Q1 the impact of inflation and Princes Gate
Thank you, Madam Mayor,
In his budget amendment speech in February this year, my colleague councillor Gloster warned the Labour Administration that if this Council continues with its current approach to regeneration and transformation, then we are increasing the risk of becoming a financially failing Council due to the massive amount of increased borrowing that will be required to complete projects like Spindles, Tommyfield Market, the Eco Centre, the new Town Centre Park, Old Library and the Cultural Quarter, the new Theatre and new Archive Centre amongst others.
This was before interest rates rocketed to more than 10%.
I want to focus on just one of those projects and that’s the long-promised Prince’s Gate, down at Mumps.
On September 12th, 1962, US President John F. Kennedy told the American people “We choose to go to the Moon”.
It was an ambitious speech Madam Mayor… but it was also an inspiring one because just 2,504 days later, on July 20th, 1969, mankind witnessed the first lunar landing.
Madam Mayor, it’s more than 2900 days since Jim McMahon set out his vision of a £60million game changer redevelopment which would deliver 150,000 square feet of retail space to be populated by the UK’s retail giants, along with 800 homes and 700 parking spaces.
That vision has been watered down over the years. We started with talk of “missing retail giants” like Marks and Spencer. Now it’s a Travelodge and a Lidl.
It’s been more than eight years Madam Mayor… … and Labour still haven’t delivered Jim McMahon’s game changer, but we do have some car parking spaces.
To put it bluntly it’s taken longer for Oldham Labour to deliver a budget hotel and a budget supermarket than it took to put Mankind on the moon.
Madam Mayor, can the Leader update the council on the impact of plus 10% inflation on Oldham’s regeneration projects… and when can the people of Oldham expect to welcome the long-promised Prince’s Gate redevelopment?
Because to-date the progress has been far from interstellar.
Q2 School meals and budgets
Thank you, Madam Mayor, my second question tonight is about schools.
Schools across Oldham are facing immense challenges because of the cost-of-living crisis.
Government failure to keep pace with inflation means that free school meal budgets in Oldham have effectively been cut by more than £200,000 in real terms.
Now we are seeing school budgets swallowed by rising energy costs, nine out of 10 schools across the country say they will run out of money next year.
In some cases, schools are seeing their energy bill rise by 100 or 150%.
But not only is the Government telling schools to fend for themselves – with no additional support to meet these rising costs – but our latest Chancellor is suggesting finding more cuts.
These cuts will mean less teaching hours, less teaching assistants and less teachers.
This is not just because councillor Sykes says so… but because Paul Whiteman, the General Secretary of the National Association of Headteachers says so.
So, my question to the Leader is, what cost-of-living support will the Council bring forward for schools – specifically to help with food and warmth so that children in Oldham are not left to suffer because of this indifferent and cruel Government?