A pay rise for care workers, increased funding for youth work and a million pounds a year to keep Oldham's streets clean were approved at Full Council on Wednesday evening.
Our budget for 2022/23 prioritises the services that make the most difference to people’s lives - after being drawn up following feedback received from residents and businesses on the doorstep and through the Big Oldham Conversation. Read more about the plans here
New school for pupils
The brand-new Saddleworth School has opened – marking the start of a new chapter in the school’s history.
The new purpose-built school in Diggle features 80 bright, modern classrooms, including specialist teaching rooms for Science, Food Technology, ICT and Design Technology. There are also first-class sports facilities at the site, including a sports hall, fitness suite, activity studios inside and an all-weather pitch outside.
The new school has been designed to meet the growing needs of pupils and the community by providing an additional 150 school places – meaning it can now accommodate up to 1,500 pupils.
Tilbury Douglas Construction started work building the school at the former WH Pallet Works, Diggle, in July 2020. Following almost 300,000 hours working on-site, it has now completed the three-storey, 10,500 m2 building.
International Women’s Day (Tuesday 8 March) is dedicated to raising awareness about gender equality and celebrating the achievements of women.
Join us this year for some inspirational events at Oldham Library and take part in highlighting amazing women, past and present, throughout the day on Tuesday 8 March.
We’re encouraging you to nominate your local heroines – women who have inspired you, or who have achieved something for Oldham – to be featured on our social media channels throughout the day.
It could be someone from a local voluntary organisation, a community leader or someone from our past like Annie Kenney or Lydia Beckett – just tell us why you’re nominating them.
Make your nomination by sending us a direct message on one of our social media channels or by completing a short online form www.oldham.gov.uk/IWD
The theme of this year’s day is #BreakTheBias. With the aim of encouraging us all to imagine a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination – a world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Alongside the celebrations, Oldham Library is hosting two events:
Sylvia vs the Fascists, Tuesday 8 March, 2pm and 7pm. A comedy-drama telling the story of Sylvia Pankhurst, who stood up against a British Establishment so afraid of socialism that it appeased the fascists on its own doorstep.
Finding Magic, Wednesday 9 March, 7pm. A one-woman show about how Bev explores her progression through grief and healing after the loss of her son Jess – a story of loss, longing, love and laughter.
Contractor for the Spindles Town Square redevelopment appointed
We've appointed Willmott Dixon as the main contractor for the Spindles Town Square redevelopment – kickstarting work on the building’s transformation. The construction specialist will start by undertaking a series of ‘enabling works’, including the demolition of the former TJ Hughes unit.
Willmott Dixon will also provide expert construction advice to help shape detailed designs while also appointing the required specialist subcontractors to support the full redevelopment works of the shopping centre.
Their £10m social value package will help to create 16 local jobs with Willmott Dixon Construction – two of which will go to long-term unemployed residents.
The company has also committed to spending around £8.8m with the local supply chain and around £625k with Oldham’s micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as a pledge to refurbish the Fitton Hill Community Facility and support local charities and organisations - which will make a huge difference in the community.
Brownfield land around the former Oldham Mumps train station and railway line will soon be transformed into much-needed new homes. We're regenerating the redundant 3.5-hectare site, with works well underway to create access and clear the land ready for future development.
The site could be suitable for a mix of up to 150 new houses and low rise apartments, including affordable homes which will be let residents on the Housing Register.
The Oldham Mumps development follows news that plans to build a new Lidl and hotel at the adjacent Prince’s Gate will also go ahead, with a planning application expected later this year.
Gallery Oldham is hosting the first joint large-scale exhibition by two local artists.
Landscape Inside Out, which opens tomorrow, brings together works by Liz Ackerley and Hugh Winterbottom, which explore the landscapes, moors, woodland and valleys surrounding their studios in Mossley.
The title for this exhibition is based on the way both artists explore their surrounding landscapes. They create drawings and paintings, out on location, as a basis for studio work.
The artwork for the exhibition was created from early 2020 onwards, during the Covid pandemic. This impacted the overall remit of the exhibition and gave it a more local and intimate focus.
Can I still get tested now restrictions have ended?
Rapid testing for Covid-19 is still available and free of charge in Oldham until Thursday 31 March for people who have no symptoms.
Therefore, if you feel you need an asymptomatic test please continue to use our testing offer until then and for more information on this offer click here.
