Calls for the council to bid for money to improve the high street

NO welcome to Oldham: shuttered shops give Oldham negative image, says councillor

Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, has asked Oldham’s Council Leader to bid for new Government money that is intended to revitalise Britain’s high streets. 

The leader of the Liberal Democrat Group Sykes also wants the Leader to invite the Communities Minister James Brokenshire MP to the Borough to showcase some of the excellent work that is being done by Oldham’s voluntary sector.

Councillor Sykes explained: “We all want to see a thriving and vibrant town centre economy and equally thriving district centres, in places such as Chadderton, Failsworth, Lees, Royton, Shaw, and Uppermill, but sadly in recent years our retail and leisure economy has been in decline, threatened by out-of-town shopping centres and the growth in online retailing.”

“Last year, I was therefore pleased to hear the Government announcing the launch of a new £675 million Future High Streets Fund.  For once, this was positive news as the fund is intended to improve transport links and amenities in our town and district centres and to bring empty spaces back into use as homes, offices or community hubs.  In December, the Government invited local Councils to bid for money from the fund before the 22 March 2019.  I believe we should do so.  At a time when Government funding for local authorities has been cut to a record low – and it will get even worse in the future – this pot of money is most welcome.”

Councillor Sykes has written to the Council Leader urging him to make an application and ensure that the needs of district centres, such as Shaw, are included in the proposal.  Councillor Sykes sees another benefit from a successful bid:

"As the fund has the potential to convert under-used town and district centre spaces into homes, it has the potential to provide finance for new accommodation on brownfield sites and so reduce the pressure on greenbelt sites currently allocated for housing under the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework.”

Councillor Sykes has also suggested that the Communities Secretary James Brokenshire MP be invited to Oldham to see first-hand some of the excellent work being done by the borough’s voluntary sector in providing for the needs of the communities they serve, most especially in the provision of welfare services to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups.