Agenda and minutes

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

Contact: Liz Drogan 

Items
No. Item

1.

To receive apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors H. Gloster, S. Hussain, Ibrahim, McManus, K. Phythian, Salamat, Sharp and Sykes.

2.

To order that the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 25th May 2022 be signed as a correct record pdf icon PDF 267 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the Council meeting held on 25th May 2022 be approved as a correct record.

3.

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

Minutes:

Councillor Chris Gloster declared a non-registerable interest at Item 10 (Motion 2) by virtue of his receipt of an occupational pension from Greater Manchester Police.

 

Councillor Wilkinson declared a non-registerable interest at Item 10 (Motion 2) by virtue of his receipt of an occupational pension from Greater Manchester Police.

 

Councillor Garry declared a disclosable pecuniary interest at Item 10 (Motion 2) by virtue of her husband’s employment with Greater Manchester Police.

 

Councillor Williamson declared a disclosable pecuniary interest at Item 10 (Motion 2) by virtue of her partner’s employment with Greater Manchester Police.

 

Councillor Murphy declared a non-registerable interest at Item 10 (Motion 2) by virtue of his receipt of an occupational pension from Greater Manchester Police.

 

Although the Members declared the interests above, following advice given by the Director of Legal Services their interests were not non-registerable interests or pecuniary and therefore did not need to be declared.

4.

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

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

5.

To receive communications relating to the business of the Council

Minutes:

The Mayor permitted the Leader of the Council, Councillor Chadderton, to make a statement which updated the Council’s reply to the publication of the Child Sexual Exploitation Assurance Review, undertaken on behalf of the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

 

The Council’s reply was based on to be based on four key points. Firstly, to seek justice for victims. Secondly to give full support to victims and survivors. Thirdly to seek to restore trust and confidence in the Borough’s social care services. Fourthly to use the review to highlight the issue of child abuse; through education – enabling people (parents, relatives, carers etc) to spot the signs of abuse.

 

The Council will also work with Greater Manchester Police offering support wherever possible with Operation Sherwood an inquiry into historic cases of child sexual exploitation in the Borough.

6.

To receive and note petitions received relating to the business of the Council pdf icon PDF 23 KB

(time limit 20 minutes)

Minutes:

Council received a report of the Head of Democratic Services which asked Members to note three petitions that had been received by the Council in accordance with the Petitions Protocol. The Petitions related to:

 

i.              Reference 2022-01: Petition requesting Saddleworth Health Centre received 9th March 2022 with 264 signatures.

ii.            Reference 2022-02: Petition requesting Queen Jubilee Party Stoneleigh Park received 3rd May 2022 with 56 signatures.

iii.           Reference 2022-03: Petition requesting Reduce Speed Limits Along Denshaw and Delph Road received 1st June 2022 with 514 signatures.

 

RESOLVED

That the report be noted.

7.

Youth Council

(time limit 20 minutes)

 

There is no Youth Council business to consider.

Minutes:

There were no items of Youth Council Business for this meeting of Council to consider.

8.

Questions Time

9.

Public Questions pdf icon PDF 163 KB

(time limit 30 Minutes)

Minutes:

1.    Question submitted by Megan Birchall

With Oldham Pride being held next weekend, Could the relevant cabinet member update the council on what steps Oldham Council is taking to support LGBT+ people in the borough?

 

Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure replied …’thank you so much for this question. Oldham Council is proud to be supporting Oldham Pride this year and we’re looking forward to celebrating with our LGBT plus community next weekend.

The Council is helping to financially support this year’s event as well as supporting the event management too.

We want to make sure it is a huge success, Oldham’s labour councillors will be there to take part in the celebrations and we’d urge as many Oldhamers as possible to get out and support the event.

In addition to this we work closely with LGBT plus groups across the borough in our work to tackle hate crime and improve hate crime reporting. We also work across schools, colleges and our partners to promote tolerance and celebrate our borough’s amazing diversity.

