Oldham Council has insisted that improvements at Uppermill Park are being carried out, hitting back at claims from a local councillor that nothing has been done. Saddleworth councillor Max Woodvine had questioned whether the lease arrangement with Grandpa Greene’s — which allows the business to operate from the site of the former toilet block — was delivering the promised benefits.

Cllr Woodvine said he had been waiting 18 months for answers over how the money, about £12,000 a year from the lease, was being spent. He claimed a site visit with the council’s environmental services team at the beginning of 2024 had identified where the first year of spend should be prioritised. Those priorities included repairs, painting and replacements to the children’s play area, electrical trunking outside the library to provide lighting for voluntary village events such as Remembrance and Christmas, and repairs to gullies to solve drainage issues. The possibility of a bandstand in the future was also explored.

But after being approached by the Saddleworth Independent, Oldham Council said work had indeed been done. A spokesperson explained that funds received through the lease in 2024 were used to carry out landscaping, surfacing and drainage improvements within the park. Further enhancements have been delivered this year, including new safety-surface works in the children’s play area funded through the council’s Pride in Place programme.

The council also confirmed that routine inspections and repairs to the play area are carried out regularly as part of its borough-wide maintenance of public play facilities. All park gullies have recently been cleared to support the wider drainage improvements already undertaken. In addition, the council is exploring options relating to external electrical trunking near the library to support community events, working with colleagues in property services.

Oldham Council said it is open to meeting with ward councillors after the local elections on May 7 to discuss future investment, including how annual lease contributions can be best used to support ongoing improvements at the park. The spokesperson added: “We have continued to invest in improvements at Uppermill Park, including works funded through the lease arrangement with Grandpa Greene’s as well as other council programmes.”