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 Building a Better Oldham – including the Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held 19^th August 2024 and 16^th September 2024, the meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held 12^th July 2024 and 27^th September 2024 and the meeting of the AGMA Executive Board held 27^th September 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

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

 

a.    Councillor Shah, Leader and Building a Better Oldham Portfolio – including the Minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held 19^th August 2024 and 16^th September 2024; the Minutes of the meeting of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held 12^th July 2024 and 27^th September 2024 and the Minutes of the meeting of the AGMA Executive Board held on 27^th September 2024.

 

Councillor Sykes, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group

Question 1: IX Wireless

Thank you, Mr Mayor,

 

People across Oldham Borough have been left feeling ignored and angry with regards to the situation with IX masts – not least in Shaw, Crompton and Royton.

The communication with residents has been woeful by this company.  None-existent in many cases.  The first people know is if a notice pasted on a lamp post. 

 

You can then respond to the sham consultation – I am not aware of one proposal being amended following constructive suggestions from residents, businesses or councillors.

When you don’t communicate, you make the disruption worse for people.  And it leads to the resentment we’ve seen.  This is all completely or nearly avoidable with proper communication. 

So will the Leader please fully explain to the Council, what the current situation with IX Wireless’s highways licenses is?

On what basis was the permit revoked?

Will she commit to proactively informing councillors and members of the public - ahead of time – as to when the permit will be reinstated?

And will she write to the Technology Minister, Chris Bryant MP, to ask that companies are required to share broadband infrastructure where possible in order to minimise disruption for residents?  Something the law says but I see no evidence of this happening anywhere in our Borough.

 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, replied that she understood Councillor Sykes’ concerns regarding this matter and she undertook to write to the Technology Minister, Chris Bryan MP, as suggested by Councillor Sykes.

 

Question 2: Eton Star College
Councillor Sykes asked his second question regarding the Eton Star College. At the last question time I asked the Leader why she thought the Eton Star 6^th Form Oldham project was necessary. 

It’s not a surprise that I and many others fail to be convinced…

But it seems that the new Secretary of State for Education was even less impressed, because since we last met, Bridget Phillipson has paused plans for the opening of 44 new state schools – including those backed by Eton. 

So, we can now add the Labour Secretary of State to the list of people who disagree with the Leader that Eton Star is the right thing for Oldham Borough.  That list includes:

 

·         The National Education Union.

·         Teaching professionals, parents and pupils in Oldham who have never been consulted.

·         And even the Council’s own officers, who told Children’s Scrutiny Committee in March that Eton Star would not help bridge the post-16 gap we have in Oldham Borough.   

So, can I ask the Leader… what is her plan if her own Government decides she is wrong… and decides to mothball the Eton Star project?

Also, what is the current value of the Tommyfield Market site and is the true market value of the site going to be paid to the council or are we gifting it to Eton?

The Leader may not have that figure to hand - and if not I happy she writes to me with it, but she must know if we are being paid or gifting the land?

 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council, replied that she still wholeheartedly supported the Eton Star project and that she would, on behalf of the Council, be making appropriate representations to the Secretary of State for Education regarding this matter. With regard to the value of the Tommyfield Market site in Oldham, Councillor Shah undertook to provide Councillor Sykes with a written response to his enquiry.

 

Question from Councillor Sheldon, Leader of the Conservative Group:

Thank you, Mr Mayor

 

Last week, the new Labour. government unveiled its budget, promising economic stability and certainty. However, for small businesses in Oldham and across the whole country, the measures outlined by the Chancellor could very well lead to instability and uncertainty about their business’ future.

 

Small businesses will be burdened with additional financial pressures due to this budget, especially with both the minimum wage and employer’s National Insurance contributions rising.

 

The vast majority of Oldham’s businesses are small businesses with only a handful of workers. They are the lifeblood of our borough. Unfortunately, these are businesses that already face the pressure of the cost-of-living crisis, and Labour’s budget has only added to their struggles.

 

What this risks is that businesses will either not take on new staff or potentially even let employees go. The knock-on effects of this should be obvious, and we should be working to avoid the impact of any businesses going under or laying off staff.

 

My question is this: What is this council going to do to help those small businesses who will be impacted, and may be put at risk, by the Labour government’s budget?