Through our equality advisory group we seek the views of the community on policies and current issues to make sure we’re making decisions that fit the needs of everyone in the borough.

We are always keen to do more if we can. If there are any suggestions you have for how we can be more supportive, more inclusive please do let us know.’

 

2.    Question submitted by Chris Charters

With Oldham Athletic relegated out of the football league last season, we have seen the consequences of football’s failure to regulate club ownership. Will the council work with Oldham Athletic fans to explore options to help save the club and ensure its legacy as a founding member of the Premier League is preserved for future generations?

 

Councillor Chadderton, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Housing replied …’the Council have remained consistent in its approach to ensuring the future success of Oldham Athletic Football Club for the benefit of the residents and fans across the borough.

We are delighted to hear the news of a new ownership for Oldham Athletic Football Club - this is really good news for the club, its supporters, and the whole borough after the despair and heartache of recent years.

We’re looking forward to working with the new owner and understanding more about their plans to take the club forward.

The club continue to have our full support and we wish them well for the coming season, while we keenly await confirmation about new arrangements to allow the Council and the various fan groups to support and enhance the future of the club

We all want to see Latics back in the football league - it’ll give the whole town a boost’

 

3.    Question submitted by Lynne Kelly

It is now 1 year since the ex-leader of Oldham Council (Arooj Shah) had her car firebombed. There is clear CCTV  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Questions to Leader and Cabinet

(time limit 30 minutes)

Minutes:

Councillor C. Gloster, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group:

 

Question 1: Greater Manchester Police

The current staffing structure of Greater Manchester Police is having a detrimental impact on the provision of community policing in the Borough of Oldham. Traditionally each of Oldham’s 20 Wards have had a dedicated community police officer but this is no longer the case despite assurances to the contrary provided by both Greater Manchester Police’s Chief Constable and by the Mayor of Greater Manchester. Will the Leader therefore raise the issue of the police’s staffing resources with Greater Manchester Police?

 

Councillor Chadderton undertook to raise these staffing issues, reported by Councillor C. Gloster, during her regular meetings with Chief Superintendent Bowen.

 

Question 2: Anti-Social Behaviour on the Metrolink Network

Safety on trams is becoming an increasing concern for commuters across Greater Manchester but especially so for those passengers that used Metrolink services on the section of track between Oldham and Rochdale, which continues to see frequent occurrences of anti-social behaviour – more so than any other part of the network. It was welcome that announcements were recently made regarding the installation of new security cameras but what most be most helpful would be to see conductors on the tram network providing a visual deterrent to would-be miscreants and reassurance to most of the paying public?

 

Councillor Chadderton replied that she shared the concerns expressed regarding violence and anti-social behaviour of the Metrolink network. This should be continually monitored but that if current initiatives failed to solve the problems, then the deployment of Conductors on the Network should be examined.

 

Councillor Sheldon, Leader of the Conservative Group:

 

Question1 – Manchester Airport

Passenger travelling to and from Manchester Airport have in recent weeks and months had to endure extremely lengthy delays to their journeys and disruption to their travel arrangements due to staffing shortages. Please could the Leader of the Council take up these issues with the Chief Executive of Manchester Airport Group and also raise the issue of the dividends from the Airport Shareholdings that are owed to the Council?

 

Councillor Chadderton replied that she shared Councillor Sheldon’s concerns regarding the recent scenes of delays and disruption witnessed at Manchester Airport. In this regard she undertook to write to the Chief Executive of Manchester Airport Group to request that the issues relating to the delays at the airport and the matters ascertaining to the dividends are addressed.

 

Question 2 – Extreme Weather Conditions

Councillor Sheldon referred to the weather forecast which was forecasting temperatures to be more than 35 degrees centigrade in the Borough in the days ahead. In this regard Councillor Sheldon expressed his concerns for public safety and for the safety of wildlife arising from outdoor activities such as swimming in open water and having barbeques on moorlands for instance?

