Councillor S R Oldham, CBE

~ A Profile - April 2009 ~

Profession:

Retired Chartered Engineer - C. Eng. Member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering

Senior Management Engineer

Designer in Nuclear Engineering

Over 30 years in employment of UKAE and BNFL at Risley, Sellafield and other establishments.

Labour Party Service:

• Member of the Labour Party from 1960
• Branch Treasurer from 1964 until present date
• Continuous membership of the Stalybridge and Hyde Constituency Labour Party from 1964
• Continuous membership of the Tameside Local Government Committee (former District Labour Party) from 1973 to present
• Held a variety of posts and positions such as Political Officer, Press Secretary, and Local Government Agent
• Leads the Tameside Local Government Committee Manifesto Group, producing election materials for 19 Wards
• Over 20 times the successful local agent for Council elections
• Parliamentary agent four successful times, lifting the majority from just over 2000 to over 8000
• Subscription collector for Ward for over 35 years, collecting over 50 subscriptions per month, door to door, from ordinary members.

Local Government Service:

44 years of unbroken service for the same area.

Member of Longdendale Urban District Council from 1965 until 1974 (9 years) Chairman in 1969.  Involved in the creation of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Member of various Council Committees.

Chairman of Longdendale UDC - 1969 and played a large part in gaining control of the Council for Labour from the Conservatives.

Member of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council from its inception in 1974 until present time (35 years), with unbroken service to the same ward of Longdendale.

Chair of Education, steering Council through the difficult - and nationally controversial - years of comprehensive education.

Chair of Policy and Resources Committee from 1980 to 2001. Labour controlled throughout this time, with a current majority of 44 Labour Members out of 57 seats - the largest political group in the City Region.

Leader of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council from 1980 to 2001.

Executive Leader with Cabinet Status as from 2001 to present.

Unbroken 26 years of political leadership of Tameside Council is unrivalled anywhere in the country and is an achievement which is unlikely to be reached by anyone else in the future.

Chair of Greater Manchester Pension Fund from 1987 to present - the largest local government pension fund in the country, with assets of over £8 billion (£2 billion in 1987).

Personally created a "hands on" control and management, involving the workforce and union participation/representation.

Founder member of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities, following the dissolution of the Greater Manchester County Council. The Association has successfully picked up the responsibilities of the County Council and developed them.

Companies and Boards:

Has been a member of the following:

• Manchester International Airport (Chair 1997-98) (a wholly Council owned, highly successful enterprise)
• Chair of Manchester Airport Ventures Ltd
• Ringway Handling
• Ringway Handling Services Ltd
• Modesole plc
• G-Mex
• Huddersfield Canal Company

Is currently a member of the following:

• National Nuclear Waste Disposal Group
• South Pennine Integrated Strategy Forum
• European Programme Secretariat, Government Office North West
• Greater Manchester Pension Fund (Chair)
• SIGOMA
• Local Government Association
• 4NW Leader’s Forum
• Member of 4NW Transport Forum
• Association of Greater Manchester Authorities
• Hattersley Land Board

Special Initiatives:

Initiator of various major schemes in the Tameside Borough, which have led to hundreds of millions of pounds being invested in business, infrastructure, commerce and housing, including:

• Hyde Renewal Area - the country's most successful, according to the Department of the Environment, with a total investment of over £70 million from private and public sources.
  
  
• Ashton Renewal Area - a 10 year programme potentially with £160 million of private and public investment.
  
  
• Tame Valley Partnership - a company established by the Council with a £100 million investment programme over 10 years, using £8.5 million of Government resources (SRB).
  
  
• Hattersley Development Trust - set up by the Council with partners to invest £7.4 million of public money (SRB) in a particularly disadvantaged community. Responsible for driving forward £200 million transformation programme.
  
  
• Ashton Pioneer Homes - a national pilot scheme potentially attracting large sums of private and public investment by the creation of a housing company, with a Board of Directors, tenants, developers and the Council.
  
