Agenda and minutes

The Mayor opened the meeting by offering his, along with his fellow Councillors sympathies, to those who had lost their lives or were injured in the attack on Westminster on 22^nd March 2017.   

Council held a minute’s silence.

A presentation took place for Mr. Dave Benstead in recognition of his outstanding service and dedication to Oldham.

Councillors Stretton and Sykes gave congratulatory speeches to Mr. Benstead.

Mr. Benstead was then presented with his award and made a short acceptance speech to the Council.

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

The Mayor advised the meeting that the next 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 received from Chris Ackroyd via email:

“Could Oldham Council tell me why the Crompton UDC chain is locked in a safe in Shaw Parish Council Offices and has been for a number of years, instead it should be reunited with its medallion counterpart displayed at the civic centre - surely this valuable part of history should be in a safe, secure facility displayed for future generations. Will Council Officials instruct Shaw Parish Council to return it where it rightfully belongs.”

Councillor Stretton, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that the Urban District Chain was originally loaned to Shaw and Crompton Parish Council whilst arrangements were made for the Parish Council to attain their own.  This year was the 30^th anniversary of the formation of the Shaw and Crompton Parish and it was expected that the chain would be returned  to the Civic Centre as part of the celebrations.  Initial discussions had taken place between the Mayor’s Office and the Parish Clerk.  The Mayor would formally write to the Parish Chairman.  The chain would be displayed with the other Urban District Council Chains in the heritage display cabinets at the Civic Centre.

2.     Two similar questions were received regarding First Choice Homes Oldham. 

Question received Mr. Stewart via email:

          “Why are recently introduced Service Charges by FCHO being paid for by Housing Benefit? These Service Charges are not in my Tenancy Agreement so there is no legal, contractual obligation (confirmed by a Contract Lawyer) on the part of the council to spend public money to bail out FCHO incompetence and mismanagement. Doing so would mean mismanagement of public funds by the council.” And

          Question received from Shaun McGrath via email:

          “Why to date, some six months since FCHO tenants began their campaign against the new service charges, has not one single councillor made a public statement on FCHO breaking contract law?”

          Councillor Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Cooperatives responded to both questions.  First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO) could (after consultation with affected tenants) increase, add, alter, reduce or remove any services for which a charge or charges for such services was paid or introduced a new service and charge for it.  Therefore, there had not been a breach of any tenancy agreement or contracts.  First Choice Homes Oldham and Oldham Council before the stock transfer levied service charges for many years for services such as communal heating, communal TV aerials, concierges and housing support services.  In the 2010 Stock Transfer Offer Document, the Council made a five year rent  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors A. Alexander, G. Alexander, Ames, Brock, Iqbal, T. Larkin and Malik.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the Council meetings held on 14^th December 2016 and 1^st March 2017 and the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 1^st March 2017 be approved as a correct record.

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

Councillor Sykes declared a personal interest at Item 16b by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board.

Councillor McCann declared a personal interest at Item 16b by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board, Unity Joint Venture Board, MioCare Board and the Pennine Acute Hospital NHS Trust Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Councillor Stretton declared a personal interest at Item 16b by virtue of her appointment to the Unity Partnership Board.

Councillor Jabbar declared a personal interest at Item 16b by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board.

Councillor Harrison declared a personal interest at Item 16b by virtue of her appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor Chauhan declared a personal interest at Item 16b by virtue of his appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor Dean declared a personal interest at Item 16b by virtue of his appointment to the Unity Partnership Board.

There were no items of urgent business.

There were no communications related to the business of Council.

The Mayor advised that one petition had been received for noting by Council:

Economy, Skills and Neighbourhoods

‘Stop the Three Week Bin Collection’, e-petition received 30 December 2016 with 806 signatures (Ref: 2016-09).

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

(time limit 15 minutes).

