Save Oldham Coliseum Event

It was a pleasure to attend the screening of a film produced by the Save Oldham Coliseum group in support of the much loved theatre.

The group have worked hard to ensure the town doesn’t lose the theatre, and explicitly that it should stay at its historic home on Fairbottom Street.

Over a number of months meetings have been taking place with the council, members of the group, and the current theatre board to bring together all interested parties to find a common ground.

It was a significant moment to take part in a walk around at Fairbottom Street in February where the sense of history was very deeply felt. It was sad to see it stripped bare with seating removed and almost everything else taken out, but it was obvious too that the building had more to give.

The gathering heard from Cllr Arooj Shah who spoke passionately about her commitment to reflect in the council the wishes of the people of Oldham, and that she doesn’t want to rule out a return to its historic home, but that it must go hand in hand with a secure and stable future. That was extremely well received by the group and it shows the council are listening and are willing to work in cooperation with the community.

There are many things to consider in comparing a redevelopment of Fairbottom Street against a new build on Union Street in a renewed ‘Old Post Office’ building, and the operating model, financing and governance which then supports it.

The work of Save Oldham Coliseum should be welcomed, as should the openness of the council, and the willingness of the other funding partners to consider all options.

I have been a long-standing supporter of a new theatre and centre for the arts in Oldham, and the funding provided during my tenure as leader of the council to resolve the building issues at Fairbottom Street a decade ago was to allow a new project to develop without losing the producing theatre in the process.

For various reasons of cost and the loss of significant Arts Council funding the new project had been adapted to its current proposal, but in doing so it has been scaled back and resulted in a reduction in seats, meaning the annual pantomime would need to be held elsewhere, which is the main connection many have with it. It also meant the loss of the ‘fly tower’ meaning narrower production options.

It is right therefore that a pause is taken to consider this against a redeveloped Fairbottom Street site which would retain 500 seats, the flytower and of course allow the historic home to be secured for the future too.

Coupled with a plan for Yorkshire Street and support for businesses it could grow the benefit further.

When put alongside the investment already seen in the Old Town Hall and new focus on the stunning Egyptian Room, new market hall and wider heritage buildings there is a lot to be positive about whatever the outcome of this.

Labour’s plan to fix our railways

The railways have been allowed to be run into the ground with passengers paying the price. Its high time they were brought back into public ownership and run the national interest.

Anyone who uses trains in England will know they are expensive, unreliable and not up to standard after a decade of underinvestment. It’s not that the Tories are against national government owning our railways; providing it is the German, Spanish or Japanese who have long owned our important national infrastructure. It’s time to put British taxpayers first.

The plans would see routes brought back into public ownership once contracts expire over the next five years, resulting in an annual saving of £1.5bn which can be reinvested to bring the system up to scratch.

Devolution will be central to the plans with Mayors and combined authorities given extra power to improve services, stations and create single ticketing across buses, trams and trains.

24 convictions follow 2019 Limeside disturbances

Court reporting restrictions have been lifted following the sentencing of the 24 men involved in the disturbances which hit Limeside in May 2019, centred around the visit of Far Right activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, commonly known as ‘Tommy Robinson’.

All of us know the dark days of 2001 are never too far away when we hear of disturbances or protests with an overwhelming divisive narrative based on race or religion.

We will not stand for our town being used as a battleground for hate and division, by the self declared English Defence League (EDL), likewise the self declared Muslim Defence League (MDL), or any other group for that matter.

The sentencing today should draw a line on a deliberate attempt to use Oldham as a battleground by people from out of town, and for anyone from the town who believe an appropriate response to objection is mob violence or intimidation.

That there were so many outsiders present was obvious, but it cannot, and should not, be brushed over that so many young men from our town were so quick to run towards conflict.

The result was very real fear in a community which did not ask to be involved. Police officers on duty to protect the local community were assaulted and there was a very real risk that it could have spilled over even further.

Events like this do not happen in a vacuum. This should be the point the social media companies and messaging platforms used to stoke tensions which play out daily is addressed properly by government for the significant part it plays in feeding hate and division.

The fact is clear that extreme and divisive politics has infected and infiltrated mainstream discourse in Oldham.

No mainstream political party, or any candidate who stands for the good of the town should be engaging, either fully or on the fringes, with organisations or individuals who rally for hate and division.

What has been playing out in Oldham has been called out by the anti-racism charity Hope Not Hate, by numerous newspapers including The Times, and just last month by a Home Office independent review. Yet it thrives and spreads everyday. It’s not okay and it needs robust and uncompromising action. That means mainstream political parties clearing out their ranks of any involvement. No ifs, no buts.

The vast majority of us want to live in peace, to accept and understand one another, and for a better life for all who call Oldham home.

We are not blind to the challenges, particularly the deep rooted economic and social issues which too often hold us down, nor are we blind to the obvious points of tension where different views meet. But what we don’t accept is for any of that to be exploited to divide our town.

READ FULL REPORT FROM THE Manchester Evening News here;

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/…/the-day-tommy…

Whitegate End Primary School visit

What a wonderful visit to Whitegate End Primary School in Chadderton with local Councillor Graham Shuttleworth.

I’ve been to the school a number of times before and they are active at bringing young people to the Parliamentary Education Centre too. Each time it is really uplifting to see students thriving and the staff who go the extra mile.