  
• New Charter Housing Trust - the successful transfer of over 17,000 Council owned homes to a new social landlord - the first large scale voluntary transfer in the country.
  
  
• Stalybridge Development Group, involving the private sector in partnership schemes, including £3 million national housing demonstration project and £8.5 million Millennium Commission scheme to reopen Huddersfield Narrow Canal on 1st May 2001, under the auspices of a newly created Canal company.
  
  
• In January 2009 introduced the “Tameside Works First” initiative that will initially direct £12.5m of council capital and revenue spending into the local economy. The programme that is being delivered in conjunction with major businesses within Tameside will help develop longer term local procurement practices and encourage apprenticeships and other initiatives to help put in place the foundations that the local economy can build on in readiness for the economic upturn.
  
  
• In 2009, as a result of waste disposal savings accrued through the successful implementation of managed bin collection around the borough and the resultant increase in recycling, the “Cash in the bin” scheme was launched. This provided £500k a year to be spent in local communities on any projects identified through local community panels. The funding is allocated equally across Tameside based on the number of wards in each area.

Modern Local Government:

Introduced District Assemblies throughout Tameside in 1997, a first step in bringing local government closer to the people, with representatives of the community, business, and year 11 pupils, sitting alongside elected members. Designated staff working alongside Councillors for the benefit of the community. Residents' satisfaction stands at 85%, up 11% from 2001.

The introduction of Cabinet style leadership to TMBC in May 2001, supported by a small team of officers, with a reduced Committee structure, the formation of Scrutiny Panels and an external Standards Bench.

Financial Stability:

Developed a strong financial background with balances of over £32m and reserves of over £34m as at 1st April 2008.

Unique setting of Council Tax guaranteed no larger than 9% rise over three years from 2008/09 - 2010/11.

Successful PSA1 - 80% of our targets hit, producing government grant of £4.4M, the best outcome in the country.

Innovation, ICT and New Technology:

Tameside Council has a national reputation for being an innovative and creative organisation. It is widely recognised as being at the fore in terms of ICT and use of new technology in the widest sense and in doing so has been prepared to take calculated risks where and when appropriate.

Creating this working environment, which has led to Tameside’s unprecedented success in recent years, has only been possible through the constancy of purpose that having a strong, visionary leader provides. Examples include;

• Chair of many innovatory groups and working parties, such as the environmentally friendly Local Agenda 21, which introduced a full recycling project of waste paper via a "Blue Bin" scheme. This gives the Council an annual profit enabling the purchase of environmental items such as "Community Area" personalised bulk collection systems.
  
  
• Designer of the unique "Tamesider" an all-purpose refuse vehicle which deals with all waste collection problems, including bulky household waste and fly-tipping from across the Borough.
  
  
• Designed a "Glass Crushing Plant" to deal with 3500 tonnes of bottles per year. Product used in place of sand for irrigation. Kerbside "Green Bin" collection picks up the recyclable items.
  
  
• Renovated a 100 year old horse drawn refuse wagon, manufactured in Ashton-under-Lyne and utilised in Dukinfield in the early 20th Century. Now used for recycling awareness campaigns.
  
  
• Designer of the Tameside Slipper, a revolutionary method of replacing worn out street lights, now taken up by a number of local authorities.
  
  
• Establishment of a Patroller service that plays an instrumental role in re-assuring local communities and supporting partners to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

Reducing Crime and Disorder:

The Patrollers service is also a key part of improving our local environment and tackle environmental crimes by working closely with other local services.

The Home Secretary (Jacqui Smith) in a visit to Tameside, supported our approach to reducing crime and disorder and the important role that all partners played.

• Developed mobile youth facilities, which achieved a national Crime and Community Safety award.
  
  
• Best performing Drugs Intervention Programme in the country.
  
  
• Worked in partnership with the Police to develop neighbourhood policing.
  
