Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Oldham, West Street, Oldham, OL1 1NL. View directions

Contact: Liz Drogan 

Items
No. Item

1.

Civic Appreciation Award

Minutes:

A presentation took place for Mr. Alan Noble and Mr. Trevor Warren in recognition of their significant voluntary contribution and dedication to the borough and community of Oldham.

 

Councillors Fielding and Sykes gave congratulatory speeches to Mr. Noble and Mr. Warren.

 

Mr. Noble and Mr. Warren were then presented with their awards and made short acceptance speeches to the Council.

2.

Questions to Cabinet Members from the public and Councillors on ward or district issues

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

Minutes:

The Mayor advised 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 be read out by the Mayor.

 

The following questions had been submitted:

 

1.         Question received from Charles Garrity via email:

 

            “I am an avid watcher of Council meetings on youtube.  I would refer to full Council meeting 12th December regarding the insulting and abusive utterings of a senior member of the council, Opposition Leader Howard Sykes.  This person when making reference to persons that used their democratic right to make a vote in the EU Referendum, that did not concur with his own views, were referred to as ‘swivel eyed loonies’.  As the Mayor did not bring Councillor Sykes to task for this insulting remark {Councillors Code of Conduct Respect for Others}, I would remind the Council this meeting was streamed live.  I would ask the following question: Does this Council condone the use of insulting remarks when describing constituents of the borough in the meetings of the Council.  I would also ask that Councillor Sykes be instructed to make a full apology for his remarks at the next full Council meeting.”

 

            Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise responded that there was a Standards Hearings procedure which existed for this purpose.    The Leader recalled that the matter under discussion was Brexit which had inflamed tensions.  The Leader also responded that he was not in a position to ask the Leader of the Opposition to respond.

 

            The Mayor invited Councillor Sykes to speak.

 

            Councillor Sykes, Leader of the Opposition, addressed Full Council and provided a personal explanation.

 

2.         Question received from Syed Maruf Ali via Twitter:

 

           Can you please raise this question at the full council meeting and I would like the Mayor to read the question out.  Unemployment has always been high in Town Centre Base area.  Most economically developed nations are now multi-ethnic, and, given current demographic trends, there is reason to believe that societies will continue to become more ethnically and culturally diverse.  We the residents of Town Centre base would like to know what percentage of Oldham Council, NHS and Greater Manchester Police workforce are employed within 2 miles radius of civic centre/council offices? How many senior managers are employed by Oldham Council within 2 miles radius of civic centre?  Oldham Town centre area have one of the highest number of NEETS, Unemployment and benefit claimants in England.  Many Town Centre residents CANNOT access good/outstanding attainment School due to individual School oversubscription criteria. There has been increase in population in Town Centre area putting pressure on housing, school places and infrastructure.  What's the attraction to migrants especially from EU to one of the poorest wards in Oldham with the highest unemployment & the lowest paid  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

3.

To receive apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor Larkin, Councillor Turner and Councillor Williamson.

4.

To order that the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 12th December 2018 and 27th February 2019 be signed as a correct record pdf icon PDF 484 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes from the Council meeting held on 12th December 2018 and the Budget Council meeting held on 27th February 2019 be approved as a correct record.

5.

To receive declarations of interest in any matter to be determined at the meeting

Minutes:

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

 

Councillor M. Bashforth declared a personal interest in Item 15b by virtue of her appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor Chauhan declared a personal interest in Item 15b by virtue of his appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor Heffernan declared a personal interest in Item 15b by virtue of his appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor F. Hussain declared a personal interest in Item 15b by virtue of his appointment to the MioCare Board.

Councillor Garry declared a pecuniary interest in Item 15a by virtue of her husband’s employment by Greater Manchester Police.

Councillor C. Gloster declared a pecuniary interest in Item 15a by virtue of his employment by Greater Manchester Police.

Councillor H. Gloster declared a pecuniary interest in Item 15a by virtue of her husband’s employment by Greater Manchester Police.

Councillor Mushtaq declared a personal interest in Item 13 by virtue of his appointment as a Governor at the Oldham College.

Councillor Roberts declared a personal interest in Item 12(d) by virtue of her appointment as at Trustee on Positive Steps Oldham.

