Agenda item

(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 Reform and Regeneration – including the Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held 16^th October 2023; and the meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held 29^th September 2023 and 27^th October 2023

b.    Deputy Leader and Housing and Licensing Portfolio

c.    Deputy Leader and Children and Young People’s Portfolio

d.    Education and Skills Portfolio Holder

e.    Health and Social Care Portfolio Holder

f.     Communities and Culture Portfolio Holder

g.    Neighbourhoods Portfolio Holder

h.    Business, Employment and Enterprise Portfolio Holder

i.      Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder

Council agreed that the Council Procedure Rules would be varied so that there would be 10 minutes for questions to the Leader from Group Leaders and 10 minutes for the section on portfolio responsibilities.

 

Councillor Sykes, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group

 

Question 1: Newsome and Ridgeway Report

Councillor Sykes noted that it was now approximately 18 months since the shocking details of the Newsome and Ridgeway report into the review into historic safeguarding practices in the borough of Oldham was published, which revealed how responsible agencies in the borough had let many children down. Councillor Sykes asked, if, 18 months on from the report’s publication how many officers of the Greater Manchester Police, health care services and of the relevant departments of the Council had faced disciplinary action as a result of the widespread failings?

 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, replied that the findings of the report were indeed shocking but in the intervening years since the events occurred there had been big changes in working cultures and relevant staff had received a full training programme in how to deal with cases relating to sexual abuse and other safeguarding concerns. Councillor Shah advised that she did not have, to hand, details of the numbers of people who had faced disciplinary actions, relating to this matter but she undertook to write to Councillor Sykes with the information that he had requested.

 

Question 2: Oldham Coliseum Theatre

Councillor Sykes asked about proposals to redevelop the Oldham Coliseum theatre. Previous attempts to redevelop the theatre in 2013 and 2019 had ‘fell through’ and a further attempt in 2022 resulted in plans for a revamped theatre but with a reduced seating capacity of 260, down from the current capacity of 55 at its Fairbottom Street site. Initial reports had indicated that the Fairbottom Street site was at the end of its life but a report, commissioned by the Theatre’s Board of Trustees had found otherwise. Therefore, Councillor Sykes asked if it would be more prudent to invest funding in preserving the existing site at Fairbottom Street site rather than risk investing in a new site. Given that there was a report indicating that maintaining a working theatre at the Fairbottom Street site was still viable, Councillor Sykes asked if the Council had been misled about future intentions regarding the Coliseum theatre.

 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, replied that her administration was aware of the importance of the Coliseum Theatre for residents of the Borough and accordingly was involved in ongoing meetings with interested parties to maintain a viable theatre in the town centre.

 

Councillor Sheldon, Leader of the Conservative Group

Councillor Sheldon referred to recent well publicised dog attacks and the inclusion of the XL Bully Dog on the ‘banned breeds list’ noting that the current time would be an opportune moment to encourage responsible dog ownership. Councillor Sheldon noted that the vast majority of dog owners were responsible people who cared deeply for their pets but there was a minority of owners who allowed their dogs to behave badly, without proper control. Councillor Sheldon asked, with Christmas approaching, if the Leader of the Council would join him in promoting responsible dog ownership, noting that dogs were ‘for life and not just Christmas.’

 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, replied that she shared Councillor Sheldon’s concerns in this regard.

 

Councillor Hobin, Leader of the Failsworth Independent Party

Councillor Hobin asked about funding for the Oldham Coliseum Theatre. A recent publication had noted that the Coliseum had received upwards of £860,000 of funding, he asked what how this money was being utilised and if there was an associated programme of events?

 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, undertook to answer Councillor Hobin’s question in writing.

 

Councillor Hince, Leader of the Independent Group

Councillor Hince noted that the lack of affordable housing in the Borough was a major problem. Home builders should be required to provide a percentage of affordable homes at each development site but in certain circumstances loopholes in the law exempted them from this requirement. Therefore, Councillor Hince asked the Leader of the Council what mechanisms were in place to prevent this practice from occurring and, so that affordable homes can be spread out fairly across the Borough.

 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, undertook to answer Councillor Hince’s question in writing.

 

Councillor Ghafoor, Leader of the Oldham Group

Councillor Ghafoor did not have a question for the Leader of the Council on this occasion.

 

The Mayor invited the Leader of the Council and Cabinet Members to present their reports and invited non-executive members to ask questions thereon, as follows:

 

a.    Leader and Reform and Regeneration Portfolio – including the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 16^th October 2023 and the minutes of the minutes of the meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held 29^th September 2023 and 27^th October 2023.

