Agenda item

The Select Committee was reminded that the ‘Creating a Better Place’ strategic framework had been approved by Cabinet at a meeting held on 23^rd  January 2020 and the report considered by the Cabinet at that time which set out the purpose of and approach to the strategic framework, developed in response to the expectation on the Council to deliver economic growth and major regeneration while coping with financial challenges, was presented for information.

The Leader of the Council noted Creating a Better Place was a positive step forward, identifying possible levers to bring in additional investment into the Borough and presenting exciting plans for Oldham Town Centre and to invest in all parts of the Borough.  Creating a Better Place focused on building more homes for our residents, creating new jobs through town centre regeneration, and ensuring Oldham is a great place to visit with lots of family friendly and accessible places to go. 

However, it was noted that, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Council has had to respond with significant funding support to ensure the safety and welfare of Oldham’s local communities resulting in a serious impact on the Council’s financial plans.  The views of the Select Committee were being sought on proposed review principles to consider whether the programme was able to respond to support the post-Covid recovery plans; whether the use of public capital funds was still justified; and whether the original savings proposals were at risk or could be accelerated or enhanced in any way to reduce the demands and pressures on service baseline budget allocations.

The Director of Economy introduced the proposed principles for reviewing projects within the Creating a Better Place programme, these considering -

·         whether a project contributed positively to the objectives of the Creating a Better Place strategic framework;

·         whether a project contributed positively towards the performance targets contained within Creating a Better Place;

·         whether a project would contribute positively towards revenue savings;

·         whether a project had a business case that guaranteed ability to cover prudential borrowing costs;

·         whether a project provided future cost avoidance, such as backlog maintenance or reduced whole life costs; and

·         whether a project supported the post-Covid economic recovery.

The capacity of the organisation to deliver the Creating a Better Place programme was queried, the Committee being advised that the position had been reviewed and that Teams were in place to deliver along with provision for technical experts to be brought in as and when necessary.  Timescales for the programme had been mapped out, though opportunities existed to bring items forward, for example if external funding opportunities arose.  Further to a specific query, it was advised that Northern Roots formed part of Creating a Better Place and was programmed accordingly.

A Member, noting the objective for tourism and the recent experiences around Dovestones, commented that the necessary infrastructure needed to be in place to back-up this objective.  Responding to a further comment that attention needed to be paid to the Town Centre market hall and that opportunities were presented by the objective linked to town centre living, the Leader of the Council acknowledged that the market hall was valued and advised that the Council was committed to independent traders.  However, such facilities needed to adapt in order to attract new customers and, at a time when all town centres looked similar and had the same large stores, there was need to identify a unique offer to get people to come.

RESOLVED that the proposed review of Creating a Better Place and the review principles be noted.