  
• Initiated the "Tameside Watchman" - a roadside camera which identifies speeding vehicles and warns them to slow down, counts vehicle numbers and also has a 24 hours CCTV surveillance of the road.

Development of a close partnership with the Police, with the common aid of reducing crime at all levels throughout the Borough. To that aim, many specific items have been purchased by the Council (outside the normal Police precept) and given to the Police for their direct use, including:

• Closed circuit television equipment
• Vehicles for use by Tameside "Special" Constabulary
• Electronic equipment for surveillance

The PACT+ (Police and Community Together) meetings that take place across Tameside are another example of how the partnership approach is delivering real successes to the communities. The police are also a key partner in the District Assembly meetings where local issues and concerns can also be aired.

Education and Schools:

When Tameside Metropolitan Borough came into being in 1974 the council was left with a legacy of under investment and under achievement in its schools. From 1995 to 2004 only eleven new schools were built in Tameside. Since then we have seen a massive investment in new build and building improvement across the borough leading to 4 new primary schools being completed in the last year and four more planned over the next three years. In addition a massive programme of replacing and remodelling all secondary schools over the next 5 years, with two schools already under construction and two more in the next two months.

• Responsible for successful PFI bid, for three schools, one High School and two Primary Schools.
  
  
• Building Schools for the Future programme will deliver £300m for new build and remodelling of secondary across the borough.
  
  
• Been the driving force behind the establishment of the Tameside Local Education Partnership which will deliver future schools through the BSF and other programmes.
  
  
• Educational attainment has consistently risen across all areas of Tameside in recent years, leading to above national average attainment at the end of key stage 2, with results across other key stages continuing to improve year on year.

Supporting Older People:

In supporting older people to continue living independently for as long as is practical, to maintain their dignity in whatever circumstances they find themselves and to remain fit and enjoy life to the full we have;

• The best performing Adult Social Service’s provision in the country. In recent CSCI inspection the council received the maximum score possible – the first time this has been ever achieved.
  
  
• Introduced a "Staying Put" scheme into Tameside to provide financial help for older people to maintain their homes, in order that they could remain in them independently for as long as possible.
  
  
• Through the Partnership for Older People, a sub group of the Tameside Strategic Partnership, introduced the “Opening Doors” project through which volunteers provides practical advice and guidance to support independent living.
  
  
• Introduced the “Lust for Life” guide which is a regular publication for older people sing-posting them to activities and events to help them stay fit and in the company of others.
  
  
• The Welfare Rights Service, working in close partnership with the Pension Service, has provided assistance to over 25,000 older people since 2004. This has resulted in over £20 million in unclaimed benefits being identified and paid to the residents of the borough. The service is recognised as an example of good practice in the provision of Front Office Shared Services by the IDeA.

Awards and National Recognition:

In recent years the Council has been awarded over 50 national awards. A key to the organisation's success in achieving excellence has been its strong political leadership, as endorsed by the Audit Commission in the Council's Corporate Assessment.

Leading the Council in its achievement of 6 Beacon Awards:

• Preventing Crime and Disorder
• Maintaining a quality Environment
• Accessible Services
• Community Legal Services
• Getting Closer to Communities
• Transforming Services: Citizen Engagement & Empowerment

Other Key achievements include;

• Ensured that Tameside became the Regional Centre of Excellence for Procurement in local government, supporting improvements across the North West.
  
  
• Developed Tameside's Local Strategic Partnership, viewed as the best in the North West.
  
  
• Personally responsible for developing e-Government by putting Tameside at the forefront of developing an electronic community. Tameside is the first Council to have all Council services accessible via the web and to open a network of community IT learning centres in libraries and partner buildings.
  
  
• Leading with the Department of Communities and Local Government and more recently with the Department for Works and Pensions on the development of the £50m “Government Connect” national secure data network for local government which provides a government accredited infrastructure which can be used to share confidential and restricted information in a secure way between local authorities and central government departments.
  