 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council replied that the proposals in the Chancellor’s budget would offer robust support to small businesses and provide the right circumstances in which they can operate successfully. In addition, the Council was committed to providing and supporting large-scale infrastructure projects that would provide employment opportunities for local people. The Council was actively engaging with local organisations in this regard, including with the Federation of Small Businesses.

 

Question from Councillor Ghafoor, Leader of the Oldham Group

Councillor Ghafoor, noted that the centrepiece of this Labour administration's Town Centre plans is the council's 15-year agreement with Muse. Now we've already seen some lovely computer-generated images and press releases. However, I'm a little concerned that the Leader has not yet confirmed if Muse or the Council has secured funding to start any building Works. There's no provision in our accounts and nothing from the Council or Muse about how it will be funded. We've already seen from Manchester where GMCA and other developments are presently being legally challenged for allegedly distorting the market, so it's important we have transparency. Can the Leader, please answer these four questions.

 

Has a Council or Muse secured enough funding to start building Works yes or no?

Is a council underwriting any of the costs for Muse yes or no?

If funding has been secured for the project then who is it from?

Fourthly, how much are we paying Muse for their Consulting for the next 15 years and where's that money coming from?

 

So will the Leader tell us today how and who is funding the development and if the Council are underwriting any costs.

 

Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council replied that the Council is working with MUSE and other developers to promote the development of Oldham’s town centre area, to make it a better place to live and work in.

 

b.    Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader and Decent Homes Portfolio Holder

Question from Councillor McLaren - How is the Planning Department coping with the numbers of Planning Applications being submitted and does the Council know how Oldham will benefit from the additional resources for Planning Officers and developing skills announced in last week’s budget?

 

Councillor Taylor replied, stating that the Council welcomes the Government’s announcement to create roles for 300 additional graduate and apprentice planners mentioned in the budget last week, as any such investment in skilled planning resource is very much welcomed. There is a growing shortage of skilled planners in the UK, as fewer young people are choosing to go into the profession, so any move to encourage more young people to choose planning as a career will be positive.  We anticipate more information being shared with all local authorities over the coming weeks. 

As with many services across the Council, the Planning team is carrying a number of vacancies at this moment in time while recruitment activities continue. As a result, it has been a challenge ensuring the number of planning applications coming into the council are processed in a timely manner. However, we have two new colleagues joining the team next week and other measures are in place to help address the small backlog that has developed, to help ensure the service is running smoothly once again before Christmas.

 

Question from Councillor Hamblett – A significant overspend in this year’s budget is the result of high costs associated with temporary accommodation. We will soon be vacating the civic centre and QE hall. Could we consider the feasibility of using some of the existing buildings or using part of the site when this is re-developed to convert this to temporary accommodation?

 

Councillor Taylor replied, explaining that the significant overspend referenced relates to the Council meeting its statutory duties to support Oldham’s residents when they find themselves homeless.  It is really sad to continue to see so many families continuing to struggle to afford their own home, but the Council continues to provide true public service by ensuring Oldham’s residents are not left homeless especially at this time of year as the cold winter weather approaches. 

There are many activities in flight to help address both the cost and more importantly the availability of temporary accommodation placements. This includes working with exploring new service delivery models, working with the partners and also the reuse of Council land and assets.

 

Question from Councillor Arnott – Councillor Arnott expressed his concerns at the high numbers of families with children that were being housed in temporary accommodation in Oldham, from outside of the Borough.

 

Councillor Taylor shared Councillor Arnott’s concerns and agreed that the current system was not working as it should.

 

Question from Councillor Junaid Hussain – the numbers of households in temporary accommodation is very worrying and new affordable housing is urgently needed. New applications to build social and affordable homes are welcome – especially given changes to the right to buy which will protect newly built social homes. The Chancellor announced an additional £500m for the Affordable Homes Programme in 2025/6. What will be the impact on house-building in Oldham?

 

Councillor Taylor replied that the Council has a pipeline of housing sites that it wants to prioritise for truly affordable and social housing and as opportunities arise to access funding such as this additional £500m, we are ready to put sites forward for the funding which will then accelerate the development of those much-needed homes for our residents.

