Q1 – Opening an Oldham Branch of Community Shop

The Leader may be aware that prior to Christmas I wrote to ‘Community Shop’, congratulating them on the opening of a branch of the social enterprise in Lambeth and suggesting that Oldham might be a suitable site for another outlet.

On Monday this week, I took up their invitation of a guided tour of the flagship Goldthorpe shop (S Yorks) and their parent ‘Company Shop’. I am now even more impressed of their professionalism and purpose, and even more convinced of the merits of bringing the concept to Oldham.

‘Community Shop’ operates community supermarkets which sell low-cost, high-quality surplus foodstuffs to hundreds of people on means-tested benefits, backed by services to help them get back into work. ‘Company Shop’ sources the food and provides logistical support.

Each shop works on a membership basis and can shop for food at prices 70 per cent lower than usual and so can feed their families well within a limited budget.

There is also an on-site café with good, wholesome food cooked by an on-site chef, who teaches customers how to cook as well.

But this is not just about food; rather food is the hook to help members get back to work.

This is a ‘hand up’, not just a ‘hand out’.

Members enrol on tailored programmes to improve their self-confidence and job prospects. Working with mentors and professionals from local agencies based at the store, members identify the areas of their lives they need to work on, and receive help to make positive improvements.

It was clear that ‘Community Shop’ would be very interested in working with Oldham Council to open an outlet in our Borough.

This opportunity is NOW as they are shortly opening a ‘Company Shop’ outlet at Stake Hill in Middleton, and want ‘Community Shops’ based close by.

I will be happy to send the Leader more details in due course, but my question to him tonight is will he work with me and Council Officers to find the partners, to find the site and to find the money to bring ‘Community Shop’ to Oldham as soon as possible?

Q2 – Investment in Royton and Crompton School

My second question tonight concerns investment in one of our crumbling secondary schools.

I know the majority of Members in the Chamber will welcome the recent decision, at long last, of the Education Funding Agency to fund a new school for Saddleworth.

Although the chosen site remains controversial, I am sure that we will want to work together on a non-party basis to address the practical issues of locating the school in Diggle, particularly the need to address traffic issues to maintain the safety of school children, staff and local residents.

But my question tonight is not about Saddleworth School. It is rather about another school that for me is both geographically and academically closer to home – it is about Royton and Crompton School.

Royton and Crompton School is in a parlous state. It is a school that requires serious investment to meet the educational needs of pupils and staff in the twenty first century.

And I make a public pledge as I have done privately to help in any way I can to get the school Royton and Crompton deserves.

So can the Leader tonight tell me where we are in looking to secure capital investment from Government to make the school ‘fit for purpose’?

Q3 – Zero Suicide Target for Greater Manchester

In Britain last year 4,700 people committed suicide. Three quarters of them were men, and suicide is the largest cause of death for young people and young men in particular.

The North West has the second highest numbers of suicide rates in Britain. Last year 567 men and 146 women took their own lives in the North West.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, recently said: “Suicide is, and always has been, a massive taboo in our society. People are genuinely scared to talk about it, never mind intervene when they believe a loved one is at risk”.

The Deputy Prime Minister called for more to be done “in every area of our society to ensure that people don’t get to that point where they believe taking their own life is their only option.”

In some areas of the USA, health services have managed to get to a situation where there are zero suicides for people receiving healthcare support.

Some areas of the UK such as Liverpool, the South West and the East of England already have plans in place to achieve this by 2017.

I believe that we should share this ambition for Greater Manchester.

Can I therefore call on the Leader to support me in raising this aspiration with NHS and Public Health Authorities in Greater Manchester so that together we can work to stamp out mental stigma and for a Greater Manchester with zero suicides?