Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Birch, Kenyon, Ibrahim and Williamson.

RESOLVED:
That the Minutes of the meeting of Council held on 6^th September 2023, be approved as a correct record.

Councillor Ghafoor declared a pecuniary interest in agenda item 12 (Motion 3 – Article 4(1) Direction on Small HMOs) and he left the room during the consideration of this Motion.

Councillor Harkness declared a non-registerable interest in agenda item 12 (Motion 2 – A Fair Deal for Private Renters).

Councillor Hamblett declared a non-registerable interest in agenda item 12 (Motion 2 – A Fair Deal for Private Renters).

Councillor Gloster declared a pecuniary interest in agenda item 12 (Motion 2 – A Fair Deal for Private Renters).

Councillor Bishop declared a non-registerable interest in agenda item 12 (Motion 2 – A Fair Deal for Private Renters).

Councillor Akhtar declared a pecuniary interest in agenda item 12 (Motion 1 – Holding Housing Associations Accountable for Damp and Mould) as he was an employee of a Housing Association.

The Mayor referred to the ongoing impact of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to the consequential loss of life. He referred to incidents in Israel on 7^th October 2023 and to the subsequent military activity in Gaza all of which had resulted in a dreadful loss of human life.

The Mayor advised that he was to write a letter to the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Rishi Sunak MP, calling on him to use his influence to press for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. From 8^th October 2023, a copy of the letter would be available in the Mayor’s Parlour, for all Members of the Council to countersign.

The Mayor asked members of the Council, officers and all other people present in the Chamber to join him in a minute’s silence, in honour of the innocent civilian lives that had been lost in the conflict.

The Mayor permitted the Council’s political group leaders to speak on this matter. Accordingly, Councillors Shah, Sheldon, Sykes, Hobin and Hince addressed the Council.

The Mayor informed Council of the sad passing of Mr Dave McGrealy, who had been awarded the Civic Appreciation Award in 2015. The Mayor undertook to write to Mr McGrealy’s family expressing the Council’s condolences on his passing.

There were no petitions for this meeting of the Council to consider.

Leader to address Council

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Arooj Shah, delivered her Annual Statement. 

The Leader reminded the Council of her priorities, as set out in May 2023, when she assumed office and highlighted work that had been done and was being done to improve Oldham, to retain a resident focused approach and to provide high quality services for local people.

a.    Don’t Trash Oldham – the Leader explained the importance of maintaining clean and tidy streets, parks and open spaces across the borough, a view shared by the majority of residents. Robust enforcement action was being taken to prevent fly-tipping. There was an ambitious borough-wide tree planting programme being undertaken and there had been significant investment in the borough’s parks including at Alexandra Park and Daisy Nook Country Park.

b.    The Local Improvement Fund (LIF) was being developed. This was to serve as an opportunity for local resident groups to bid for funding from the LIF to fund or part-fund local improvement schemes.

c.    Education opportunities were being enhanced and developed through the programme that was being developed in conjunction with Eton College and the Star Academy. This would lead to the building of a new campus in Oldham town centre and students having online access to Eton College.

d.    Investment was being provided for the development of six Family Hubs across the Borough, the first of which, the Beaver Hub, had recently opened. The family hubs would provide additional resources and access to family services for the borough’s residents.

e.    The Leader was anxious that the Council should, wherever possible, act to protect the interests of the borough’s most vulnerable residents. In this regard she referred to the Council’s recent acquisition of Chadderton Total Care, a privately run care home that provided a stable hone for over 100 vulnerable residents, which had encountered serious financial difficulties. The Council had intervened to secure that this care home remained open for business and that no resident would have to be relocated.

f.     The Council continued to provide assistance to residents and businesses who were suffering the ongoing impact of the ‘cost of living crisis’. A range of packages and schemes were available to help local people.

g.    The Council was aware of the ongoing impact of the ‘housing crisis’. Nationwide there was a problem with a lack of housing, sub-standard housing and homelessness. The Leader announced that she was shortly to convene a ‘Housing Summit’, including representatives of housing providers, landlords and tenants with the long-term aim of reducing poor quality housing and homelessness in the Borough of Oldham.

h.    Regeneration work was ongoing, on a wide scale, across Oldham town centre. This included work to regenerate the Spindles shopping centre to incorporate office accommodation there in addition to enhanced retail and leisure facilities. Work was ongoing to develop the new market and to develop the Old Library Buildings at Union Street into office accommodation for members and officers.

i.      The Leader reported that she had recently attended the Oldham Half Marathon,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

(time limit 20 minutes)

There is no Youth Councill business

There was no Youth Council business for this meeting of the Council to consider.