Government departments have not shared all the detail about this new funding yet, however we are aware that this is a “top-up” to the budget and Oldham is ready to accelerate the delivery of house-building, especially on brownfield sites. Mr Mayor as part of the Council’s local response to the national housing crisis, we set up and established a housing task force with private landlords, registered social landlords, housing developers and third sector partners, and I am aware that ahead of the next meeting in December, there is a planned workshop to investigate how this announcement will benefit Oldham and how we can work co-operatively to get more  affordable homes built. 

 

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

Question from Councillor Byrne – I read that councils are sitting on £18billion earmarked for Affordable Housing, Roads and Schools despite the financial pressures facing local government. Some of these monies not spent for 5 years.

How much was received in grants for these purposes by this Council:

How was it spent:

How much is retained for future projects.

 

Councillor Jabbar replied that Over the 5 financial years from 2019/20 to 2023/24 the Council received £88.8m of capital grant funding to support Housing, Roads and School Projects.

The grants were spent on schemes to support the provision of housing and the development of hosing sites, the provision of school places, major school maintenance projects and Special Educational Needs provision along with highway improvement and maintenance projects across the borough. On 31^st March 2024 there were a total amount of £23.5m of funding that is retained for future projects.  This is incorporated in the Council’s current Capital Programme and will be utilised over the life of the current capital programme to deliver schemes to support Housing, Roads and schools within the borough.

 

Question from Councillor Nasheen – Could you give an update on how the Budget announced last week has affected the council’s financial position?

 

Councillor Jabbar replied, that the government had announced £1.3bn specifically for local government plus a range of other measures

·         Extended Producer Responsibilities (£1.1bn),

·         Homelessness (£233m),

·         children’s social care reforms (£250m)

Which appear to take the total to some £3bn.

The budget indicated a reform of the way funding is allocated across the local government sector – starting with the additional funding announced for 2025-26 ahead of a broader redistribution of funding through a multi-year settlement from 2026-27. 

In addition, the government has committed to provide resources to the public sector help fund the additional NI costs.

We don’t yet know the exact impact on Oldham – this will become clear when the Local Government Finance Settlement is announced in December.  At this stage we are confident that there will be additional resources than previously outlined in the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy and are working through a range of scenarios.  It is also clear that there remain significant challenges to overcome and hard decisions to make in order to produce a balanced budget for 2025-26.

 

Question from Councillor Al-Hamdani - Could the Cabinet Member responsible please confirm what actions the Council have taken to inform residents receiving Universal Credit who are impacted by the decision of the DWP to not pay for housing in the 53rd financial week during leap years (such as this year). Will they commit to writing to the minister responsible to request that payments are made in the 53rd financial week, to ensure that additional financial pressure is not put on residents who are often struggling to budget from week to week, never mind saving up for an additional rent payment at the end of the year?

 

Councillor Jabbar replied that universal credit payments are paid monthly in arrears and are designed to mirror most wage payments in order to enable claimants to budget effectively, thereby making any transition into work easier for the claimant.

If rent is paid weekly, a monthly amount will be calculated by multiplying the weekly rent by 52 and dividing by 12, unless rent is charged over fewer than 52 weeks.

The Council can provide help for tenants who may be struggling to meet their rent payments via Discretionary Housing Payments, which can be applied for on the Council’s website. There is also additional help available for households this winter with the continuation of the Household Support Fund, which the government has committed to continue into 2025/26.

Winter support for residents has a communications plan to ensure all residents are aware of the help and support available to them.

 

d.    Councillor Mushtaq, Children and Young People Portfolio Holder

Question from Councillor Aslam – The report outlines steps to create 17 new semi-independent placements and 12 new over-18s placements for young people, together with setting up 3 new children’s homes. Can you outline how these homes will operate and why it is important to provide local homes for local children?

 

Councillor Mushtaq replied that Oldham’s placement sufficiency strategy is to provide a home for every child in care by increasing the accommodation choices available for children and young people that meets their needs, and which will enable the council to have greater autonomy and control in meeting increasing placement demand, with reduced reliance on high-cost residential placements commissioned in the private provider market.

The new children’s homes will be internally run by the children’s social care residential service. New local semi-independent supported accommodation and over 18’s placements are commissioned through private providers registered on the Placements Northwest Framework supporting young people to prepare for independent living. 

