Find out this weeks news from Oldham Council along with the latest on Covid.

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Would Jubilee’ve it?

We’re offering you the chance to apply for grants of £250 so you can host your own street party for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June.

A host of events are already organised across the borough during the extended Bank Holiday weekend from 2 to 5 June, to mark the Queen's historic 70-year reign.

And now you can also now apply for a community street party grant to support celebrations in their own neighbourhoods. A total of 70 grants are available - one for each year of the Queen's reign - with £250 available for each party to be spent on food and drink, decorations and entertainment.

Residents and community groups have until Monday 11 April to apply for funding, and they can do so by visiting our website ([link removed]) .

Applicants will be informed by Monday 25 April on whether they've been awarded funding. Anyone who is unsuccessful can still host their own events and will be contacted by the planning team.
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Mills Strategy published

We’ve published our pioneering Mills Strategy, setting out how the historic buildings can play an important part in Oldham’s future.

The study, one of the first of its kind in the country, was commissioned by Oldham Council and Historic England to explore mills' potential for future use.

It has been key in reducing Oldham’s green belt allocations in ‘Places for Everyone’ with mill sites able to provide space for around 800 new homes.

The Oldham Mills Strategy identifies mills across the borough and assesses how important each one is to our heritage and landscape.

It also establishes how they could be repurposed, such as conversion into new homes, for employment or other uses – minimising our carbon footprint by reusing previously developed sites.

Read Oldham Mills Strategy in full here. ([link removed] )
Restorative justice supports Don’t Trash Oldham

Young people are supporting Don’t Trash Oldham and ‘giving back’ to the community.

Recently a young person, who was issued with a referral order in court, helped clean up Failsworth by picking up three bags of litter and waste as part of his Giving Back hours.

Giving back is supervised in the community by engagement workers from Oldham Youth Justice Service.

Read the full story here

Find out more about Don’t Trash Oldham and get involved here ([link removed])
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Post your vote

On Thursday 5 May you can have your say in Oldham’s Local Elections.

To have your say in the elections you must register to vote by Monday 14 April 2022.
It takes just five minutes to apply online here ([link removed] )

We’re reminding everyone that if you’re unable to attend a polling station on Thursday 5 May for the Oldham Local Elections, you can post your vote instead.

To register for a postal vote please download and complete an application to vote by post on our website here.

Once completed the form should be returned to our elections team:
* By email: [email protected]
* By post: Elections Office, Oldham Council, West Street, Oldham, OL1 1UL

The deadline to apply for a postal vote is 5pm on 19 April.

Find out more here ([link removed])
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Temporary new home for Royton Library

Royton Library has moved to a new home in the nearby Trinity Methodist Church, on Radcliffe Street, so work to transform Royton Town Hall and Library into a community hub can take place.

The new project will give the much-loved town hall and the adjoining library a new lease of life to create a welcoming, family-friendly venue in the town centre.

The whole building will also benefit from the installation of additional sustainability and energy efficiency measures to reduce its carbon footprint, as part of our Green New Deal - an ambitious target of the council becoming carbon neutral by 2025 followed by the whole borough by 2030.

The work is expected to be completed later this year.

Any new Royton library members that join in March will be entered into a prize draw where five lucky winners will receive £20 in book vouchers.

Returning library members, will be entered into a prize draw for a book hamper and Live@theLibrary tickets.

Find out more here ([link removed])
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Last chance to get a free rapid test

Rapid testing for Covid-19 is still available and free of charge in Oldham until Thursday 31 March for people who have no symptoms.

That means from 1 April, we will no longer be able to provide you with a free asymptomatic Covid-19 testing offer as our testing sites at Tesco on Huddersfield Road, Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre, Oldham Leisure Centre, Failsworth Town Hall and The Link Centre will be closed.

Local home testing kit collection points, currently located at our library buildings and several pharmacies, will also end along with our PCR sites (on 30 March) for people who have symptoms.

If are showing one of the three main symptoms of Coronavirus you should still go for a PCR test.
PCR testing sites in Oldham for the week commencing Monday 21 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-6pm
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Latest Oldham Covid data

Over the last 7 days, Oldham had a rate of 258 per 100,000 population, which is higher than the rate of 173 for the previous 7 days.

77.2% of Oldham residents have had their first vaccine, 71.9% have had their second vaccine and 54.7% of those eligible for a booster jab have had one.

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Run a business? Don't miss out…

A scheme which could pay up to 100% of your Business Rates bill is closing on 31 March - and there’s still time to apply.

The Covid-19 Additional Relief Fund (CARF) can support businesses impacted by coronavirus but who have not been eligible for previous Business Rates related support schemes.

Find out more and apply here. ([link removed])

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Oldham Council . Civic Centre . West Street . Oldham, OL1 1UT . United Kingdom