Select Committee on Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions Written Evidence


Supplementary memorandum by Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (SOC 27(a))

  I refer to your letter of 20 November 2003.

  As I said in my previous letter it has taken a little time to assemble the information which you are seeking. A number of agencies including voluntary organisations have needed to contribute to our response.

DERKER DEVELOPMENT TRUST

  The Derker Development Trust has recently appointed a worker to undertake fundraising on its behalf. It is seen as a key partner in the development of the Housing Market Renewal programme and as such I would expect it to be possible to place it on a sustainable footing. The Trust has recently produced a Business Plan; should you wish to obtain a copy the contact is Michelle Smith on 0161 628 6180.

PAKISTANI COMMUNITY CENTRE

  The Pakistani Community Centre is funded from a variety of sources. The Council funds it from Main Programme Grants—a total of £43,135 per annum. A typical timetable of usage is attached. According to our information, approximately 500 people use the centre each week to undertake regular activities—with several hundred more taking part in one off cultural or local events. Mr Mohammed Alyas will be able to give you more detailed information on 0161 628 4800.

OLDHAM BANGLADESHI ASSOCIATION AND THE MILLENNIUM CULTURAL CENTRE

  The Oldham Bangladeshi Association and the Millennium Cultural Centre are two separate entities.

  The Oldham Bangladeshi Association is funded by a variety of sources including the Council. The Council funds them to a total of £8,062 per annum in the current year. For more detailed information on this organisation please contact them directly on 0161 626 1999 and ask for Mr Abdul Malik.

  The Millennium Centre is managed by a Management Committee made up of a variety of tenants and partners. The Centre does not receive funding directly from the Council's Main Programme Grants—though several of the tenants do. Mr Abdul Matin, the Centre Manager, should be able to give you a full breakdown of usage of the Centre. His number is 0161 622 3812.

LITTER IN GLODWICK

  There have been improvements in the collection of litter and rubbish since September, and the appearance of the area has been lifted. Additional area based resources have been deployed to carry out mechanical footpath sweeping and litter removal.

  A community inspired clean-up over five weeks in September and October raised awareness of cleanliness issues with every household in the 30 streets in the area.

  Local community activists, Shazia Azam and Tahira Parveen, who volunteered to arrange the clean-up said "the clean-up has been successful in making the area more pleasant, particularly around Pitt Street and Morris Street, which were particularly bad. More people are now ringing the 4444 telephone number to move bulky items".

  "It was nice that the Council thanked everyone for their efforts through the radio broadcast during Ramadan. We often warn and threaten residents and to thank them was very welcome".

  There are, however, reservations that unless we can maintain this effort, progress will stall. We need to continue to raise awareness through schools and mosques and repeat the community clean-up at regular times throughout the year.

NUGGET STREET NEIGHBOURHOOD LINK PROJECT

  There are two Link Workers and two part time Link Workers engaged in the project. Both the PCT and the Social Services Department contribute £20,000 with Age Concern contributing £18,000. To enhance the scheme, bids are being made to the New Deal for Communities scheme and the Neighbourhood Renewal fund. One of the added activities that is being considered is the formation of a women's group and possibly a luncheon club. Was your question about luncheon clubs specific to the Nugget Street initiative or a more general one? Carl Bell in the Social Services Department (telephone 0161 911 4801) would be able to give you a fuller picture of the current position at Nugget Street and the aspirations for future development.

SCHOOLS LINK PROJECT

  Possible sources for the future funding of the Linking Project are currently being explored. These include funding through the Local Public Service Agreement and an element of Council mainstream funding to be decided.

PROPOSED REORGANISATION OF OLDHAM'S SECONDARY SCHOOLS

  Oldham was successful in obtaining £60 million of PFI credits in the December 2003 bidding round and is currently preparing an outline business case for the replacement of its split site secondary schools—North Chadderton, The Radclyffe and Failsworth—in line with the allocation.

  A bid was submitted to the DFES under the Building Schools for The Future initiative in October 2003. The total value of the bid was £188 million. The proposals include the replacement/refurbishment of the remaining eight Community Secondary Schools, the two Church of England Secondary Schools and the rationalisation of the two Roman Catholic Secondary Schools to create one school. The DFES are to make an announcement in January 2004.

LUNCHEON CLUBS FOR ELDERLY ASIAN WOMEN

  See above in terms of the Nugget Street initiative. I will continue to explore this as a more general issue.

  1 hope that this information is of assistance to you in your Inquiry. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of the Committee's work.

Andrew Fletcher

Assistant Chief Executive (Corporate Policy)





 
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