Councillor McCann to MOVE and Councillor Sykes to SECOND:

This Council notes:

·       The Government’s stated commitment to encourage people with disabilities to return to paid employment

·       The important role of railways in getting people to and from their places of work

·       That, in contrast to Metrolink, disabled people still face difficulties in accessing some rail services

·       The importance of the £102 million Department for Transport ‘Access for All’ programme in funding adaptations to railway stations to make them more accessible

·       That around half of all of the 96 railway stations across Greater Manchester still require more work to make them accessible, including the only railway station in the borough, Greenfield Station

This Council notes with concern:

·       Proposals within the recent Hendy Report to defer half of the ‘Access for All’ projects until the period 2019-24 meaning unacceptable delays in the adaptations to stations

·       That any delay to the adaptation of a station means that rail services there will not be accessible to all which is contrary to UK equalities legislation

Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to:

·       Write to the relevant Secretary of State asking him to reject the proposed re-phasing of Access for All projects and to instead, wherever possible, undertake more station adaptations at the current time

·       Write to the Chair of Transport for Greater Manchester Committee and the Lead member on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for Transport Tony Lloyd urging them to consider how more funding can be made available to bring our region’s railway stations up to the high accessibility standards of Metrolink.

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

Motion 1

Councillor McCann MOVED and Councillor Sykes SECONDED the following motion:

“This Council notes:

·       The Government’s stated commitment to encourage people with disabilities to return to paid employment

·       The important role of railways in getting people to and from their places of work

·       That, in contrast to Metrolink, disabled people still face difficulties in accessing some rail services

·       The importance of the £102 million Department for Transport ‘Access for All’ programme in funding adaptations to railway stations to make them more accessible

·       That around half of all of the 96 railway stations across Greater Manchester still require more work to make them accessible, including the only railway station in the borough, Greenfield Station

This Council notes with concern:

·       Proposals within the recent Hendy Report to defer half of the ‘Access for All’ projects until the period 2019-24 meaning unacceptable delays in the adaptations to stations

·       That any delay to the adaptation of a station means that rail services there will not be accessible to all which is contrary to UK equalities legislation

Council resolves to ask the Chief Executive to:

·       Write to the relevant Secretary of State asking him to reject the proposed re-phasing of Access for All Projects and to instead, wherever possible, undertake more station adaptations at the current time.

·       Write to the Chair of Transport for Greater Manchester Committee and the Lead member on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for Transport Tony Lloyd urging them to reconsider how more funding can be made available to bring our region’s railway stations up to the high accessibility standards of Metrolink.”

Councillor McCann did not exercise his right of reply.

A vote was then taken on the MOTION.

On being put the VOTE, the MOTION was CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

RESOLVED that the Chief Executive be requested to:

1.               Write to the relevant Secretary of State to ask him to reject the proposed re-phasing of Access for All Projects and to instead, wherever possible, undertake more station adaptations at the current time.

2.               Write to the Chair of Transport for Greater Manchester Committee and the Lead Member on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for Transport Tony Lloyd urging them to reconsider how more funding could be made available to bring our region’s railway stations up to the high accessibility standards of Metrolink.

Consideration was given to a report of the Leader of the Council which set out the Administration’s priorities for 2017-2019 inclusive.

From May 2011, the Administration had been working to ensure Oldham was a Co-operative Borough.  Building on the co-operative principles, the early ambition for the Council was:

·       Strong Local Democracy

·       Co-operative Future for the Community

·       A regenerated Oldham

·       New way of delivering Council Services

·       Reconnect with communities and residents.

In June 2014, these were endorsed and most continued as ‘business as usual’.  Significant progress had been made in areas as outlined in the report.

The report detailed updated priorities set out under five key themes which looked to the future and a Cabinet Member would be assigned to oversee each area.

The five themes were:

·       Ambitious for Everyone

·       A Borough of Opportunities

·       A Good Place to Live

·       Thriving Districts and Neighbourhoods

·       A Healthier and Caring Borough

RESOLVED that the contents of the report be noted and the Administration’s Priorities for 2017-19 inclusive be endorsed.

(time limit 20 minutes)

There is no Youth Council business to consider.

There were no items submitted by the Youth Council.

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

Question 1:

“My first question tonight to the Leader relates to the recent fire at Maple Mill in Hathershaw.

My understanding is that the firefighters on attending the fire, found that the building was a huge repository for the illegal dumping of waste and that the combustible nature of these materials contributed to the longevity and severity of the blaze?