(time limit 15 Minutes)

To receive questions submitted by members of the public.

1.    Question from Nick Harwood

What can be done to stop idiots vandalising play areas in Oldham’s parks?

Councillor Goodwin, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods replied, thank you Mr Mayor and thank you to Mr Harwood for his question. It is disappointing when we see incidents of vandalism and anti-social behaviour marring our fantastic parks and green spaces.

We would always encourage residents witnessing such incidents to report them to Greater Manchester Police through the non-emergency 101 number, or through the Greater Manchester Police web reporting portal. This will hopefully allow Greater Manchester Police to identify and arrest the individuals responsible.

Once those responsible have been identified the council can seek to use civil powers, alongside any criminal prosecution, to act against the individuals, such as Anti-Social Behaviour Injunctions, or Criminal Behaviour Orders. Such Injunctions/Orders can prevent Offenders from entering specific areas and we would seek to prevent further such behaviour by prohibiting offenders from entering the Boroughs Parks where appropriate.

When we have identified issues previously in parks, the Local Authority have also asked the First Response Security Service to patrol or monitor the location to deter such incidents. In some cases, where young people are found to have been involved our youth service can work in local parks and neighbourhoods to engage with the young people and divert them into more positive activities if possible.

2.    Question from Connor Green

What’s the council doing to improve SEND provision after the recent ofsted and CQC inspection?

Councillor Ali, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills replied, thank you Mr Mayor and thank you to Mr Green for his question.

A joint Ofsted/CQC area SEND inspection of the Oldham partnership took place in June 2023. Following the inspection, Oldham Council and the Chief Executive of Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board received the inspection report, which highlighted some positive practice but also two priority areas that required addressing urgently and some areas for development. 

To respond to this, the local area partnership, including the council, the integrated care partnership, parents/carers and wider partners, came together to coproduce a Priority Action Plan, which details the actions that the local area will take to address the two priority actions identified by the inspection.  

The areas for development have been included in the existing SEND & Inclusion Improvement Programme. The Priority Action Plan forms part of this and will be published shortly, so the actions we are taking as a local area partnership are open and accessible to everyone.

3.    Question from Meg Birchill

What services are on offer at Beever Family Hub and when will Family hubs open across the rest of the borough?

Councillor Mushtaq, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Children’s Services replied, Beever Family Hub was the first of six planned Family Hubs across the borough that will offer a wide range of support for families with young children. At each family hub local families will be able to access a range of help and support to make sure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

(time limit 90 minutes)

Leader and Cabinet Members to present their reports.

Non-executive members may ask questions.

a.    Leader and Reform and Regeneration Portfolio – including minutes of Cabinet held on 21 August 2023, 18 September 2023, 2 October 2023, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held on 28 July 2023 and the minutes of the AGMA Executive Board 30 June 2023.

b.    Deputy Leader and Housing and Licensing Portfolio

c.    Deputy Leader and Children and Young People’s Portfolio

d.    Education and Skills Portfolio

e.    Business, Employment and Enterprise Portfolio

f.     Neighbourhoods Portfolio

g.    Health and Social Care Portfolio

h.    Communities and Culture Portfolio

i.      Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio

Councillor Sheldon, Leader of the Conservative Group

Question 1: Cyber Attacks on the Council

Councillor Sheldon expressed his alarm at the reported figure of 10,000 daily cyber attacks on the Council. He sought assurances from the Leader that the Council’s ICT systems were robust and able to successfully resist any such attack. He referred to an incident involving Redcar and Cleveland Council, in February 2020 where a cyber-attack disabled their ICT systems for several weeks. Councillor Sheldon also referred to recent developments with Artificial Intelligence and if the Council knew where the various attacks were coming from and what actions were being taken to safeguard the Council’s data?

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council replied that she would provide Councillor Sheldon with a written answer to his question.

