Agenda item

(time limit 30 minutes)

 

Motion 1: Removing Oldham Borough from Places for Everyone

To be moved by Councillor Sykes

Seconded by Councillor Woodvine

 

This council recognises that:

·                     Places for Everyone is based on ‘housing need’ calculations which are already the better part of a decade old.

·                     Places for Everyone does not give guarantees with regards to the delivery of affordable and socially rented homes.

·                     ‘Places for Everyone’ represents a developer-led approach.

·                     It would see the irreparable loss of Green Belt sites and green spaces which is not necessary.

·                     It uses Green Belt for the delivery of a housing strategy focused solely on developer profit.

·                     It does not deliver the right mix of affordable housing types and tenures in the places people want to live. 

·                     We also believe the Adoption Statement for the Plan presented at the last Full Council meeting in March 2024 was misleading by implying that all the main modifications had been consulted on.  This was not the case, as none of the main modifications related to HS2 have been consulted upon.

 

This council resolves to:

1. Request the new Secretary of State to revoke the Plan ‘Places for Everyone’ in the interest of all Oldham’s residents, businesses and other stake holders for the reasons stated above. 

2. In order for Council to consider this decision at its next meeting in September, the relevant council officers are requested to present a full report on the planning, legal, equalities and all other considerations of such a revocation. 

3. Should the request be approved Oldham Council’ withdraw engagement and support for the defence of the judicial review of ‘Places for Everyone’.

4. Should the Plan be revoked the Green Belt boundaries should be restored to their pre-adoption state.

5. If the Plan is revoked develop an Oldham-led housing strategy that prioritises brownfield and ex-industrial sites, while protecting greenbelt and green spaces for future generations.

 

Motion 2:  Request for a public inquiry into historic and current CSE within the Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council area

To be moved by Councillor Quigg

Seconded by Councillor Al-Hamdani

 

People in positions of power at both Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (OMBC) and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have yet to be held to account for their failure to protect our children from child sexual exploitation (CSE).

People of all communities in Oldham have as result of delay, obstruction and passage of time lost trust in OMBC and GMP.

As recently as January 2024, the highly respected Maggie Oliver referenced the Oldham Assurance Review and told its authors Malcom Newsam & Gary Ridgway that in Oldham they had been prevented from getting to the truth. This is after it emerged that survivors had been prevented from giving testimony to the Review Team.

The findings of the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s Assurance Review neither provided assurance nor sufficiently reviewed what had taken place. Despite claiming there was no cover up, and that lessons had been learned.

 

This Council notes:

Survivors deserve to see the full powers of law used to bring the criminals of these depraved acts to justice, no matter their rank politically, in the community, at OMBC or GMP. 

OMBC, and as such its members herein, have a duty to protect children and vulnerable people of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham and beyond. The reality is, until we get to the root of the issue, we cannot move forward as we are unable to ensure that failings highlighted in the review are not continuing.

There is a significant groundswell of opinion that an independent public inquiry is needed. 

 

 This Council resolves:

- To write to the Home Secretary of His Majesty’s Government to demand that a public inquiry into historic and current CSE within the Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council area. That any such investigation will investigate the failure of OMBC, GMP and all associated bodies or groups in Oldham which failed to protect our children.

 

This Council further resolves that:

- If the Home Secretary refuses a public inquiry that OMBC approves the commissioning and implementation of a non-statutory independent inquiry historic and current CSE within the Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council area. That any such investigation will investigate the failure of OMBC, GMP and all associated bodies or groups in Oldham which failed to protect our children and to instruct OMBC officers to commission such an inquiry immediately.

 

Motion 3:  Extend Burial Times in Oldham Cemeteries

To be moved by Councillor Zaheer Ali

Seconded by Councillor Kouser

We believe that Oldham Council needs to extend the operational hours of all cemeteries within the Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council area to 22:00, seven days a week. This proposal aims to introduce a fixed tariff for burial services during operational hours (9:00 – 17:00) at all hours of operation, benefiting all Oldham’s residents.

 

Currently, Oldham cemeteries operate from 09:00 to 16:00, Monday to Friday. The costs associated with burials within these hours vary, with additional fees applied for out-of-hours services, such as evenings and weekends. These fees can significantly increase the financial burden on grieving families and at a time of cost-of-living crisis, we believe it is important to have one fee throughout the week.

 

Currently, we have a booking system which is Monday to Friday and the cut-off time to book a burial slot for the same day is 10:00. Furthermore, the documentation required by the registration office has a cut-off time of noon, this bureaucracy of paperwork and facilitation of burials is needlessly time restricted, this motion is seeking to extend both the booking for burials and the registration of burials to 17:00 in line with all other council services, giving the family of the bereaved sufficient time to arrange same day burials.