 

Councillor Sykes – in light of Mayor Burnham’s forthcoming announcement on the Clean Air Zone, does the Leader think it is appropriate that cameras put in place for the original zone should be handed over to Greater Manchester Police without proper scrutiny or consultation? Would they not be put to better use if Council’s repurposed them for safer streets initiatives?

How does the Combined Authority plan to recoup the more than £3 million it spent putting CAZ signs up which turned out never to be needed? And how much money has been wasted exploring unwanted and undeliverable versions of the Clean Air Zone, only for the scheme to be scaled back at the eleventh hour to cover a smaller area?

Councillor Shah Leader of the Council replied that can confirm that Oldham is supporting a proposal for an ‘investment led’ Clean Air Plan as one of the 10 Greater Manchester authorities. If this is agreed at the GM Air Quality Admin Committee on the 20^th December the proposal will be submitted to the Government before Christmas for their consideration.

This proposal involves the Government investing into Zero Emission Buses across GM as well as offering assistance to taxi owners to replace any non-compliant vehicles that are licensed in GM.

It can be evidenced that this investment will reduce the pollution levels to below the legal limit across GM without the need for a charging zone and it is this approach that it is hoped the Government approves and funds. 

Concerning the question regarding the cameras, there will be another period of public consultation where the future of the cameras will be considered in detail once GM has had full and formal feedback from Government on the Clean Air Plan following the submission of this additional evidence.

All the signage and the cameras from the previous proposal were funded by central Government and therefore any decisions regarding the signage and future use of the cameras will be made in consultation with Government after their feedback on the GM ‘Investment led’ Clean Air Plan.

 

Councillor McLaren asked could the Leader give an update on the work being done with colleagues at Rochdale Council and the GMCA to make Stakehill a vital part of the Atom Valley investment zone? 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council replied, thanked Councillor McLaren for his question.

For those who may not be aware, Atom Valley is a hugely significant economic growth package of three sites in the North-Eastern area of Greater Manchester.  This includes the Northern Gateway site between Bury and Rochdale, Kingsway site in Rochdale, and importantly for Oldham an extension of the Stakehill site, which crosses the boundary of Oldham and Rochdale).

Over the last 12 months, Oldham Council has been working closely with Rochdale Council and other partners like Transport for Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to bring forward the various packages of work needed to develop the Stakehill Site.  

This includes an in-depth analysis of transport connectivity to make sure that all residents will have the ability to access the jobs available at these sites, and for local businesses to connect for supply chains and contract awards. This work will also help to identify the infrastructure needed to make sure the site can be developed in a timely manner. 

It is pleasing to see the recognition of the strategic importance of Atom Valley by the Government through the recent allocation of Investment Zone status with a focus of Advanced Manufacturing and Materials.

I strongly believe that all three sites across Atom Valley, and the whole of Greater Manchester will benefit from the allocation of the Investment Zone and I’m pushing to go as fast as possible so we can reap the benefits as soon as possible.

We’re working closely with the Mayor, Rochdale, Bury, to take levelling up into our own hands, Atom Valley is about creating the landscape for the next industrial revolution, it’s about creating the opportunity for the Ferranti’s and Platt Brothers of the future to sprout up and succeed.

 

Councillor Quigg, further to the last meeting of Council, on 1^st November 2023, (minute 10 refers) sought clarification on proposals to sell land at the Fitton Hill Housing scheme site, in light of the rising value of the land affected.

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, addressed his question noting that due procedure had been followed in this matter, a fact that had been verified by an independent audit report thereon.

 

b.    Deputy Leader and Housing and Licensing Portfolio

Councillor Arnott stated that a new development of 2- and 3-bedroom houses in the centre of Royton, developed by First Choice Homes Oldham will be available at "affordable rent" as well as shared ownership. Would the Cabinet Member confirm that priority will be given to the many Royton residents who are desperate for a social housing property in the town where they live, or where they come from, and write to me and my colleagues every week.

Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader and Housing and Licensing Portfolio, thanked Councillor Arnott for his question. You have referenced the Former Health Centre site in Royton town centre which has been developed by First Choice Homes Oldham and at the end of September 2023, 14 much needed homes were completed.  The development includes five affordable rent properties and nine shared ownership properties.  The five affordable rent properties have all been let to families on the housing register and are let on a housing needs basis. The nine shared ownership plots are being sold on first come first served basis by LWC as the chosen agent by First Choice Homes Oldham LWC, and it is understood that some of these properties are still available. 

