It was a pleasure to attend Fullcircle’s family fun day at Coalshaw Green Park, alongside Cllr Graham Shuttleworth.

The event was a fantastic opportunity to see the community come together, with families and young people enjoying a range of activities and making the most of the space and facilities on offer.

It was good to see the £20million Pride in Place funding being promoted, it’s really important local people drive this. My thoughts we need to get the basics back; safe, well maintained neighbourhoods. There will be flagship projects of course, like Foxdenton Hall, but its grassroots ideas that will really add to this.

Back to the day itself; Full Circle continue to do outstanding work in Chadderton, providing support, opportunities and positive activities for young people and families across our community.

A huge thank you to Becci and the whole team for everything they do. Their dedication and commitment to supporting local residents is truly valued, and today was another great example of the difference they make.

It was great to visit Chadderton Hall Park Day Centre to take a look around their fantastic facilities and, most importantly, spend time speaking with service users about their experiences and the support the centre provides.

It is an inspiring place. The care and sense of community was clear to see. Places like this play such an important role in bringing people together, supporting independence and helping residents stay connected.

A huge thank you to Katie for taking the time to show us around and share more about the work that goes on every day at the centre.

It was a pleasure to meet everyone and hear directly from those who use the service about what it means to them, and how the uncertainty around the future needs to be resolved, and I’ll continue those discussions.

In the meantime if you want a great addition to your garden please take a look at the planters hand built by the team, for sale to the general public from the greenhouse.

Thanks again everyone

Today marks four months since the King Street building collapse, yet this vital road through our town centre remains closed.

Everyone understands that public safety must come first, but four months on local people are rightly questioning what’s going on. Why is it taking so long? What is causing the delay? And when will King Street finally reopen?

It is particularly concerning that work on the neighbouring building is appears to be holding up progress, without a clear indication of what is the cause of this.

Months has passed without any obvious work on site as if it’s been paused without consideration to the impact on the town or neighbouring properties.

This continued closure is affecting local businesses, disrupting residents and commuters, and adding to congestion across the town, especially given the section of Oldham Way over Manchester Street is now shut for the rest of the summer too.

Four months is long enough. I’ve met with senior council officers to raise this urgently, and written to the building owner so we can end the gridlock and get it back open. It’s time for clear answers, a clear plan, and urgent action to get King Street reopened.

I’m looking forward to driving the next stage of devolution. We laid the foundations through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, which established devolution by default, introduced the right to request, and delivered £12 billion of integrated settlements alongside new mayoral authorities. The next stage must ensure that every part of the country can realise its full potential and that we raise our ambition on what powers, resources and freedoms are devolved.

There is a big job of work ahead to strengthen the foundations of local councils. That work began through the Fair Funding Review and the introduction of the Recovery Grant, both of which finally recognised deprivation as a driver of demand and cost for councils, alongside the first multi-year financial settlement for local government in over a decade. But the real test of success will be when local people see the vital services that make places thrive rebuilt in every part of the country.

I want to continue building respect for councillors and mayors, giving them the powers they need to get things done for their regions and communities, while ensuring that devolution reaches into the heart of every neighbourhood with empowered frontline councillors.

Above all, I want to ensure that the benefits of a Labour and Co-operative-led Government are felt in every part of the country, so that people see a real difference in the places they call home through grassroots economic growth, thriving community-owned assets and a stronger co-operative economy.

Congratulations to Riaz Ahmad OBE and Bernard Judge on being awarded the title of Honorary Alderman.

Both served Oldham with distinction as Labour councillors and as Mayor, dedicating decades of their lives to public service and making a lasting contribution to our borough and its communities.

Local government often demands long hours and a great deal of commitment, usually away from the spotlight. It’s right that those who have given so much in service to others are recognised in this way.

Congratulations to Riaz and Bernard on this well-deserved honour, and thank you both for everything you’ve done for Oldham.

Good to see plans for a new building for Hathershaw College gaining momentum after my visit to the school and meeting with the principal earlier this month.

It’s clear there’s a real commitment to giving every young person the best possible start in life. A new school building would help make that ambition a reality, providing modern facilities while protecting the heritage that has made Hathershaw a cornerstone of our community for generations.

I’m proud to support the school’s bid and hope to see this investment become a reality.

https://www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/139/main-news/160261/hathershaw-college-outlines-plans-for-new-school-building-during-mp-visit

I wish Andy well, and I am delighted he will serve as the first ever Labour and Co-operative Prime Minister, especially as we go into our centenary year in 2027 as sister party to the Labour Party.

And what an iconic front page of the MEN today.

Thank you to First Choice Homes Oldham and the Vistry Group for giving me a tour of the £15.7 million project to build a hundred affordable and energy efficient family homes off Rosary Road.

It was a pleasure to hear the pride in the project from its team, including local residents leading the now award winning scheme.

I’ve thought for a while now that Fitton Hill is a bit of a hidden gem in our town with such a rich history shown by the former Holy Rosary Church and now such a great place to live due to the amount of green space.

Mark Gifford has made a real difference at First Choice Homes Oldham to ensure developments are about more than just the brick and mortar, but also about building communities. This development is a great example of that with the neighbourhood centre, parks, schools and good sized gardens.