£360,000 for Oldham’s districts

SPORTS fans, skateboarders and walkers are some of the first groups to benefit from Oldham Council’s £360,000 District Investment Fund (DIF).

The scheme was set up to give residents more say over spending decisions across all six districts — enabling them to prioritise projects which matter to them.

Some of the schemes which received approval at last month’s Cabinet sub-committee include:

::£61,000 to redevelop Melrose Playing Fields, Chadderton, the home of Hollinwood ARLFC, into a state-of-the-art facility for the club and the wider community.

::£54,000 to carry out drainage works at Bardsley Playing Fields.

::£45,000 to improve and update the skateboard park in Coalshaw Green Park, Chadderton.

::£46,000 to improve drainage and refurbish facilities at Royton’s Bullcote Green bowling facility and its associated portable unit.

::£27,000 to improve footpaths in Saddleworth and Lees.

The sub-committee agreed to fund a total of 15 successful bids, subject to council and Cabinet approval.

Any schemes put forward by the district partnership will include 10 per cent match funding from the committee.

In September, 2011, Cabinet agreed to set up a sub-committee to consider bids to the DIF and make decisions quickly so schemes could get under way as soon as possible. Over the next two years, a total of £720,000 worth of funding will be handed out to local projects.

Council leader Jim McMahon said: “In the past it has been difficult for district partnerships to pay for worthwhile projects due to ring-fenced budgets but the DIF gives us a lot more flexibility and cuts through a lot of the red tape that has bound projects in the past.

“Coupled with money we are reinvesting in Oldham through the sale of buildings and property from the council’s portfolio, it signals our commitment to investing resources across the six districts.

“We’ve listened to what residents want and we are helping them do their bit and deliver their ideas so they can improve lives.”