By delivering a comprehensive and sufficient mix of high quality, local accommodation choices both internally and through commissioned arrangements, there are a range of benefits to ensure the children in our care live in a safe, secure, stable, and caring home. These include:

·                     Children and young people remaining close to their existing support networks such as family, friends, school, and communities.

·                     Familiar settings that improve placement stability.

·                     Access to local education, employment, and training opportunities.

·                     Wider accommodation choices enabling better matching of accommodation, that offer the right environment to give children and young people the best chance of reaching their full potential, academically, socially, and emotionally.

Increased local job opportunities for our residents as part of the operational delivery model.

 

Question from Councillor Williamson - Thousands of children under councils up and down the country are participating in Page 2 of 2 the ‘Fix Our Food’ trial – extending Free School meals to more children and helping families break through language barriers and stigma to access Free School Meals. Will the Cabinet Member agree to look at including Oldham in this trial and support the work of ‘Fix Our Food’, by writing to the Secretary of State for Education urging her to reform Free School Meals so that eligible families are auto enrolled?

 

Councillor Mushtaq replied, thanking Councillor Williamson for being alerted to the Fix Our Food programme.  He was delighted to say that already in Oldham, any application for Housing Benefits or Council Tax Relief is automatically also treated as a claim for a Free School Meal and it is awarded at the same time as their claim for the benefit is assessed. Further, the Council ensures that any cases where there have been changes to a benefit claim that would newly qualify a resident’s child for a Free School Meal are processed.  We also have an opt-out approach, rather than opt-in, so that claimants have to actually get in touch to say they don’t want the Free School Meal entitlement, rather than the other way round. This means we are fully optimising entitlement across Oldham.

 

e.    Councillor Mohon Ali, Education and Skills Portfolio

Question from Councillor Sajed Hussain - The report demonstrates that school leaders and staff are working very hard to ensure pupils attend school and stay on roll despite the significant challenges emerging after the pandemic. The Government has confirmed ending the VAT exemption on private school fees will be used to fund mental health support in schools. How soon will the funding be made available?

 

Councillor Mohon Ali replied, thanking Councillor Sajed Hussain for acknowledging the work going on across Oldham to maximise school attendance. 

The Government has not yet announced when this funding for additional mental health support in schools will be made available. 

We will continue to work to lobby our local MPs and the Department for Education direct to maximise the amount of extra funding available to Oldham so our schools and pupils can benefit out of it.

 

Question from Councillor Bishop - Despite repeated assurances from the Leader and the Cabinet that Eton Star Oldham is the right project to meet local educational need, the Department for Education has placed the project into review. Does the Cabinet Member have confidence that this is still the right project for Oldham?

 

Councillor Mohon Ali replied that following various announcements from the Government, we understand the financial challenges they are facing and we support the need to review projects and their costs, particularly in light of the improvements that are needed to existing school buildings.

Every Oldham child, no matter where they live or whatever their background, is entitled to the opportunities which can help them fulfil their potential. The Eton Star Oldham proposal supports us in achieving this ambition. We're confident in the difference this project will make to the lives of children and young people in Oldham and we’ll continue to make this case to the government.

Whilst we await the outcome of the free school review, we will continue to do all we can to ensure all children and young people in Oldham have the best start in life.

 

Question from Councillor Quigg – Councillor Quigg sought clarification on who was responsible for footing the bill, for the Eton Star Project: the Council, the Department of Education or Eton Star?

 

Councillor Mohon Ali undertook to provide Councillor Quigg with a written answer to his question.

 

f.     Councillor Fida Hussain, Enterprise Portfolio Holder

Question form Councillor Malik - Get Britian Working is a £240 million cash-injection to accelerate the rollout of local services to help people back into work. The funding will partly go towards boosting the rollout of Get Britain Working “trailblazers” in local areas, which will bring together and streamline work, health, and skills support to disabled people and those who are long term sick. Do we know if Oldham will be one of these trailblazers?

 

Councillor Fida Hussain replied that the Council welcomes the Government’s commitment to increasing economic growth. The Budget announced that DWP will shift its focus from welfare to work with a £240 million package to open up opportunities to millions of people left behind and denied the opportunity to get into work and get on at work.