Councillor P. Jacques declared a personal interest in Item 12(d) by virtue of his appointment as at Trustee on Positive Steps Oldham.

6.

To deal with matters which the Mayor considers to be urgent business

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

7.

To receive communications relating to the business of the Council

Minutes:

The Mayor advised that Councillor Heffernan would be retiring at the end of the current Municipal Year.

 

Councillors Sykes and Williams paid tribute to the work of Councillor Heffernan.  Councillor Heffernan responded.

 

NOTE:  Councillor Rehman left the meeting during this item.

 

8.

To receive and note petitions received relating to the business of the Council pdf icon PDF 78 KB

(time limit 20 minutes)

Minutes:

The Mayor advised that four petitions had been received for noting by Council:

 

People and Place

 

Reference 2019-01:  Petition regarding Kershaw Street area – Access to Chamber Road (Shaw Ward) received on 2 January 2019 with 53 signatures

 

Reference 2019-02:  Petition for Speed Restriction on Den Lane, Springhead (Saddleworth West and Lees Ward) received on 15 January 2019 with 257 signatures.

 

Reference 2019-03: Petition regarding Limited Waiting Restrictions, North Side, Beal Lane (Shaw Ward) received on 15 January 2019 with 248 signatures

 

Reference 2019-06: Petition regarding the Condition of the Footpath from Crossley Estate to Dairy Street (Chadderton Central Ward) received on 8 March 2019 with 476 signatures

 

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

9.

Outstanding Business from the previous meeting

(time limit 15 minutes).

 

Councillor Roberts to MOVE and Councillor Chadderton to SECOND:

In 2018 Oldham has celebrated the centenary of women’s parliamentary suffrage and the 90th anniversary of universal adult suffrage.

This Council welcomes the installation of Annie Kenney’s statue in Parliament Square and the unveiling on the 14th December 2018, the anniversary of the first general election when women could stand as candidates and vote.

This Council recognises that the struggle for equality and the right to vote was long and hard fought. We reaffirm our commitment to commemorating the Peterloo Massacre of 16th August 1819 as a significant contribution to the struggle.

This Council resolves to

  1. Thank everyone who has contributed to commemorative and celebratory activities, events and everyone who has helped to raise the money to pay for Annie Kenney’s statue
  2. To invite Oldham residents and community organisations to join with the Council in commemorating Peterloo and the fight for equal rights

 

Minutes:

Suffrage and Peterloo

 

Councillor Roberts MOVED and Councillor Chadderton SECONDED the following motion be WITHDRAWN.

“In 2018 Oldham has celebrated the centenary of women’s parliamentary suffrage and the 90th anniversary of universal adult suffrage.

This Council welcomes the installation of Annie Kenney’s statue in Parliament Square and the unveiling on the 14th December 2018, the anniversary of the first general election when women could stand as candidates and vote.

This Council recognises that the struggle for equality and the right to vote was long and hard fought.  We reaffirm our commitment to commemorating the Peterloo Massacre of 16th August 1819 as a significant contribution to the struggle.

This Council resolves to:

1.       Thank everyone who has contributed to commemorative and celebratory activities, events and everyone who has helped to raise the money to pay for Annie Kenney’s statue.

2.       To invite Oldham residents and community organisations to join with the Council in commemorating Peterloo and the fight for equal rights.”

 

RESOLVED that the MOTION be WITHDRAWN.

10.

Youth Council

(time limit 20 minutes)

 

There is no Youth Council Business.

Minutes:

There were no items submitted by the Youth Council.

11.