Not only did this situation further jeopardise the lives of firefighters and other emergency service workers, as well as some of our own officers and staff from First Choice Homes Oldham, all courageously attending the incident, but there was the potential of toxic air pollution impacting on the lives and health of residents in the surrounding area.

My understanding is that the dumping of rubbish in Maple Mill was not a one-off and that there are reports of similar activity at many of the redundant industrial premises and old mills in our Borough.

Can the Leader please tell me what she knows about the extent of this problem and what is being done by our officers and those of other public agencies to stop it?  And would she like to tell Council how members of the public – as our eyes and ears in our communities – can help this effort?

And can she also give me any estimate as to the potential cost to this local authority, or to the emergency services, from clear-up operations and attending to further incidents of this nature involving this blight?

I would have thought the bill could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds if this illegal practice is widespread as I believe it could be.”

Councillor Stretton, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that members, staff and agencies did an excellent job in responding to the incident.  There had been concerns about air quality and interventions had been made related to residents and staff working in the area and issues dealt with in a dignified manner.  The situation was more serious that a fire in a mill first appeared as events unfolded.  There had been significant dumping at the mill.  It had been discovered that the basement had been capped with concrete which had trapped methane gas.  Methane was an industrial waste.  Conversations had taken place with the Environment Agency as this was an environmental crime.  An estimate of £100,000s was below the final cost.  If members or residents were aware of incidents of illegal dumping anywhere they were requested to report it.

Question 2:

“My next question concerns the future of the Greater Manchester University Technical College building, which is on Middleton Road next to Oldham College.  Members will be aware of the recent fiasco that was the wholesale academic under-performance at this expensive white elephant. Millions spent on a building and equipment and nothing to show for it, as not one of the initial cohort of forty six students achieved  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

(time limit 20 minutes):-

a) 19^th December 2016

b) 23^rd January 2017

c) 27^th February 2017

The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 19^th December 2016, 23^rd January 2017 and 27^th February 2017 were submitted.

Members raised the following questions:

1.       Councillor McCann – Cabinet Meeting, 27^th February 2017, Item 6: Proposal to Expand Greenfield CP School – Public Notice and Statutory Consultation Responses.  Councillor McCann commented on the statutory duty for the provision of school places and the current shortfall in Saddleworth and Lees.  The additional spaces would be provided to local children and gave his thanks to the Administration.  Councillor McCann asked, subject to the consultation and planning regulations, if a date could be given as to when the school would be started.

          Councillor Chadderton, Cabinet Member for Education and Early Years responded that shortfalls had been projected in Saddleworth.  A projected date was subject to planning.  Cabinet had agreed to the expansion.  Saddleworth schools predominantly take students from the local area more than any other.  The process for the school would be started and members and the public would be kept up to date.

2.       Councillor Goodwin – Cabinet Meeting, 23^rd January 2017, Item 6: Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates Tax Bases 2017/18.  Councillor Goodwin asked for an update on the changes to exemptions to Council tax.

          Councillor Jabbar, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Human Resources responded that following representations from several members a scheme would be brought forward for the exemption to care leavers aged 18 - 21.  By nature care leavers had a difficult time and for those who planned to live independently the Council would do what could to support them. 

3.       Councillor Blyth – Cabinet Meeting, 23^rd January 2017, Item 9: Foxdenton Development, Broadway, Chadderton, Oldham.  Councillor Blyth referred to the offer to pay money to help with infrastructure costs.  Was this a handout to developers?  How long would it be to get the money in council tax?  Councillor Blyth referred to the release of green belt, payment for infrastructure, schools were already full and where would further places come from?

          Councillor Jabbar, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance and Human Resources responded that Foxdenton was an extremely complicated development.  This was based on commercially sensitive discussions and proper answers could not be provided in the public domain.  Regeneration was needed for the creation of employment and quality homes for the realisation of aspirations.  Complete rigor and due diligence was in place and assurances provided.  The development was in phases, there was a statutory responsibility for school places which were reviewed annually.