 

Councillor Chadderton replied expressing her concern at these activities and the attendant possibility of death and serious injury that are associated with them. In this regard she would instruct the Council’s Communications Team to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Questions on Cabinet Minutes pdf icon PDF 217 KB

(time limit 15 minutes)

 

17th February 2022

28th February 2022

21st March 2022

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Council was requested to note the minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on the undermentioned dates, to receive questions on any items within the minutes from members of the Council that are not members of the Cabinet and to receive appropriate responses from Cabinet members. The minutes of the Cabinet meetings held on 17th February 2022, 28th February 2022 and 17th March 2022 were submitted.

 

Members asked the following questions: -

 

Question from Councillor Hamblett:

I would like to ask a question regarding the very serious issue regarding the recent IT failures affecting Oldham Royal Hospital and indeed the wider Northern Care Alliance across Oldham, Bury and Rochdale.

IT systems began to fail on Wednesday, 18th May, causing significant disruptions to outpatient services as well as diagnostic tests and scans.  The Chief Medical Officer of Northern Care Alliance, Dr Chris Brookes said that the IT failures represented a “critical incident”. 

Nine days into this critical incident - and with IT systems still causing delays to patient care – it was announced that experts from abroad were being flown in but that there was still no end in sight.  Hospital staff had said that they were unable to keep track of patients or report the results of tests back to patients.

Our residents rely on many of the services affected by the recent IT failures across north Manchester.  A&E departments and surgical theatres experienced protracted and costly delays. So, I ask the Leader, what work has the administration undertaken to investigate these IT failures and will there be a full impact report on the incident so that the full extent of the damage and the efforts to prevent a recurrence can be put before the public?

 

Councillor Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Adult Care replied that ‘at approximately 00:00 on Wednesday, 18th May 2022, the Trust started to experience disruption and instability issues in some of its digital clinical systems. From that point the Trust’s digital team started investigating the issues with the relevant technology providers to investigate and resolve this. At that point the Trust also declared an internal Business Continuity Incident. On the evening of Sunday 22nd May further degradation of the IT systems with critical memory loss resulted in new instability across the core clinical systems further impacting clinical services with greater loss of key activity such as outpatients, diagnostics and planned care and handover of care communications with primary care colleagues. In line with the recognised NHS national emergency preparedness Policy and National Framework, the NCA escalated from a Business Continuity to Critical Incident status. This decision was taken 13:00 on 23rd May 2022.

Over 400 clinical and administrative systems were affected and were not available to hospital, community and primary care colleagues.

Systems and processes have been developed to capture, assess and respond to potential patient harms. Audits are being undertaken for assurance purposes to identify safe systems for onwards referrals from ED, e-outcomes from OPD and clinical  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

Notice of Administration Business

(time limit 30 minutes)

 

Motion 1

Councillor Taylor to MOVE and Councillor Goodwin to SECOND:

New Deal for Workers

Throughout the pandemic, workers in insecure jobs without any protected employment rights have kept the country running. They have worked on the front line, caring for our most vulnerable residents, keeping essential services running and keeping food on shop shelves. 

The Living Wage Foundation estimates that over a million key workers are in insecure work, lacking basic rights and protections, and 3.8 million people are in insecure work across the economy as a whole.

At the same time, incomes have stagnated and many workers have experienced real term pay decline. The North West region has some of the highest levels of low pay, but in-work poverty is increasing nationally, with one in six working households now falling below the poverty line.