DWP will publish a white paper to set out how it will address spiralling economic inactivity which sees a record 2.8 million people locked out of work due to long term sickness and are part of the Government’s ambition to reach an 80% employment rate.

Historically Oldham has an employment rate of c. 70% and so the Council will lobby to secure investment in Oldham to support our residents. This programme will be managed by Greater Manchester Combined Authority with funding devolved to the Mayor.

 

Question from Councillor Sajed Hussain - shops in town centres across Oldham are experiencing high levels of shoplifting – the crackdown on organised gangs and low value crime announced in the budget is very welcome. What can local business organisations and the Council do to support this?

 

Councillor Fida Hussain replied that instances of shoplifting nationally are at their highest since records began 20 years ago, and real figures are likely to be much higher. Shop lifting cost the retail sector nearly £2bn last year, which results in price rises impacting on individual, families and communities. The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) are prioritising retail crime with the recent commitment to scrap the £200 shop theft threshold and making assaults on shop workers a criminal offence. They are also planning to establish a Retail Crime Forum for retailers to confidently implement tactics against shop theft.

In Oldham we encourage our retailers to report all incidents so that we can see the true impact on our retailers. We work closely with GMP and will ensure that these latest improvements to managing retail crime are prioritised in Oldham.

Across our high streets we encourage retailers to work together to share information through local security meetings.

 

Question from Councillor Quigg - How many people have used the Hive? Will the Council ensure an open and transparent tendering process that encourages local businesses to take part?

 

Councillor Fida Hussain undertook to provide Councillor Quigg with a written response to his question.

 

Question from Councillor Ghafoor – has a specific site been identified for the outdoor market and what are the timescales?

 

Councillor Fida Hussain undertook to provide Councillor Ghafoor with a written response to his question.

 

g.    Councillor Brownridge, Adults, Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder

Question from Councillor Bashforth - Could you explain what missingness in healthcare means and how the Focused Care model helps to deliver better use of resources and good health outcomes for residents?

 

Councillor Brownridge replied that the study into ‘Missingness’ mentioned in my portfolio report is looking into people who repeatedly miss appointments and their medical status isn’t known to their GPs.

Research is looking into why people are ‘missing’, trying to identify barriers people face in accessing services and what interventions are needed that can be embedded into practice.

Some factors we expect the research to find are; Patients not identifying a need for an appointment; Poor communication or language barriers at appointments; Patients having competing demands, priorities, and urgencies; Travel and mobility issues; Lack of choice or flexibility in appointment times, locations, and people; costs associated with making appointments, such as waiting on hold; Appointments only being available at times when the patient has to be at work or looking after children.

We’re hoping to make invisible people visible and deliver better health outcomes.

 

Question from Councillor Al-Hamdani – Councillor Al-Hamdani was aware of at least one GP Practice in Oldham that had ceased taking bookings for appointments in-person or via the telephone and was only accepting online bookings?

 

Councillor Brownridge replied that she was aware of the situation but undertook to investigate this matter further.

 

Question from Councillor Hamblett - Would it be possible to have more scrutiny of Oldham Total Care?

 

Cllr Brownridge replied that she would look at ways in which this could be made to happen.

 

h.    Councillor Goodwin, Don’t Trash Oldham Portfolio Holder

Question from Councillor Rustidge - thank you for the update on Highways work. The Chancellor announced an extra £500m nationally for pothole repair – do you know what the process will be for allocating this funding and what Oldham is likely to receive?

 

Councillor Goodwin replied that he was pleased to hear about the additional funds that have been allocated.  As with other such announcements, the money is allocated to the region, which, for us at Oldham, is Greater Manchester Combined Authority – the money will then be split between the authorities and is traditionally based on a set calculation so as to ensure a fair and transparent allocation.

We will share details of the amounts once these are known and as with other allocations, and we will ensure the money is spent on improving Oldham’s highway network.

 

Question from Councillor Murphy (1) - Despite repeated interventions from Opposition councillors, Oldham Council still hasn’t put renewed dog fouling protection order in place. When does the Cabinet Member expect this situation to be rectified and what other enforcement measures will be put in place to protect our street, parks and green spaces from irresponsible pet owners?

 

Councillor Goodwin replied that the current focus of the Environmental Enforcement team is on areas of work that generate the most complaints from residents.

