Questions from the Leader of the Opposition to the Council Leader – Oldham Council 5th Feb. 2014

1) Monitoring Air Quality:

As one of the foremost cotton towns, with a continued legacy amongst our citizens of poor respiratory and cardio-vascular health, we must all recognise the importance of clean air to the well-being of the residents and wildlife of this borough.

Certainly in Shaw and Crompton, ward members, being conscious of the on-going impact of diesel fumes from the many HGVs that pass through our ward, en-route to and from local distribution centres, have campaigned long and hard for the installation of a station to monitor air quality. This campaign was recently rewarded when such a station was installed on Crompton Way.

Councillors may be unaware that the Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollutants estimates that up to 29.000 deaths in the UK per year are attributable to poor air quality and that the World Health Organisation has recently classified outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans.

I was therefore recently concerned to hear of a suggestion by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that the legal obligation be removed from local authorities to monitor air quality.

I am sure that the Leader will want to join me in seeking to maintain our Council’s commitment to carrying out these checks, and to continue to participate in the work of the Greater Manchester Air Quality Network, so can I invite him to join me (and the other group leader on Oldham Council) in sending a joint letter to the Minister expressing our concern over this issue?

2) Use of Discretionary Housing Payments and Local Welfare Provision Monies:

I would like to ask the Leader about the use of money allocated by the Coalition Government to provide relief for the poorest and most deserving residents of this borough affected by welfare reform.

I am referring to two ‘pots’ of money given by the Department of Work and Pensions – the DWP – to this authority – the Discretionary Housing Payments fund and local Welfare Provision Fund.

In the 2013 – 14 financial year, Oldham Council has received £498,000 in order that it “may be awarded, in addition to any welfare benefits, when a local authority considers that a claimant requires further financial assistance towards housing costs”.

It is principally used to meet shortfalls, where an award of housing benefit falls short of the rent owed on the property.

The sum that Oldham Council received this year was significantly larger than that received previously, with the intention that it be used in large part to meet rent shortfalls for those social tenants who were deemed to be under-occupying so they might have time to secure a smaller property or to increase their income (by taking up employment or taking in a lodger) to pay the rent.

As of the start of this week, £327,000 – or approximately two thirds – has been spent.

The Local Welfare Provision replaced a number of grants and social fund loans in April and is intended to “meet the short term emergency and immediate support needs of vulnerable people” and “assist vulnerable people to establish or maintain a home in the community”.

The DWP awarded £1,038,000 to this authority for this purpose.

My understanding is that by mid-December £453,000 – or under half of this money – had been spent.

However, only £213,000 of this went to needy applicants. £80,000 was spent on beefing up our welfare rights service, which we welcome. But worryingly £160,000 was spent on administration. There must surely be something wrong when Oldham Council is spending £4 on administration for every £5 awarded in grant?

We are now in the final quarter of the current financial year.
At this point, we have spent two thirds of one budget and under half of another.

So can the Leader please tell me how he intends to speed up payments in the final quarter to ensure the poorest and most needy residents of this borough get the money they are entitled to as the Government expected when it awarded this Council the money?

And what he intends to do with any underspend – which particularly in the case of the Local Welfare Provision is likely to be significant?

3) Zero Hours Contracts:

The use of zero hours’ contracts by employers has recently attracted significant criticism.

The Get Oldham Working strategy, a key corporate priority for this Council, includes a commitment (to quote from the Council’s own website) “to support ‘Fair Employment’ by promoting a Living Wage and tackling issues like ‘zero hours’ contracts”.

We had the debate about introducing the National Living Wage at last Council, so for tonight I will confine myself to a question relating to ‘zero hours’ contracts.

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Dr Vince Cable, MP, has launched a public consultation on a range of proposals to reform the use of ‘zero hours contracts’ in the labour market. The closing date for the submission of comments is 13th March of this year.

The Leader will recall that I asked for a special hearing of the Overview and Scrutiny Board to be convened to respond to a similar consultation last summer by Government on the Work Capability Assessment.