Question 2: School Attendances

Councillor Sheldon referred to recent statistical evidence that suggested school attendances in Oldham were below acceptable levels. He stated that the number of unauthorised absences from the Borough’s schools in 2022 was approximately 570,000, which gave Oldham the highest levels of school absences, in percentage terms, in Greater Manchester. He asked if the Leader would join him in sending a message to parents and carers about the importance of children attending school?

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, advised that she shared Councillor Sheldon’s concerns about this matter and was anxious that more be done to improve school attendances in the Borough and in this regard, she undertook to pursue this matter with Councillor Lai, the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills and with the Managing Director for Children and Young People’s Services.

Councillor Sykes, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group

Councillor Sykes asked the Leader if, after the next round of local elections, another local authority in Greater Manchester were to follow the lead of Stockport Borough Council and withdraw from the Places for Everyone initiative would the programme collapse?

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, stated that whist she had some misgivings regarding some of the detail, it made no sense for the Places for Everyone programme not to proceed.

Councillor Hobin, Leader of the Failsworth Independent Party

Councillor Hobin asked if there was more that could be done to tackle the issue of selfish and illegal parking in residential areas and around schools.

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, replied agreeing that, given the proliferation of motor vehicles in the Borough and beyond, more needed to be done to address this issue. The Council was doing what it could to promote walking, cycling and public transport as alternative modes of travelling but acknowledged that more was still required.

Councillor Hince, Leader of the Independent Group

Councillor Hince advised Council that Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) with six bedrooms or less are not subject to a local authority planning process. Therefore, any negative impacts are not subject to any consultative process. The Council could address this issue by introducing an ‘Article 4’ directive, removing permitted development rights so that an HMO with less than six bedrooms  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1

Battling Oldham’s Housing Crisis

Councillor Taylor to MOVE
Councillor Goodwin  to SECOND

Too many Oldhamers are struggling to afford to keep a roof over their head. Too many Oldhamers live in substandard or overcrowded housing.

There are currently over seven-and-a-half-thousand families on Oldham’s Social Housing Register, with almost eleven thousand applications still being processed. Many of these families have been fruitlessly bidding on properties to no avail through no fault of their own. 

The failure of the housing market is driving some Oldham families to crisis. There are currently 470 households in Temporary Accommodation (TA), the longest being in TA for over 3 years, as they require a 5-bedroom property, and the supply simply does not meet the demand. This number has doubled since the same month in 2021 when it stood at 233 Households. 

In addition, the Local Housing Allowance rates have not been properly reviewed since 2011, despite recent Labour analysis showing that private sector rents have risen by £168 a month in the last two years alone. Therefore, the very safety net that is intended to ensure people can afford decent housing is failing them.

This Council notes:

• That Oldham is in a Housing Crisis.
• Oldham Council has an ambitious Housing Strategy, but we are struggling to cope with the sheer volume of demand.
• That poor quality, insecure and expensive housing can often lead to families in Oldham falling into avoidable crises.

·         The Conservative Government’s failure on housing over the least 13 years, with homelessness continuing to rise and home-ownership falling.

• Comparatively, under the last Labour Government, 2 million homes were built, 1 million more households became homeowners and there was the largest social housing investment in a generation.

This Council further notes

• The cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated this situation, meaning that more Oldhamers are now struggling to afford housing costs (both rental and buying).
• Under this Government, the number of new social rented homes has fallen by over 80%. Consequently, there are now more than 30,000 fewer social rented homes built each year.
• The Council has a moral obligation to ensure Oldhamers do not live in substandard housing. We are committed to working with our partners in the social housing sector and, where possible, private landlords to ensure Oldhamers have decent homes to live in.

This Council resolves:

• To instruct the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) & the Assistant Chief Executive to bring together key partners in Oldham’s housing sector – social housing, private rented and owner-occupiers, stakeholders from the Voluntary, Community, Faith & Social Enterprise sector, and relevant Council Officers and Cabinet Members at Oldham’s Housing Summit at the earliest opportunity.
• To recommit to our Housing Strategy and affirm our ambition that every Oldhamer should live in decent and affordable homes.
• To write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities seeking far-reaching action to tackle the housing crisis.

This Council further resolves to call on the Government to:

• End rough sleeping within a Parliament and tackle the root  ...  view the full agenda text for item 11.