 

Councillor Holly Harrison noted that she was pleased to see more applications for taxis to be licensed here in Oldham, and wondered whether an update can be given on how many of these applications are taxis that were previously registered outside of Greater Manchester and how does being licensed in Oldham help drivers and passengers?

Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader and Housing and Licensing Portfolio, thanked Councillor Holly Harrison for her question. In June 2023, the Licensing Committee approved various policy changes which have resulted in a significant increase in the number of applications to be a taxi driver.

Before these policy changes we licensed around 1300 drivers. To date, we have received an additional 1342 new driver applications, 484 of which have already been issued after undergoing the relevant checks

In addition to this, we are seeing an increase in vehicles being licensed with the Council with currently another 200 licensed private hire vehicles joining the taxi fleet licensed by Oldham taking the total to 1200. More are expected to follow once their existing licences expire at other authorities.

I believe that this is a positive change for the Borough, it is encouraging Greater Manchester residents who obtained driver licences outside of the area to come back to the Council. As the regulator this gives us more control over the drivers and vehicles providing a service to our residents.

No driver will receive a licence without going through the relevant checks and no vehicle licence will be granted unless the vehicle meets our stringent safety and emission standards.

 

c.    Deputy Leader and Children and Young People’s Portfolio

Councillor Gloster asked can the Cabinet Member provide an update on fostering allowances? Has the allowance been increased to offset the impact of inflation and have arrangements been made for backpay?

Councillor Mushtaq, Deputy Leader and Children and Young People’s Portfolio, replied that the Council has uplifted all payments to Oldham Foster Carers by 10% in January 2023. This was in recognition of the cost-of-living crisis and the valued work our carers do for Oldham’s Looked After Children and Young People.

This payment followed a 4% increase in allowances in 2022 alongside an increase in mileage payments and a one-off payment of £250 to assist fostering households with the cost-of-living payments.

We remain committed to support Oldham Carers and have informed carers that we will review again early next year in preparation for 2024/25.

 

Councillor Rea advised that she had recently attended a White Ribbon event and had made some useful contacts with people who were able to facilitate training and educational events and she undertook to keep Councillor Mushtaq on developments.

Councillor Mushtaq, Deputy Leader and Children and Young People’s Portfolio, replied thanking Councillor Rea for her remarks and actions.

 

Councillor Jenny Harrison asked, could you outline the work that the Complex Safeguarding Hub does with vulnerable young people, and how they support victims of CSE and other complex needs?

Councillor Mushtaq, Deputy Leader and Children and Young People’s Portfolio, replied that a key part of the Complex Safeguarding Hub work is working directly with young people who have been deemed as vulnerable to exploitation and/or those young people who have been the victims of exploitation. The support offered to each of the young people open to the service is bespoke. When planning the support offered to the young people, consideration is given to their age, culture, identity, learning needs, background and level and nature of concerns.  The support for children and young people who have experienced or are experiencing child exploitation has relational and trauma informed and strength based practice at the core: providing education through direct work sessions, using practical approaches to safety planning through role play or scenarios, conversation based learning and reflection, active safeguarding and disruption, emotional support, achieving best evidence interviews, working towards goals and ambitions, being advocates, and applying flexibility and creativity to try what works for each individual young person. Issues important to young people are of key focus – supporting them with what they need and aspire to achieve. When the time comes to close a young person to the complex safeguarding hub, we ensure there is continued support for that young person, whether this be through KOGs or the youth service.

The Complex Safeguarding Team is also resourced to a level where it can provide a prevention offer to children and young people within the borough. It is noted that prevention is key, with the team wanting to prevent exploitation wherever possible, it is recognised that this is better than responding to and protecting children after the harm has taken place. As part of the prevention offer there is a wider campaign of increasing awareness, education and training of young people, families, communities, and professionals in a variety of ways but also through our direct one to one case work.

 

d.    Education and Skills Portfolio

Councillor Bishop asked how much was the total figure for the provision of an Alternative Education placement for pupils within the borough and what percentage does this represent of the overall education budget? Can the Cabinet Member detail which schools request the most funding for Alternative Education provision?

Councillor Ali, Education and Skills Portfolio Holder replied that the total cost of alternative provision the Council has commissioned this financial year was £332,880.74. This represented a small proportion of the overall education budget.  There is not particular pattern in relation to which schools request alternative provision, as it is determined by the need of the child. 

The total cost of alternative provision the Council has commissioned this financial year is £332,880.74.