So far this year, the team have received over 5,700 referrals of fly-tipping and it is this area where the team focus their attention investigating incidents and fining individuals where they can. 

The capacity of the team is currently being reviewed along with examining other types of approach across enforcement and once the restructures are complete, we will engage with elected members for the priorities in your communities. 

 

Question from Councillor Murphy (2) - This Council has a target of zero road deaths. Yet the council has taken the decision to make the Road Safety Officer redundant. How does this decision fall in line with the council’s Vision Zero objectives and what impact will the loss of this post have on the safety of Oldham’s roads?

Councillor Goodwin replied, thanking Councillor Murphy for his questions, stating that the Council continues with its ambitious target for zero road deaths on Oldham’s roads, but as we all know, there are many factors outside the Council’s control which contribute to road collisions.

I will not comment on the Council’s voluntary redundancy scheme which has just concluded, however, all decisions about voluntary redundancy come with an impact assessment on service delivery.  While the Council may well be losing one officer, the Road Safety engineering officers continue in service and alternative road safety education will be provided by various partners as needed.

 

Question from Councillor Adams - In June, Councillor Goodwin announced that the council had received 4.5 million pounds from the Conservative Government under the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement.

The funding was provided to tackle potholes, improve road safety and secure public footways, and must be spent within a year.

In Royton, repairs and improvements were planned for: Rochdale Road, Kensington Avenue and Oak Avenue / Ash Grove / Pine Grove

Five months on from the announcement, would the cabinet member confirm how much of the work in Royton has been completed.

 

Councillor Goodwin replied that from the £4.5m funding allocation - £2.5m was for carriageway and footway maintenance with the remainder for highway safety, junction improvements, bridge repairs, and drainage maintenance.

The programme of highways surfacing works across Oldham is well underway following approval of the programme by the Council earlier this year. 

With regards to the specific works in Royton, I’m advised that the highway repairs and improvement will commence this December, followed by the preventative maintenance surfacing being programmed for March next year.

 

Question from Councillor Cosgrove - What progress has been made on the gulley cleaning programme?

 

Councillor Goodwin replied that the new gulley cleaning programme is making continued and steady progress with the 50,000 gulleys boroughwide.  At this time of year, when leaves are falling regularly, the teams are occasionally pulled to priority areas where there is a risk of flooding to ensure the gullies in these areas remain clean and clear from debris. 

However, the teams are currently working in Alexandra and St James’ Wards, where approximately 70% of the highway gulleys have been cleaned.

The work remains on track, and we aim to start in St Marys ward by December this year.

 

Question from Councillor Zaheer Ali – asked when will the extended cemetery opening times be implemented, further to the amended Motion, on this subject, that was approved by the Council at its meeting on 10^th July 2024?

 

Councillor Goodwin replied that the burial times at the Borough’s cemeteries had been extended, in line with the requirements of the Motion but delays were occurring due to the role of the Independent Medical Examiner, which had created additional requirements.

 

Question from Councillor Arnott – asked if the Portfolio Holder could confirm that improvement works to the Borough’s parks and green spaces were continuing to take place?

 

Councillor Goodwin confirmed that such improvements were continuing to happen and that the Cabinet had recently approved improvement work to six parks across the Borough.

i.      Councillor Dean, Thriving Communities and Culture Portfolio Holder

Question from Councillor Charters - Oldham Athletic has had its share of governance issues - the government’s football governance bill that was announced by the Culture Secretary should help avoid this being repeated in the future – has the Council has any discussions with the club about how the changes will impact Oldham Athletic?

 

Councillor Dean replied that he could confirm that an initial conversation has been had with Oldham Athletic which has been extremely helpful and reassuring, and they issued the following statement: 

The Board of Oldham Athletic 2004 AFC ltd is reviewing details and requirements laid out in the impending Football Governance Bill and making any necessary adjustments should there be a requirement around its financial plans and resilience, fan consultation, corporate governance and annual declaration of responsibilities to ensure that it will comply with all statutory regulations as and when they are required along with National League rules and regulations.

