Agenda item

(Minutes of Cabinet held 23^rd February 2025 to be circulated)

a)    Housing Revenue Account Estimates for 2026/27 to 2030/31 and Forecast Outturn for 2025/26

b)    Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2026/27

c)    The Revenue Budget, Capital Programme and Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2026/27

                                               i.     Revenue Budget 2026/27 and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2027/28 to 2028/29

                                              ii.     Capital Strategy and Capital Programme 2026/27 to 2030/31 and Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Policy Statement

                                            iii.     Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2026/27 including the Annual Investment Strategy, Borrowing Strategy and Prudential Indicators

 

Liberal Democrats Budget Amendment Proposals 2026/27

 

d)    Pay Policy Statement 2026/27

e)    Members Allowances 2026/27

And if thought fit, pass the following resolutions:

1.    That it be noted that on 19 January 2026, the following amounts were approved by the Cabinet (subject to minor amendment) as the Council's Council Tax Base for the financial year 2026/27:

 

a)    59,937 for the whole Council area [Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the "Act")

b)    9,877 for dwellings in the Saddleworth Parish area to which a Parish precept relates

c)    6,018 for dwellings in the Shaw and Crompton Town Council area to which a precept relates

 

2.    That the Council Meeting approve the Council Tax Requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2026/27 (excluding Parish precepts) as being £129,237,358.

 

3.    That the following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2026/27 in accordance with sections 31A to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

a) £887,704,640	being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account any Precepts for the Saddleworth and Shaw & Crompton Parish areas
b) £758,061,932	being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in section 31A(3) of the Act.
c) £129,642,708	being the amount by which the aggregate at 3(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 3(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 31A(4) of the Act, as its Council Tax Requirement for the year (Item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act).
d) £2,162.98	being the amount at 3(c) above, all divided by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year (including Parish precepts).
e) £405,350	being the aggregate amount of all special items referred to in section 34(1) of the Act, being the Saddleworth and Shaw & Crompton Parish / Town Council precepts.
f) £2,156.22	being the amount at 3(d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 3(e) above by the amount by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no special item relates.
g) £2,186.00	Saddleworth Parish area being the amounts given by adding to the amount at 3(f) above the amounts of the special item or items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council's area mentioned at 3(e) above divided by the amount at 1(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 34(3) of the Act, as the basic amounts of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.
h) £2,174.70	Shaw & Crompton Town Council area being the amounts given by adding to the amount at 3(f) above the amounts of the special item or items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council's area mentioned at 3(e) above divided by the amount at 1(c) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 34(3) of the Act, as the basic amounts of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.

4.    That it be noted that for the year 2026/27 the Mayoral Police and Crime Commissioner Precept and the Mayoral General Precept (including Fire Services) for Greater Manchester have been issued to the Council in accordance with section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each category of dwellings in the Council's area as indicated in the table below.

 

5.    That the Council, in accordance with sections 30 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the aggregate amounts shown in the tables below as the amounts of Council Tax for 2026/27 for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings.

Authority/Parish or Town Council	Council Tax Bands (£)
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
Oldham Council	1,437.48	1,677.06	1,916.64	2,156.22	2,635.38	3,114.54	3,593.70	4,312.44
Mayoral Police and Crime Commissioner Precept	190.20	221.90	253.60	285.30	348.70	412.10	475.50	570.60
Mayoral General Precept (including Fire Services)	102.63	119.74	136.84	153.95	188.16	222.37	256.58	307.90
Saddleworth Parish Precept	19.85	23.16	26.47	29.78	36.39	43.01	49.63	59.56
Shaw and Crompton Town Council Precept	12.32	14.37	16.42	18.48	22.58	26.69	30.80	36.96

 

AGGREGATE OF COUNCIL TAX REQUIREMENTS

Authority/Parish or Town Council	Council Tax Bands (£)
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
Saddleworth Parish Area	1,750.16	2,041.86	2,333.55	2,625.25	3,208.63	3,792.02	4,375.41	5,250.50
Shaw & Crompton Town Council Area	1,742.63	2,033.07	2,323.50	2,613.95	3,194.82	3,775.70	4,356.58	5,227.90
All other parts of the Council’s Area	1,730.31	2,018.70	2,307.08	2,595.47	3,172.24	3,749.01	4,325.78	5,190.94

 

 

6.    That the Council, in accordance with section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 hereby determines that the Council’s relevant basic amount of council tax for 2026/27 is not excessive in accordance with the principles determined by the Secretary of State under section 52ZC of the Act.

The Mayor requested and it was RESOLVED that Council

Procedure Rule 14 (Rules of Debate) be suspended to enable

Councillor Jabbar, the Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for

Value for Money and Sustainability to exceed the time limit for

his contribution in moving the Administration Budget to 15

minutes with one 30 second extension and the seconder,

Councillor Shah, the Leader of the Council, 7 minutes, the Mover

of the Main Opposition Group, Councillor Al-Hamdani in moving the opposition budget, a time limit of 7 minutes 30 seconds if required, and the seconder, Councillor Sykes, 6 minutes. All other speakers will be limited to 4

minutes.