This Council notes:

  • Even before the pandemic, 1 in 9 workers were already ‘insecure’, meaning they did not have access to basic rights at work and could be dismissed at will; including those on zero-hour contracts, agency workers and the bogus self-employed.
  • Zero-hours contracts do not guarantee a minimum number of working hours each week. In the UK labour market, people on zero-hours contracts are more likely to be young, part-time, women, or in full-time education when compared with others in employment. Three quarters of those workers on zero-hour contracts lost shifts during the pandemic and the ‘Race on the Agenda’ (ROTA) report shows that a disproportionate number of Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers are on zero-hours contracts.
  • 1 in 10 workers have experienced ‘fire and rehire’ and have been told to reapply for their jobs on worse pay and terms and conditions, or face the sack – with BME workers facing this at twice the rate of white workers. Since March 2020 (TUC research, January 2021) a quarter of all workers have experienced a worsening of their terms and conditions – including a cut in their pay – since the pandemic began.
  • That while the Prime Minister has called the practice of ‘fire and rehire’ “unacceptable” he has continually refused to take action to outlaw it, raising concerns that he will not intervene in the race to the bottom. An escalating number of employers across all sectors are using weak employment protections to force their staff to accept worse terms and conditions, meaning many have to work longer hours for lower pay, with what can be devastating consequences for workers and their families.
  • Despite austerity, as a Labour led council we pay our employees the real living wage. It is important that working people have a decent wage and the council is an accredited Living Wage Employer and encourages others to become the same.

The council further notes, insecure work is bad for working people and bad for the economy, which is why we need a better settlement to support rights and provisions for working people.

This council therefore resolves to:

Minutes:

Motion 1 – New Deal for Workers

 

Councillor Taylor MOVED and Councillor Goodwin SECONDED the following MOTION: New Deal for Workers

 

Throughout the pandemic, workers in insecure jobs without any protected employment rights have kept the country running. They have worked on the front line, caring for our most vulnerable residents, keeping essential services running and keeping food on shop shelves.

The Living Wage Foundation estimates that over a million key workers are in insecure work, lacking basic rights and protections, and 3.8 million people are in insecure work across the economy as a whole.

At the same time, incomes have stagnated and many workers have experienced real term pay decline. The North West region has some of the highest levels of low pay, but in-work poverty is increasing nationally, with one in six working households now falling below the poverty line.

 

This Council notes:

           Even before the pandemic, 1 in 9 workers were already ‘insecure’, meaning they did not have access to basic rights at work and could be dismissed at will; including those on zero-hour contracts, agency workers and the bogus self-employed.

           Zero-hours contracts do not guarantee a minimum number of working hours each week. In the UK labour market, people on zero-hours contracts are more likely to be young, part-time, women, or in full-time education when compared with others in employment. Three quarters of those workers on zero-hour contracts lost shifts during the pandemic and the ‘Race on the Agenda’ (ROTA) report shows that a disproportionate number of Black and minority ethnic (BME) workers are on zero-hours contracts.

           1 in 10 workers have experienced ‘fire and rehire’ and have been told to reapply for their jobs on worse pay and terms and conditions, or face the sack – with BME workers facing this at twice the rate of white workers. Since March 2020 (TUC research, January 2021) a quarter of all workers have experienced a worsening of their terms and conditions – including a cut in their pay – since the pandemic began.

           That while the Prime Minister has called the practice of ‘fire and rehire’ “unacceptable” he has continually refused to take action to outlaw it, raising concerns that he will not intervene in the race to the bottom. An escalating number of employers across all sectors are using weak employment protections to force their staff to accept worse terms and conditions, meaning many have to work longer hours for lower pay, with what can be devastating consequences for workers and their families.

           Despite austerity, as a Labour led council we pay our employees the real living wage. It is important that working people have a decent wage and the council is an accredited Living Wage Employer and encourages others to become the same.

The council further notes, insecure work is bad for working people and bad for the economy, which is why we need a better settlement to support rights and provisions for working people.

 

This council therefore resolves  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Notice of Opposition Business

(time limit 30 minutes)

 

Motion 1

Councillor Kenyon to MOVE and Councillor H Gloster to SECOND:

Making Fairer Decisions

The administration, councillors and council officers are collectively making thousands of decisions each year, some large, many small, but all collectively have an effect on the health, wealth and welfare of the people who live and work in Oldham, Shaw, Crompton, Saddleworth, Royton, Failsworth, Lees, Chadderton and the surrounding areas.

Making our borough safer for children and young people is a key aim shared by everyone in the council chamber.