I would like to ask the Leader to convene a similar hearing of O + S to which elected members and other interested parties, such as employers’ bodies and trades unions, are invited to attend, or otherwise contribute, in order that this Council can make a collective submission by the deadline.

New Metrolink Service to open via Oldham Town Centre

Metrolink services between Rochdale Railway Station and Central Park will be replaced with buses for nine days from Saturday (18 January) as the final connections are made to bring Oldham’s new town centre tram line into service.

The weeklong changes will allow the track between Werneth and Oldham Mumps to be severed and connected to a brand new alignment into and through the town centre.

When the new track, overhead power lines and systems have been connected, final testing will begin and this will be followed by the start of passenger services.

A like-for-like replacement bus service will be provided during the work, calling at all the affected stops.

Details of where to catch replacement buses are now available at stops, online at www.metrolink.co.uk or by calling the Metrolink team on 0161 205 2000.

Unless adverse wintry weather conditions affect progress on the ground, the line will open to passenger service on Monday 27 January – several months ahead of schedule.

The line has four new stops – Westwood, Oldham King Street, Oldham Central and Oldham Mumps, with the latter integrating tram and bus services and providing a new, free park and ride site for Metrolink passengers.

Bridge Street footbridge

Extract from a letter from TfGM to local residents.

Oldham and Rochdale Metrolink line – Work on Footbridge at Bridge Street, Shaw

As you may be aware, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has recently announced that it is targeting Monday 27th January for the start of Metrolink passenger services through Oldham town centre, unless adverse wintry weather conditions affect progress on the ground.

Connecting the new line to the network will require a weeklong closure of the existing section between Central Park and Rochdale Railway Station, which is scheduled to start on Saturday 18th January.

During this temporary closure we will be carrying out some additional work along certain sections of the Oldham and Rochdale Metrolink line.

Work will include improvements to the handrail and stairs on the footbridge over the Metrolink track at Bridge Street, Shaw.

This scheduled work will take place between the hours of 7am and 7pm on Saturday 18th January 2014 and Sunday 19th January 2014.

This work will involve:

• Removal and replacement of the handrail to stairs

• Refurbishment (grinding and cleaning) and repainting the existing balustrade to the stairs.

• Installation of new anti-slip stair treads.

Please note that if the painting is not completed within the time frame above work will need to be completed between 8 am and 6 pm on Monday 20th January to Wednesday 22nd January, dependent on weather conditions.

A footpath closure will be in place from 7am on Saturday 18th January until 6pm on Wednesday 22nd January.

A signed diversion route will be in place via Smallbrook Rd.

This closure will be removed if the works are completed early.

Works to Beal Lane crossing

Extra from TfGM letter to local residents.

Oldham and Rochdale Metrolink line – Works to Beal Lane crossing

As you may be aware, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has recently announced that it is targeting Monday 27th January for the start of Metrolink passenger services through Oldham town centre, unless adverse wintry weather conditions affect progress on the ground.

Connecting the new line to the network will require a weeklong closure of the existing section between Central Park and Rochdale Railway Station, which is scheduled to start on Saturday 18thJanuary.

During the temporary closure we will be carrying out some additional work along certain sections of the Oldham and Rochdale Metrolink line.

Work will include permanently removing the yellow hatch markings on Beal Lane, close to the Shaw and Crompton Metrolink stop.

We will then be installing anti-skid surfacing on the approaches to the crossing.

A set of temporary traffic signals will be in place during this work.

This scheduled work will take place between the hours of 7am on Saturday 18th January 2014 and 7pm on Monday 20th January 2014.

Plea for rightsizing policy in social homes – gross mismatching ‘a scandal’ affecting children’s health and future

The focus of debate on housing issues should return to the plight of the thousands of families living with overcrowding, say Liberal Democrat councillors Lynne Thompson and John McCann.

It is not just a matter of comfort or convenience; it has a severe impact on the health and educational attainment of many of Oldham’s children.

Children sleeping in overcrowded bedrooms are more likely to get every bug going around and much less likely to have a quiet area to do homework or to read or pursue hobbies. Also common is disturbed sleep when siblings of various ages and differing bedtimes must sleep together.