Leader and Cabinet Question Time

(time limit 30 minutes – maximum of 2 minutes per question and 2 minutes per response)

Minutes:

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

 

Question 1:  More Oldham Children Being Failed

 

Tonight I would like to return to an issue that I have raised many times in the past – educational performance in this borough. Or to be blunt the lack of it!  I was recently dismayed to hear that another school in Oldham has failed an Ofsted inspection – the Oasis Academy Oldham – and that both Oasis and Waterhead Academy still fall way below the minimum standards expected.  Both schools are listed by the Department of Education as amongst the worst 346 schools in the country – hardly an accolade that the or we should be proud of.  Oldham Council and its educational partners have had years to turn around Oldham’s academic performance.  But, yet again, we see another negative report of an Oldham school rated ‘inadequate’ and in need of ‘improvement’ in several key areas, including the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.  When the Oldham Education and Skills Commission Chair Baroness Estelle Morris stated in the publication of its long-awaited report in January 2016, that ‘we are on the edge of being able to achieve great things here in Oldham’, her words did not containe ‘but not yet’.  Three years on and we are still ‘not yet’.  This Labour Administration has promised time and again that the findings of the Commission, and the work of the Partnership that was established to deliver them, would bring about a transformation in our educational attainment, but we have yet to feel or see any real change.  In his foreword to the 2016 Education and Skills Commission report, former leader Jim McMahon said: ‘We should not be satisfied with anything less (than a good education for all of our children) but, sadly, far too many children are still not reaching their full potential.’  What is most saddening and maddening is the case of Oasis is that the most able pupils are report to have ‘underachieved significantly’.  It is not these children who have failed, it is we who have failed them for this represents a major failing on the part of the Academy, our education and this Administration.  Can the Leader tell me tonight what has been done, will be done and when, to ensure that we do not fail any more children at the Oasis and Waterhead Academies, or indeed at any of our secondary educational establishments in this Borough?”

 

Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council, responded that he shared the passion for getting education right in the borough.  The Leader acknowledged that standards, particularly in the secondary sector, were not in a place where the Council wanted them to be and had not allowed children to realise their full potential.  The central focus of the new Administration since May was education.  Considerable pledges had been made on turning around the fortunes of schools.  The pledges were incredibly difficult to realise and achieve given the fragmentation of the education  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

To note the Minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet held on the undermentioned dates, including the attached list of urgent key decisions taken since the last meeting of the Council, and to receive any questions or observations on any items within the Minutes from Members of the Council who are not Members of the Cabinet, and receive responses from Cabinet Members pdf icon PDF 193 KB

(time limit 20 minutes):-

 

a) 19th November 2018

b) 17th December 2018

c) 28th January 2019

d) 25th February 2019

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 19th November 2018, 17th December 2018, 28th January 2019 and 25th February 2019 were submitted.

 

Members raised the following questions:

 

1.    Councillor Murphy, Cabinet Minutes 25th February 2019, Items 7 and 8, Fleet Replacement Programme and Waste Management Replacement Vehicle Fleet.  Councillor Murphy asked if the vehicles purchased were eco-friendly and exempt from congestion charges.

 

            Councillor Shah, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood Services confirmed the vehicles were eco-friendly and efficient.

 

2.    Councillor Heffernan, Cabinet Minutes 19 November 2018, Items 11 and 18, Eastern Gateway at Oldham Mumps.  Councillor Heffernan raised the announcement that had been made about Marks and Spencer.  Councillor Heffernan referred to Marks and Spencer closing stores and not opening new stores within 10 miles of an existing store.  The announcement of Lidl opening a store at Princes Gate.  How many more changes to regeneration were to come?

 

Councillor Fielding, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Economy and Enterprise referred to his previous answers about Princes Gate.

 

Members raised the following observations:

 

Councillor Harkness raised two observations:

 

1.         Cabinet Minutes, 28 January 2019, Item 6, Pursuit of Accreditation by the Living Wage Foundation to be a Living Wage Employer.  Councillor Harkness reminded Council of a previous Liberal Democrat motion to seek accreditation and welcomed the report but that it had taken longer than hoped. 

 

2.         Cabinet Minutes, 17 December 2018, Item 8, Single Use Plastics.  Councillor Harkness welcomed the adoption of the policy.

 

RESOLVED that:

1.         The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 19th November 2018, 17th December 2018, 28th January 2019 and 25th February 2019 be noted.

2.         The questions and responses provided be noted.

3.         The observations be noted.

 

 

13.

Notice of Administration Business

(time limit 30 minutes)

 

Motion 1

Councillor P Jacques to MOVE and Councillor M Ali to SECOND:

This council notes the strong link between child poverty, educational performance and earnings in adult life. A rounded, high quality education, inside and outside the classroom, that equips young people with the tools to lead fulfilling and productive lives should be the expectation for all Oldham residents.