Making our borough wealthier by directing more of this Authority’s spending to local jobs and businesses is also a key aim shared by all in this chamber.

When making a decision, officers and councillors are careful to consider the full implications of that decision. The different options and the implication of the decision are weighed against specific criteria; financial, legal, the co-operative agenda, human resources, risks, IT, property, procurement, environmental and health & safety, equality, community cohesion & crime, children & young people. An equality impact assessment is also completed.

 

This Council believes that:

Councillors and officers should be explicitly considering the implications of making a decision on the safety of children and on Authority spending into the local economy.

 

Council therefore resolves to:

Direct the Chief Executive to amend the standard assessment criteria within the decision-making reports and records to include a requirement to consider the implications of the decision on:

1) The potential to increase the risk of harm to children (a context assessment). This to be included on the section dealing with Implications for Children and Young People.

2) Authority spending into the local economy. This to be included in the section on Co-Operative Agenda.

3) Direct the Chief Executive to make and introduce these changes within three months of this Council meeting. A progress report and any financial implications be reported to future cabinet meetings as and when appropriate.

 

Motion 2

Councillor Hobin to MOVE and Councillor Wilkinson to SECOND:

Independent Public Enquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) (Historical & Present) within Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (OMBC), including the actions and knowledge of Council Members and Officers.

Council notes that:

The Newsome and Ridgway review into historic Child Sexual Exploitation in Oldham was published on Monday 20th June 2022. The review found that some children had been failed by agencies that were meant to protect them and that there were serious failings in the handling of some cases.

The review was discussed at an Extraordinary Full Council Meeting on Mon 27 June 2022. The public were invited to submit questions to a panel that included the Council Leader and Greater Manchester Mayor. Councillors from all political parties were also invited to ask questions or make statements.

While questions were asked, sadly many were left unanswered, and some wholly ignored. Unfortunately, questions remain. We as a council, and as such member herein, have a duty to protect children and vulnerable people of the borough and beyond. The reality is, until we get  ...  view the full agenda text for item 13.

Minutes:

Motion 1 – Making Fairer Decisions

 

Councillor Kenyon MOVED and Councillor Murphy SECONDED the following Motion:

 

This Council notes that:

The administration, councillors and council officers are collectively making thousands of decisions each year, some large, many small, but all collectively have an effect on the health, wealth and welfare of the people who live and work in Oldham, Shaw, Crompton, Saddleworth, Royton, Failsworth, Lees, Chadderton and the surrounding areas.

Making our borough safer for children and young people is a key aim shared by everyone in the council chamber.

Making our borough wealthier by directing more of this Authority’s spending to local jobs and businesses is also a key aim shared by all in this chamber.

When making a decision, officers and councillors are careful to consider the full implications of that decision. The different options and the implication of the decision are weighed against specific criteria; financial, legal, the co-operative agenda, human resources, risks, IT, property, procurement, environmental and health & safety, equality, community cohesion & crime, children & young people. An equality impact assessment is also completed.

 

This Council believes that: Councillors and officers should be explicitly considering the implications of making a decision on the safety of children and on Authority spending into the local economy.

 

Council therefore resolves to:

Direct the Chief Executive to amend the standard assessment criteria within the decision-making reports and records to include a requirement to consider the implications of the decision on:

1. The potential to increase the risk of harm to children (a context assessment). This to be included on the section dealing with Implications for Children and Young People.

2. Authority spending into the local economy. This to be included in the section on Co-Operative Agenda.

3. Direct the Chief Executive to make and introduce these changes within three months of this Council meeting. A progress report and any financial implications be reported to future cabinet meetings as and when appropriate.

 

AMENDMENT

 

Councillor Mushtaq MOVED and Councillor Stretton SECONDED the following amendment:

 

Paragraph 4

Insert – currently

Paragraph 6

Insert – that in developing a new approach to impact assessments for council decisions the standard assessment criteria

Delete – amend the standard assessment criteria within the decision-making reports and records to and insert – should

Paragraph 7

Insert – impact of the decision on children and young people which should include any potential impact on

Delete – (a context assessment). This to be included on the section detailing with implications for Children and Young People

Paragraph 8

Delete – This to be included in the section on the Co-Operative Agenda.

