In line with Government guidance, the council has today issued new protocols for hospital visits to people with Coronavirus, the process after death and funerals.

This information is 24 hours old.

More than 100 people called the helpline number (0161 770 7007) in the last two days. In total 404 people have called since it launched last Friday. In total 244 people have been referred to the five distribution hubs to receive food. The five distribution hubs are being manned by volunteers as well as redeployed council staff.

Residents are encouraged to phone the number if they are vulnerable and need help 0161 770 7007. Please note that the most vulnerable people should ring the hotline direct -rather than referrals bring made on their behalf.

People are encouraged to take part in responsible mutual aid where trusted people can help people who need it. https://www.mutual-aid.uk/ . This will help ease pressure on the hotline.

You can also volunteer to become an emergency volunteer https://www.actiontogether.org.uk/volunteer/search-for-opportunities

Business grants 

Oldham businesses can now take advantage of cash grants to support them during the coronavirus pandemic after the scheme went live today.  

Oldham Council is distributing the Small Business Grant Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund locally.  

A form for businesses to submit their information has now been launched at www.oldham.gov.uk/cashgrants.  

Completing the form will help the council to issue grants as quickly as possible. 

In addition to the grants, the council is also currently rolling out a 12-month business rates holiday for all retail, hospitality, leisure and nursery businesses in Oldham.

For real time information: https://oldham.roadworks.org/

https://www.oldham.gov.uk/info/201170/coronavirus_update_and_advice/2435/coronavirus_help_and_support_for_businesses

Cash Grant Funding

There will be a £10,000 cash grant to our smallest businesses.

Small businesses who pay little or no Business Rates and are eligible for Small Business Rate Relief (SBBR) or Rural Rate Relief will be contacted directly by the Council. 

A £25,000 grant will be provided to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses operating from smaller premises, with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000.

Small Business and Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Grant Funding form

There has been a request from the police to do the above, due to Anti Social Behaviour by some car drivers.

The decision was taken yesterday through the emergency decision making process following large numbers of people driving to locations to exercise.

There was also a knock on effect from other authorities including Rochdale who closed parks pushing people to Oldham sites.

All other sites where the Council can physically close off car parks will see their closure in the next day or so. Where the Council have a car park without gate/barrier control they are considering what they can do to close these sites also.

The Council currently fall short of what a lot of authorities have done as they have closed parks completely.

The Council have made the difficult decision to introduce temporary changes to bin collections.

From Monday residents will be asked to only put out their grey/black bin on their usual day which will be collected weekly.

No other bins will be collected for the time being with people asked to include food and recyclable materials in the grey/black bin.

Side waste will not be picked up.

If the grey/black bin is not emptied, we are asking people to take it back into their property for it to be collected the following week.

The measures are designed to ensure that we can still maintain basic collections during a period of significant staff shortages.

Arkwright Street Household Waste Recycling Centre, and the other sites across the area, have been closed by Recycle for Greater Manchester following the government announcement that people should stay at home.

The Council is working with GMCA to try and get the centre’s re-opened as soon as possible and we will keep you updated on this.

Bin collections

The Coronavirus has had an impact on the Council’s waste and recycling service.

Put your bins out to be emptied on your usual day.

If they are not emptied please take them back onto your property.

Unfortunately, due to capacity issues, they can’t collect any additional waste placed out by the side of your waste containers on collection day.

If you have additional waste, please store it at home or ask a neighbour if they have space in their bin.

Only contact the Council to report a missed collections of your general rubbish (grey bin) and food waste (green bin/caddy).

Please do not place any garden waste out for collection, use green bins and caddies for food waste only.

New bin deliveries

Please be aware that we are prioritising general rubbish and food & garden bins for delivery.

There is a delay on all other waste containers.

Helping to stop the spread of coronavirus

If your household has a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus please place all used tissues and cleaning cloths in a plastic rubbish bag and tie it tightly when full.

After 72 hours the bag should be then placed in a second bag and tied tightly before being placed in your general rubbish bin. 

Recycling centres

All household waste and recycling centres are now closed.

Please note that due to current lockdown restrictions, all household waste and recycling centres are now closed to the general public until further notice. R4GM website

Bulky collections

Bulky Bob collections are suspended until further notice.

Ordering new bins

Please note, due to staff shortages caused by coronavirus we are currently unable to process requests for blue (paper and card) and brown (glass, cans, tins and plastic bottles) recycling bins.

To order a green (food and garden waste) bin please phone the Contact Centre on 0161 770 6644 who will process your request.

For information about ordering grey bins please see Why do you need a new grey bin?

Swapping, repairing or replacing recycling bins, boxes and bags

Due to staff shortages we are currently unable to provide a timescale for when these orders will be fulfilled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Beware of fraudulent websites scammers. I am aware of an increase in scams talking about coronavirus.  Always be vigilant of sharing your details if approached online. More help and advice can be found here https://bit.ly/2U0HgDR