Similarly, if are showing one of the three main symptoms of Coronavirus you should still go for a PCR test until this date.
PCR testing sites in Oldham for the week commencing Monday 7 March include:
Southgate Street car park (Next to Oldham Library)
Monday to Sunday, 8am-6pm
Honeywell Centre, Hadfield Street. Hathershaw, OL8 3BP
Monday to Sunday, 8am-6pm
Peel Street in Chadderton, OL9 9JX
Monday to Sunday, 8am-6pm
Higher Memorial Park, Failsworth, M35 9DE
Monday to Sunday, 8am-6pmLatest Oldham Covid data
Over the last 7 days Oldham has a rate of 135 per 100,000 population, which is lower than the rate of 186 for the previous 7 days.
77.2% of Oldham residents have had their first vaccine, 71.7% have had their second vaccine and 54.4% of those eligible for a booster jab have had one.
Fancy a Spring Clean?
The Great British Spring Clean is returning for its seventh year from March 25 until April 10 and this is a great opportunity for you to roll your sleeves up and get involved.
As part of our Don’t Trash Oldham campaign we are encouraging you to organise a clean-up in your area or join one that’s already set up.
There is still plenty of time for you to get involved and do your bit, the message is simple. Join the #BigBagChallenge and pledge to pick up as much litter as you possibly can throughout the campaign!
If you want us to remove bagged litter after an organised group litter pick, we will need to agree on dates, times, and locations in advance. Just email:[email protected]
We're supporting this year’s LGBT+ Adoption and Fostering Week, taking place from 7 to 13 March. If you are LGBT+ and thinking of fostering, we would love to hear from you!
We urgently need more foster carers for children and young people in Oldham, including brothers and sisters, older children; and children from BME communities.
All our carers receive a tailored support package, first-class training, generous payments and allowances of up to £556 per week (dependent on skills and experience).
#BeTheChange and call our friendly team on 0161 770 6600 or visit our webpage.
Need help?
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk.
If you’re eligible, you’ll be sent a Healthy Start card with money on it that you can use in some UK shops. We’ll add your benefit onto this card every 4 weeks.
You can use your card to buy:
plain liquid cow’s milk
fresh, frozen, and tinned fruit and vegetables
fresh, dried, and tinned pulses
infant formula milk based on cow’s milk
You can also use your card to collect:
Healthy Start vitamins – these support you during pregnancy and breastfeeding
vitamin drops for babies and young children – these are suitable from birth to 4 years old
Wednesday 9 March is No Smoking Day and if you’re waiting for a sign to quit - this is it!
There are always health and financial benefits to quitting smoking, but quitting now will help you:
1. Reduce your risk of diseases caused by smoking such as cancer, diabetes, heart attack, emphysema, bronchitis and stroke. Quitting will improve your health, and reduce pressure on the NHS.
2. Stopping smoking allows your body to repair itself – after 8 hours oxygen levels return to normal, after 2 days, your lungs start clearing out smoking debris, after 3 days breathing becomes easier and within weeks, your heart attack risk begins to drop.
3. Protect the health of others. Exposure to second-hand smoke also increases the risk of complications from respiratory infections, especially in children. It also increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cancer.
Small changes to how you buy, store and use up food can reduce food waste, and the impact it has on the planet. We're encouraging you to get involved in Food Waste Action Week 2022 (from 7 to 13 March) and help raise awareness of how food waste affects climate change.
Research carried out by WRAP found that 81% of UK citizens are concerned about climate change but only 32% see a clear link with food waste, so the theme of this week will be “food waste feeds climate change”.
We will be sharing tips and information throughout the week to help you reduce food thrown away at home, so get involved and keep an eye on our socials.
Recycle for Greater Manchester is offering a free one-tonne bag of compost to community groups, education establishments and voluntary sector organisations across Oldham!
They are welcoming applications from organisations such as:
Registered Charity (charity number must be provided)
Not-for-profit organisation (defined as a registered legal entity that does not make a private profit for directors, members, or shareholders)
Community, Neighbourhood or Voluntary Group
Faith group delivering community work
School, College or University
The compost will be delivered free of charge to the eligible groups. It will be unloaded from a wagon with a tipper/ grabbing arm, therefore we will require that all applicants confirm they have suitable access to the required delivery address. Groups are only eligible for a one-tonne bulk bag within 12 months.
The compost is being donated by Recycle for Greater Manchester and SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK.
