Presentation by the Executive Director for Place and Economic Growth
Minutes:
The Committee received a detailed presentation which outlined the work and functions of the Place and Economic Growth Directorate. The Directorate was headed by the Executive Director, who was supported by a Director of Economy and a Director of Environment.
The Director of Economy was responsible for the following areas:
a. Planning
The principal functions of the Planning Service were outlined as: Development Control, Planning Policy and Transportation. The priorities of the Planning Service were: the development of a resident focused Planning System; the development of the Greater Manchester wide (except for Stockport) Places for Everyone initiative; the Local Plan refresh; development and maintenance of District Plans; and the implementation of the Borough’s Transport Strategy.
b. Housing
The main aims of the Housing Services were to deliver the ‘Warm Homes Oldham’ plan; tackling Homelessness; developing Housing Options (in consultation with local providers) and Market Interventions. The current priorities for Housing Services were: an accelerated delivery of housings sites, promoting the Town Centre Strategic Partnership; and revitalising the Housing Options place based delivery model.
c. Economic Development and Growth
The main aims of the Economic Development Service was providing support, where necessary and possible for local businesses, Investment, the ‘Get Oldham Working’ initiative and developing the Borough’s town centres and markets. Their current priorities included the delivery of Green Shoots and The Hive; Investment and Place Marketing; Delivery of Restart and the National Careers Service; Markets transition into Spindles; and development of the Atom Valley development site.
d. Property and Projects
The main areas of focus for the Property and Projects Service included: Estates Management; Property Maintenance; Facilities Management; Parking; and the School Catering Service the Service’s current priorities included – development of a Facilities Management Target Operating Model; a strategic review management of asset base and the establishment of an Oldham Strategic Estates Group.
The Director of Environment was responsible for the following areas:
a. Public Protection
The main areas covered by the Public Protection Service were: Licensing, Trading Standards’ First Response Security, Environmental Health (including Health and Safety, Food Safety and Selective Licensing), the development of the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan, Neighbourhood Enforcement and Building Control. The Service’s priorities included periodic and fundamental service reviews; resident focused systems and technology; and the development of mobile working options for officers across all services to improve efficiency and response times.
b. Waste Management, Street and Highways Operations
The main elements of this service included - Waste Management (Domestic, Trade and Bulky), Fleet Management and Highways Operations (including winter maintenance). The service’s priorities included the implementation of the ‘Bartec’ Collective’; dealing and managing DEFRA consultations; the roll out of handheld technology to ‘front-end’ the Highways’ service’s workforce; to review grit bin locations; to review Gully maintenance work and the delivery of quality services; and the procurement of replacement vehicles.
c. Highways and Engineering
The functions of the Highways and traffic teams were to - manage and improve the Borough’s highways; to carry out planned inspections of all the highway’s network; to design and to provide site supervision of all capitally funded schemes. The priorities included – carrying out highway’s infrastructure network management, including planned safety inspections; the prioritisation of defects, such as potholes; management of traffic and safety engineering; maintain the responsibilities under the New Roads and Streetworks Act; and project delivery, including capital funded projects and programmes.
Grounds Maintenance and Environmental Services
The main duties and responsibilities of these services included the development of grounds maintenance and landscape development; street cleansing; arboriculture and countryside service and cemetery and crematorium services. The main priorities currently were – the development of phase 1 of the ‘ECO centre’; completion of the ‘Don’t Trash Oldham’ (DTO) ‘Betterment’ Programme - by September 2023; completing a framework agreement for the management of the borough’s tree stock; to continue to increase biodiversity across the borough’s greenspaces over the next five years; and to ensure that cremators are replaced so as that they comply with legal requirements.
Resolved:
1. That the presentation be noted and welcomed.
2. That the projects and initiatives contained within the presentation, with respect to both the Economy Service and the Environment Service be used to develop the Committee’s 2023/24 Work Programme.