As a borough we already have plenty to be proud of, including four out of five Oldham children attending a good or outstanding school, Oldham College’s recent good rating from Ofsted, at Key Stages 1 and 2 across reading, writing and maths, and at Key Stage 5, with the percentage of Oldham students achieving grades A*-C now within 1% of national averages.

There is still a lot to do, however, particularly in early years and at Key Stage 4. This work is made difficult by the fragmented nature of our education system, but this council remains committed to supporting all our young people, whether they attend a maintained school, academy or free school.

This council resolves to:

  1. Continue investing in capacity building at good and outstanding schools, so that more of our young people can attend the school of their choice
  2. Work with partner organisations and parents to ensure all children arrive on their first day at school ready to learn
  3. Continue to support schools to work together and share best practice, learning from one another for the benefit of all our young people
  4. Expand work to tackle holiday hunger and create breakfast clubs in schools across the borough
  5. Submit evidence to the forthcoming Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee inquiry into local government finance, highlighting the impact of funding cuts on services and restrictions this places on the council’s ability to support our schools and tackle the concerning levels of child poverty in the borough

 

Motion 2

Councillor Ur-Rehman to MOVE and Councillor Williams to SECOND:

This council notes with concern the growing threat to our communities and particularly our young people from violent crime. Since March 2010 in Oldham, recorded violence with injury has increased by 64% and possession of weapons has increased by 124%, while violence without injury has increased by 441%. Some of this may be due to changes to reporting methods, but it is increasingly difficult to accept the Conservative government’s argument that there is no correlation with police cuts that have seen 21,000 officers removed from service.

The New Economics Foundation have recently estimated that austerity has cost the UK economy £100 billion in lost economic growth. In this context, the government is asking residents of Greater Manchester to pay twice for their police force. The council condemns the government’s agenda, passing the burden of police funding to local taxpayers via the police precept.

Whilst the decision of the Deputy Mayor to use the police precept goes some way to reversing Tory cuts, through the recruitment of at least 320 additional police officers and the introduction of more officers  ...  view the full agenda text for item 13.

Minutes:

Motion 1

 

Councillor P. Jacques MOVED and Councillor Ali SECONDED the following MOTION:

 

“This council notes the strong link between child poverty, educational performance and earnings in adult life.  A rounded, high quality education, inside and outside the classroom, that equips young people with the tools to lead fulfilling and productive lives should be the expectation for all Oldham residents.

As a borough, we already have plenty to be proud of, including four out of five Oldham children attending a good or outstanding school, Oldham College’s recent good rating from Ofsted, improvements at Key Stages 1 and 2 across reading, writing and maths, and at Key Stage 5, with the percentage of Oldham students achieving grades A* - C now within 1% of national averages.

There is still a lot to do, however, particularly in early years and at Key Stage 4.  This work is made difficult by the fragmented nature of our education system, but this council remains committed to supporting all our young people, whether they attend a maintained school, academy or free school.”

 

Councillor Harkness spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Mushtaq spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor H. Gloster spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor E. Jacques spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Shah spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Jabbar spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Murphy spoke on the Motion.

Councillor S. Bashforth spoke in support of the Motion.

Councillor Fielding spoke in support of the Motion.

 

Councillor P. Jacques exercised his right of reply.

 

On being put to the vote, 52 votes were cast in FAVOUR of the MOTION and 0 votes were cast AGAINST with 2 ABSTENTIONS.  The MOTION was therefore CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

1.    Investing in capacity building at good and outstanding schools be continued so that more of young people can attend the school of their choice.

2.    Partner organisations and parents be worked with to ensure all children arrive on their first day of school ready to learn.

3.    Support to schools be continued to work together and share best practice, learning from one another for the benefit of all our young people.

4.    Work be expanded to tackle holiday hunger and create breakfast clubs in schools across the borough

5.    Evidence be submitted to the forthcoming Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee inquiry into local government finance, highlighting the impact of funding cuts on services and restrictions this placed on the council’s ability to support our schools and tackle the concerning levels of child poverty in the borough.”

 

Motion 2

 

The Mayor informed the meeting that the time limit for this item had expired.