Members raised the following observations:

1.       Councillor Ateeque Ur-Rehman – Cabinet Meeting, 19^th December 2016, Item 14:  Land to the Rear of the Former Centre for Professional Development, Rosary Road, Fitton Hill.  Councillor Ur-Rehman welcomed the decision to grant the lease to Fitton Hill Bulldogs as this had been a long-standing dream.  He thanked the whole of the Cabinet and the continued support to good standard of sporting facilities.

2.       Councillor Hudson – Cabinet  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1

Councillor Roberts to MOVE and Councillor Dearden to SECOND:

On the 8^th March 2017 women from Oldham were among those who celebrated International Women’s Day and Oldham Libraries hosted events including showing ‘Boomtown Girls’ highlighting Oldham women’s role in the First World War and a talk about the life and work of Annie Kenney – the appeal to raise funds for a statue to Annie was also launched on the 8^th March.

This Council notes that these celebrations of women’s achievements took place against the backdrop of government policies which have had a disproportionate impact on women in Oldham and across the UK: tax and benefit changes since 2010 have increased the gender income gap.

The independent Women’s Budget Group shows that tax and benefit changes since 2010 will have hit women’s incomes twice as hard as men by 2020: it estimates women will be £1,003 worse off a year in comparison to men who will lose £555. Oldham is a low pay area and poorer women will be worse hit losing an average of £1,678 a year.

Women’s independence will be undermined by the introduction of Universal Credit which is paid by default into the bank account of the main earner in the household rather than to individuals. Lone parents (90% are women) will be particularly badly affected by the introduction of Universal Credit.

Women continue to earn less than men: the Fawcett Society estimates that at the current rate of progress it will take 62 years for women’s pay to equal men’s.

Affordable and good quality childcare is essential to enable women to work and take up training opportunities and while this Council welcomes the extension of free early education for some 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours a week from September 2017, Council also notes that this needs to be properly funded and that many childcare providers are warning that the rate on offer is not enough to cover costs.

Council supports the call of the Women and Equalities Select Committee for an independent inquiry into why the government has not published a proper analysis of how its spending plans will affect women, minorities and disabled people.

Council resolves to:

1. Write to the LGA to ask for it to lobby for
   1. an independent enquiry into why the government has not published a proper analysis of how its spending plans will affect women, minorities and disabled people
   2. a realistic funding rate for free early education and childcare which meets the costs of providers (including schools) and enables them to provide high quality services
2. Write to the Borough’s three MPs to ask them to take whatever action is possible
   1. to highlight the impact of austerity on women and to call for an independent enquiry into why the government has not published a proper analysis of how its spending plans will affect women, minorities and disabled people
   2.  to secure a realistic funding rate for free early education and childcare  ...  view the full agenda text for item 14.

Motion 1

Councillor Roberts MOVED and Councillor Dearden SECONDED the following motion:

“On the 8^th March 2017 women from Oldham were among those who celebrated International Women’s Day and Oldham Libraries hosted events including showing ‘Boomtown Girls’ highlighting Oldham women’s roles in the First World War and a talk about the life and work of Annie Kenney – the appeal to raise funds for a statue to Annie was also launched on the 8^th March.

This Council notes that these celebrations of women’s achievements took place against the backdrop of government policies which have had a disproportionate impact on women in Oldham and across the UK: tax and benefit changes since 2010 have increased the gender income gap.

The independent Women’s Budget Group shows that tax and benefit changes since 2010 will have hit women’s incomes twice as hard as men by 2020: it estimates women will be £1,003 worse off a year in comparison to men who will lose £555.  Oldham is a low pay area and poorer women will be worse hit losing an average of £1,678 a year.

Women’s independence will be undermined by the introduction of Universal Credit which is paid by default into the bank account of the main earner in the household rather than to individuals.  Lone parents (90% are women) will be particularly badly affected by the introduction of Universal Credit. 

Women continue to earn less than men: the Fawcett Society estimates that at the current rate of progress it will take 62 years for women’s pay to equal men’s.

Affordable and good quality childcare is essential to enable women to work and take up training opportunities and while this Council welcomes the extension of free early education for some 3 and 4 year olds to 30 hours a week from September 2017, Council also notes that this needs to be properly funded and that many childcare providers are warning that the rate on offer is not enough to cover costs.