It is desperately unfair when, according to the latest statistics the council has published, at least 7 individuals or childless couples appear to be living in five-bedroomed social homes, 25 in four-bedroomed homes, and no less than 341 in three-bedroomed homes.

(It could be that they have a child or children, but that means you can add extra bedrooms to the figures above.)

And that is just the tip of the iceberg – those who have been living rent-free and must now pay towards their unused bedrooms. There could be as many again over pension credit age, who are exempt from the size criteria; it is often the elderly who find themselves in unmanageably large properties when children have left. And then there are people who pay the full (subsidised) rent.

The ideal answer to overcrowding is to build more affordable homes, but that takes time and a great deal of money – up to £200,000 for the family houses which are in high demand.

With 5,555 families in priority need of a new home with 3 or more bedrooms, the majority of them overcrowded, the council should be pursuing every solution. One priority family in 15 could be rehoused if just those grossly under-occupying at public expense moved – potentially as many as one in 8 if all under-occupiers did.

Oldham had until recently an award-winning downsizing scheme which delivered over 200 larger homes for occupation quickly and for around £500 a time.

Councillors Thompson and McCann are seeking its reinstatement, along with a whole raft of other measures, in order to free up large homes for the families they were built for.

Those measures include:
• extra housing list priority for tenants seeking to downsize
• setting up a lodger scheme
• promoting the AGMA Help With Rent scheme for would-be downsizers
• improvements to the home exchange scheme
• a no-eviction policy and a hardship fund to help would-be downsizers who fall behind with rent because they under-occupy.

Councillor John McCann explains: “These are voluntary schemes we are proposing to help people who find themselves financially squeezed because they live in homes which are far larger than they need.

“Our experience with the downsizing scheme was that the big reduction in outgoings was in heating bills and running costs. The reason many beneficiaries, especially older people, had hesitated was the complexity of moving home. Our downsizing scheme’s one-to-one support made it easy and they found themselves much better off.

“We have not hesitated to make common cause with our Labour colleagues on the council in opposing the size criteria legislation where it is bad – inadequate allowance for disability, for instance, and failure to allow for the scarcity of one-bedroomed accommodation.

“However, those with two or more spare bedrooms have a choice because they are vastly outnumbered by families who want family-sized houses. It is council procedure which perversely makes a move more difficult than it need be.”

“The crunch question is whether to press people to move”, says Cllr LynneThompson. The most heart-rending casework I get is still from people living like sardines in overcrowded homes.

“I understand emotional attachments to houses but ultimately I have to question whether it is morally right to allow people to play dog-in-the-manger with publicly-provided houses they do not need and others need desperately.

“I also sympathise with young families struggling with a mortgage so they can realise the dream of a home of their own. Under-occupiers’ outrage that they must pay £21 a week to keep a four or five bedroomed house rings very hollow in their ears – and Labour’s claim they are hard-done-to even more so.

“I believe that, in the first instance, the council should leave people a choice – downsize or contribute if required to. But if selfish people dig their heels in, the council must consider tougher measures and councillors of all parties must face up to supporting that. There is nothing generous about sacrificing children’s well-being to others’ self-interest.”

Milnrow Road Zebra Crossing tragedy – statement given at Full Council 18th Dec – posted for information purposed only

18 December, 2013
OLDHAM COUNCIL: STATEMENT TO FULL COUNCIL

A statement was given at tonight’s Full Council meeting about the tragic death of a local schoolgirl in Shaw.

Annalise Holt, 12, was fatally injured following a collision with a van in the incident on Milnrow Road, Shaw, at about 4.30pm on December 17.

Full Council observed a minute’s silence as a mark of respect at the start of proceedings.

Councillor Dave Hibbert, Cabinet Member for Environment and Housing, then gave the following statement to the Council Chamber:

“I am sure that everyone here tonight in the Council Chamber and people from across our Borough are united in a sense of sadness and shock after hearing news of yesterday’s tragic events”, he said.

“We have had a number of public questions submitted for our Question Time event this evening about this tragedy and that is only right because we all want information and answers.