 

The Mayor informed members that regulations had been

implemented which required recorded votes on specific decision

at the Budget Council meeting.  Members would be advised

when a recorded vote was required.

 

Prior to the consideration of the Budget Proposals, the Mayor

asked the Council to note the draft minutes of the Cabinet

meeting held on 23^rd February 2026.

 

On a vote being taken, the recommendation was CARRIED

UNANIMOUSLY.

 

RESOLVED: that the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 23^rd February 2026 be noted.

 

a.    Housing Revenue Account Estimates for 2026/27 to 2030/31 and Forecast Outturn for 2025/26

 

Councillor Taylor MOVED and Councillor Jabbar SECONDED a joint report, which set out the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), the detailed budget estimates for 2026/27, the strategic estimates for the four years 2027/28 through to 2030/31 and outturn estimate for 2025/26. The report also sets out the recommended dwelling, non-dwelling rents and service and concierge charges to be applied from April 2026.

 

The report established the HRA 2026/27, proposed original budget and the forecast outturn for 2025/26. The opportunity was also taken to present the provisional strategic budgets for 2027/28 through to 2030/31.

 

After taking all relevant issues into account, the projected financial position for 2025/26 is estimated to be a £3.723m positive variance when compared to the original budget forecast for 2025/26 approved at the Budget Council meeting, on 6^th March 2025. This was largely due to the contribution to capital of £3m being delayed until 2026/27. It was noted that the revised forecast outturn would still see HRA expenditure at £0.757m greater than income, and reserves reducing as a result.

 

The 2026/27 position has been presented after allowing for a proposed increase in dwelling rents of 4.8%, an increase in non-dwelling rents in line with individual contracts, a nominal increase of 2% on service charges and the setting of Extra Care Housing concierge charges to fully recover costs.

 

The majority of HRA tenants are either the recipient of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, and it is assumed that the proposed increase in rents will not be an additional financial pressure to the majority of tenants.

 

The financial projections for the HRA over the period 2025/26 to 2030/31 show an overall reduction in the level of balances from £22.173m at the start of 2025/26 to £15.628m at the end of 2030/31.

 

The HRA detailed budget for 2026/27, strategic estimates for the four years 2027/28 to 2030/31, and the outturn estimate for 2025/26 were presented to the Governance, Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Board on 28^th January 2026. The Committee was content to commend the report to Cabinet without amendment. Cabinet duly considered and approved the report at its meeting on 23^rd February 2026 and commended the report to Council.

 

A recorded vote, in line with the Regulations was then taken on the MOTION, as follows:

COUNCILLOR		COUNCILLOR
Adams Christine	Against	Hussain Fida	For
Akhtar Shoab	Absent	Hussain Junaid	For
Al-Hamdani Sam	For	Hussain Sajed	For
Ali Mohon	For	Ibrahim Nyla	Against
Ali Zaheer	Against	Iqbal Nadeem	For
Arnott Dave	Against	Islam Mohammed Nazrul	For
Aslam Naseem	For	Jabbar Abdul	For
Azad Montaz Ali	Absent	Kenyon Mark	Apologies
Ball Sandra	Against	Kouser Aisha	Against
Bishop Helen	For	Lancaster Luke	Against
Bashforth Marie	Apologies	Malik Abdul	For
Brownridge Barbara	For	Marland Alicia	For
Byrne Pam	Against	McLaren Colin	For
Charters Josh	For	Murphy Dave	For
Cosgrove Angela	For	Mushtaq Shaid	For
Chauhan Zahid	For	Nasheen Umar	For
Chowhan Naveed	Abstain	Navesey Lisa	For
Davis Peter	For	Quigg Lewis	Against
Dean Peter	For	Rustidge Ken	For
Ghafoor Kamran	Against	Shah Arooj	For
Goodwin Chris	For	Sharp Beth	Against
Hamblett Louie	For	Sheldon Graham	Apologies
Harkness Garth	For	Shuttleworth Graham	For
Harrison Holly	For	Sykes Howard	For
Hince Marc	For	Taylor Elaine	For
Hindle Neil	For	Wahid Abdul	Against
Hobin Brian	For	Wilkinson Mark	Apologies
Hughes Jade	Against	Williamson Diane	For
Hurley Maggie	Against	Woodvine Max	Against
Hussain Aftab	For	Eddie Moores (MAYOR)	For

.

On a recorded VOTE being taken 37 VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the MOTION with 15 VOTES cast AGAINST and there was 1 ABSTENTION. The MOTION was therefore CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

That Council approves:

1.    The forecast HRA outturn for 2025/26 (as per Appendix A, of the submitted report).

2.    The proposed HRA budget for 2026/27 (as per Appendix B, of the submitted report).

3.    The strategic estimates for 2026/27 to 2030/31 (as per Appendix D, of the submitted report).

4.    The proposed increase to dwelling rents for all properties of 4.8%.

5.    The proposed increase to non-dwelling rents as per individual contracts.

6.    The proposal that service charges are increased by 2%.

7.    The proposal to set Extra Care Housing concierge charges to fully recover actual costs.

 

b.    Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2026/27

Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Shah SECONDED a report, which presented to Council the proposed Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2026/27.

