65 new jobs is a done deal

sealing the new jobs deal are, from right, Oldham Council leader, Councillor Howard Sykes, Councillor Mohammed Masud, cabinet member for customer services, and Roger Barrett, operations director of Unity Partnership

A handshake has sealed plans to bring 65 new white collar jobs to Oldham next year.

Oldham Council leader, Councillor Howard Sykes, shook on the deal with Roger Barrett, operations director of the Unity Partnership, at Henshaw House in Cheapside, opposite the Civic Centre.

Unity is the council’s joint venture with business partner Mouchel plc, which delivers back-office services on behalf of the authority.

Now Mouchel is bringing 65 new jobs to Oldham as it closes its Liverpool office in the Cunard building, although Liverpool staff will be offered the chance to move to Oldham.

The posts in human resources, payroll and finance are part of Mouchel’s plans to restructure its business and establish a specialist service centre in Oldham, opening by early May, separate from its Unity contract.

But Labour’s opposition leader, Councillor Jim McMahon, is concerned that it is the first step to a back-door merger with Rochdale Council’s Impact team, which is also a joint venture between Rochdale Council and Mouchel plc.

He said: “We have been putting pressure on Unity to relocate its Mouchel head office to Oldham for some time.

“However it would appear that we are being led into a merger by the back door.

“We now have a shared managing director and senior officers split across the two companies (Unity and Impact) when they should be concentrating on delivering for Oldham.

“Worse still is the constant denial that a merger is on the table.

“It’s about time the Liberal Democrats came clean.”

But Councillor Mohammed Masud, Cabinet member for customer services, said: “We do share a managing director with Rochdale Impact but that won’t have any effect on services.”

He declined to comment on a possible merger, but said: “In the present financial climate 65 jobs is good news for Oldham.”