 

Councillor Ur-Rehman MOVED and Councillor Williams SECONDED the following MOTION be put to the vote.

 

“This Council notes with concern the growing threat to our communities and particularly our young people from violent crime.  Since March 2010 in Oldham, recorded violence with injury has increased by 64% and possession of weapons has increased by 124%, while violence without  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Notice of Opposition Business

(time limit 30 minutes)

 

Motion 1 – Tackling Dog Fouling and Nuisance

Councillor C Gloster to MOVE and Councillor Murphy to SECOND:

This Council notes that:

  • Though most dog owners are law-abiding, a small number of irresponsible owners still fail to clean up after their dogs or control them in public places
  • The law requires owners to clean up after their dogs in public places, to keep control of their pets, and to ensure their animal is micro-chipped and displays a dog collar with the name and address of the owner
  • Under powers granted to the Council under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, this Council introduced a borough-wide Public Space Protection Order to replace five existing Dog Control Orders

In October 2014, following the adoption of a motion by Council, the Overview and Scrutiny Board looked at additional measures to combat dog fouling and nuisance; however, none were adopted.

Council recognises that, with the passage of time, new innovative practices and the greater use of technology have in other local authorities had a proven impact in addressing these issues.

This Council wishing to more effectively prevent dog fouling and nuisance in this borough resolves to:

  • Apply the maximum on-the-spot fixed penalty applicable under the law (currently £100) where offences occur within areas covered by the Public Space Protection Order
  • Ask the Overview and Scrutiny Board to:
  • Re-examine current examples of best practice, and the powers granted to it in recent legislation, to determine which can, and should, be adopted in this borough;
  • Confer with The Dogs Trust to establish the ways in which the Council might work in partnership with them to address dog fouling, promote micro-chipping, or otherwise improve animal welfare;

And then bring a report back on this matter to Council at the earliest opportunity.

 

Motion 2 – Tackling Speeding

Councillor Harkness to MOVE and Councillor H Gloster to SECOND:

Council notes that speeding continues to be a factor in road collisions and that a pedestrian is four times more likely to die if they are hit by a vehicle travelling at forty miles per hours than they are at 30mph.

It is therefore imperative that Council working with the Police and residents seek to reduce excessive vehicular speeds in this borough, especially outside schools, on minor residential roads and in rural areas.

Council believes that we should work with our residents’ groups to deter and catch offenders and that we should employ mobile technology in order to do so.

Council therefore resolves to ask the Overview and Scrutiny Board to:

·         Identify, with the assistance of District Executives, local police and the Council’s highways officers, locations not currently equipped with a speed camera which might benefit from one for consideration by the Drive Safe Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership.

·         Explore the availability of funding to purchase and deploy mobile speed cameras to catch offenders, change driver behaviour and improve road safety.

·         Investigate how the Council and the police can work with community and residents’ groups  ...  view the full agenda text for item 14.

Minutes:

Motion 1 – Tackling Dog Fouling and Nuisance

 

Councillor C. Gloster MOVED and Councillor Murphy SECONDED the following MOTION:

 

“This Council notes that:

·         Though most dog owners are law-abiding, a small number of irresponsible owners still fail to clean up after their dogs or control them in public places

·         The law requires owners to clean up after their dogs in public places, to keep control of their pets, and to ensure their animal is micro-chipped and displays a dog collar with name and address of the owner

·         Under powers granted to the Council under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, this Council introduced a borough-wide Public Space Protection Order to replace fix existing Dog Control Orders.

In October 2014, following the adoption of a motion by Council, the Overview and Scrutiny Board looked at additional measures to combat dog fouling and nuisance, however, none were adopted.

Council recognises that, with the passage of time, new innovative practices and the greater use of technology have in other local authorities had a proven impact in addressing these issues.

This Council wishing to more effectively prevent dog fouling and nuisance in this borough resolves to:

·         Apply the maximum on-the-spot fixed penalty applicable under the law (currently £100) where offences occur within areas covered by the Public Space Protection Order

·         Ask the Overview and Scrutiny Board to:

·         Re-examine current examples of best practice, and the powers granted to it in recent legislation, to determine which can, and should, be adopted in this borough;

·         Confer with The Dogs Trust to establish the ways in which the Council might work in partnership with them to address dog fouling, promote micro-chipping, or other improve animal welfare;

And then bring a report back on this matter to Council at the earliest opportunity.