Motion 1: Battling Oldham’s Housing Crisis

Councillor Taylor MOVED and Councillor Goodwin SECONDED the following Motion:

Too many Oldhamers are struggling to afford to keep a roof over their head. Too many Oldhamers live in substandard or overcrowded housing.

There are currently over seven-and-a-half-thousand families on Oldham’s Social Housing Register, with almost eleven thousand applications still being processed. Many of these families have been fruitlessly bidding on properties to no avail through no fault of their own. 

The failure of the housing market is driving some Oldham families to crisis. There are currently 470 households in Temporary Accommodation (TA), the longest being in TA for over 3 years, as they require a 5-bedroom property, and the supply simply does not meet the demand. This number has doubled since the same month in 2021 when it stood at 233 Households. 

In addition, the Local Housing Allowance rates have not been properly reviewed since 2011, despite recent Labour analysis showing that private sector rents have risen by £168 a month in the last two years alone. Therefore, the very safety net that is intended to ensure people can afford decent housing is failing them.

This Council notes:

• That Oldham is in a Housing Crisis.
• Oldham Council has an ambitious Housing Strategy, but we are struggling to cope with the sheer volume of demand.
• That poor quality, insecure and expensive housing can often lead to families in Oldham falling into avoidable crises.

·         The Conservative Government’s failure on housing over the least 13 years, with homelessness continuing to rise and home-ownership falling.

• Comparatively, under the last Labour Government, 2 million homes were built, 1 million more households became homeowners and there was the largest social housing investment in a generation.

This Council further notes

• The cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated this situation, meaning that more Oldhamers are now struggling to afford housing costs (both rental and buying).
• Under this Government, the number of new social rented homes has fallen by over 80%. Consequently, there are now more than 30,000 fewer social rented homes built each year.
• The Council has a moral obligation to ensure Oldhamers do not live in substandard housing. We are committed to working with our partners in the social housing sector and, where possible, private landlords to ensure Oldhamers have decent homes to live in.

This Council resolves:

• To instruct the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) & the Assistant Chief Executive to bring together key partners in Oldham’s housing sector – social housing, private rented and owner-occupiers, stakeholders from the Voluntary, Community, Faith & Social Enterprise sector, and relevant Council Officers and Cabinet Members at Oldham’s Housing Summit at the earliest opportunity.
• To recommit to our Housing Strategy and affirm our ambition that every Oldhamer should live in decent and affordable homes.
• To write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities seeking far-reaching action to tackle the housing crisis.

This Council further resolves to call on the Government to:

• End rough sleeping within a Parliament and tackle the root causes of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

(Time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1

Holding Housing Associations Accountable for Damp and Mould Issues

Councillor Wahid to MOVE

Councillor Byrne to SECOND

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (Oldham Council) must lead from the front to ensure that our residents benefit from safe and secure housing. As such, OMBC must ensure that housing stock is maintained to the highest quality.

It is especially the case for socially rented properties. There are housing

association properties in the borough that are sadly affected by damp

and mould. This is a silent killer as so tragically seen in the case of Awab Ishak in our neighbouring Rochdale Council. However, the prevalence of such houses suffering with damp and mould is feared to be in the thousands in Oldham. One can only draw their attention to the increasing interest from litigators from the legal industry to appreciate this is potentially a very big problem that requires immediate action.

Housing associations must do more given that they have a duty of care

to the most vulnerable. It is time Oldham Council holds these corporate

landlords to account.

Too often a culture of secrecy and fear surrounds

housing associations and they are seemingly unaccountable to many elected members and residents. We must change that and remind them of the important duty of care that they have to local people. Amongst the damp and mould issues, all too often many residents who have lived in an area for several years and may have started a family are uprooted from that area due to them having a lower priority over others who may have no links to that ward. We believe that having links to a local area is important and that Oldham Council needs to strengthen the local connection test by ensuring that a set number of new build properties are reserved for local people, i.e people who live in Hollinwood get a home in Hollinwood etc.

Temporary accommodation and management of displaced families is in

drastic need of restructure to ensure the most vulnerable in our society

are managed in accordance with Human Rights Act 1998.

It is also important that Oldham Council reiterate its commitment to HM

Armed Forces personnel and ensure that they are always given priority

and services that they need and deserve.