“Firstly, I want to pay tribute to the emergency services who responded to last night’s incident in a typically professional manner and did all they could to assist.

“At present we are now assisting the police investigation which aims to find out exactly what happened. That means we are somewhat restricted in what we can say because we must take very great care not to prejudice the outcome of that investigation in any way.

“There have been some misleading reports about the crossing site which I would like to correct. Some of the data that has been quoted in relation to accident figures does not refer to this site at all. They refer to a stretch of Milnrow Road (A663) running north towards Milnrow.

“Our records at this crossing site since 1999 show that – prior to yesterday – there have been three incidents in 14 years. Two of these simply involved ‘shunting’ – where one vehicle has gone into the back of another giving way to pedestrians.

“The other case was the tragic incident in January 2012 when Lynn Steele was one of two pedestrians hit by a car and subsequently died.

“The police report into that accident stated that the glare of the sun low in the winter sky was a contributing factor in this incident – not the condition of the highway or the crossing. We understand the Coroner held an inquest in late-October but the Council was not called as an interested party and nor has the Coroner’s report been released to us.

“Some reports have also speculated that the lack of a school crossing patrol may have been a contributory factor in yesterday’s incident. It is true that this crossing used to have a patrol for two local primary schools, but at the time of day when this incident happened the patrol would not, in any case, have still been on duty given that they finish at around 4pm.

“We fully recognise that a petition that has been launched by the public asking the Council to consider replacing the zebra crossing with a pelican crossing and we understand the concerns being raised.

“This site is eligible for either a zebra, pelican or puffin crossing. Although we are still far from a conclusion to the police investigation, what I will say is that we will consider this in consultation with the local community when we have the full facts before us. We are certainly not dismissing this request, but the existing zebra crossing does meet all our highway safety obligations.

“That is as much as we can say at this stage without prejudicing the ongoing investigation. We all have a duty to allow that to proceed in a fair and responsible manner.

“In that context I have tried to address as many of the questions submitted to us as possible by the public as we can but we must now wait for the police to report their findings to us.

“I pledge to continue to liaise with local Ward Members, who have raised this issue as a matter of urgency, as we get more information in the coming days. The Council is also supporting Royton and Crompton school in their efforts to deal with these tragic events.

“I will issue a further public update on this matter as quickly as I am able to do so.

“Finally, I would again like to express my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Annalise Holt, and also to wish her school friend a full recovery.

“I know I speak for the whole Council Chamber when I say that they are all in our thoughts and prayers.”

Milnrow Road Zebra Crossing tragedy

I am horrified as others have been about the most recent accident on the Milnrow Road Zebra in Shaw.

As you can appreciated lots of people have been in touch about this matter and this email will attempt to cover the points people have raised.

Obviously this is extremely devastating for the families especially at this time of year.

There are people to consider here – the family of the young girl who sadly died the family of the young girl who has been seriously injured and the driver and his family.

Local Councillors have for more years than we care to remember been asking for this crossing to be made safer and traffic signals (pelican) be provided.

Only a couple of weeks ago Highway Engineers stated that apart from some re-lining and improving the lighting, there was nothing else they were prepared to do.

Concern about this crossing has, and is, regularly and continually expressed by local elected Councillors (in meetings and via direct correspondence).

There is a meeting today at 4.15pm about this matter.

There is a meeting of the full Oldham Council tonight at 6pm when depending upon the outcome of the 4.15pm meeting, this matter will be raised again if we are not satisfied or assured enough by the earlier 4.15pm meeting.

If you have not already done so please sign the petition:

This will help me and other local Shaw and Crompton Councillors press home the case.

As you will appreciate matters concerning this tragedy are moving quickly, others will and are planning things to again demonstrate our community’s anger about this matter and to ensure something gets done about it, and quickly.

Hopefully by working together we will get some action.

Many thanks for contacting me about this matter.

I can assure you I share your frustrations and concerns. My family and I use that crossing and that stretch of road on a daily basis.

As and when I or my colleagues have any updates I will attempt to share them with fellow concerned residents as soon as we can: http://howardsykes.mycouncillor.org.uk

Once again thanks you for contacting me about this issue.