Q1: Local Lockdown in Oldham

Thank you, Madame Mayor,

My question concerns the issue of Coronavirus Local Lockdowns. It is a great tragedy that after four months we are still dealing with the impact in human suffering, lost lives, and, increasingly, the economic downturn caused by this terrible virus.

Just as the situation appeared to be slightly improving and people began to experience hope, on the 29th June, the health secretary announced that the first local lockdown would be applied.  This was of course, in Leicester.

This included the closure of schools (except for the children of key workers), which partially reopened on 1 June, and non-essential retail, which reopened across England on 15 June.

Before the lockdown in Leicester, the Government had suggested that local restrictions would be handled by local leaders.

What actually happened, was that the imposition of lockdown in Leicester was decided by central Government.  Boris Johnson’s leadership has overseen fatal communication blunders. These blunders kept ‘local leaders’ in the dark on what was happening with Covid-19, much too late.

When Leicester went into lockdown, the Government said that the local seven-day infection rate was 135 cases per 100,000 people, three times higher than the next highest city.  How did it get to that clear level of cases and local politicians and officers hadn’t a clue what was going on?

The aim of a local lockdown is to control the spread of the Covid-19 by containing it within a localised area, but not necessarily by authority. 

It means re-imposing social distancing restrictions across the whole of the affected area.  

Sadly, Oldham has been harder hit than many other towns and cities in England by the Coronavirus Pandemic. I am optimistic that we have the right preparations in place for the worst-case scenario.

As the Government has given consistently conflicting and confusing advice and acted slowly and communicated slowly, please can he tell us what are we doing locally to make sure that we are ahead of the game, even if the Conservative Government is not?

I know tonight that we have another detailed report on Oldham’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, but I believe many of our concerned residents would welcome an honest appraisal of our local situation and a reassurance that Oldham is ahead of the game in lay person’s language.

So I am invite the Leader to provide that appraisal and reassurance tonight by telling us more about our Oldham plan if we are required to go into local lockdown?

And I would specifically welcome his assurance that the local track and trace testing data from the Department of Health and Social Care and its’ contractor Deloitte is now being passed onto our relevant health teams so they can act on them to help mitigate against any local spike in Covid-19 infection?

Q2: Turning the Frog into a Prince

Madam Mayor,

Later tonight, I will second the Cabinet Member for Finance’s motion attacking the Government for its failure to honour its promise to fully reimburse Councils like Oldham for the financial hit caused by Coronavirus, and I am happy to do this as he and I are both as one on this issue.

However, I regret that this Entente Cordial cannot extend to another issue concerning a town centre regeneration project which has dragged on…and on…

I am of course referring to the Princes Gate development.

The BBC on 19 November 2014 reported Oldham Council’s announcement of the ‘game changer’ and the promise of a 150,000 square foot retail development, with 800 homes and 700 parking spaces.

Now after the withdrawal of Marks and Spencers, we now no longer have a ‘game changer’. We have the promise of a 28,500 square feet retail development and a hotel. And the promised “missing retail giants” are now Lidl and Travelodge, not M+S.

However, anyone passing the site, probably on a tram, can see nothing is happening.

Yet the Council’s Town Centre Vision, agreed in June of last year, promised work ‘due to start on site autumn 2019’.

It is interesting to contrast this inactivity with that seen in the centre of another town that you go to by tram from Mumps. And that town is Rochdale.

Here you can step straight off a tram and into the new Riverside retail and leisure development.

Councillors there also called Riverside a ‘game changer’.

For phase One is a development totalling 200,000 square feet, including 24 shops, restaurants and a six-screen cinema. Not only can you play indoor golf and watch a film, but Rochdale offers visitors a new Marks and Spencer Foodhall.

Work on site started in 2018. In April the Foodhall opened and in the last few days, other units in the development have started to open as promised.

Two years on, bang on time.  Despite Coronavirus.

From time to time in Council meetings, we gently rib our neighbours in Rochdale, but on this, Madam Mayor, they have got things so right and we so wrong.

The Leader will be very aware that we are fast approaching our sixth anniversary of inactivity at the Mumps site.  

So, for my second question tonight I would like to ask him when will this Frog finally be turned into a Prince?  

When will we finally see something begin to happen at Mumps?

Councillor Chris Gloster, Liberal Democrat Deputy Group Leader, Oldham Council. 15 July 2020