Search decisions

The purpose of the report is to request Cabinet Member approval to allocate the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) £974,689 Winter Grant funding for Oldham to offer support to residents with food, fuel and other essential costs during the winter. The report sets out the proposed allocation of funding. Most of the recipients of the funding will be families with children

RESOLVED - That: the DWP Winter Grant resources are used to fund:
•a supermarket food voucher programme for families with children who are entitled to Free School Meals and to widen this support to families on low incomes with pre-school children and to care leavers over the Christmas 2020 and February 2021 half term holidays
•additional support for the Warm Homes programme to augment the provision of fuel vouchers to residents with pre-payment meters and support with boiler repairs
•support for other vulnerable residents with supermarket food vouchers over winter ( to be determined in January 2021.

•Update on the Oldham Community Leisure (OCL) current position as a result of Covid 19 and recognise the value of the leisure offer.
•Outline the contractual support offered to OCL to date and note that a Cabinet report was previously approved on the 24th August 2020 which provided OCL financial support for the period the 1st April through to the 24th July. The report outlined the payment mechanism for funds to be released up to the 31st March 2021.
•Seek agreement to pay OCL a further loss of income without prejudice, based on a contractual position, due to a forced closure of its facilities as a result of Covid-19 for the period of the 5th November 2020 through to the 3rd December 2020 and thus ensuring OCL can survive until the 31st March 2021 and provide them some certainty in the short term.
•Agree that ongoing dialogue with OCL is required during operational recovery to ensure it continues as a going concern in the medium term and mitigates any financial ask on the Council in the most efficient and effective manner.
•A further options paper will follow with more a detailed plan on financial survival and options on the future of the contract.

RESOLVED - That:
It is recommended that option 1 is approved which would allow an immediate survival of OCL and a further paper will follow shortly with more detailed plan on financial survival and options on the future of the contract.

To approve an access agreement between the Council and Northern Roots on Snipe Clough.

RESOLVED - That: An access agreement is entered into with Northern Roots relating to land at Snipe Clough.

Allocation of DEFRA Emergency Assistance Grant

RESOLVED - That:To allocate the Government grant funding to support residents with emergency assistance and food during the COVID 19 crisis, adopt the proposed governance process for managing and monitoring the scheme including development of more detailed procedures pre-mobilisation. This will assist in supporting rapid deployment of activity during a critical period for Oldham to support vulnerable residents to stay safe.

A proposal has been agreed at Star Chamber to remove £150,000 from the Grounds Maintenance staffing budget. To support this work a service restructure is proposed as outlined in this report. The restructure includes the release of staff who requested voluntary redundancy and the appointment of 11 apprentices to provide for the future of the service and succession planning.

RESOLVED - That: the revised establishment and structure as given at Appendix 2 be approved.

The purpose of this report is to approve the implementation of priority working for traffic, at the former Railway Bridge, at Turf Lane, Royton, together with associated traffic calming measures, to improve footway provision for pedestrians

RESOLVED - That:
the traffic calming measures associated with the scheme are approved, in accordance with the schedule at the end of this report

Closure of premises due to a complete lack of controls being implemented in relation to the COVID-19 restrictions.

RESOLVED - That: the Direction to close premises is approved.