 

The Council was required to review its Council Tax Reduction (CTR) Scheme each year and decide whether to revise it or leave it unchanged. A major consultation exercise has not been undertaken regarding changes to the CTR scheme, and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority has been provisionally advised that no change to the scheme is proposed. In this regard, the proposal is that the CTR scheme for 2026/27 remains the same as that operating in 2025/26 and, therefore, no consultation exercise is required. The current CTR scheme provides a maximum reduction equivalent to 85% of the Council Tax charge for a Band A property and this has been unchanged since 2014/15.

 

The scheme continues to meet the needs of residents and remains in line with national regulations.

 

Council was advised that caseloads had continued to gradually decrease, and there had been no national or legislative changes that would require any local amendment. During 2026/27, officers will scope potential options for 2027/28 to assess whether any amendments to the scheme would provide value for money. This will include consideration of the cost of system changes, any potential administrative savings, and the ongoing need to ensure the scheme continues to support residents effectively.

 

A recorded vote, in line with the Regulations was then taken on the MOTION, as follows:

COUNCILLOR		COUNCILLOR
Adams Christine	For	Hussain Fida	For
Akhtar Shoab	Absent	Hussain Junaid	For
Al-Hamdani Sam	For	Hussain Sajed	For
Ali Mohon	For	Ibrahim Nyla	Abstain
Ali Zaheer	Abstain	Iqbal Nadeem	For
Arnott Dave	For	Islam Mohammed Nazrul	For
Aslam Naseem	For	Jabbar Abdul	For
Azad Montaz Ali	Absent	Kenyon Mark	Apologies
Ball Sandra	For	Kouser Aisha	Abstain
Bishop Helen	For	Lancaster Luke	For
Bashforth Marie	Apologies	Malik Abdul	For
Brownridge Barbara	For	Marland Alicia	For
Byrne Pam	For	McLaren Colin	For
Charters Josh	For	Murphy Dave	For
Cosgrove Angela	For	Mushtaq Shaid	For
Chauhan Zahid	For	Nasheen Umar	For
Chowhan Naveed	Abstain	Navesey Lisa	For
Davis Peter	For	Quigg Lewis	For
Dean Peter	For	Rustidge Ken	For
Ghafoor Kamran	Abstain	Shah Arooj	For
Goodwin Chris	For	Sharp Beth	For
Hamblett Louie	For	Sheldon Graham	Apologies
Harkness Garth	For	Shuttleworth Graham	For
Harrison Holly	For	Sykes Howard	For
Hince Marc	For	Taylor Elaine	For
Hindle Neil	For	Wahid Abdul	Abstain
Hobin Brian	For	Wilkinson Mark	Apologies
Hughes Jade	For	Williamson Diane	For
Hurley Maggie	For	Woodvine Max	For
Hussain Aftab	For	Eddie Moores (MAYOR)	For

.

On a recorded VOTE being taken 48 VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the MOTION with 0 VOTES cast AGAINST and there were 6 ABSTENTIONS. The MOTION was therefore CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

That Council agrees that the existing Council Tax Reduction Scheme remains unchanged for 2026/27.

 

 

A.   The Revenue Budget, Capital Programme and Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2026/27

                                               i.     Revenue Budget 2026/27 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2027/28 to 2028/29

                                             ii.     Capital Strategy and Capital Programme 2026/27 to 2030/31 and Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Policy Statement

                                           iii.     Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2026/27 including the Annual Investment Strategy, Borrowing Strategy and Prudential Indicators.

 

Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Shah SECONDED a report that provided Council with the budget reduction requirement and the Administration’s budget proposals for 2026/27 having regard to the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement (PLGFS) published on 17 December 2025 and the subsequent Final Local Government Finance Settlement (LGFS) published on 9 February 2026. The report also presents the financial forecasts for the remainder of the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) period 2028/27 to 2028/29 based on the Settlement information received from Central Government and provides an indicative narrative on the years 2029/30 and 2030/31 which are outside the LGFS period.

 

The submitted presented the Council’s Revenue Budget for 2026/27 together with the budget reduction requirement and the Administration’s budget proposals for 2026/27 including Council Tax intentions. It also provides the financial forecasts for the MTFS period, 2027/28 to 2028/29 on the known settlement information and a high-level indicative narrative for the years 2029/30 and 2030/31 which are outside the LGFS period. Included within this report are a number of budget reduction proposals for consideration and a budgeted transfer to reserves for the financial years 2026/27 to 2028/29 which is the second consecutive that the Council’s revenue budget has been balanced without the need to use general revenue reserves to support it.