Council supports the call of the Women and Equalities Select Committee for an independent inquiry into why the government has not published a proper analysis of how its spending plans will affect women, minorities and disabled people.

Council resolves to:

1.       Write to the LGA to ask for it to lobby for

a.       an independent enquiry into why the government has not published a proper analysis of how its spending plans will affect women, minorities and disabled people.

b.       a realistic funding rate for free early education and childcare which meets the costs of providers (including schools) and enables them to provide high quality services.

2.       Write to the Borough’s three MPs to ask them to take whatever action is possible

a.       to highlight the impact of austerity on women and to call for an independent enquiry into why the government has not published a proper analysis of how its spending plans will affect women, minorities and disabled people.

b.       to secure a realistic funding rate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1

Councillor Sykes to MOVE and Councillor Murphy to SECOND:

This Council notes that:

·  all councils are required by government to have a Local Plan which identifies land for housing, offices and industry;

·  the proposed Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) is one approach to fulfilling this requirement; however other local authorities have fulfilled this requirement by developing their own Local Plan;

·  the GMSF is a twenty year plan, requiring a third more housing land to be identified than would be required by typical fifteen year Local Plans produced by many other local authorities, and is based upon pre-Brexit growth assumptions over such a long period, which cannot be verified;

·  the GMSF proposals include significant releases of green-belt in the Borough of Oldham, particularly in Shaw, Crompton, Chadderton, Royton and Saddleworth;

Council further notes that:

·  these early proposals were developed without sufficient involvement of residents or ward members;

·  many residents and local politicians, particularly in Shaw, Crompton, Chadderton, Royton and Saddleworth, are strongly opposed to many of these proposals; 

Council firmly believes that new housing development should first take place on brownfield or derelict sites, on sites with existing planning permission; and by converting long-term empty mills, shops and offices into homes; and that existing long-term empty homes should also be brought back into use, before any consideration is given to allocating green-belt or other protected open land for housing.

Consequently, Council condemns the current GMSF proposals as they fail to identify such sites that are available for development and are instead predicated upon developing new housing on green-belt land in the Borough of Oldham.

Council therefore resolves to:

1.     Formally withdraw from the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework process and make arrangements to ensure that the GMSF does not apply to the Borough of Oldham;

2.     Pursue Oldham’s own local plan. This should be a fifteen year Local Plan for the Borough which identifies that new housing development should first take place on brownfield or derelict sites, on sites with existing planning permission; and by converting long-term empty mills, shops and offices into homes; and that existing long-term empty homes should also be brought back into use, before any consideration is given to allocating green-belt or other protected open land for housing.

3.     Make arrangements to comply with the duty to cooperate with other planning authorities;

4.     Review existing development plan documents and build in a review process every five years.

Motion 2

Councillor McCann to MOVE and Councillor Blyth to SECOND:

Council recognises that:

·       Bees and other pollinators play an essential role in the Earth’s ecosystem being vital for our food crops, gardens and countryside. Eighty percent of all crops reproduce as a result of the intervention of pollinators. The Government has estimated that this intervention is worth around £500 million to the UK food economy alone.

·       The number of bees is in decline and some species have become extinct. Pollinator decline is attributed to a variety of factors including disease, climate change,  ...  view the full agenda text for item 15.

Motion 1

Councillor Sykes MOVED and Councillor Murphy SECONDED the following motion:

“This Council notes that:

·       All councils are required by government to have a Local Plan which identifies land for housing, offices and industry;

·       The proposed Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) is one approach to fulfilling this requirement; however other local authorities have fulfilled this requirement by developing their own Local Plan;

·       The GMSF is a twenty year plan, requiring a third more housing land to be identified than would be required by typical fifteen year Local Plans produced by many other local authorities, and is based upon pre-Brexit growth assumptions over such a long period, which cannot be verified;

·       The GMSF proposals include significant releases of green-belt in the Borough of Oldham, particularly in Shaw, Crompton, Chadderton, Royton and Saddleworth;

Council further notes that:

·       These early proposals were developed without sufficient involvement of residents or ward members;

·       Many residents and local politicians, particularly in Shaw, Crompton, Chadderton, Royton and Saddleworth, are strongly opposed to many of these proposals;

Council firmly believes that new housing development should first take place on brownfield or derelict sites, on sites with existing planning permission; and by converting long-term empty mills, shops and offices into homes; and that existing long-term empty homes should also be brought back into use, before any consideration is given to allocating green-belt or other protected open land for housing.

