Devolution day: July 4

IT will be Independence Day for Oldham on July 4 if plans to distribute powers to the six districts are approved.

Town Halls and community centres will be the focal point for local people if selected powers and services are moved out of Oldham Civic Centre.

And each area would immediately have a budget — made up of £30,000 for each district partnership, £2,000 each for each councillor and a share of the £360,000 District Investment Fund.

The council leader, Councillor Jim McMahon, hopes to see 300 staff moved to the districts in the first phase of devolution.

He says they could include street cleaners, youth services, highways and adult social services.

And he is looking to whether statutory services such as licensing and traffic management could be devolved.

The ideas come up for approval at Cabinet on July 4 — American Independence Day.

Councillor McMahon said: “These district town halls will be fully staffed and this is a considerable staff devolution.

“Local councillors will get training and we have a responsibility to make sure this works. But the prize for councillors is significant powers and budgets, and officers and frontline teams.”

He said it is the first sign to locals that Oldham is becoming a co-operative council.

Another initiative will be to have area teams touring their patch with a van to do jobs like fixing signs and removing graffiti.

He added: “People might start looking after their patch more with less vandalism etc, which just wastes money.”

So far the Failsworth and Royton town halls, and Chadderton Wellbeing Centre, have been identified to house the devolved services.

But venues in Oldham East and West and Saddleworth and Lees have still to be chosen.