 

The Council had reviewed all the underlying assumptions in its approach to setting the revenue budget for 2026/27 onwards having regard for the impact of the Fair Funding Review 2.0 and the allocations published in the Local Government Finance Settlement. The revenue budget gap for 2026/27 is therefore revised to £20.301m. To balance the budget, a resources review has enabled budget adjustments of £10.196m, with Transformation Programme savings of £2.000m to be applied. £8.105m of budget reductions are proposed for delivery in 2026/27 which would balance the revenue budget position.

 

A version of the Revenue Budget 2026/27 and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2027/28 to 2028/29 (based on the Provisional Local Government Finance Settlement (PLGFS) received on 17 December 2025 was presented to the Governance, Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Board on 28 January 2026. The Board scrutinised the report and the other reports on the agenda that formed a core part of the Council’s strategic financial planning framework and recommended them all to Cabinet.

 

A further meeting of the Scrutiny Board took place on 5 February 2026 which considered budget proposals put forward by the Liberal Democrat Party. The Board recommended these proposals to Cabinet for consideration. At the Cabinet meeting of 23 February 2026, Members noted the deliberations and comments of the Governance, Strategy and Resources Scrutiny Board and after consideration resolved that none of the alternative budget proposals presented by the Liberal Democrats be accepted.

 

As detailed, the Final Local Government Finance Settlement was received on 9 February 2026 with the budget papers updated to reflect any changes. Cabinet met on 23 February 2026 and subsequently approved the reports and commended them to Council.

 

The Cabinet recommended that Council approve the following:

1.    The policy landscape and context in which the Council is setting its revenue budget for 2026/27.

2.    The financial forecast for 2026/27 having regard to the Local Government Finance Settlements and associated funding announcements.

3.    The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts at a value of £2.600m for 2026/27 as included within Annex D of the Capital Strategy 2026/27 to 2030/31.

4.    A proposed overall 2026/27 Council Tax increase of 4.99% for Oldham Council services (2.99% for general purposes and 2% Adult Social Care Precept) resulting in the charges that were set out at Table 10 of the report and at Appendix 10.

5.    The Transformation Programme savings for 2026/27 at £2.000m, as detailed at Appendix 3.

6.    The 2026/27 Budget Reduction proposals at a value of £8.105m included within Appendices 4 and 5 of the submitted report.

7.    The proposed transfer to reserves of £1.600m in 2026/27, to improve the financial robustness of the Council.

8.    The proposal to draw on the Collection Fund for major preceptors of £155.564m for Borough Wide services and £129.237m for Council services.

9.    The proposed net revenue expenditure budget for 2026/27 for the Council set at £368.053m as shown at Appendix 9, of the submitted report.

10.The proposed fees and charges as set out in the schedule, that was included at Appendix 8, of the submitted report.

11.The level of general fund balances supporting the 2026/27 budget of £18.865m underpinned by the agreed policy on Reserves as included at Appendix 7, of the submitted report.

 

AMENDMENT

 

Councillor Al-Hamdani MOVED and Councillor Sykes SECONDED the amendment to the budget, on behalf of the Liberal Democrats, circulated and detailed in the Council Summons. Councillor Al-Hamdani expressed his thanks to staff who had assisted in the preparation of the report.

 

Councillors Harkness and Marland spoke in support of the Amendment.

 

Councillors Hince, Charters and Taylor spoke against the Amendment.

 

Councillor Jabbar exercised his right of reply.

 

Councillor Al-Hamdani exercised his right of reply.

 

ADJOURNMENT 2

At 7.40pm the Mayor adjourned the meeting for a medical emergency.

The meeting reconvened at 8.25pm.

 

 A recorded vote, in line with the Regulations,

 was then taken on the AMENDMENT as follows:

 

A recorded vote, in line with the Regulations was then taken on the AMENDMENT as follows:

COUNCILLOR		COUNCILLOR
Adams Christine	Against	Hussain Fida	Against
Akhtar Shoab	Abstain	Hussain Junaid	Against
Al-Hamdani Sam	For	Hussain Sajed	Against
Ali Mohon	Against	Ibrahim Nyla	Abstain
Ali Zaheer	Abstain	Iqbal Nadeem	Against
Arnott Dave	Against	Islam Mohammed Nazrul	Against
Aslam Naseem	Against	Jabbar Abdul	Against
Azad Montaz Ali	Abstain	Kenyon Mark	Apologies
Ball Sandra	Against	Kouser Aisha	Abstain
Bishop Helen	For	Lancaster Luke	Against
Bashforth Marie	Apologies	Malik Abdul	Against
Brownridge Barbara	Against	Marland Alicia	For
Byrne Pam	Against	McLaren Colin	Against
Charters Josh	Against	Murphy Dave	For
Cosgrove Angela	Against	Mushtaq Shaid	Against
Chauhan Zahid	Against	Nasheen Umar	Against
Chowhan Naveed	Abstain	Navesey Lisa	Against
Davis Peter	Against	Quigg Lewis	Against
Dean Peter	Against	Rustidge Ken	Against
Ghafoor Kamran	Abstain	Shah Arooj	Against
Goodwin Chris	Against	Sharp Beth	Against
Hamblett Louie	For	Sheldon Graham	Apologies
Harkness Garth	For	Shuttleworth Graham	Against
Harrison Holly	Against	Sykes Howard	For
Hince Marc	Against	Taylor Elaine	Against
Hindle Neil	Against	Wahid Abdul	Abstain
Hobin Brian	Absent	Wilkinson Mark	Apologies
Hughes Jade	For	Williamson Diane	For
Hurley Maggie	For	Woodvine Max	Against
Hussain Aftab	Against	Eddie Moores (MAYOR)	Against

.

