Tackling youth knife crime & child criminal exploitation in Oldham

There is an urgency to tackle youth knife crime, gang activity and child criminal exploitation which continues to hit working-class communities the hardest.

We have some of the highest levels of Section 60 ‘stop and search’ notices in Greater Manchester, with seven in Limeside alone in recent years, and orders covering Coppice, Westwood, Oldham Town Centre & Royton over the same period show how wide the issues cover.

Knife crime is not inevitable. We need a step change in how we safeguard children from violence & criminal exploitation and to learn the hard lessons from child sexual exploitation where young victims were too often treated as the problem, when they were definitely not; the offenders and system which failed them were at fault.

That means recognising vulnerability, not just criminality; restoring trust in communities; and rebuilding the foundations in our youth services, safe spaces, and neighbourhood networks.

It doesn’t take away individual responsibility nor the role of parents of course, but with so much intimidation and threats escalating online through messaging & platform apps, much isn’t seen until it’s too late. We have to tackle it at every turn.

No one wants to see another life lost, as we saw just streets away from the constituency in New Moston, and there are far too many reported across Greater Manchester.

I’ll continue to work with Kate Green as Deputy Mayor for Policing & the Violence Reduction Unit and local partners to do all I can to tackle this surge.

See the speech in-full below ⬇️

Impressive Views from the Civic Centre Tower!

Some great views across Oldham and the wider borough from the old Civic Centre Tower.

A building with so many memories from 13 years as councillor for Failsworth East, 4 years as Leader of Oldham Council, and visiting regularly for almost a decade as MP for Oldham West, Chadderton & Royton.

Oldham’s often called one of the highest towns in England, and from here you can see why …

To see more, head to my Facebook Page.

UN International Year of Co-operatives

I’ve tabled an Early Day Motion in support of the UN International Year of Co-operatives.

Celebrating the contribution of UK co-operative retail societies to local communities and national economic life which contributes an estimated £179.2 billion to the UK economy.

https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/64366

New Facilities for Oldham Theatre Workshop

Great to see the fantastic new studio spaces for Oldham Theatre Workshop at the renovated JR Clynes Building to inspire the next generation of performers.

Yes, the JR Clynes Building is now the part of the new home for Oldham Council as it vacates the Civic Centre, but as the new civic and cultural heart of our borough, it offers much more than that.

Having this new space for Oldham Theatre Workshop is just one way in which restoring this disused building not only safeguards the rich heritage of our town, but too makes the investment impactful for local people by allowing the space to be used in modern ways local people deserve

Giving our young people opportunities in creative industries and to enrich their lives, which the Oldham Theatre Workshop has always done, is a brilliant form of community use, as shown by its extensive list of famous alumni of actors, musicians and more.

Our country is a cultural superpower on the world stage, and local people have Labour in power at every level who are working to safeguard our heritage and community venues, which I prioritised for local people at the general election.

From restoring the Old Library for community use; to Saving Oldham Coliseum at its historic site, modernising Gallery Oldham & the central library, legislating for new tax relief for British films, and initiating a new National Youth Strategy: we are committed to supporting our creative & cultural sectors.

Thank you to Oldham Theatre Workshop for having me.

Funding confirmed for the restoration of Foxdenton Hall

Great news for Chadderton’s Foxdenton Hall!

A credit to the work of Chadderton Together and others who have worked hard over many years to secure the future of the historic hall.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £228,000 to allow work which could unlock a total of £2.27m from the fund.

Well done and onwards and upwards!

https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/…/25531333.historic…/

Opening of the new home of the OSFC Sports Campus at Chapel Road

The new home of Oldham Sixth Form College’s Sports Campus is now complete and open for use – it looks fantastic!

Thank you to the members of the PE & Sport Department and of the Senior Leadership team for the tour of the refurbished pitches at Chapel Road.

The pitches here in Hollinwood have been taken over by the Sixth Form College and put back to local use, and they deserve real credit for bringing them back in a positive way so that they have dedicated outdoor sport facility for the first time in the college’s 32-year history.

The venue was at real risk of being lost forever and its turn around is great to see. From the site you also get the added bonus of a unique view of St. Margaret’s Church and Devon Mill.

As well as benefiting students at the college it also benefits the wider communities such as sports clubs and schools nearby on weekends and evenings, with St Margarets itself having daily use.

There is so much going on with facilities like this one in Hollinwood, the pitches at West End Street in Coldhurst, and the White Bank Road football ground we discussed with the council this week. They are vital for young people having the space to get good exercise, socialise and have a safe place to enjoy themselves – it’s really good to see.

Restoration of Oldham Coliseum takes another step forward …

Planning permission has now been granted for the external alterations to Oldham Coliseum as it is restored at its historic Fairbottom street site ready to be reopened next year.

This progress on the road to reopening our historic theatre is really encouraging and our local Labour-led Council deserves great credit for the time, effort and investment they have put in to saving Oldham Colisuem. Being able to both modernise the venue so its financial sustainability is secured for the long term, while also keeping it at it’s historic site which is rich in heritage is the best outcome for local people.

Friends of Oldham Coliseum and local legend Julie Hesmondhalgh have been integral in this process and the progress made so far would not have been possible without their hard work and determination.

During last year’s general election, we prioritised promoting community ownership for the people of Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton. The hard work put in to save the Coliseum with a co-operative model of ownership shows the success community ownership can bring in safeguarding our heritage & local venues, and empowering local people by giving communities a stake in the future of their cherished assets.

Our borough deserves a modern theatre that has the capacity and facilities to put on great shows for local people and provide opportunities in creative & culture industries right here in Oldham – and we are on track to delivering that next year.

Supporting grassroots football with AVRO FC

It was great to join AVRO FC, Action Together and Oldham Council to discuss progress on investment in the White Bank Road ground.

Since taking on the then derelict site Rob Fuller and the team have worked tirelessly to transform the ground and clubhouse into a thriving community venue, now home to many junior teams drawing in over 500 boy and girl players, and the Anthony Crolla boxing gym.

The facilities here are not only well used but have much more potential to grow the community outreach, through partnerships with the council and Mahdlo Youth Zone.

With the support of Action Together I’m hopeful the club is on track to secure the investment it and the wider community deserves.

I’ll do all I can to champion its work.