Agenda item

BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT

Ahmad, Zakir

CEO, Yuvanis Foundation

Ashraf, Kashif

Oldham President, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce

Chamberlain, Chris

Chief Executive, Oldham RLFC Foundation

Chapman, Suzy

Employer Relationship and Business Development Manager, Oldham College

Drake, Rebecca

Director, Full Circle NW

Freaney, Nicky

NW Group Employer and Partnership Manager, Department for Work and Pensions

Lockwood, Stuart

Chief Executive, Oldham Community Leisure

Mahmood, Aisha

Director, Clear Watch Security

McLaren, Colin (Vice-Chair)

Chair, Chadderton Together

Shuttleworth, Councilor Graham

West District Community Lead and Councillor for Chadderton South, Oldham Council

Windsor-Welsh, Laura (Chair)

Oldham Director, Action Together

DEPUTIES PRESENT

Duncan, Archie

From the office of Jim McMahon, Member of Parliament for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton

Parker, Lee

Great Manchester Police

OTHERS PRESENT

Edwards, Eve

Pride in Place Manager, Oldham Council

Newton, Tom (Minutes)

Place Making Officer, Oldham Council

Pope, Sarah

Delivery Manager, Pride in Place, MCHLG

APOLOGIES RECEIVED

Taylor, Councilor Elaine

Deputy Leader, Oldham Council

Consterdine, Neil

Director of Communities, Oldham Council

Charlesworth, Cara

(Deputy Sent)

Superintendent Operations Oldham, Great Manchester Police

Dolby, Gemma

Head of Tenancy and Neighbourhoods

,First Choice Homes

Longsden, Angela

Strategic Lead for Connected Communities, Oldham Council

McMahon OBE, Jim

(Deputy Sent)

Member of Parliament for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton

Nugent, Martin

Senior Policy and Partnership Officer, Safer and Stronger Communities, Greater Manchester Combined Authority

Shah, Councillor Arooj

Leader, Oldham Council

Taylor, Catherine

Oldham Partnership Manager,

Department for Work and Pensions

1. Welcome and housekeeping (Chair)

Housekeeping matters were covered, and new and returning members were welcomed.

2. Introductions and apologies for absence (Chair)

Introductions were made and apologies noted.

3. Notice of any urgent business to be accepted onto the agenda and reasons for that urgency (Chair)

None.

4. Procedural business and any items accepted as urgent business (Chair)

i) Declarations of interest

Existing declarations were noted.  Cllr Graham Shuttleworth declared an interest in Item 7 of the agenda.  He will be asked to leave the room during this agenda item.

ii) Review of minutes and action updates from last meeting

Suzy Chapman enters

The minutes dated 29^th June 2026 were approved as a true record (proposed by RD and seconded by AM) and approved for publication online at oldham.gov.uk

Zakir Ahmad enters

Completed actions were discussed and the following actions were carried forward:

ACTION: Businesses on the Board to work up a detailed proposal for the consideration of the owner of Chadderton precinct. 

ACTION: Board to create a sub-groups to appraise projects, including optional business cases. 

ACTION: Oldham Council to assess the demand for the pool of surveyors and technicians being put together by Government. 

ACTION Ensure queries from the AGM are added to future agendas as business for the board to discuss (see AGM minutes)

ACTION Write to MHCLG to support request for releasing funding

ACTION Review precinct project looking at the dependencies, risks and issues

ACTION Discuss approach to investment comms; view of it being clear which funding is supporting which projects Pride in Place comms with OMBC comms team

ACTION Discuss who will be managing social media / poster etc

ACTION Consider which projects board members would like to be part and take leading roles on

5. Governance – decision making workshop

The Chair noted that the current board format, using a workshop structure to inform and progress Pride in Place strategies is proving successful.   The current focus is the governance and decision-making framework.  

The chair introduced John Atherton from Local Motion, which supports organisations, boards and committees in developing governance frameworks and democracy models. John proceeded to lead a workshop focussed on the planned decision making (voting) process.

Summary

• Governance was defined as the policies, processes, and delegated responsibilities that guide how an organisation operates.
• Good governance should focus on acting in the public interest and achieving the best outcomes for communities.
• The principle of proportionality was discussed, ensuring time and resources are matched to the importance of an issue.
• Effective governance involves seeking consensus and considering a range of views.
• Participants explored the importance of identifying the difference between a valid concern and a personal preference when making decisions.

The group discussed collective responsibility, recognising that all board members share responsibility for decisions made. Members may challenge and debate issues during discussions, but once a decision is reached, all members are expected to support it and adhere to the board’s code of conduct.

The following questions were asked to be considered during the development of the governance framework.

-       Must all board members be voting members? Or can board members take an advisory role?

-       What is the policy/procedure if an urgent decision is required

-       Can decisions be taken by a sub-committee?

NF queried that as a government department,  DWP staff cannot vote.  As the Pride in Place prospectus states that all board members have an equal right to vote SP offered to clarify this query with MHCLG.

BD highlighted that the governance process of the board is of upmost importance to community organisations represented on the board. This is because the risk of reputational damage extends to these organisations as members of the board.

LWW noted the development of the governance framework will require the TOR to be updated.  And flagged a written policy is good until a point, but it is only the practical application of a policy that truly tests how robust it is.

ACTION: Sarah Pope to clarify the position of government employees voting rights on Pride in Place boards.

ACTION: Review Terms of Reference, delegated authority processes, and conflict of interest arrangements as part of wider governance work.

6. Comfort break

7. governance

i)     Elected Members representation on the Chadderton Neighbourhood Board

Cllr Shuttleworth declared an interest in the item.  The Chair invited Graham to speak before leaving the room.

Councillor Shuttleworth noted:

• It was his understanding that his representation on the board was due to his position as West District Lead.
• The Chadderton Neighbourhood board is not a political arena, it is not made up of political parties.
• The board should be looking for representatives who consider Chadderton as a whole – not just ward level priorities.

Cllr Shuttleworth left the room

The Chair requested for deputies to declare if they were permitted to vote.  The following people stated they were not present in a voting capacity: Eve Edwards, Tom Newton, Jodie Barber, Sarah Pope.  Nicky Freaney abstained until clarity on DWP’s position as a voting member is confirmed.  Total number of voting members present: 11.

Board discussed recommended option 2:  All current elected members must reapply to join the board. Three designated seats are created: • 1 x North Chadderton • 1 x Central Chadderton • 1 x South Chadderton.

Clarifying questions from board members:

-       What will the application process be?

Applications will likely follow a similar recruitment as how a charity would to recruit to a board a trustees using a role description based on skills and experiences aligned with Pride in Place principles.  The final decision will be made by a vote at the board.

-       Why is this decision required to be made now, is there a concern?

Chadderton Neighbourhood Board was formed under the Long-Term-Plan for Towns which had different objectives and membership was more prescribed, with more weight on council and political representation. Pride in Place has different drivers. It’s also useful to note that there has also been a change in prospectus and the board is now only required to have a minimum of one elected member. The recent elections and political makeup of the borough also means this is an appropriate moment to consider the make-up and process of Elected Member representation on the board. 

-       Will the same rule apply to the MP?

No, Pride in Place prospectus states that the MP must sit on the board.

-       As representation from each ward is a defining factor – what happens if it is felt applicants in one ward don’t have the whole of Chadderton’s best interest at heart?

This will be addressed during the process, if it occurs.

-       How does this process effect the leader of the council who was on the board?

The leader will no longer sit on the board.

-       How will political alliances be factored into the application process?

This will be considered during the process.

-       How many councillors can apply?

There are 9 councillors across Chadderton.  3 in each ward.

-       If someone resigns/loses their seat does the process starts again?

Yes, with processes in place to mitigate disruption

KA noted that appointments are typically recommended by the leader. In considering ward councillor representation, the board should consider the benefit of fixed term appointments, and consider weighting given to councillors likely to remain in office for a longer period to provide continuity and stability.

The chair declared a vote on option 2: 10 approve, 1 objection (ZA)

ZA stated that existing elected members have brought a lot of positively to the board – and bringing in new members risks disrupting the progress and momentum.  He expressed concerns about continuity and that with ‘option 2’ the application process could cause delays to progress.

The chair clarified that the application process will be open to existing members to apply, and that ‘option 2’ was the recommended option as it allows a reset of elected membership through a transparent appointments process.

KA noted that, in the future, if an appointed councillor loses their ward seat, there is the potential they could join the neighbourhood board in a different capacity, but noted they wouldn’t offer the same level of knowledge.  There should be representation from each ward.  Regardless of political representation ‘option 2’ asks elected members to apply and lay out what they can bring to the table.

The chair declared a second vote on option 2: 11 approve, 0 objections

The chair thanked ZA for his challenge to the proposal and highlighted that this decision sits within wider governance work taking place.  Pride in Place provides the opportunity to develop a strong board of residents to lead and shape change in Chadderton, with a long-term ambition of becoming fully resident-led.

Cllr Shuttleworth re-entered the room

ACTION: Create and deliver elected members application process for membership to the Chadderton Neighbourhood Board.