 

On a recorded VOTE being taken 10 VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the AMENDMENT with 37 VOTES cast AGAINST and there were 8 ABSTENTIONS. The AMENDMENT was therefore LOST.

 

A recorded vote, in line with the Regulations was then taken on the MOTION as follows:

COUNCILLOR		COUNCILLOR
Adams Christine	Against	Hussain Fida	For
Akhtar Shoab	Against	Hussain Junaid	For
Al-Hamdani Sam	Against	Hussain Sajed	For
Ali Mohon	For	Ibrahim Nyla	Against
Ali Zaheer	Against	Iqbal Nadeem	For
Arnott Dave	Against	Islam Mohammed Nazrul	For
Aslam Naseem	For	Jabbar Abdul	For
Azad Montaz Ali	Against	Kenyon Mark	Apologies
Ball Sandra	Against	Kouser Aisha	Against
Bishop Helen	Against	Lancaster Luke	Against
Bashforth Marie	Apologies	Malik Abdul	For
Brownridge Barbara	For	Marland Alicia	Against
Byrne Pam	Against	McLaren Colin	For
Charters Josh	For	Murphy Dave	Against
Cosgrove Angela	For	Mushtaq Shaid	For
Chauhan Zahid	For	Nasheen Umar	For
Chowhan Naveed	Against	Navesey Lisa	For
Davis Peter	For	Quigg Lewis	Against
Dean Peter	For	Rustidge Ken	For
Ghafoor Kamran	Against	Shah Arooj	For
Goodwin Chris	For	Sharp Beth	Against
Hamblett Louie	Against	Sheldon Graham	Apologies
Harkness Garth	Against	Shuttleworth Graham	For
Harrison Holly	For	Sykes Howard	Against
Hince Marc	For	Taylor Elaine	For
Hindle Neil	For	Wahid Abdul	Against
Hobin Brian	Absent	Wilkinson Mark	Apologies
Hughes Jade	Against	Williamson Diane	Against
Hurley Maggie	Against	Woodvine Max	Against
Hussain Aftab	For	Eddie Moores (MAYOR)	For

 

On a recorded VOTE being taken 29 VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the MOTION with 26 VOTES cast AGAINST and there were 0 ABSTENTIONS. The MOTION (and the reports) was therefore CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED:

That Council approve the following:

1.    The policy landscape and context in which the Council is setting its revenue budget for 2026/27.

2.    The financial forecast for 2026/27 having regard to the Local Government Finance Settlements and associated funding announcements.

3.    The Flexible Use of Capital Receipts at a value of £2.600m for 2026/27 as included within Annex D of the Capital Strategy 2026/27 to 2030/31.

4.    A proposed overall 2026/27 Council Tax increase of 4.99% for Oldham Council services (2.99% for general purposes and 2% Adult Social Care Precept) resulting in the charges that were set out at Table 10 of the report and at Appendix 10.

5.    The Transformation Programme savings for 2026/27 at £2.000m, as detailed at Appendix 3.

6.    The 2026/27 Budget Reduction proposals at a value of £8.105m included within Appendices 4 and 5 of the submitted report.

7.    The proposed transfer to reserves of £1.600m in 2026/27, to improve the financial robustness of the Council.

8.    The proposal to draw on the Collection Fund for major preceptors of £155.564m for Borough Wide services and £129.237m for Council services.

9.    The proposed net revenue expenditure budget for 2026/27 for the Council set at £368.053m as shown at Appendix 9, of the submitted report.

10.The proposed fees and charges as set out in the schedule, that was included at Appendix 8, of the submitted report.

11.The level of general fund balances supporting the 2026/27 budget of £18.865m underpinned by the agreed policy on Reserves as included at Appendix 7, of the submitted report.

12.The recommendations in the Capital Strategy and Capital Programme 2026/27 to 2030/31 and Minimum Revenue Provision (MRP) Policy Statement.

13.The recommendations in the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2026/27 including the Annual Investment Strategy, Borrowing Strategy and Prudential Indicators.

 

d.    Pay Policy Statement 2026/27

Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Shah SECONDED a report which, sets out the Council’s Pay Policy Statement for 2026/27.

 

RESOLVED: that the Council’s Pay Policy Statement 2026/27, be approved.