Consequently, Council condemns the current GMSF proposals as they fail to identify such sites that are available for development and are instead predicated upon developing new housing on green-belt land in the Borough of Oldham.

Council therefore resolves to:

1.       Formally withdraw from the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework process and make arrangements to ensure that the GMSF does not apply to the Borough of Oldham.

2.       Pursue Oldham’s own local plan.  This should be a fifteen year Local Plan for the Borough which identifies that new housing development should first take place on brownfield or derelict sites, on sites with existing planning permission; and by converting long-term empty mills, shops and offices into homes; and that existing long-term empty homes should also be brought back into use, before any consideration is given to allocating green-belt or other protected open land for housing.

3.       Make arrangements to comply with the duty to cooperate with other planning authorities.

4.       Review existing development plan documents and build in a review process every five years.”

Councillor Brownridge MOVED and Councillor Steven Bashforth SECONDED the following AMENDMENT:

“After ‘this council notes that’

At the end of the first bullet point add:

‘and Oldham’s current Local Plan was approved by a government inspector in 2011.’

At end of second bullet point deleted from (GMSF) to end and add:

‘is a joint plan to manage the supply of land for jobs and new homes across Greater Manchester and as such, the GMSF will not cover everything that a Local Plan would cover’

·       Delete third bullet point and replace with

·       ‘The Housing White Paper proposes  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

(time limit 8 minutes):-

The minutes of the Joint Authorities were submitted as follows:

National Park Authority                                    2^nd December 2016

                                                                      3^rd February 2017

Transport for Greater Manchester                    11^th November 2016

                                                                      13^th January 2017

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue               8^th December 2016

Service                                                           16^th February 2017

Police and Crime Panel                                    30^th June 2016

Greater Manchester Combined Authority          25^th November 2016

                                                                      16^th December 2016

                                                                      27^th January 2017

Joint GMCA/AGMA Executive                          28^th October 2016

                                                                      16^th December 2016

                                                                      27^th January 2017

Greater Manchester Waste Disposal                2^nd December 2016

Authority                                                         13^th December 2016

                                                                      20^th January 2017

                                                                      10^th February 2017

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

(time limit 7 minutes)

The minutes of the Partnership meetings were submitted as follows:

Oldham Leadership Board                     17^th November 2016

                                                            12^th January 2017

MioCare                                                7^th November 2016

Health and Wellbeing Board                   1^st November 2016

Unity Partnership Board                         24^th November 2016

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

Consideration was given to a report of the 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 report be noted.

Consideration was given to a report which related to a motion which proposed the creation of a Street Charter that supported those who lived in, worked in or visited the borough who were visually impaired or blind.  The motion had been referred to the Overview and Scrutiny Board, and following a period of research and engagement, a Charter had been developed and commended by Overview and Scrutiny to Council.

The Royal National Institute for the Blind’s “Who Put That There” Campaign was a call on local authorities to engage with blind and partially sighted people in the area for the development of a Street Charter that put a ‘clear highway’ policy at the heart of their local decision making.  The Charter highlighted the eight most common and dangerous faced by those with sight loss.  The Charter had been developed using the suggested Street Charter content as well as Oldham specific findings which were outlined in the report.

The RNIB’s overall aims were complementary to the Council’s aims for health communities and as a co-operative Council.

Options /Alternatives

Option One – To approve the Street Charter.  If the Charter was approved, work would start on progressing each of the commitments as set out in the Charter.

Option Two – Not approve the Street Charter.

RESOLVED that the Street Charter be approved.

Consideration was given to a report which proposed the appointment of a new Licensing Committee Chair for the remainder of the 2016/17 Municipal Year following the resignation of the current Chair.

RESOLVED that Councillor Norman Briggs be appointed Chair of the Licensing Committee for the remainder of the 2016/17 Municipal Year.