Agenda

(time limit 20 minutes)

There are no petitions for this meeting of Council to consider.

(time limit 20 minutes)

There is no Youth Council business.

(time limit 15 Minutes)

(Time limit 90 minutes)

Leader and Cabinet Members to present their reports.

Non-executive members may ask questions.

a.    Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Building a Better Oldham – including the Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held 26^th February 2024 and 18^th March 2024 and the meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held 23^rd February 2024 and 22^nd March 2024

b.    Deputy Leader and Decent Home Portfolio Holder

c.    Deputy Leader and Value for Money and Sustainability Portfolio Holder

d.    Children and Young People’s Portfolio Holder

e.    Education and Skills Portfolio Holder

f.     Enterprise Portfolio Holder

g.    Adults, Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder

h.    Don’t Trash Oldham Portfolio Holder

i.      Thriving Communities and Culture Portfolio Holder

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1 - A voice for those affected by Child Sexual Exploitation in Oldham 
to be Moved by Councillor Hobin
Seconded by Councillor Hince

In June 2022, the Greater Manchester Independent Assurance Review in relation to Child Sexual Exploitation published its second report which looked into the effectiveness of safeguarding practice in the borough of Oldham.

Since that time survivors, advocates and campaigners have articulated a series of areas which they believe the assurance review was unable to cover due to its restricted terms of reference. These are;

·         That the Assurance Review team heard limited testimony from those affected by Child Sexual Exploitation in the Borough of Oldham and that, as a result, other survivors and their families were not provided with the opportunity for their cases to be reviewed or to have their voices heard.

and

·         That the time-period and scope set by the Independent Assurance Review was too limited.

Concerns have also been raised that some of those who claimed to have evidence relating to abuse and exploitation did not engage with the review and/or refused to share that evidence.

Since the publication of the Assurance Review in June 2022 numerous calls have been made to the Home Office for a wider Public Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in the Borough of Oldham. To date, these calls have been rejected. The Home Office saying that it is within the power of the Local Authority to commission an Independent Inquiry.

The survivors should be the first consideration and their questions and concerns answered. There should also be a pathway for perpetrators and facilitators to be brought to account.

Oldham Council resolves:

·         To write to the Home Secretary requesting a Home Office led Public Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in the borough of Oldham.

·         To continue the work with survivors and others affected in preparing the framework and to commission an Independent Inquiry should the Home Office refuse the above request.

·         That any Inquiry should provide a voice for those affected by Child Sexual Exploitation in Oldham and provide the very best support and protection to those who wish to come forward with their testimony.

Motion 2 - Get Veterans Moving More
To be Moved by Councillor Shah
Seconded by Councillor Rustidge

According to the 2021 Census, approximately 6,000 Oldham residents are former members of either the UK regular or reserve armed forces. This Council believes that these veterans should be eligible for discounted membership at Oldham Community Leisure (OCL) facilities.

This Council notes:

·         The percentage of physically active adults in Oldham in 2021/22 was 62.7% compared to the 67.3% in England, and the Council and our partners on the Health and Wellbeing Board are committed to getting Oldham’s residents ‘Moving More’.

·         Making it easier for Oldham’s veterans’ population to access OCL provision across the Borough will support the ‘Moving More’ strategy in particular the strand: ‘Supporting VCF organisationsto be able to provide services and work with their communities to increase Physical Activity’.

·         Increased  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.

To notes actions taken arising from Council meetings.

To approve updates to the Council’s Constitution

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1: Removing Oldham Borough from Places for Everyone

To be moved by Councillor Sykes

Seconded by Councillor Woodvine

This council recognises that:

·                     Places for Everyone is based on ‘housing need’ calculations which are already the better part of a decade old.

·                     Places for Everyone does not give guarantees with regards to the delivery of affordable and socially rented homes.

·                     ‘Places for Everyone’ represents a developer-led approach.

·                     It would see the irreparable loss of Green Belt sites and green spaces which is not necessary.

·                     It uses Green Belt for the delivery of a housing strategy focused solely on developer profit.

·                     It does not deliver the right mix of affordable housing types and tenures in the places people want to live. 

·                     We also believe the Adoption Statement for the Plan presented at the last Full Council meeting in March 2024 was misleading by implying that all the main modifications had been consulted on.  This was not the case, as none of the main modifications related to HS2 have been consulted upon.

This council resolves to:

1. Request the new Secretary of State to revoke the Plan ‘Places for Everyone’ in the interest of all Oldham’s residents, businesses and other stake holders for the reasons stated above. 

2. In order for Council to consider this decision at its next meeting in September, the relevant council officers are requested to present a full report on the planning, legal, equalities and all other considerations of such a revocation. 

3. Should the request be approved Oldham Council’ withdraw engagement and support for the defence of the judicial review of ‘Places for Everyone’.

4. Should the Plan be revoked the Green Belt boundaries should be restored to their pre-adoption state.

5. If the Plan is revoked develop an Oldham-led housing strategy that prioritises brownfield and ex-industrial sites, while protecting greenbelt and green spaces for future generations.

Motion 2:  Request for a public inquiry into historic and current CSE within the Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council area

To be moved by Councillor Quigg

Seconded by Councillor Al-Hamdani

People in positions of power at both Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (OMBC) and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have yet to be held to account for their failure to protect our children from child sexual exploitation (CSE).

People of all communities in Oldham have as result of delay, obstruction and passage of time lost trust in OMBC and GMP.

As recently as January 2024, the highly respected Maggie Oliver referenced the Oldham Assurance Review and told its authors Malcom Newsam & Gary Ridgway that in Oldham they had been prevented from getting to the truth. This is after it emerged that survivors had been prevented from giving testimony to the Review Team.

The findings of the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s Assurance Review neither provided assurance nor sufficiently reviewed what had taken place. Despite claiming there was no cover up, and that lessons had been learned.

This Council notes:

Survivors deserve to see the full powers of law used to  ...  view the full agenda text for item 1.

To approve the appointment of Independent Members on the Independent Remuneration Panel.