 

e.    Members Allowances 2026/27

Councillor Jabbar MOVED and Councillor Shah SECONDED a report which, noted that the Council was legally obliged to consider a report from its Independent Remuneration Panel before making any changes to its scheme of allowances. It was considered to be good practice to have the scheme reviewed periodically to ensure that it reflected any changes in the Council’s operation. Where the scheme allowed for increases by reference to an index, there is a requirement for review of this index at least once every four years by an Independent Panel. (Local Authorities) Members' Allowances (England) Regulations 2003).

 

The Independent Pane made recommendations for changes to the scheme in respect of basic and special responsibility allowances. The changes were set out within the submitted report, that was attached at Appendix 1, and the draft scheme that was set out at Appendix 2.

Full Council was required to consider the final report, have regard to the recommendations and decide whether to make any amendments to the existing scheme.  Whilst the Council has a duty to have regard to the Panel’s recommendations, it is the Council’s choice whether to accept the Panel’s recommendations in whole or in part, or not at all, or to determine any other scheme for 2026/2027.

 

RESOLVED:

1.    That Council approves the report of the Independent Remuneration Panel, and its recommendations, as set out at Appendix 1 to the submitted report, and adopts the scheme as set out in Appendix 2 for the municipal year 2026/27, effective from 1^st April 2026.

2.    That the Council delegates authority to the Assistant Director of Governance, in consultation with the Director of Finance and the Director of Legal (Monitoring Officer), to:

a.    take all necessary action to implement 1 above.

b.    update the constitution.

c.     establish an Independent Remuneration Panel to review the scheme of allowances for implementation of the revised scheme from April 2027.

3.    That the Independent Remuneration Panel be thanked for its report.

 

Resolution 1 related to the Council Tax Base for the Financial year 2026/27, as approved by the Cabinet on 19^th January 2026 (subject to minor amendment) and the Resolution related to the Council Tax Requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2026/27, as detailed in the summons.

 

No members spoke on this item.

 

RESOLVED

That it be noted that on 19^th January 2026, the following amounts were approved by the Cabinet (subject to minor amendment) as the Council's Council Tax Base for the financial year 2026/27:

a)    59,937 for the whole Council area [Item T in the formula in Section 31B of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, as amended (the "Act")

b)    9,877 for dwellings in the Saddleworth Parish area to which a Parish precept relates

c)    6,018 for dwellings in the Shaw and Crompton Parish area to which a Parish precept relates

 

Resolution 2 related to the Council Tax Requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2025/26 (excluding Parish precepts) as being £122,199,584

 

A recorded vote, in line with the Regulations was then taken on the RESOLUTION as follows:

COUNCILLOR		COUNCILLOR
Adams Christine	Against	Hussain Fida	For
Akhtar Shoab	Against	Hussain Junaid	For
Al-Hamdani Sam	For	Hussain Sajed	For
Ali Mohon	For	Ibrahim Nyla	Against
Ali Zaheer	Against	Iqbal Nadeem	For
Arnott Dave	Against	Islam Mohammed Nazrul	For
Aslam Naseem	For	Jabbar Abdul	For
Azad Montaz Ali	Against	Kenyon Mark	Apologies
Ball Sandra	Against	Kouser Aisha	Against
Bishop Helen	For	Lancaster Luke	Against
Bashforth Marie	Apologies	Malik Abdul	For
Brownridge Barbara	For	Marland Alicia	For
Byrne Pam	Against	McLaren Colin	For
Charters Josh	For	Murphy Dave	For
Cosgrove Angela	For	Mushtaq Shaid	For
Chauhan Zahid	For	Nasheen Umar	For
Chowhan Naveed	Against	Navesey Lisa	For
Davis Peter	For	Quigg Lewis	Against
Dean Peter	For	Rustidge Ken	For
Ghafoor Kamran	Against	Shah Arooj	For
Goodwin Chris	For	Sharp Beth	Against
Hamblett Louie	For	Sheldon Graham	Apologies
Harkness Garth	For	Shuttleworth Graham	For
Harrison Holly	For	Sykes Howard	For
Hince Marc	For	Taylor Elaine	For
Hindle Neil	For	Wahid Abdul	Against
Hobin Brian	Absent	Wilkinson Mark	Apologies
Hughes Jade	Against	Williamson Diane	For
Hurley Maggie	Against	Woodvine Max	Against
Hussain Aftab	For	Eddie Moores (MAYOR)	For

 

On a recorded VOTE being taken 37 VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the RESOLUTION with 18 VOTES cast AGAINST and there were 0 ABSTENTIONS. The RESOLUTION was therefore CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED

That the Council Meeting approve the Council Tax Requirement for the Council’s own purposes for 2026/27 (excluding Parish precepts) as being £129,237,358.

 

Resolution 3 requesting that the amounts calculated by the Council for the year2026/27, in accordance with sections 31A to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, be approved.

