Leaders Question 1 – Oldham Deprived and Unhappy
My first question tonight concerns a disturbing recent report published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which has identified Oldham as the most deprived town in England.
In the study conducted by the ONS factors such as income, employment, health, education, skills and training, and crime were considered.
The study found that Oldham was the most deprived overall, with over 60% of our areas ranked in the most deprived 20% of all the areas of England.
This is an astonishing fact when you think it includes areas in the North East, Midlands, Yorkshire and elsewhere in the North West ALL OF WHICH are better than us!
I and my colleagues take no pride in topping this league table!
This time last year there was another survey published by the Rightmove estate agency chain; the Happy at Home survey asked UK homeowners questions about twelve factors relating to their experiences living in their area.
Oldham was placed 106th out of 130 local authorities. And this was the aggregate score – we scored even worse on contentment and community safety at 123rd out of 130.
So, Mr Mayor, Oldham has once again been identified as both the most deprived Borough in England, and one of the least happy towns to live in the UK.
These are hardly accolades that we as elected local leaders aspire to; and they are hardly a great advertisement that will attract new business and new residents to our Borough as their location of choice.
Now we all know – because we live here – that all is not doom and gloom in our Borough.
We have great people, with our famed Northern humour, a ‘can do’ attitude and a proud history of industry and diversity. We have great countryside and culture, but these national headlines do us no favours.
There has been much talk in this chamber of the significant physical regeneration that is being undertaken in this Borough, regeneration paid for ultimately by our hard-pressed Council Tax payers.
But if this physical regeneration does not lead to a real improvement in the economic fortunes and the physical and mental well-being of our most deprived and unhappy citizens it will have failed in what I see as one of its key objectives.
So my question to the Leader tonight.
What are we going to do to get ourselves not only off the top of this league table of most deprived but actually into another league altogether!
Leaders Question 2 – Teenage Pregnancy
My second question to the Leader tonight, Mr Mayor, also references a recent publication by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) that equally makes disturbing news.
According to the ONS, Oldham’s teenage pregnancy rate is now the highest in Greater Manchester. In 2014, 156 girls aged fifteen to seventeen became pregnant – this is a rate of 34.7 per 1,000 girls in this age bracket.
This is clearly concerning.
In October 2014, I rose to ask the then Leader a question about our Borough’s appalling record of tooth decay amongst children, but at that time I was also pleased to congratulate the Oldham Teenage Pregnancy Partnership on their work in reducing the teenage pregnancy rate by almost two thirds since 1998.
These latest figures demonstrate that there is still a lot of work to be done.
Mr Mayor, I am sure that in some instances the pregnancy is planned and the news is received with great joy, but in others this can be a very troubling occasion.
Frequently these teenagers begin motherhood at a great disadvantage, without the maturity, skills, financial and emotional support necessary to be most successful in the role.
Dependent often upon welfare benefits and socially isolated, they can begin their parenting role on the back-foot.
And despite their best efforts, they can also be subjected to disapproval and vilification by family members, by their peers and by the press, being dubbed ‘gym slip mothers’.
Sadly there have also been documented instances where medical professionals also share this prejudice.
So for my second question tonight, I would like to ask the Leader what is being done to ensure that the rates of unwanted teenage pregnancy in this Borough continue to decline and also to ensure that teenage mothers receive the support that they deserve in taking on the challenging responsibilities of parenthood at such a young age.