Agenda item

(time limit 90 minutes)

1. Leader of the Council and Growth Portfolio Holder – including the Minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet held 1^st December 2025, 15^th December 2025 and 19^th January 2026, urgent executive decisions made during 2025/26 (under ‘Rule 13’ and ‘Rule 14’ of the Constitution) and the minutes of meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held 28^th November 2025, 12^th December 2025 and 30^th January 2026.
2. Statutory Deputy Leader and Neighbourhoods Portfolio Holder
3. Deputy Leader and Finance, Corporate Services and Sustainability Portfolio Holder
4. Children and Young People’s Portfolio Holder
5. Adults, Health and Wellbeing Portfolio Holder
6. Education and Skills Portfolio Holder
7. Culture and Leisure Portfolio Holder
8. Enterprise Portfolio Holder
9. Transport and Highways 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. Written questions and answers submitted to the Leader and Cabinet Members were attached at Appendix A (and have been published to the Council’s website):

a.    Councillor Shah, Leader of the Council and the Growth Portfolio holder, presented her report, including the Minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet held 1^st December 2025, 15^th December 2025 and 19^th January 2026, the urgent executive decisions made during 2025/26 (under ‘Rule 13’ and ‘Rule 14’ of the Council’s Constitution and the minutes of the meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held 28^th November 2025, 12^th December 2025 and 30^th January 2026.

Councillor Ghafoor, Leader of the Oldham Group

Question 1: Inconsiderate Parking

Councillor Ghafoor referred to numerous recent incidents of unsafe and inconsiderate parking of motor vehicles in Oldham. This was causing an obstruction for other road users, including, occasionally, for emergency vehicles. The problem, he stated, was particularly prevalent in the St. Mary’s Ward of the Borough, which was represented by the Leader of the Council. Councillor Ghafoor asked what the administration were doing and planning to do, to address this issue?

Councillor Shah replied that the Council had instigated and issued a Traffic Assessment for the St Mary’s Ward, the results of which were outlined in a public meeting in the Ward. The Traffic Assessment was intended to address some of the issues raised by Councillor Ghafoor. In addition, Councillor Shah noted that a lot of the issues relating to inconsiderate parking, including double parking on narrow residential streets were being caused by members of the Oldham Group, including the Oldham Group’s Chair. Councillor Shah referred to an incident, where a close family relative of hers would have missed, or been late for, a medical appointment if she had not personally intervened, because the Chair of the Oldham Group had parked in a way that obstructed other road users.

Question 2: Investment in Oldham town centre

Councillor Ghafoor noted that since 2019 over £1 billion had been invested in regeneration projects in Oldham’s town centre, yet a recent independent report noted that Rochdale had fallen from 19^th to the 11^th most deprived area in England, so, was, therefore still experiencing high levels of deprivation. He asked if the Administration had a plan to address this?

Councillor Shah replied that under the Labour government the Council had received millions of pounds of additional funding, for projects aimed at tackling deprivation. Councillor Shah indicated that Councillor Ghafoor was confusing the two issues which were separate from each other.

RESOLVED:

1.       That the Leader and Portfolio Holder reports be noted.

2.       That the written questions and answers submitted to the Leader and Portfolio Holders, as published on the Council’s website, be noted.

3.       That the Minutes of the meetings of the Cabinet held 1^st December 2025, 15^th December 2025 and 19^th January 2026, the urgent executive decisions made during 2025/26 (under ‘Rule 13’ and ‘Rule 14’ of the Council’s Constitution and the Minutes of the meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority held 28^th November 2025, 12^th December 2025 and 30^th January 2026, be noted.