 

A recorded vote, in line with the Regulations was then taken on the RESOLUTION as follows:

COUNCILLOR		COUNCILLOR
Adams Christine	Against	Hussain Fida	For
Akhtar Shoab	Against	Hussain Junaid	For
Al-Hamdani Sam	For	Hussain Sajed	For
Ali Mohon	For	Ibrahim Nyla	Against
Ali Zaheer	Against	Iqbal Nadeem	For
Arnott Dave	Against	Islam Mohammed Nazrul	For
Aslam Naseem	For	Jabbar Abdul	For
Azad Montaz Ali	Against	Kenyon Mark	Apologies
Ball Sandra	Against	Kouser Aisha	Against
Bishop Helen	For	Lancaster Luke	Against
Bashforth Marie	Apologies	Malik Abdul	For
Brownridge Barbara	For	Marland Alicia	For
Byrne Pam	Against	McLaren Colin	For
Charters Josh	For	Murphy Dave	For
Cosgrove Angela	For	Mushtaq Shaid	For
Chauhan Zahid	For	Nasheen Umar	For
Chowhan Naveed	Against	Navesey Lisa	For
Davis Peter	For	Quigg Lewis	Against
Dean Peter	For	Rustidge Ken	For
Ghafoor Kamran	Against	Shah Arooj	For
Goodwin Chris	For	Sharp Beth	Against
Hamblett Louie	For	Sheldon Graham	Apologies
Harkness Garth	For	Shuttleworth Graham	For
Harrison Holly	For	Sykes Howard	For
Hince Marc	For	Taylor Elaine	For
Hindle Neil	For	Wahid Abdul	Against
Hobin Brian	Absent	Wilkinson Mark	Apologies
Hughes Jade	Against	Williamson Diane	For
Hurley Maggie	Against	Woodvine Max	Against
Hussain Aftab	For	Eddie Moores (MAYOR)	For

 

On a recorded VOTE being taken 37 VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the RESOLUTION with 18 VOTES cast AGAINST and there were 0 ABSTENTIONS. The RESOLUTION was therefore CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED

That the following amounts be calculated by the Council for the year 2026/27 in accordance with sections 31A to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992:

a) £887,704,640	being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in section 31A(2) of the Act taking into account any Precepts for the Saddleworth and Shaw & Crompton Parish areas
b) £758,061,932	being the aggregate of the amounts which the Council estimates for the items set out in section 31A(3) of the Act.
c) £129,642,708	being the amount by which the aggregate at 3(a) above exceeds the aggregate at 3(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 31A(4) of the Act, as its Council Tax Requirement for the year (Item R in the formula in Section 31B of the Act).
d) £2,162.98	being the amount at 3(c) above, all divided by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 31B of the Act, as the basic amount of its Council Tax for the year (including Parish precepts).
e) £405,350	being the aggregate amount of all special items referred to in section 34(1) of the Act, being the Saddleworth and Shaw & Crompton Parish / Town Council precepts.
f) £2,156.22	being the amount at 3(d) above less the result given by dividing the amount at 3(e) above by the amount by Item T (1(a) above), calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 34(2) of the Act, as the basic amount of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which no special item relates.
g) £2,186.00	Saddleworth Parish area being the amounts given by adding to the amount at 3(f) above the amounts of the special item or items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council's area mentioned at 3(e) above divided by the amount at 1(b) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 34(3) of the Act, as the basic amounts of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.
h) £2,174.70	Shaw & Crompton Town Council area being the amounts given by adding to the amount at 3(f) above the amounts of the special item or items relating to dwellings in those parts of the Council's area mentioned at 3(e) above divided by the amount at 1(c) above, calculated by the Council, in accordance with section 34(3) of the Act, as the basic amounts of its council tax for the year for dwellings in those parts of its area to which one or more special items relate.

 

Resolution 4 – relating to the Mayoral Police and Crime Commissioner Precept and the Mayor General Precept (including Fire Services)

 

On being put to the VOTE the RESOLUTION was CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED

That for the year 2026/27 the Mayoral Police and Crime Commissioner Precept and the Mayoral General Precept (including Fire Services) for Greater Manchester have been issued to the Council in accordance with Section 40 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, for each category of dwellings in the Council's area as indicated in the table below, be noted.

 

Resolution 5 – Relating to the Setting of the Council Tax for 2026/27

 

A recorded vote, in line with the Regulations was then taken on the RESOLUTION as follows:

COUNCILLOR		COUNCILLOR
Adams Christine	Against	Hussain Fida	For
Akhtar Shoab	Against	Hussain Junaid	For
Al-Hamdani Sam	For	Hussain Sajed	For
Ali Mohon	For	Ibrahim Nyla	Against
Ali Zaheer	Against	Iqbal Nadeem	For
Arnott Dave	Against	Islam Mohammed Nazrul	For
Aslam Naseem	For	Jabbar Abdul	For
Azad Montaz Ali	Against	Kenyon Mark	Apologies
Ball Sandra	Against	Kouser Aisha	Against
Bishop Helen	For	Lancaster Luke	Against
Bashforth Marie	Apologies	Malik Abdul	For
Brownridge Barbara	For	Marland Alicia	For
Byrne Pam	Against	McLaren Colin	For
Charters Josh	For	Murphy Dave	For
Cosgrove Angela	For	Mushtaq Shaid	For
Chauhan Zahid	For	Nasheen Umar	For
Chowhan Naveed	Against	Navesey Lisa	For
Davis Peter	For	Quigg Lewis	Against
Dean Peter	For	Rustidge Ken	For
Ghafoor Kamran	Against	Shah Arooj	For
Goodwin Chris	For	Sharp Beth	Against
Hamblett Louie	Against	Sheldon Graham	Apologies
Harkness Garth	For	Shuttleworth Graham	For
Harrison Holly	For	Sykes Howard	For
Hince Marc	For	Taylor Elaine	For
Hindle Neil	For	Wahid Abdul	Against
Hobin Brian	Absent	Wilkinson Mark	Apologies
Hughes Jade	Against	Williamson Diane	For
Hurley Maggie	Against	Woodvine Max	Against
Hussain Aftab	For	Eddie Moores (MAYOR)	For

