Strain on growing Oldham

OLDHAM will need extra schools and more money for social care as the borough’s young and old population continues to rise.

Oldham’s population has increased by 3.5 per cent since the last official Census in 2001 — compared with an overall rise of 7.9 per cent in England as a whole.

Since 2001, there has been an increase of 8.6 per cent of under-fives compared with a national rise of 13.4 per cent.

The proportion of over-65s has risen by 6.3 per cent compared with a 10.9 per cent increase nationally.

The percentage of over-90s has soared by 17.9 per cent in Oldham compared with a 27.9 per cent rise across England.

The 2011 Census, released by the Office for National Statistics, shows Oldham has had a population increase of 2.3 per cent over the course of 12 months — from 219,800 in 2010 to 224,900 in 2011 (110,200 males and 114,700 females).

The report notes that Oldham has a relatively youthful age structure with a higher proportion of the population under 20 when compared with England as a whole.

Oldham’s population is predicted to continue rising with more older people and more younger people which will put increasing strain on education and social care services.


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