Agenda

To order that the Minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 21^st May 2025 and of the Annual Meeting of the Council held on 21^st May 2025, be signed by the Mayor as correct records.

(time limit 20 minutes)

There are no Petitions for this Council meeting to consider.

(time limit 20 minutes)

There is no Youth Council business for this Council meeting to consider.

(time limit 15 Minutes)

(time limit 90 minutes)

a.    Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Growth – including the Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held 24^th March 2025 and 7^th April 2025; the minutes of meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held 28^th March 2025 and 30^th May 2025; and the minutes of the meetings of the AGMA Executive Board held 28^th March 2025.

b.    Statutory Deputy Leader and Neighbourhoods Portfolio Holder

c.    Deputy Leader and Finance, Corporate Services and Sustainability Portfolio Holder

d.    Children and Young People’s Portfolio Holder

e.    Adults, Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder

f.     Education and Skills Portfolio Holder

g.    Culture and Leisure Portfolio Holder

h.    Enterprise Portfolio Holder

i.      Transport and Highways Portfolio Holder

(time limit 30 minutes)

(Motion 1 is being hosted by the Adminstration)

Motion 1: Article 4(1) direction on small HMOs

To be Moved by: Councillor Hince
to be Seconded by: Councillor Hindle

Residents are rightly concerned with the number of Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO’s) which are currently being introduced across the borough.

We have always believed HMOs are a symptom of the housing crisis and not a solution. In some cases, exploiting some of the most vulnerable people within our community through substandard and unsafe accommodation.

Whilst it is not possible to prevent full planning applications from being submitted, we can act to close the loophole that allows for permitted development rights for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) where between three and six unrelated people share basic amenities, such as a kitchen or bathroom.

Oldham Council currently permits, without the need for planning permission under ‘permitted development rights’, the change of use of a typical dwelling house occupied by a single household in use class C3, to a property used as a ‘small’ HMO that is shared by between three and six unrelated people in use class C4.

The Council can, however, adopt an Article 4 Direction to remove these permitted development rights. This will require a planning application to be submitted for change of use from class C3 to C4. This means due process will be applied giving residents a say in what happens in their communities.

We had hoped the government would introduce new legislation to make HMO developers more accountable and give residents a greater say by making it mandatory for small HMO developers to be licensed with the local authority.

In addition, the government has stated it is committed to removing all asylum applicants (approximately thirty thousand) from temporary hotel accommodation. We believe this action will inevitably mean further demand for HMOs.

We acknowledge and accept that the implementation of Article 4 borough wide will have a significant impact on available resources particularly the Planning Department. Therefore, to enable the council to gear up to meet requirements, the Civil Parish of Shaw & Crompton and Failsworth are to be prioritised with the implementation of Article 4. With Article 4 being extended to the rest of the borough no later than twelve months thereafter.

This Council resolves to:

1. As soon as possible, Cabinet to consider and make a direction pursuant to Article 4(1) of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 2015 on a borough wide basis prioritising the Civil Parish of Shaw & Crompton and Failsworth. Withdrawing the permitted development rights to convert a dwellinghouse (C3) to a House in Multiple Occupation (C4) is appropriate, and justified, to prevent harm to local amenity and promote the wellbeing of the aforementioned areas.

2.    To delegate authority to OMBC Planning Department to carry out all necessary consultation and to notify the Secretary of State in accordance with statutory requirements.

3.    That, the Shaw & Crompton Civil Parish and Failsworth wide Article 4(1) Direction will come into effect  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1: Adult Neurodevelopmental Assessment and Support

To be Moved by: Councillor Bishop
To be Seconded by: Councillor Harkness

The council notes that:

There is currently no NHS provision for adults in Oldham who have a neurological condition such as Autism, ADHD or Dyspraxia, to access diagnostic or appropriate therapeutic support. There has been no statutory support offer for neurodivergent adults in Oldham for years, and the result has had severe repercussions for our mental health services, who see many presentations from people who fall into this category and have not been able to cope with their condition without therapeutic support and intervention. It has also meant additional pressure for their carers, parents or families who are left to pick up the pieces and try to manage as best they can, often with no training or support themselves.

Currently, Northern Care Alliance’s (NCA) Paediatric Services provide assessment and diagnosis for children aged 0-18 years, diagnosing and planning the care management for children with neuro-developmental concerns, neuro-disabilities or complex health needs. Once diagnosed, children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions have historically had an annual appointment with a consultant paediatrician, who assesses their ongoing needs and in turn signposts them to additional therapeutic services where appropriate. However, once they turn 18, they are discharged and there is no transitional support nor an adult equivalent service and those adults who are undiagnosed have no access to an assessment pathway at all.

On the NHS own website, it states, ‘We know that with earlier, well-targeted community support, many admissions and long stays in mental health inpatient units could potentially be avoided.’ So, this situation is not just an ethical one, it is also a pragmatic and a fiscally prudent one. With recognition and support, we could reduce the costs associated with mental health burnout, breakdowns and crisis presentations, as well as the number of people experiencing extreme distress.

Autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions are not something which only affect children. In fact, recent research has suggested that as many as 90% of adults who have Autism are undiagnosed. Additionally, according to a study by Willis Towers Watson (WTW), nearly three-quarters (70 per cent) of neurodivergent employees experience mental health issues. Therefore, there is a real impact upon productivity, absence rates and wellbeing in the workforce and avoiding addressing it is only compounding the problem.

Currently, if an adult visits their GP to request an assessment, they are directed towards the Right to Choose option, which invites them to access private provision. The problem with this is that it provides barriers to accessing future NHS support and medication if necessary. In other words, it is not a choice, and many vulnerable people are being failed, and our mental health services and economy are suffering the consequences, as well as those individuals experiencing distress.

The council further notes that:

•      There is currently no diagnostic or therapeutic support pathway for adults with a neurodevelopmental condition in Oldham.

•  ...  view the full agenda text for item 11.

Council is asked to consider changes in relation to appointments to Committees for 2025/2026.

Council is asked to consider proposed updates to the pay policy statement and the organisational framework for the authority.

A report updating on actions from Motions approved at Council on 9^th April 2025.

To seek approval from Council to agree to the principle of the making of a joint development plan document with the other 9 Greater Manchester councils.

Council is asked to consider the recommendations of the Independent Remuneration Panel. (Report to follow)