Paragraph 9

Insert – in line with current plans for a fresh approach to impact assessments.

 

Amendment to Motion to read

This Council Notes that:

The administration, councillors and council officers are collectively making thousands of decisions each year, some large, many small, but all collectively have an effect on the health, wealth and welfare of the people who live and work in Oldham, Shaw, Crompton, Saddleworth, Royton, Failsworth, Lees,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Update on Actions from Council pdf icon PDF 148 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Chadderton MOVED and Councillor C. Gloster SECONDED a report of the Director of Legal Services, which informed members of actions taken following the meeting of the Council on 16th March 2022.

 

RESOLVED that the actions regarding motions and issues from the meeting of the Council on 16th March 2022 be noted.

15.

Revision to Financial Procedure Rules pdf icon PDF 104 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Chadderton MOVED and Councillor Sheldon SECONDED a report of the Director of Finance which advised that there was a requirement to review the authority’s Financial Procedure Rules (FPRs) on a regular basis. Such a review had recently concluded and the consequent revised FPRs were therefore presented to Council for consideration.

 

A detailed review of FPRs has been undertaken by officers from the Council’s Finance, Internal Audit and Constitutional Services teams. This has resulted in a range of proposed changes to improve the FPRs so that they would better reflect the current operating arrangements of the Council and current best practice.

 

RESOLVED That Council approves the revisions to the Financial Procedure Rules.

16.

Revision to the Contract Procedure Rules pdf icon PDF 191 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Chadderton MOVED and Councillor C. Gloster SECONDED a report of the Director of Legal Services which advised that a review of the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules (CPRs) had been undertaken to ensure the Rules were up to date and fit for purpose. The consequent revised CPRs were therefore presented for consideration.

 

Because of the review of the CPRs, a revision to Article 15.4.2 of Part 2 of the Constitution was proposed to align Article 15.4.2 with the revised CPRs.

 

A comprehensive review of the CPRs had been undertaken by officers from Legal Services, the Commercial Procurement Unit, Finance and Internal Audit. This had resulted in a range of proposed changes to improve the CPRs so that they would better reflect updated legislation, the current operating arrangements of the Council and current best practice.

 

RESOLVED That Council approves the proposed revisions to Article 15.4.2 of Part 2 of the Constitution and to the Contract Procedure Rules in Part 4G of the Constitution.

17.

Health and Wellbeing Board Terms of Reference pdf icon PDF 237 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Chadderton MOVED and Councillor Sheldon SECONDED a report of the Head of Democratic Services that presented Council with proposed revised terms of reference for the Health and Wellbeing Board, determined in response to the introduction of Integrated Care Systems arising from the Health and Care Act 2022.

 

RESOLVED: That the Council is confirms the revised terms of reference for the Health and Wellbeing Board and agree to the amendment of the Part 3 (Responsibility for Functions) of the Council’s Constitution accordingly.

18.

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2021/22 pdf icon PDF 326 KB

Minutes:

Councillor McLaren MOVED and Councillor Ahmad SECONDED a report of the Statutory Scrutiny Officer that provided Council with the Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for the 2021/22 Municipal Year as required by the Council’s Constitution at Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule 4.1.

 

The report outlined the statutory role of overview and scrutiny; the roles and responsibilities of the Policy Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Performance Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Health Scrutiny Committee in 2021/22; and a summary of the considerations and work undertaken by the three bodies during 2021/22.

 

RESOLVED that:

1.    The Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report for 2021/22, be noted.

2.    Council notes and supports the thanks of the Chairs expressed to Cabinet Members, Council Officers and representatives from partner organisations for their support and contributions in the delivery of as full a scrutiny function as was achievable during the difficult times in 2021/22.