Since the club’s change of ownership in July 2022, a key theme of the Board’s attention has been towards the development of a sustainable business model within the club. Having consolidated the land, stadium, and related businesses such as Gym, Event Centre, Retail Business and Education centre, the club has been focussed on the development and enrichment of these pillars of the business to support the football club ongoing from a sustainability perspective.

From a fan consultation perspective, the club held a Purposing Day early on after the takeover in July 22 which gave a voice and gathered views from a supporter’s groups, Oldham Council, OAFC employees, local press, and Oldham Athletic Community Trust. The development of a club Purpose on a Page allowed for a cohesive and inclusive representation of all stakeholders into the Purpose that would later inform a 3-year vision and business plan for the club moving forwards. Further the club has also engaged monthly with the Oldham Athletic Supporters Foundation who are our official supporters club and minority shareholder. These meetings have been supported with documented agendas and minutes that are published for supporters to review and keep updated. The club has also held four public fans forums where supporters are offered to opportunity to ask questions in an open forum to members of the club board and management staff. Finally, the CEO and owners have produced video interviews biannually from this season to update supporters on progress and challenges that the club faces moving forwards. Members of the Board have also appeared on the fans podcast to answer questions.

Corporate governance and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion have also been key themes of the new Board and ownership. The club has successfully implemented a multi faith prayer facility whilst creating growth opportunities for Women’s football with the establishment of a new full time female education programme in U16-18 football and creation of an open age women’s team. The club has also linked with its U9-U16 Girls and Women’s football club. The club also champions ‘Her Game Too’ as a group that represents the female interests of its supporters as a lobbying power and stakeholder in the club. For this the club has appointed a head of supporter liaison who leads dialogue with disability, inclusion, and female supporter groups. 

Further governance and annual declaration responsibilities are supported by professional advice from the clubs legal and financial counsel that is keeps regular contact with.

 

Question from Councillor Marland - Given the inability to currently stop fireworks being set off in Oldham throughout the year, and at all times of the day and night, would the Cabinet Member responsible write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, to ask if the Government will carry out an analysis of the use of Firework Control Zones in Scotland, and to see whether similar legislation in the UK could help manage antisocial use of fireworks in boroughs like Oldham?

 

Councillor Dean replied that he could confirm that the Council, working in partnership with colleagues from Greater Manchester Fire Service, who licence retail premises of fireworks across the Borough and Greater Manchester Police continue to respond to concerns from residents especially the anti-social use of fireworks late at night.

The Council would be keen to ask the Government for an analysis of the use of control zones in Scotland with a view to potentially replicating this legislation across the UK.

Of particular note would be how the partners enforced these restrictions and how they were responded to by residents.

With this in mind, I agree with Councillor Marland and will ask officers of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government asking for such a review in conjunction with officials from Scotland.

 

Question from Councillor Aftab Hussain – We should all celebrate the reopening of Royton Library and the new members who have joined – could you outline how to join an Oldham Library, what services are on offer and how much it costs?

 

Councillor Dean replied that he was delighted with the new library and have received overwhelmingly positive feedback about the new facilities. 

Since re-opening on 14^th September, we have had 262 new members join Royton Library. 

All of Oldham Libraries are free to join. Residents can register online or come along to any of our libraries. Children under 13 require a guardian with them to join.

Royton Town Hall where the library is located is one of our ‘Working for You’ Community Hubs with a wide range of support for our residents including access to help, advice and support. Specifically, most services provided at Royton Library are free to use. In addition to physical book borrowing, residents can access e-books, e-journals and e-newspapers via the Borrowbox ap. The library also provides residents with IT services including online basics course to support with digital skills.

Other regular activities include Bounce and Rhyme sessions for families with children under 5, Baby Art Studio and the Royton Readers Groups.  All Councillors are asked to keep an eye on the “what’s on” events guide for activities in libraries in your areas.

 

Question from Councillor Kouser - Where is the Council up to with tendering process for the former Marlborough Community Centre (formerly Pakistan Community Centre), adding that Councillor Aftab Hussain appeared to have shared information on social media - should these details have been shared publicly and prematurely?

Councillor Ghafoor also asked the Portfolio Holder for Thriving Communities and Culture, where the information, that Councillor Aftab Hussain had shared information on social media, had come from?

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Shah, undertook to write to Councillors Kouser and Ghafoor to clarify the situation regarding the Marlborough Community Centre.