And it’s always the case that the most thoughtful and testing questions come from young people too.

Thank you to headteacher Rob Hollingsworth and the outstanding head pupils Will, Louie, and Emilia for taking the time to show me around.

Keep up the great work!

Visit to Greater Manchester Police HQ

Meetings took place today with Greater Manchester Police to discuss a range off issues affecting the constituency such as tackling gang and violent crime, and organised crime impacting our communities.

It was a good opportunity to meet with Chief Superintendent Estelle Mathieson who has taken on the leadership of the Oldham Division, with her significant experience across serious crime she will be an important addition to the borough.

Across Oldham many violent crimes have reduced; however the number of possession of a weapon crimes stand at 323 in 2021/22 and 367 in 2022/23. There have been a number of Section 60 stop and search episodes covering mainly the Limeside and Failsworth areas linked to a period where often petty ‘postcode’ disputes had escalated.

We discussed the work of Operation Venture which supports the work of the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU). The unit also provides Oldham with £150k in Violence Reduction Grant and a further £27k in Serious Violence Dury grant for 2023/24.

There is an acknowledgement that targeted intervention is needed to support young people at risk of Child Criminal Exploitation. For my part that must include a focus in hotspots including Westwood, Freehold and Limeside, but be clear that no area is free of risk and so we have to ensure no one falls through the net wherever they are.

There is significant work taking place and it’s important that continues, but it’s also important that awareness is raised with parents and the wider community to fully understand the risks, warning signs and support available should they have concerns.

We must also see more general provision in youth services and in school support.

Inspiring official opening of Brian Clarke CE Academy

It was a real pleasure to attend the official opening of the Brian Clarke CE Academy in Oldham.

The opening today has been the result of many years of hard work.

Lead by the Cranmer Education Trust it has grown out of the Blue Coat School with an admissions policy designed to create a school for the whole borough; all faiths and none, and from all communities.

Testament to this is that the pupils currently attending in years 7 and 8 are drawn from 62 primary schools!

In a borough which has seen self selected segregation embedded, it is a civic and social responsibility to create more opportunities for cohesion, integration and friendships across all backgrounds, races and religions if we are to build a common bond.

And in our school system the shared dividend for all who invest in it must be excellence in attainment.

I want to thank and recognise personally the work of Julie Hollis who has been an outstanding education leader. Her passion for young people in the borough is clear. Together with the trust, governors and partners as well as its headteacher Allison Ash they are a credit to the borough.

I also want to wish Sir Brian Clarke, the Oldham born stained glass artist who gives his name to the school, a speedy recovery in hospital following an operation yesterday.

Finally, and most importantly to thank all the pupils who gave their time to welcome visitors today and the exceptional performances in song and poetry which brought more than a few to tears, they showed the very best of our wonderful borough.

High Streets campaign pledges to rebuild our town centres

High Streets are the centre of the community but too often left vacant as retail and social habits change, planning policy shifts to residential conversation, and essential facilities like banks and post offices are lost.

We’ve seen that in Oldham, Chadderton and Royton.

Labour’s plan for high streets tackles head on many of the issues and leans heavily to the Co-op Party high streets campaign asks too:

✅ 13,000 more neighbourhood police and PCSOs
✅ Guaranteed face-to-face banking in every community
✅ Replace business rates
✅ Stamp out late payments
✅ Revamp empty shops, pubs, and community spaces

On the last point ownership matters. Local people must have a stake in the future not simply be forced to be observers to decline.

We’ve made some progress in Oldham despite the challenges and loss of so many household names. It would have been hard to imagine Debenhams going bust, likewise BHS, Woolworths and so many others.

The investment to repurpose the shopping centre so bring in more workers who will spend time and hopefully money in town, bringing in the market, social spaces like the Egyptian Room (a wonderful and special place which so easily could have been lost), and a plan for our loved but tired heritage buildings is part of the response.

But a town is more than bricks and mortar, it’s about people and so more has to be done to support local people who have a small business or who would like to set up in town, the best chance to thrive by reducing operating costs, and drawing in more visitors/shoppers.

Avro FC stadium funding support

Thanks to Rob Fuller and the team at AVRO FC for taking the time to talk through plans to improve the Whitebank Road ground.

Since the move to Whitebank Road a number of years ago a great deal of effort has gone into transforming the former Oldham Town FC ground and clubhouse into a thriving community hub.

It is now home to AVRO FC, Hollinwood Juniors, Mancunian Unity FC, Oldham Athletic Women and Girls, Oldham Athletic Youth and Academy Be Inspired Football academy, and is now diversifying with the Anthony Crolla Boxing Gym.

It’s fair to say that it has been a journey to balance the needs of local residents who welcome the community facility but are impacted by issues such as parking and lighting, and it’s clear there is an ongoing commitment to work to ensure any issues are managed, and with investment minimised.

The club is now embarking on an application to the Community Ownership Fund which I have been keen to see more of its allocation brought into Oldham.

If successful it will see additional facilities for use by the local community, more onsite car parking with access directly into the ground, boundary screening, and improvements to the stand for accessibility and visual appearance, all of which will be better for the users of the ground and hopefully local residents.

Now a number of years on the ground has substantially improved, a modernised clubhouse open most days to the whole community.

There will need to be ongoing community engagement with residents nearby because the facility is a benefit to the borough which should be supported.

I wish them well with the funding application.