This Council acknowledges:

• The letter written to all Councils by Michael Gove (Secretary of

State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) to council leaders and social housing providers stating that damp and mould complaints must be handled “with sufficient seriousness” and the deaths, such that of two year old Awaab Ishak must ‘never be allowed to happen again’.

• That under the Housing Act 2004, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council has a legal duty to review housing conditions in their district, identify actions required to remedy ‘Category 1 Hazards’ and then - “they must take the appropriate enforcement action in relation to the hazard”.

• That under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, mould is designated as a ‘Category 1 Hazard’, meaning  ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

Motion 1: Holding Housing Associations Accountable for Damp and Mould Issues

Councillor Wahid MOVED and Councillor Byrne SECONDED the following Motion

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (Oldham Council) must lead from the front to ensure that our residents benefit from safe and secure housing. As such, OMBC must ensure that housing stock is maintained to the highest quality.

It is especially the case for socially rented properties. There are housing

association properties in the borough that are sadly affected by damp

and mould. This is a silent killer as so tragically seen in the case of Awab Ishak in our neighbouring Rochdale Council. However, the prevalence of such houses suffering with damp and mould is feared to be in the thousands in Oldham. One can only draw their attention to the increasing interest from litigators from the legal industry to appreciate this is potentially a very big problem that requires immediate action.

Housing associations must do more given that they have a duty of care

to the most vulnerable. It is time Oldham Council holds these corporate

landlords to account.

Too often a culture of secrecy and fear surrounds

housing associations and they are seemingly unaccountable to many elected members and residents. We must change that and remind them of the important duty of care that they have to local people. Amongst the damp and mould issues, all too often many residents who have lived in an area for several years and may have started a family are uprooted from that area due to them having a lower priority over others who may have no links to that ward. We believe that having links to a local area is important and that Oldham Council needs to strengthen the local connection test by ensuring that a set number of new build properties are reserved for local people, i.e people who live in Hollinwood get a home in Hollinwood etc.

Temporary accommodation and management of displaced families is in

drastic need of restructure to ensure the most vulnerable in our society

are managed in accordance with Human Rights Act 1998.

It is also important that Oldham Council reiterate its commitment to HM

Armed Forces personnel and ensure that they are always given priority

and services that they need and deserve.

This Council acknowledges:

• The letter written to all Councils by Michael Gove (Secretary of

State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) to council leaders and social housing providers stating that damp and mould complaints must be handled “with sufficient seriousness” and the deaths, such that of two year old Awaab Ishak must ‘never be allowed to happen again’.

• That under the Housing Act 2004, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council has a legal duty to review housing conditions in their district, identify actions required to remedy ‘Category 1 Hazards’ and then - “they must take the appropriate enforcement action in relation to the hazard”.

• That under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, mould is designated as a ‘Category 1 Hazard’, meaning that local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To consider the report of the Director of Finance.

Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Shah ECONDED a report of the Director of Finance which advised Council of the performance of the Treasury Management function of the Council for the first quarter of 2023/24 and provides a comparison of performance against the 2023/24 Treasury Management Strategy and Prudential Indicators.

The Council was required to consider the performance of the Treasury Management function in order to comply with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Code of Practice on Treasury Management (revised 2021). The submitted quarterly report provided an additional update and includes the new requirement in the 2021 Code, mandatory from 1 April 2023, of quarterly reporting of the treasury management prudential indicators. The report therefore sets out the key Treasury Management issues for Members’ information and approval and outlines, namely: an economic update for the first quarter of 2023/24; a review and updates of the Council’s current Treasury Management position; information on Council Borrowing; an updated Treasury Investment Activity; the Treasury Performance for the first quarter period of 2023/24; and the Treasury Management Prudential Indicators.

The Audit Committee was the body charged with the scrutiny of Treasury Management activities for Oldham Council, and it therefore considered and approved the contents of the Quarter One report at its meeting on 5^th September 2023. The Committee had been content to commend the report to Cabinet. As such, Cabinet, at its meeting on 18^th September 2023 had approved the content of the report and was in turn content to commend it to Council. The Council is, therefore, requested to approve the Treasury Management Quarter One report 2023/24 to ensure full compliance with the Code.

