We’re asking residents to help guide our spending on local improvements.
Last night, our cabinet approved £500,000 of local spending to help benefit Oldhamers and their communities. So, today we’re asking local people to contact their councillor with ideas before the end of Thursday 24 November.
We want proposals that will support the three top priorities of our Residents First approach. These are the things that residents have said matter most to them:
- The cost-of-living crisis – how can we use local projects to make a difference where it’s most needed?
- Children and young people – to help make sure Oldham gives the best start in life that it possibly can.
- Don’t Trash Oldham – our local campaign to help improve neighbourhoods.
Council Leader, Cllr Amanda Chadderton, said: “We want to make sure residents have the best possible chance to guide improvements to their neighbourhoods. So we’re asking everyone who has a great idea to share it with their councillor.
“This is an exciting opportunity for people to get involved with a project in their community. In past years the Local Improvement Fund has funded projects like wildlife sanctuaries, road safety improvements and restoration of community spaces. There are always lots of fantastic suggestions and I’m sure this year will be no different.
“We’ll be spending half a million pounds through our Local Improvement Fund in the coming year, so please do help us use that cash to make the biggest possible difference for Oldham people.”
A range of ideas big and small will be considered. Of the £500,000, £100,000 is being held as fast grants that must be in the range of £500 to £3,500.
Individual councillors will put their proposals to a cross-party committee, which in turn will recommend to the leadership the projects they think most likely to make the biggest difference.
The committee will prioritise projects that have clear local support, that can demonstrate value and where there is match funding either from Councillors’ personal budgets or other local funding streams.
Decisions on which projects are to be funded under this £500,000 Local Improvement Fund will be announced from December 2022 onwards.
How to contact your councillor
- You can search for your councillor online.
- If you can’t go online, you can find out who your councillor is by phoning our helpline 0161 770 7007.