Agenda item

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1: Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs)

To be Moved by: Councillor Taylor
to be Seconded by: Councillor Davis

This Council notes with concern the increasing number of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in Oldham and the impact this has on local communities, housing standards, and infrastructure. While HMOs can provide an important source of affordable accommodation, their proliferation in certain areas has led to issues including overcrowding, pressure on local services, and a decline in housing quality. In the past 5 years the number of licensed HMOs in Oldham has almost doubled.

This Council further notes that current national planning regulations allow certain HMOs (Class C4, up to six residents) to be established without the need for planning permission. This limits the ability of local authorities to manage their spread and ensure they are appropriately located and regulated.

This Council welcomes the recent announcement by the Chancellor of an additional £2 billion for social and affordable housing. This funding provides an opportunity to address the shortage of genuinely affordable homes and to ensure that people in Oldham have access to safe, secure, and high-quality housing.

This Council calls on the new Labour Government to reverse the changes introduced by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government in 2010 which removed the requirement for planning permission for small houses of multiple occupation.

This council further requests that the Chief Executive writes to the borough’s 3 MPs and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, asking for their support in reversing the aforementioned changes.

Motion 2: Special Education Needs and Disabaility (SEND)

To be Moved by: Councillor Mohon Ali
to be Seconded by: Councillor Nasheen

This Council notes that In Oldham, as of January 2024, there were 8,694 pupils identified with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). This represents 18.8% of the school-age population in the area. Among these, 6.0% have an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP), while 12.9% receive SEN support.

The positive improvements to services for children and young people with SEND in Oldham continue at pace, led by the SEND Local Inclusion Partnership Executive Board chaired by Dame Christine Lenehan. This new governance structure has improved strategic planning and focused on: improved access to health services; better quality and more timely Education, Health and Care Plans and Annual Reviews; smooth transitions between early years, children’s and adult services. This has been achieved by focusing on co-production with parents, carers, and young people. Our aim is to ensure children with SEND are safe, healthy, happy, and able to achieve their potential

The Department for Education has confirmed Oldham has made good progress.

There is significant pressure on the services for children with SEND in Oldham and across England, and this Council welcomes the steps being taken by the Labour Government to reform the system put in place in the 2014 Children and Families Act.

This Council further notes the launch of ‘Inclusion in practice’ evidence-gathering project to help shape a reformed SEND system that delivers better experiences and outcomes for all children focused on identifying and sharing practical, scalable solutions for inclusion in mainstream schools.

This Council welcomes the commitment to a produce a White Paper to overhaul the SEND system with the aims of ensuring: support is put in place far more quickly for children who need additional support; much earlier identification of need; much more timely intervention and support.

This Council resolves to:

1.    Encourage Oldham Schools to submit examples of good practice to ‘Inclusion in practice’

2.    Support the LGA’s call for urgent action in the Spending Review to address the deficit in High Needs Spending by Local Authorities and put spending to support children with SEND on a sustainable footing.