by Councillor Al-Hamdani

This Council believes that:

Residents of Oldham Borough want their Council to change to reflect the priorities of the people. 

They want their Council to get the basics right, with a laser-focus on improving the performance and effectiveness of frontline services including drain clearance, road repairs and park and green space maintenance.  

Residents want their Council to tackle environmental crimes like littering, dog-fouling, fly-tipping and graffiti. 

It is also time to deliver fair funding to all districts and communities in Oldham Borough and not just keep pouring capital investment into Oldham Town Centre. 

This Council resolves:
The administration will commit to presenting an emergency mini budget, to Council before the end of July 2026, in line with 12.6 of the Council Procedure rules of the Constitution, outlining how funding will be rebalanced to address the priorities set out in this motion, specifically getting the basics right, tackling environmental crime and delivering fair district funding.  

Motion 2: Managing HMO Proliferation and Prioritising Oldham Residents

To be Moved by Councillor Ford

To be Seconded by Councillor Jackson

This Council notes with serious concern that:

1. Many Oldham residents increasingly feel unsafe, unheard, and overlooked in their own communities as a result of national policies which have intensified pressures through asylum/migrant dispersal and associated housing demand. Residents—particularly women and girls—have expressed growing concern about safety and community cohesion.
2. The Victoria Hotel in Chadderton continues to operate as asylum/migrant accommodation. Residents remain deeply concerned about the scale and nature of its use, coupled with a persistent lack of transparency from the Home Office regarding occupants, management arrangements, and associated impacts on the local area.
3. Oldham is experiencing a sharp and accelerating rise in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), driven by low property values which attract speculative investment. These properties are increasingly used to house high-density occupancies, including migrant dispersal populations, placing unsustainable pressure on infrastructure, waste services, parking, and neighbourhood stability.
4. Oldham is already one of the most deprived boroughs in England, with approximately 37% of neighbourhoods falling within the top 10% most deprived nationally. This significantly limits the borough’s capacity to absorb additional pressures without consequences for existing residents and services.
5. The national Asylum Dispersal Scheme continues to allocate placements to areas like Oldham without sufficient regard for deprivation levels, infrastructure capacity, or the cumulative effect on local communities, and against a backdrop of continued high levels of small boat arrivals.

This Council believes that:

1. It is wholly unacceptable for central Government to treat towns such as Oldham as convenient default locations for asylum accommodation and associated housing pressures, without proper regard for local impact or consent.
2. The unchecked growth of HMOs, combined with the pressures of dispersal accommodation, is undermining community cohesion and placing intolerable strain on already stretched services.
3. The dispersal of predominantly fighting age men from high-risk countries, without proper checks or security, fuels legitimate public concern  ...  view the full agenda text for item 17

Motion 1: A new Start for Oldham Borough

To be Moved by Councillor Harkness

To be Seconded by Councillor Al-Hamdani

This Council believes that:

Residents of Oldham Borough want their Council to change to reflect the priorities of the people. 

They want their Council to get the basics right, with a laser-focus on improving the performance and effectiveness of frontline services including drain clearance, road repairs and park and green space maintenance.  

Residents want their Council to tackle environmental crimes like littering, dog-fouling, fly-tipping and graffiti. 

It is also time to deliver fair funding to all districts and communities in Oldham Borough and not just keep pouring capital investment into Oldham Town Centre. 

This Council resolves:
The administration will commit to presenting an emergency mini budget, to Council before the end of July 2026, in line with 12.6 of the Council Procedure rules of the Constitution, outlining how funding will be rebalanced to address the priorities set out in this motion, specifically getting the basics right, tackling environmental crime and delivering fair district funding.  

RESOLVED:

That consideration of this Motion be adjourned, pending the appointment of a Leader of the Council and a Cabinet.

Motion 2: Managing HMO Proliferation and Prioritising Oldham Residents

Councillor Ford Moved and Councillor Jackson Seconded the following Motion:

This Council notes with serious concern that:

1. Many Oldham residents increasingly feel unsafe, unheard, and overlooked in their own communities as a result of national policies which have intensified pressures through asylum/migrant dispersal and associated housing demand. Residents—particularly women and girls—have expressed growing concern about safety and community cohesion.
2. The Victoria Hotel in Chadderton continues to operate as asylum/migrant accommodation. Residents remain deeply concerned about the scale and nature of its use, coupled with a persistent lack of transparency from the Home Office regarding occupants, management arrangements, and associated impacts on the local area.
3. Oldham is experiencing a sharp and accelerating rise in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), driven by low property values which attract speculative investment. These properties are increasingly used to house high-density occupancies, including migrant dispersal populations, placing unsustainable pressure on infrastructure, waste services, parking, and neighbourhood stability.
4. Oldham is already one of the most deprived boroughs in England, with approximately 37% of neighbourhoods falling within the top 10% most deprived nationally. This significantly limits the borough’s capacity to absorb additional pressures without consequences for existing residents and services.
5. The national Asylum Dispersal Scheme continues to allocate placements to areas like Oldham without sufficient regard for deprivation levels, infrastructure capacity, or the cumulative effect on local communities, and against a backdrop of continued high levels of small boat arrivals.

This Council believes that:

1. It is wholly unacceptable for central Government to treat towns such as Oldham as convenient default locations for asylum accommodation and associated housing pressures, without proper regard for local impact or consent.
2. The unchecked growth of HMOs, combined with the pressures of dispersal accommodation, is undermining community cohesion and placing intolerable strain on already stretched services.
3. The dispersal of predominantly fighting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion: A new Start for Oldham Borough

To be Moved by Councillor Harkness

To be Seconded by Councillor Al-Hamdani

This Council believes that:

Residents of Oldham Borough want their Council to change to reflect the priorities of the people. 

They want their Council to get the basics right, with a laser-focus on improving the performance and effectiveness of frontline services including drain clearance, road repairs and park and green space maintenance.  

Residents want their Council to tackle environmental crimes like littering, dog-fouling, fly-tipping and graffiti. 

It is also time to deliver fair funding to all districts and communities in Oldham Borough and not just keep pouring capital investment into Oldham Town Centre. 

This Council resolves:
The administration will commit to presenting an emergency mini budget, to Council before the end of July 2026, in line with 12.6 of the Council Procedure rules of the Constitution, outlining how funding will be rebalanced to address the priorities set out in this motion, specifically getting the basics right, tackling environmental crime and delivering fair district funding.  

RESOLVED:

That consideration of this item be adjourned until 1^st July 2026.

RESOLVED: That the Council meeting be adjourned until Wednesday, 1^st July 2026, at 6.00 p.m.

The meeting commenced at 6.00pm and was adjourned at 8.05pm.