Councillor Adams asked that following a highly critical Ofsted report in August on the management of SEND provision in Oldham, an Improvement Notice was sent to the council in November. Would the Cabinet Member please outline what specific actions have been completed so far, to address the shortcomings that the report highlighted.

Councillor Ali, Education and Skills Portfolio Holder replied that a joint Ofsted/care quality commission (CQC) area send inspection of the Oldham partnership had taken place between Monday 26 June 2023 to Friday 30 June 2023. Since receipt of the report on 25 July 2023, the local area partnership has been working to address the priority actions and development areas. 

Change Programme Partnership: Oldham has been selected as part of the SEND and Alternative Provision Change Programme for the North West region. This programme, which includes additional funding from the DfE, will help the partnership improve the quality and timeliness of our Education and Health Care Plans and strengthen alternative provision.  This will incude additional support around speech and lanhuage needs. 

Delivering Better Value (DBV) Programme: Oldham’s grant bid has been approved and will bring in around  £1,000,000 in additional funding. This will be targeted at SEN support and early identification. This is timely as the areas identified through the DBV programme, also support the response to the Ofsted/CQC inspection.

 

Councillor Ibrahim asked that with the two ‘good’ OFSTED reports mentioned in the cabinet report Cllr Ali, can you give an update on how many schools in Oldham are ranked as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’?

Councillor Ali, Education and Skills Portfolio Holder, replied that of 104 schools in Oldham that have been inspected by Ofsted, 89 schools (85.6%) were ranked as ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ - as at 31^st October 2023.

 

e.    Health and Social Care Portfolio

Councillor Hamblett asked does the Cabinet Member think it is fair that if someone is refused a blue badge by the council and then appeals the decision, the same team then resits the application rather than an independent body or members of this council? Will the Cabinet Member agree to review this process and bring forward a truly independent appeals process for our residents in the interest of fairness and transparency?

Councillor Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care replied that the Department for Transport (DfT) is responsible for the legislation that sets out the broad framework. This includes:

·         the prescribed descriptions of disabled people to whom a badge may be issued - for example, the eligibility criteria

·         the maximum fee that can be charged by local authorities for issue of a badge

·         the period of issue of a badge

·         the grounds for refusal to issue a badge and the grounds to withdraw a badge

·         the circumstances in which a badge should be returned to the issuing authority

·         the manner in which a badge should be displayed

·         the national concessions available to badge holders under the scheme

DfT however does not then have an extended responsibility. Under localism the powers to form and apply the Blue Badge policy sit with the local authority.

Local authorities are responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Blue Badge scheme and its enforcement.

At Oldham we have a policy based on the criteria and this is applied with fairness and objectivity. There isn’t an appeal as such but the provision for an applicant to ask for a review. The review is then undertaken by the council contacting medical professionals. If the review is on grounds that medical is being contested, then we will seek a review from a more senior professional within the NHS.

The council is always happy to look at ways in which it can benchmark its approach and policies to ensure we are Resident Focused, and we will be happy to look at what other GM authorities are doing on the aspect of reviews for consistency.

 

Councillor Charters asked, having seen the responses given to the COVID Inquiry by those who were high up in government during the pandemic, does the cabinet member agree with me that Oldham was failed by the Johnson Government?

Councillor Brownridge, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care replied one of the things that people often forget about from the pandemic is that there was about 6 weeks where the government kept Oldham in enhanced lockdown restrictions despite the fact that our neighbours in Rochdale and Tameside had similar covid case numbers to us.

Oldhamers could only have 20 people at a funeral during those six weeks, while families in the rest of Greater Manchester could have 30 people there.

10 people might be a small number but the emotional toll this took on people can’t be quantified. If it wasn’t hard enough to cope with loss and grief during the pandemic Oldhamers would’ve then had to sit down and work out which of their family members, they weren’t inviting. Simply put, we were forgotten about.

 

At this point in the proceedings, the meeting was interrupted by a member of the public.  The Mayor, as Chair of the meeting, gave repeated warnings.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 19.59 and reconvened at 20.28, in the Lees Suite.

 

Council agreed to waive Procedure Rules and to note the outstanding portfolio reports namely reports relating to the Communities and Culture Portfolio Holder, the Neighbourhoods Portfolio Holder, the Business, Employment and Enterprise Portfolio Holder and the Finance and Corporate Resources Portfolio Holder.

 

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Minutes of the Cabinet meetings held 16^th October 2023, be noted.

2.    That the Minutes of the meetings of the Greater Manchester

     Combined Authority, held 29^th September 2023 and 27^th October 2023, be noted.

3.    That the reports of the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Members, be noted.