Shaw and Crompton Parish Council Grant – response to Oldham Council’s proposals to cut the £20K grant

Shaw and Crompton logo red and blk

Further to your letter of 1st August 2016 regarding the possible reduction or withdrawal of the Council Tax Support Grant to the Parish Council with effect from 1st April 2017, please note the following response from Shaw & Crompton Parish Council in terms of potential impact –

Shaw & Crompton Parish Council relies on the Grant to support local community priorities within its annual plan, namely environmental maintenance and improvements, community events,  grant funding and the Citizens Advice Bureau advisory service. Although the Parish Council strives to make improvements and efficiencies, a reduction or withdrawal of the Grant would seriously compromise the Parish Council’s ability to continue to deliver sustainable activities for the benefit of local residents. The key priorities are outlined as follows:-

Environmental maintenance and improvements

The Parish Council has an annual contractual agreement with Groundwork Oldham and Rochdale covering a range of operations (litter removal, footpath maintenance, landscaping ) which keeps the visual appearance of areas within the Parish at a high standard and meets with local public satisfaction. In addition, The Parish Council also undertakes the treatment of public footpaths over and above the footpath maintenance programme carried out by the Borough Council. As such, any reduction in the Grant would put more pressure on Oldham Council’s resources in order to absorb this extra work. It should also be noted that the arrangement with Groundwork also adds value through involvement of local people in the Princes Trust work experience programme.

Community events

For the past 25 years, the Parish Council has organised a Family Fun Weekend and Vehicle Rally, which attracts upwards of 3,000 visitors. Incorporating the Chairman’s Charity Market, this is a key event in the diary and brings communities together to enjoy two days of fun and entertainment.  The Parish Council also arranges one Spring and one Winter Charity Market each year as well as a schools Christmas music festival. Next year (2017) marks the 30th anniversary of the formation of the Parish Council and a special, high profile celebratory event is already in the planning stage.  This is the largest community event in the Parish and special efforts are made to ensure all parts of the community are touched by the event especially the old and young.

Grant funding

Each year, the Council awards minor grants to support local church and voluntary groups and causes within Shaw & Crompton, ranging from Christmas meals for elderly residents to junior sports clubs, all run by volunteers who give something back to our community.  Some of these grants also act as match funding by levering in additional resources especially for our social inclusion projects and those with young people.

Citizens Advice Bureau

Oldham CAB is an established part of the town having delivered advice services from Crompton Library through partnership funding from Shaw & Crompton Parish Council for many years. Last year, the CAB provided advice to approximately 300 (of the more vulnerable) local people on matters relating to welfare benefits, debt, employment and housing issues. The Parish Council continues to fund this valuable service, which means that residents can receive advice locally on a weekly basis, which has resulted in tangible benefits to the most vulnerable people in the local neighbourhood.

In conclusion, the Parish Council seeks to continue the development of a pattern of civic life to benefit the whole community by fostering different types of activity. It does not have the resources to organise and run all varied and inclusive events and projects which make Shaw & Crompton into a thriving and cohesive community but is naturally grateful for the financial support it has received from the Council Tax Support Grant, which if withdrawn or reduced would mean that the Parish Council would have to consider its position in relation to the activities listed above, which we believe engender a sense of identity, aid community cohesion and promote a general feeling of well being resulting in a financial benefit to Oldham Council.

If Oldham Council is minded to remove this Grant, we would request that it is at least implemented in a phased manner so the Parish can plan and cope with the reduction in resources and re-profile its services in a measured and effective way, remaining cost effective and ensuring value for money, which is surely what Oldham Council would wish with the cuts it is suffering from Central Government.

Former Cricketers PH outline planning application

1418318255The officer dealing with the above planning application has informed me of the following.

There is an outline planning application involving the demolition of the existing pub and the erection of a three storey block of 20 apartments on the site.

  • The application was made valid on 28 July 2016.
  • Letters were sent to neighbouring properties on 2 August. In addition, a site notice was posted on 5 August and a press notice on 10 August as the application is for major development. Therefore, the deadline for public comments is 31 August.
  • The 13 week target for determination of the application is 27 October.

A copy of the plans and other supporting documents can be viewed on the Council’s website via the link below (see the ‘documents’ tab):

http://planningpa.oldham.gov.uk/online-applications/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage

Liberal Democrat Common Sense Prevails in Oldham EU Brexit Debate

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At last night’ Oldham Council meeting, in the debate on the report about the local impact of the EU referendum, Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Opposition, urged Council to take action rather than simply noting the report presented to members.

Councillor Sykes had previously written to the Leader of the Council, Councillor Jean Stretton, requesting that a special report on the impact of Brexit be prepared by officers and brought to Council for debate.

Councillor Sykes said: “Although disappointed by the result, I am a democrat and accept that the UK and Oldham voted to leave.  However we should not bury our heads in the sand; as elected members, it is incumbent and expected of us to inform ourselves what the ramifications of Brexit are in terms of the impact on our local economy, Council and people, and that we take action to mitigate them or maximise the opportunities.”

Rather than resorting to rhetoric and the report was just to note, Councillor Sykes proposed two common sense suggestions to take forward.

The first was that the Administration writes to the new Prime Minister Theresa May seeking a guarantee that the Government will make up any shortfall in European funding once Brexit takes effect.

Councillor Sykes stressed that many other Councils, Cornwall, Farmers and the Local Government Association were already ahead in the queue making this demand and Oldham should join them as soon as possible.  Graciously, the Leader of the Council Councillor Jean Stretton assented and agreed to Councillor Sykes’s suggestion that both she and he should write this letter.

The second was that the Council Leader assign specific responsibility for EU exit issues to a cabinet member with the expectation that this cabinet member consult from time to time with Group Leaders and with other elected members, and that reports be brought back to Council periodically.  The Council Leader agreed on the spot to assign this responsibility to the Cabinet Member for Finance, her Deputy Leader Councillor Abdul Jabbar.

All Oldham Councillors approved both suggestions.