Six new zones to get ‘home rule’

Oldham Council is to form six new area partnerships incorporating police, health and housing.

The plan is to start with two pilot areas, one covering all three Chadderton wards, the other for East Oldham covering St Mary’s, Waterhead and St James’s wards. If the plans are approved by Cabinet today, they will start a new way of working at local level.

The pilot areas will each have a new £100,000 budget, plus the area working fund of £6,000 a ward, and a share of £190,000 from the Clean, Safe and Green budget.

The report by Carolyn Wilkins, the assistant chief executive, says: “Many of the issues that face us need to be tackled on a borough-wide level, many others are best taken forward at a more local level.”

At the moment there are 11 Area Committees, and six multi-agency area action teams, plus a Town Centre Partnership.

But partnerships are not co-ordinated across the borough, and some services are offered on an ad hoc basis.

Some partners, such as the police, have lined up their operational and beat boundaries with council ward boundaries.

Ms Wilkins said: “The pilot is not about identifying a standardised way of approaching area working: rather it is about identifying those issues which need to be addressed.”

Cabinet member for people and communities, Councillor Rod Blyth, said: “These new District Partnerships will have a real say in helping local citizens to have a voice in how all their public services are run — not just council services.”

If agreed the pilots will be set up this month and for the four other areas by September.

They are: West Oldham (Coldhurst, Werneth, Alexandra and Medlock Vale); Failsworth and Hollinwood (Failsworth East and West and Hollinwood); Saddleworth and Lees (Saddleworth West and Lees, Saddleworth North and Saddleworth South); and Shaw and Royton (Royton North, Royton South, Shaw and Crompton).