 

In moving the Motion, Councillor C. Gloster explained that consultation to apply the maximum on-the-spot fixed penalty (currently £100) would have take place.

 

Councillor Hudson spoke against the Motion.

 

Councillor Fielding MOVED and Councillor Chauhan SECONDED the MOTION be put to the VOTE.  The MOVE to the VOTE was AGREED.

 

Councillor C. Gloster exercised his right of reply.

 

On being put to the vote, 53 votes were cast in FAVOUR of the MOTION and 0 votes were cast AGAINST with 1 ABSTENTIONS.  The MOTION was therefore CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

1.            Consultation be undertaken on the application of the maximum on-the-spot fixed penalty applicable under the law (currently £100) where offences occurred within areas covered by the Public Space Protection Order.

2.            The Overview and Scrutiny Board be asked to:

a.    Re-examine current examples of best practice, and the powers granted to it in recent legislation, to determine which could, and should, be adopted in this borough;

b.    Confer with The Dog Trust to establish the ways in which the Council might work in partnership with them to address dog fouling, promote micro-chipping, or otherwise improve animal welfare;

And then bring a report back on this matter to Council at the earliest opportunity.

 

Motion 2  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

15a

To note the Minutes of the following Joint Authority meetings and the relevant spokespersons to respond to questions from Members pdf icon PDF 407 KB

(time limit 8 minutes):-

 

Police and Crime Panel

29th November 2018

Greater Manchester Combined Authority

  30th November 2018

  14th December 2018

  25th January 2019

  15th February 2019

GMCA and AGMA Executive Board

11th January 2019

Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA)

27th July 2018

Greater Manchester Health and Care Board

9th November 2018

25th January 2019

Transport for Greater Manchester

9th November 2018

10th January 2019

National Park Authority

7th December 2018

1st February 2019

Greater Manchester Combined Authority Waste and Recycling Committee

24th January 2019

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the following Joint Authority meetings were submitted as follows:

 

Police and Crime Panel                                   29th November 2018

Greater Manchester Combined Authority          30th November 2018

                                                                      14th December 2018

                                                                      25th January 2019

                                                                      15th February 2019

GMCA and AGMA Executive Board                  11th January 2019

Association of Greater Manchester

Authorities (AGMA)                                         27th July 2018

Greater Manchester Health and Care Board     9th November 2018

                                                                      25th January 2019

Transport for Greater Manchester                    9th November 2018

                                                                      10th January 2019

National Park Authority                                    7th December 2018

                                                                      1st February 2019

Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Waste and Recycling Committee                      24th January 2019

 

Members raised the following questions:

 

Councillor Murphy, Police and Crime Panel Minutes, 29th November 2018, PCP/18/24, Greater Manchester Police and Crime Plan – Forward Plan 2018/19.  Councillor Murphy noted the brevity of the minutes and the only one further meeting was scheduled.  Councillor Murphy asked if another set of meetings had been arranged and when the Policing Plan for 2020 be seen?

 

Councillor S. Williams, Deputy Cabinet Member for Policing and Community Safety and the Police and Crime Panel representative responded that there were two elements to the Police and Crime Panel which included the Panel and the Steering Group.  The Steering Group dealt with the Plan.  The Plan could be circulated.  The Panel had received information on the precept at th meeting held on 29 January 2019.

 

There were no observations raised.

 

RESOLVED that:

1.       The minutes of the Joint Authority meetings as detailed in the report be noted.

2.       The question and response provided be noted.

3.       Information related to the Police and Crime Panel be circulated.

 

15b

To note the Minutes of the following Partnership meetings and the relevant spokespersons to respond to questions from Members pdf icon PDF 124 KB

(time limit 7 minutes)

 

Oldham Leadership Board

15th November 2018

Health and Wellbeing Board

 13th November 2018

MioCare Board

12th November 2018

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the following Partnership meetings were submitted as follows:

 

Oldham Leadership Board                                     15th November 2018

Health and Wellbeing Board                                  13th November 2018

MioCare Board                                                         12th November 2018

 

There were no questions raised.

