£1.7m bonus to make Oldham a better place
Reporter: Lobby Correspondent
Date published: 02 April 2010
OLDHAM Council chiefs will be handed more than £1.7 million as a reward for the way social problems such as drink and obesity have been tackled.
Local Government Minister Rosie Winterton said Oldham had made improvements on specific targets they set.
The local targets — called Local Area Agreements — were drawn up after consultation with agencies at the sharp end of providing services to the public, such as police, health and social workers and Jobcentre staff.
The 28 targeted priorities in Oldham, also included reducing the number of 16 to 18-year-olds not in education, training or employment, helping smokers quit and dealing with perceptions of anti-social behaviour.
Ms Winterton said Oldham will be given £1.704 million of a £39million share being handed out across the North-West. She said: “Strong local authorities are key to meeting the challenges we face today.
“Councils know their areas and its unique challenges best and with the continued Government support being made available today they can meet local priorities from care, to libraries, to youth services — things that matter most to their residents.
“There is no doubt that councils will have tough choices ahead as finances become tighter, but that is no reason to lower their sights on delivering service quality people rightly value.
To help we’ve reduced the red tape burden and freed more funding so councils can focus on the services local people need in their area.”
The agreements were part of a shake-up of targets aimed at devolving power to local areas and are meant to identify the specific priorities that will most improve the quality of life of residents.
Progress is tracked by independent auditors.
Nick Brown, chairman of the Oldham Partnership said: “This announcement is excellent news and a good example of partnership working for the benefit of Oldham and its citizens.
“We set challenging targets which we have been successful in reaching and which I am delighted have been recognised by central government.”
