Local people deserve to step out of their front door and see that the basics are being done right. It’s clear that after over a decade of decline things have taken their toll. It takes time to rebuild but there is an urgency.
Potholes filled. Fly-tipping cleared. Parks & green spaces looked after. These things matter. They shape how people feel about where they live.
That’s why in Parliament I asked whether a cross-government taskforce could help drive improvements in neighbourhood services so councils can get the basics right.
𝐑𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞
Flagship campaigns like Don’t Trash Oldham show the commitment our Labour-led Council has to these services which matches the pride local people have in their communities. But councils also need the resources and greater powers to match that pride.
We also need to rebuild pride so that far less mess is accumulated in the first place – flytipping and littering lining our streets, alleyways and countryside isn’t normal but it is becoming normalised in a way which really impacts on the quality of life for decent people who do take pride. It is completely avoidable and completely selfish for some to treat the borough so poorly.
𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐬
The response to the environmental vandals should be determined and reflect the misery they bring. The means the must fear being caught, and when they are they must feel its impact in the pocket. That needs more powers such as quicker and easier CCTV in hotspots.
The Fair Funding Review is being implemented so that like Oldham have the resources needed to deliver the neighbourhood services residents expect and deserve. But it needs more and critically it needs a collective effort to put it right.
𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧
Same too of our roads, years of underinvestment by the previous government and harsh cold and wet winters quickly expose the fragile roads, too many of which can feel more like off-roading than a trip to the supermarket. Money is coming, and over £5m was invested locally on roads this year, but the scale of the challenge is huge.
I think a cross national government and local government task force (focusing on action) would add value too. It would include all the key departments like environment, transport and housing and communities, and of course local council representation. Either way it’s on the ground improvements felt everywhere which matters.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 