Cabinet accused of missed opportunity

Reporter: Lucy Kenderdine
Date published: 26 February 2014


Oldham Council Cabinet

OLDHAM Liberal Democrats urged the Cabinet to be more innovative in its plans to make better use of two and three-bedroom homes vacant following the introduction of the bedroom tax.

During the meeting councillors approved proposals to encourage more residents to see social housing as an option. Changes included amendments to housing-related debt policy, eligibility to join the housing register and a reduction in the number of reasonable refusals of a housing offer from three to one.

Alongside the review, to increase demand, the council is relaunching its WorkingXtra initiative to increase the number of lets to those working or “making a valuable contribution through training, volunteering or caring for a household member”.

But Councillor John McCann believes there is more work to be done: “I believe the cabinet has missed a great opportunity to improve the use of Oldham Council’s housing stock and lessen housing shortages in the borough. We also need to look to other ways to prevent more of these properties being under-occupied or becoming empty.”

The meeting also heard an idea to vet and match tenants who could share a property or who wished to take in a lodger.

Councillor Lynne Thompson said: “Right-sizing is the notion that every household should be offered the right size property to meet its needs.”




OLDHAM has had a fall of more than 15 per cent in the number of benefit claimants affected by the controversial bedroom tax.

Figures from the Department of Work and Pensions show the number of social housing tenants found to be underoccupying thei homes in the borough fell from 2,258 in May 2013, to 1,908 last November - a drop of 15.5 per cent.

Since the introduction of the legislation in April 2013, tenants have taken action including moving, using home-swop services and finding work or increasing earnings to cope with the financial pressures.