 

This motion aligns with our commitment to cater to the diverse needs of our community and enhance the quality of life for all Oldhamers.

 

 

This Council notes that:

 

·                     These changes mirror other boroughs and councils throughout the Northwest and West Yorkshire and bring Oldham in line with these councils.

 

·                     Extended hours provide greater flexibility for all Oldham residents, accommodating those with varied schedules, and allowing families to plan funerals outside of standard working hours.

·                     Weekend and evening options reduce the stress of arranging burials during the workweek, fostering a more compassionate approach to bereavement.

 

·                     Comparative Analysis:

 

Service Hours Weekdays             Weekdays Out of Hours                Weekends	Current Times     9.00 – 16 :00 15 :00 – 17 :00 Out-of-hours	Proposé Times 9.00 – 17:00 17:00 – 22:00 9:00 – 22:00
Cost Structure   Weekdays	CurrentCosts Proposed Fixed Tariffs Standard fees Fixed (9 :00 – 17 :00)	Same (may require readjustment of out of hour fees to incorporate additional cost of extended times – subject to review)
Evenings/Weekends	Out-of-hours fees	Out of Hour Fees (may require readjustment of out of hour fees to incorporate additional cost of extended times – subject to review)

 

 

The Council resolves to:

·                     Immediately begin a pilot scheme in Chadderton Cemetery for twelve months and run a comprehensive review to ascertain the feasibility of the new timings.

 

·                     That from the comprehensive review the Council will determine the appropriate fixed tariff, ensuring it covers the operational costs while remaining affordable.

 

Following a successful outcome of the pilot scheme the Council will further resolve:

 

·                     To extend burial times to 10:00 daily and introduce the fixed tariffs so that Oldham Council can provide a more inclusive, supportive, and equitable service for all residents. By giving considerably more time for bookings and paperwork, we are enabling funeral directors and families to be able to book a burial within the same day.  

·                     That cemeteries in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham are to remain open until 22:00, seven days a week.

·                     That the extension includes evening and weekend services without the need for special out-of-hours arrangements.

·                     To introduce a fixed tariff for burial services during the extended hours. This fixed rate aims to provide transparency and financial predictability for all families. The changes will remain cost-neutral and not add extra costs to the council and in the long run save the Council money.

 

Motion 4:  Save Oldham Coliseum

To be moved by Councillor Wilkinson

Seconded by Councillor Ball

 

Oldham Coliseum Theatre was a treasured local asset that has drawn audiences from across the country to Fairbottom Street for more than 135 years.  The Coliseum was a training ground for a host of stars - from Bernard Cribbins, who joined at 14 and stayed for seven years, to Coronation Street's Jean Alexander (Hilda Ogden), Barbara Knox (Rita Sullivan), William Roache (Ken Barlow) and Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Cropper)

Others to have trod its boards include Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire, Doctor Foster's Suranne Jones, new Doctor Who companion Millie Gibson, and Olivia Cooke from HBO’s House of the Dragon.

Many theatregoers and those from across the country, as well as some of the biggest names in UK performing arts have raised their voices and concerns over the closure of the Oldham Coliseum.
The closure of the Coliseum on Fairbottom Street has left a hole in our boroughs cultural offering.  There have sadly been numerous failures along the way which have contributed to the closure of the theatre, from a failure to secure a long-term future for the site and missed opportunities linked with the numerous regeneration projects. 

This Council notes that:

·         Oldham Coliseum was one of only a handful of producing theatres outside of London.

·         In February 2023, that the former Council Leader regretfully made comments claiming that the Fairbottom Street theatre "is at the end of its lifespan” and is "no longer fit for purpose".[1]

·         In September 2023, despite the then leadership of this Council publicly stating otherwise, a study commissioned by the Coliseum Board concluded that the Fairbottom Street building was not beyond repair and could be used again and brought up to a modern standard with the appropriate investment.

·         In April 2024 the Leader of the Council stated that there were proposals for how the Council could bring the Fairbottom Street site back to life and would be producing plans for what a future for that building could look like.[2]

This Council resolves:
1) To bring forward the proposals and feasibility of refurbishing the Fairbottom Street building to house the Oldham Coliseum Theatre so it can reopen at Fairbottom Street.

2) To aggressively seek other funding streams to finance the redevelopment of the existing venue, including the reallocation of funds from other initiatives linked with the future of Oldham Coliseum. 

3) To write to and demand that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, the Mayor of Greater Manchester and the Art’s Council fast-track any grants available and provide any and all assistance their offices can offer to help bring the Fairbottom Street back to life.
4) To bring a report to full Council as soon as possible outlining the steps that this Council can take to support the Oldham Coliseum Theatre to remain at home, on Fairbottom Street.

5) That this Council will exhaust all options in order to reopen Oldham Coliseum Theatre at Fairbottom Street.