  
• A pathfinder for the national "Once is all it takes" initiative which aims to reduce the burden of reporting death for the citizen, and make the process from a local and central government point of view more effective and responsive.

Local History:

As a passionate local historian personally involved in the production of "The History of Tameside" (8 volumes) - the most comprehensive set of historical records in the UK, carried out at cost by the Manchester University Archeological Unit.

Developed the Setantii Museum, a local visitor attraction charting the history of Tameside which attracts 47,000 people each year – many of them school children.

Developed a state of the art Local Records and Archives Centre which will ensure that historical records are preserved for future generations.

Personally involved with the introduction of public artworks and statues within the Borough with 10 new statues, 76 commemorative blue plaques and 3 local history bronze maps installed in recent years.

Designed the concept and detailed plans for a new interactive visitor attraction which will explain the importance of the Victorians building reservoirs in Tameside that providing clean water to Manchester and the impact it had on the Industrial revolution and public health.

Keen supporter of the Manchester University Archeology Unit and has provided funding to help research and digs at sites within Tameside including the historically important “Buckton Castle”.

Community Initiatives:

Creation of innovatory activities enabling community and local sporting organisations to draw down financial aid, including the most successful area in the North West for National Lottery sports awards.

Placing of youth facilities into existing sporting facilities (football, cricket, etc.,) where interest and discipline replaces boredom and vandalism. "Pound for Pound" scheme supporting ground improvements, subject to youth provision of the type outlined above, to a Council specification. A tangible example is our local football clubs who have been granted many tens of thousands of pounds for ground development, leading to the provision of over 200 youngsters being involved in 19 youth teams.

In 2008 the Commissioning of the “500” marketing campaign that targets young people and raises awareness of more than 500 different groups and activities that they can take part in across Tameside.

Leading and directing the Council into direct involvement with aid and assistance to many voluntary charitable organisations, including:

• Tameside Citizen Advice Bureau
• Tameside Racial Equality Council
• Tameside Victim Support
• Tameside Macmillan Nurses
• Tameside and Glossop Hospice, officially opened in June 1999
• Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit
• The Royal British Legion
• Initiated dedicated car parks in Tameside from which charges are paid to Macmillan Nurses, the local Willow Wood Hospice and other local charities

His compassion extends internationally and during the Kosovo crisis he actively worked on rebuilding a community in that war-torn country. Tameside Council was asked to house refugee families for the duration of the war and under the direction of Councillor Roy Oldham, the families were provided with fully equipped flats and support services. He ensured that their traumatic experiences were eased by providing an environment which was as near to normal as possible. This included education for the children, language tuition for the adults and a programme of social events for all.

On completion of the military events, Councillor Oldham spearheaded an initiative to help the refugees to return to Kosovo. This programme included provision of warm clothing, school equipment and vehicles. To enhance the relationship with the people of Shtime, he travelled on two occasions to meet and see for himself the environment in Kosovo to assess their needs. As Kosovo progresses, the need for help has diminished and it is Councillor Oldham's intention that a long-standing friendship remains.

Following the broadcast of the BBC’s documentary, “Fever Road” which highlighted the plight of villagers in Kiagware, Kenya, the Leader pledged £20,000 to the village to help combat malaria and provide much needed medical aid. This resulted in the construction of a brand new clinic for the whole community which was opened in 2008. A further £30K has been given for the provision of a Maternity Wing and separate male and female wards.

Personal:

• Has lived in Mottram-in-Longdendale all his life.
• He is a recent widower with one son, John, a Teacher.
• Lifelong Manchester City supporter.
• Keen gardener and DIY enthusiast.
• Interested in history and local heritage.
• President of local cricket and football clubs.
• Awarded the CBE in the New Years Honours List 1999.
• Admitted as Honorary Freeman of the Borough in recognition of his eminent services to the Borough of Tameside and to commemorate his 25th Anniversary as Leader of the Council (10th June 2005).