 

There were no observations raised.

 

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

16.

Welfare Reform Update pdf icon PDF 163 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Fielding SECONDED a report of the Director of Finance which presented a status update on the Government’s Welfare Reform Programme.  The Government’s Welfare Reforms continued to have an impact on the residents of Oldham.  Most of the Government’s cuts to the welfare budget as part of the wider austerity programme had been implemented.  Universal Credit was yet to be implemented in full and 2019/20 would see the fourth consecutive year of the freeze on working age benefits.  The report provided the current position with particular focus on the impact of the roll out of Universal Credit in the report.

 

The Welfare Reform dashboard which was detailed at Appendix 1 of the report set out the current position which detailed the number and location of benefit claimants and unemployment levels in the borough.  This also included details of support provided by the Council to vulnerable residents which included awards of Discretionary Housing Payments to those who experienced difficulty in covering housing costs and awards made through the Local Welfare Provision (LWP) scheme to support those experiencing extreme financial hardship.  The report also detailed Unemployment and Claimant levels, the claimant count as at December 2018 was 6,380 which was an increase of 51.5% since the implementation of Universal Credit full service in April 2017.  The impact of Universal Credit was outlined in the report and benefits freeze.  The report also detailed the Council’s commitment to seek national accreditation form the Living Wage Foundation.

 

Councillor Toor spoke on the report.

Councillor Williams spoke on the report.

Councillor Harkness spoke on the report.

Councillor Goodwin spoke on the report.

Councillor S. Bashforth spoke on the report.

Councillor Roberts spoke on the report.

Councillor Sykes spoke on the report.

 

Councillor Jabber exercised his right of reply.

 

RESOLVED that the Welfare Reform Update be noted.

17.

Update on Actions from Council pdf icon PDF 102 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

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.  Members noted the lack of responses from Debbie Abrahams MP and Angela Rayner MP.  Members also noted letter in response to Post Offices and the lack of assurances about the future of the Post Office.  Members noted response from the Department for Work and Pensions related to the Universal Credit Motion.

 

Councillor Sykes spoke on the report.

Councillor Taylor spoke on the report.

Councillor Judd spoke on the report.

 

RESOLVED that:

 

1.       The update on Actions from Council be noted.

2.       Debbie Abrahams MP and Angela Rayner MP be contacted regarding responses to motions.

18.

Statement of Community Involvement pdf icon PDF 115 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to the report of the Deputy Chief Executive – People and Place regarding the adoption of the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).  The SCI set out how the Council would involve the community in the preparation and revision of the Local Plan and the consideration of planning applications.

 

The Planning Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 required local planning authorities to prepare a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).  Oldham first adopted its SCI in April 2007.  It was reviewed in 2010 and 2016 to take account of change to national planning guidance, legislation and reflect that the ten Greater Manchester authorities agreed to produce a joint Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) in 2015.

 

Since the SCI was reviewed and adopted in 2016, the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017, The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 and changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and its guidance had been published.  These required councils set out their policies for giving advice and assistance to neighbourhood planning groups and their policies for involving communities and other interested parties in the preliminary stages of plan making.  It was also felt that the SCI needed refreshing as GMSF progressed and the Local Plan Review.

 

Consultation had taken place.  The SCT had been updated to reflect comments and reflect that the NPPF had been updated. 

 

Options/Alternatives

Option 1 – Adopt the SCI and make it available to view alongside the Schedule of Comments and the Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA).  The advantage of this option was that it would provide certainty to residents, developers and other key groups and organisations as to the consultation methods the council would use.  In addition, it would also ensure that planning consultations were carried out in accordance with the most up-to-date legislation and guidance.  There were no disadvantages to this option.

Option 2 – Not to adopt the SCI and make it available to view alongside the Schedule of Comments and the EqIA.  There were no advantages to this option.  The disadvantages would be that the Council would have to rely on outdated SCI which did not reflect the latest legislation, national planning guidance and the Council’s Corporate Plan and the Oldham Plan.

 

RESOLVED that the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 2019 be adopted and be made available to view alongside the schedule of comments and the Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA).