Search decisions

The purpose of this report is to seek approval to award grant funding to the voluntary, community and faith sector, namely Oldham Interfaith Forum and Stop Hate UK, during the financial year 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025.

RESOLVED - That the proposal seeks to approve grant funding to
Oldham Interfaith Forum and Stop Hate UK from the Council’s community cohesion funds.

The proposals include making permanent the St Anne’s Avenue one way Westbound from its junction with Oldham Road to its junction with Ormerod Avenue. Mellalieu Street one way Southbound from its junction with St Anne’s Avenue

RESOLVED - That:
Permanent Traffic Regulations Order will prohibit motor vehicles from entering the School Street zone/s of each school at drop off and pick up between the times listed in Appendix A on weekdays during term time. A gated barrier will support school staff or volunteers to manage the closure.

The purpose of the report is to seek approval to stop up part of the highway under Section 116 of the Highways Act 1980 as it is no longer necessary to the Highway Network

RESOLVED - That:
The preferred option is Option1

The reason for the decision is to approve the Determination Statement which screens the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan to determine whether a Strategic Environmental Assessment is required. Appendix 1 contains the Determination Statement.

RESOLVED - That:
To approve the Determination Statement and send a copy to each of the statutory bodies and publicise in line with the regulations. This will ensure that the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations are met, which will inform whether Basic Conditions are met when the plan is inspected. Approving the statement will also demonstrate the council is fulfilling its statutory duty to advise and assist.

Oldham Libraries have been successful in their bid for £151,520 to refurbish Northmoor Library. The funding will enable the creation of a community garden and education programme as well as repairs and reconfiguration of the Portakabin building to create extra space for events and activities by introducing flexible furniture and increasing the number of PCs and supplementary digital devices.
Match funding to the value of £17k in the financial year 2023/24 is required as part of the bid and this can be managed from within the Heritage, Libraries and Arts Budget.
The report provides details of the project and requests that the grant funding is accepted, and the project progressed.

RESOLVED - That:
Accept the grant offer

With a return to increasing walk-in visitor footfall in Access Oldham, together with the services imminent relocation to Spindles (currently scheduled for mid-May 2024) and a requirement to provide Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on visitor numbers and service levels, the service would now like to re-enable the Qmatic visitor management and ticketing system which was decommissioned during the Covid pandemic.

RESOLVED - That:
Following a procurement process, re-enabling the existing Qmatic system has been identified as the preferred approach, allowing for the re-use of retained hardware. The software and user interface is as previously used, however, the system will be located off premise in line with Council ICT strategy. The proposed award is for a three-year contract to provide the software and hardware for the scheme.

Following the move of Unity staff into the Council, an exercise has been carried out to offer a voluntary move of the TUPEd Customer Services staff from Unity Terms and Conditions to Oldham Council Terms and Conditions from 1st January 2024.

RESOLVED - That:
the move to Oldham Council terms and conditions for the affected customer services staff is taken forward with effect from 1st January 2024.

To Award a contract to Pentland Plants Ltd to
supply and deliver fully grown ready to plant
summer bedding in 2024.

RESOLVED - That:To approve the report and award the
contract to Pentland Plants Limited enabling us
to procure the bedding plants and carry out the
planned works in the parks, cemeteries, open
spaces and displays, throughout the borough.

On the 23 November 2023, the Director of Education, Early Years and Skills and children’s service’s directorate management team approved
the request to redesign the early years funding team within the early years service.
Consultation has taken place with trade unions and affected staff throughout the formal consultation period on the 20 February to 5 March 2024. There has been no feedback or objections on the proposed structure from trade unions or affected staff.
The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the outcome of the staff consultation and to seek approval to progress to implementation. If approved, the required staff changes will take effect from 1 April 2024 onwards.

RESOLVED - That:
Options set out in the November report were:
Option 1: Implement a redesign of the Early Years Funding Team with the associated redundancy of the Early Years Provision Manager with immediate effect.
This option reduces senior management in order to create greater capacity at an operational/ delivery level.
Option 2: Remain ‘as is’. This option fails to address the need to target resources where they are most needed to respond to the changing needs of the service.

To accept the award of £50,000 grant funding from the Planning Skills Delivery Fund (DLUHC) and agree the procurement of consultancy support using this funding to provide drainage advice related to the backlog of planning applications.

RESOLVED - That: the Planning Skills Delivery Fund grant award of £50,000 from DLUHC be accepted and utilised to appoint XAIS Asset Management Ltd to provide drainage advice on planning applications for the Lead Local Flood Authority.

The reason for this decision is to adopt changes, which have occurred to designated Sites of Biological Importance (SBIs) within the borough. Changes are outlined in Appendix 2 and Appendix 1 provides maps of the SBIs with boundary amendments. This includes Hull Brook (Grade A) which has had a net loss of 0.6 hectares (due to agricultural improvement) and Ponds at Cowlishaw Farm (Grade B), which gained 0.1hectares due to an increase in swamp present.
Tame Water Woodland and Hey Bank were also reviewed but had no significant changes.
Oldham has a total of 38 SBIs, which has increased overtime from 18 since 1984 (please see Appendix 3 for fact sheet).

RESOLVED - That:
To adopt the changes to the SBIs as outlined in Appendix 2. The advantage to this option is that the changes to SBIs will be subject to the principles set out in NPPF of avoid, mitigate and as a last resort compensate any harm.