Agenda item

Youth Council

(time limit 20 minutes)

 

Safer Streets

Our motion today has come about because of personal experience of some of our Youth Councillors.  Family members and close friends have been the victims of crime on the streets of Oldham.  While the criminals were apprehended, some of us still feel unsafe walking around our local community especially at night.  In working with other youth voice groups and consulting with Oldham’s young people we have found that others feel the same way.

The 2019 UK Youth Parliament’s consultation ‘Make Your Mark’, had ‘Put an End to Knife Crime’ as it’s top issue.  Since that time we have been working and talking to young people about being safe on Oldham’s streets. 

Police figures for Oldham do suggest that Oldham has a higher-than-average crime rate for Greater Manchester.  However, looking at crimes you would expect to increase people feeling unsafe (such as theft from a person, possessions of weapons and drugs offences) these were all lower than the Greater Manchester Police average and were between 1 and 2 per 1,000 population.  Even though violence and sexual offences recorded at around 40 per 1,000 population, this too was below the greater Manchester average.  While we realise crime is still an issue (like the rest of Greater Manchester) it is perhaps the perception of safety that is causing people to not want to go out.

From our consultation approximately one third of young people feel unsafe in their local community at least half of the time and this rises further to 56.5% in communities outside their local area.  Young people told us that they fear crimes such as being mugged, drug related crime and bladed weapon related crime as well as large groups who maybe using alcohol and/or drugs.  This would seem to dispute the figures given for crime in Oldham and does suggest that it is a perceived fear rather than and actual one.

To help feel safer 67% of the 400 respondents wanted more trusted adults such as Police to be more visible and approachable and over half felt that Oldham needed better street lighting to make it lighter while walking at night.  The main suggestion to do this was the use of white LED streetlights rather than the old orange sodium lighting.  Young people also wanted to make any existing CCTV more visible, perhaps with signage or by making it more prominent, so that people knew where to walk. Following our consultation and research over the past 2 years, we ask:

That Council resolves to:

  1. Ask the relevant department to complete a review of the street lighting and CCTV that is used within the borough. 
  2. Investigate if it possible and practicable, that existing lighting is changed to LED lights and CCTV is made as visible as it can be  
  3. Investigate the possibility of installing LED lights in all new street lighting especially in the plans for the town centre.

 

Minutes:

The Youth Council PROPOSED the following MOTION:

Safer Streets

Our motion today has come about because of personal experience of some of our Youth Councillors.  Family members and close friends have been the victims of crime on the streets of Oldham. While the criminals were apprehended, some of us still feel unsafe walking around our local community especially at night.  In working with other youth voice groups and consulting with Oldham’s young people we have found that others feel the same way.

 

The 2019 UK Youth Parliament’s consultation ‘Make Your Mark’, had ‘Put an End to Knife Crime’ as its top issue.  Since that time, we have been working and talking to young people about being safe on Oldham’s streets.

 

Police figures for Oldham do suggest that Oldham has a higher-than-average crime rate for Greater Manchester.  However, looking at crimes you would expect to increase people feeling unsafe (such as theft from a person, possessions of weapons and drugs offences) these were all lower than the Greater Manchester Police average and were between 1 and 2 per 1,000 population.  Even though violence and sexual offences recorded at around 40 per 1,000 population, this too was below the greater Manchester average.  While we realise crime is still an issue (like the rest of Greater Manchester) it is perhaps the perception of safety that is causing people to not want to go out.

 

From our consultation approximately one third of young people feel unsafe in their local community at least half of the time and this rises further to 56.5% in communities outside their local area.  Young people told us that they fear crimes such as being mugged, drug related crime and bladed weapon related crime as well as large groups who maybe using alcohol and/or drugs.  This would seem to dispute the figures given for crime in Oldham and does suggest that it is a perceived fear rather than and actual one.

 

To help feel safer 67% of the 400 respondents wanted more trusted adults such as Police to be more visible and approachable and over half felt that Oldham needed better street lighting to make it lighter while walking at night.  The main suggestion to do this was the use of white LED streetlights rather than the old orange sodium lighting.  Young people also wanted to make any existing CCTV more visible, perhaps with signage or by making it more prominent, so that people knew where to walk.

 

Following our consultation and research over the past 2 years, we ask:

That Council resolves to:

1.    Ask the relevant department to complete a review of the street lighting and CCTV that is used within the borough. 

2.    Investigate if it possible and practicable, that existing lighting is changed to LED lights and CCTV is made as visible as it can be  

3.    Investigate the possibility of installing LED lights in all new street lighting especially in the plans for the town centre.

 

Councillor Hazel Gloster spoke in support of the Motion

Councillor Chadderton spoke in support of the Motion

Councillor Al-Hamdani spoke in support of the Motion

Councillor Shah spoke in support of the Motion.

 

Councillor Chadderton MOVED and Councillor Moores SECONDED the MOTION as presented by the Youth Council.

 

RESOLVED that:

1.         The Chief Executive be requested to ask the relevant Council department to complete a review of the street lighting and CCTV that is used within the borough. 

2.         The Chief Executive be requested to ask the relevant Council department to investigate if it possible and practicable, that existing lighting is changed to LED lights and CCTV is made as visible as it can be. 

3.         The Chief Executive be requested to ask the relevant Council department to investigate the possibility of installing LED lights in all new street lighting especially in the plans for the town centre.