 

On a recorded VOTE being taken 36 VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the RESOLUTION with 19 VOTES cast AGAINST and there were 0 ABSTENTIONS. The RESOLUTION was therefore CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED

That the Council, in accordance with sections 30 to 36 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, hereby sets the aggregate amounts shown in the tables below as the amounts of Council Tax for 2026/27 for each part of its area and for each of the categories of dwellings.

 

Authority/Parish or Town Council	Council Tax Bands (£)
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
Oldham Council	1,437.48	1,677.06	1,916.64	2,156.22	2,635.38	3,114.54	3,593.70	4,312.44
Mayoral Police and Crime Commissioner Precept	190.20	221.90	253.60	285.30	348.70	412.10	475.50	570.60
Mayoral General Precept (including Fire Services)	102.63	119.74	136.84	153.95	188.16	222.37	256.58	307.90
Saddleworth Parish Precept	19.85	23.16	26.47	29.78	36.39	43.01	49.63	59.56
Shaw and Crompton Town Council Precept	12.32	14.37	16.42	18.48	22.58	26.69	30.80	36.96

 

 

AGGREGATE OF COUNCIL TAX REQUIREMENTS

Authority/Parish or Town Council	Council Tax Bands (£)
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
Saddleworth Parish Area	1,750.16	2,041.86	2,333.55	2,625.25	3,208.63	3,792.02	4,375.41	5,250.50
Shaw & Crompton Town Council Area	1,742.63	2,033.07	2,323.50	2,613.95	3,194.82	3,775.70	4,356.58	5,227.90
All other parts of the Council’s Area	1,730.31	2,018.70	2,307.08	2,595.47	3,172.24	3,749.01	4,325.78	5,190.94

 

 

Resolution 6 relating to the Council’s relevant amount of Council Tax for 2026/27.

 

A recorded vote, in line with the Regulations was then taken on the RESOLUTION as follows:

COUNCILLOR		COUNCILLOR
Adams Christine	Against	Hussain Fida	For
Akhtar Shoab	Against	Hussain Junaid	For
Al-Hamdani Sam	For	Hussain Sajed	For
Ali Mohon	For	Ibrahim Nyla	Against
Ali Zaheer	Against	Iqbal Nadeem	For
Arnott Dave	Against	Islam Mohammed Nazrul	For
Aslam Naseem	For	Jabbar Abdul	For
Azad Montaz Ali	Against	Kenyon Mark	Apologies
Ball Sandra	Against	Kouser Aisha	Against
Bishop Helen	For	Lancaster Luke	Against
Bashforth Marie	Apologies	Malik Abdul	For
Brownridge Barbara	For	Marland Alicia	For
Byrne Pam	Against	McLaren Colin	For
Charters Josh	For	Murphy Dave	For
Cosgrove Angela	For	Mushtaq Shaid	For
Chauhan Zahid	For	Nasheen Umar	For
Chowhan Naveed	Against	Navesey Lisa	For
Davis Peter	For	Quigg Lewis	Against
Dean Peter	For	Rustidge Ken	For
Ghafoor Kamran	Against	Shah Arooj	For
Goodwin Chris	For	Sharp Beth	Against
Hamblett Louie	For	Sheldon Graham	Apologies
Harkness Garth	For	Shuttleworth Graham	For
Harrison Holly	For	Sykes Howard	For
Hince Marc	For	Taylor Elaine	For
Hindle Neil	For	Wahid Abdul	Against
Hobin Brian	Absent	Wilkinson Mark	Apologies
Hughes Jade	Against	Williamson Diane	For
Hurley Maggie	Against	Woodvine Max	Against
Hussain Aftab	For	Eddie Moores (MAYOR)	For

 

On a recorded VOTE being taken 37 VOTES were cast in FAVOUR of the RESOLUTION with 18 VOTES cast AGAINST and there were 0 ABSTENTIONS. The RESOLUTION was therefore CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED

That the Council, in accordance with section 52ZB of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 hereby determines that the Council’s relevant basic amount of council tax for 2026/27 is not excessive in accordance with the principles determined by the Secretary of State under section 52ZC of the Act.