Resolved:

That Council approves the Treasury Management Quarter One Report 2023/24.

To consider the report of the Director of Finance.

Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Shah seconded a report of the Director of Finance advising Council of the work of the Audit Committee in the last financial year and to note the observations of the Committee on the standard of corporate governance, internal control, the production of the Statement of Accounts, risk management, information governance and internal audit in 2022/23.

The Council’s Audit Committee was a key component of the Council’s governance framework. Its function was to provide an independent review and assurance role to support good governance and sound public financial management. There was a requirement for the Audit Committee to report to Council each year to advise of the work it has undertaken and this report met that requirement. The Annual report had been prepared to advise members of the work undertaken by the Committee in the financial year 2022/23 and for Council to note the views of the Committee on internal control.

To discharge its role, the Audit Committee had met on eight separate occasions during the municipal year 2022/23 undertaking the work detailed in Appendix 1 of the submitted report. During 2022/23 it had been possible to recruit an Independent Chair for the Audit Committee, who commenced in the role on 1^st March 2023. The Committee’s work programme was built around its responsibilities for corporate governance, internal audit, external audit, risk management, fraud and corruption, Treasury Management, Information Governance and the review of the annual Statement of Accounts. This report summarises the work undertaken by key programme area for the financial year 2022/23.

Resolved:

That the Audit Committee’s Annual report be approved.

To consider the report of the Director of Finance.

Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Shah SECONDED a report of the Director of Finance that presented proposed changes to the Audit Committee’s Terms of Reference, for approval.

Council was informed that a discussion had taken place at the Audit Committee’s meeting on 20^th July 2023 when Members had considered a report on how the Committee had discharged its duties in accordance with its Terms of Reference, as set out in the Constitution. During the scrutiny process, it was suggested that within the Terms of Reference, the wording at 4.4.2(d)(iv) be amended so the Audit Committee liaises with the Scrutiny Boards on any matter(s) relating to the effective operation of the Council. This proposal was endorsed following a report on the matter to the Audit Committee on 5^th September 2023.

Resolved:
That the Council approves the proposed change in the Audit Committee’s Terms of Reference as set out in the Director of Finance’s report.

Councillor Shah MOVED and Councillor Sheldon SECONDED a report of the Director of Legal Services, which informed members of actions taken following the meeting of the Council on 6^th September 2023 to all Council members.

Resolved:

That the actions regarding motions and issues from the meeting of the Council on 6^th September 2023 be noted.

To consider a report in relation to the recommendations of the Appointments Committee with regard to the appointment of Harry Catherall as Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service.

Councillor Shah MOVED and Councillor Al-Hamdani SECONDED a report of the Assistant Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development, advising that the Appointments Committee had recommend to Council the appointment of Harry Catherall as Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service for Oldham Council, further to its meeting on 19^th October 2023.

A recorded vote was requested and taken on the RECOMMENDATIONS contained in the report, as follows:

.

On a recorded VOTE being taken 44 VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the RECOMMENDATIONS with 12 VOTES cast AGAINST and there were 0 ABSTENTIONS. The RECOMMENDATIONS were therefore CARRIED.

Resolved:

That Council -

1.    Approves and continues the appointment of Harry Catherall as Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service on a part-time (0.6FTE), two-year fixed term contract effective from 1^st January 2024;

2. Approves a salary of £108,000 for Harry Catherall (0.6 pro-rata of the full salary and subject to any nationally agreed pay awards);
3. Appoint Harry Catherall as Electoral Registration Officer for any constituency or part of a constituency coterminous with or contained in Oldham Metropolitan Borough and Returning Officer for Local elections, Parish Council and Parliamentary elections and local returning officer for Greater Manchester Combined Authority mayoral election and other elections and referenda; 
4. Note Appointments Committee have redesignated Executive Director Place and Economic Growth back to Deputy Chief Executive Place and Economic Growth at the salary banding of £136,542 (subject to any nationally agreed pay awards) and note that Appointments Committee approved the variation in contract for the existing postholder following appropriate internal HR process
5. Appointments Committee recommends that Emma Barton be offered the 0.4 FTE Chief Executive development role at a salary of £147,925 (inclusive of Deputy Chief Executive salary plus a supplement payment for the 0.4 pro rata development role and subject to any national pay awards).