8. Engagement and communications – (Chair)

Engagement and communications

i)     Engagement strategy review

The board reviewed the draft Pride in Place Engagement draft strategy.  TN noted that the creation of the strategy had been developed through the board engagement workshop which took place April, as well as second workshop delivered with Oldham Council connected communities team (West colleagues) and Action Together staff.

It was noted the review at this meeting was not for sign off today, but to feedback on any amends required. It was noted that officers wanted to put some consideration into how environmental considerations were built into the strategy. Notes for consideration from the board:

-       There’s a lot of engagement outlined against the budget allocated, is it enough?

-       Before engagement happens we should know where/why it’s needed.  

-       For example – CCTV projects require crime data, not engagement. 

-       What are the KPIs being measured against the engagement work? 

-       How do we maximise the opportunity and use the data we already have. and ensure things don’t happen in silos.

-       Further Education and Higher Education isn’t mentioned in the strategy, this needs to be addressed.

-       Consideration is needed about how the strategy ensures young people’s voices are heard across all interventions – not just youth based interventions.

TN noted he would consider how board feedback is included within the strategy.  He also highlighted that KPIs may be better placed at subgroup level, when individual project engagement plans are made, but further consideration about KPIs are framed within the overarching programme strategy will take place. It was agreed that CCTV installation priorities should be data led.  But highlighted that engagement would still be a requirement to support the community where installation will take place, as CCTV can be a divisive issue.  The community engagement timelines gains momentum after the summer – in the interim if board members would like to propose an idea on community engagement they can email the chair who will consider the proposal with the programme team.  The programme team will be attending Chadderton events over the summer to inform and raise awareness of the Pride in Place programme.

ACTION: Make amendments as advised by the board to strengthen the engagement strategy.

ii)    Comms update

-       Consideration is being given to how both Pride in Place areas (Alt and Holts and Chadderton) share resources to maximise budget efficiencies.

-       Over the summer an awareness campaign will run across Chadderton, with aim to encourage people to sign up to the mailing list to take part in future engagement.  Design work is taking place to support this, this will be signed off by Chair of the board..

9. New Chadderton Partnership

CM: The New Chadderton Partnership (NCP) was established around 2017 to develop a Neighbourhood Plan for Chadderton and was formally designated as Chadderton's Neighbourhood Forum by Oldham Council in February 2022. This designation is due for renewal in February 2027.

CM highlighted the extensive community engagement undertaken by the Partnership, including:

• Regular drop-in sessions and consultations with local residents.
• Engagement through church halls, pubs and local groups.
• Development of the Chadderton Neighbourhood Plan with support from Oldham Council's Strategic Planning Team.
• Identifying local priorities around transport, regeneration, heritage, wellbeing and the environment.

Key priorities emerging from this work include:

• Better transport links, including access to Butler Green, improved walking routes, Bee Network connections, reopening Middleton Junction station and potential Metrolink expansion.
• Regeneration of areas such as Greengate and Broadgate, support for local employment and consideration of the future of the precinct.
• Protection of local heritage assets including Foxdenton Hall and Nile Mill.
• Environmental improvements, green infrastructure and designated walking routes.
• Improved wellbeing and youth facilities.

LW noted significant synergy between the work of the New Chadderton Partnership and the aims of the Chadderton Partnership and Place-based working. There was recognition that both initiatives share many of the same priorities and that greater alignment could create opportunities around community engagement, planning, funding and project delivery.  Councillors were noted as having an advisory rather than governing role within the forum structure.

Agreed Next Steps

The Board agreed that further work is needed to understand:

• The structure and governance of the New Chadderton Partnership.
• Its membership and leadership.
• Its current priorities and future plans.
• Opportunities for collaboration and alignment.

Action: Officers to prepare an options paper setting out who the New Chadderton Partnership is, what it does, what it has achieved, and potential models for working more closely with the Chadderton Neighbourhood Board.

10. Action review / next steps

Please see actions within minutes

11. Any other business

CM informed the board that Chadderon Day is taking place on the 18^th /19^th July.  The day includes a living history company re-enacting the English Civil War.  Chadderton Together will be carrying out engagement activity to support the Stage 2 heritage Lottery Fund application.  TN noted that Chadderton Pride in place will also have a presence at the event.  Board members are invited to join the event.

ZA highlighted that the location of Chadderton Day in South Chadderton might cause barriers for those living in Central Chadderton. He proposed considering a mini-bus service to support attendance, and highlighted that Yuvanis have a mini-bus.

ACTION: TN and ZA to look at possibility of a mini-bus to support attendance to Chadderton Day.

12. Time and date of next meeting (Chair)

The next meeting, date originally scheduled for Tuesday 22^nd September, and all future meetings, will likely be moved to a Friday to support the attendance of Jim McMahon MP.

Meeting close 12.18pm