Oldham Council has approved £200,000 per year for two years to extend POINT's Short Breaks Play and Leisure services for children with SEND. The charity, based on Middleton Road in Chadderton, provides activities including music, crafts, sensory play, sports, and adapted cycling at Alexandra Park. Families have also enjoyed trips to Blackpool Illuminations and Flamingo Land. Cllr Mohon Ali announced the extension, emphasizing the importance of continuity for local families. Parents completing the Riding the Rapids course praised its life-changing impact on understanding autism and ADHD.
Councillor Dr Zahid Chauhan OBE has been appointed as an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Oldham, the council's highest civic honour. The appointment was announced on December 23, 2025. Former Mayor Alan Griffiths, who served in 1996-97, passed away in January 2025, with tributes published on January 16. Additionally, 15-year-old Brooke Travis Newcombe shared his story with Mayor Dr Chauhan, Deputy Mayor Eddie Moores, and Acting Chief Executive Shelley Kipling on January 8, 2025.
Oldham Council has launched the Stepping Forward fostering campaign, an initiative to support children living in residential care to move into loving foster homes. The campaign features Mayor and Mayoress of Oldham, Cllr Eddie Moores and his wife Kath, who began fostering when they were 25 and share their journey to encourage others. The council is also promoting its latest short film 'Everything' to highlight why fostering could be the most rewarding thing someone will ever do. This comes as Oldham celebrates 175 years of fostering with awards recognizing 175 years of fostering experience among local carers, and as the borough marks its own 175th anniversary.
Oldham Council has awarded £266,000 in grants to 25 local businesses to improve shop fronts in the town centre. The funding is part of broader council initiatives, including a £20 million growth injection announced in March 2025 that will benefit culture, sport, education, housing, and businesses across the borough. The council's finances are recovering after 14 years of central government cuts. Additionally, Oldham has pledged to become one of the UK's most inclusive digital towns, with dedicated hubs planned across public spaces to provide digital support for residents.
Oldham Council's Get Oldham Working service has secured £266,084 from the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to launch 'GOW Digital', a new programme tackling digital exclusion across Oldham. The service also won the Tailored Employment Support Award at the ERSA Employability Awards 2025. Council Leader Cllr Arooj Shah visited the team in June 2025 to see how they help local people into jobs, training and careers. A free eight-week 'Step into the NHS' course helped caring residents pursue NHS careers, with one participant saying they 'pleased to help someone in need of care'. Over 300 young people attended the Oldham Careers Fair in September 2024, with another fair scheduled for September 24th at Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Oldham Council's Get Oldham Working service has secured £266,084 from the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to launch GOW Digital, a programme aimed at improving digital skills across the borough. The funding will create two Digital Inclusion Hubs at Get Oldham Working offices and a Mobile Digital Hub that will visit venues including Access Oldham, SAWN, Millennium Centre, Fatima Women's Association, Werneth and Freehold Community Development, and Oasis Academy. More than 400 laptops will be given to participants who complete learning activities, and 30 Digital Champions will be trained to volunteer in their communities. Digital Cafe drop-in sessions will also be available. The project supports the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's national digital inclusion agenda.
Oldham Council's Get Oldham Working service has secured £266,084 from the Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to launch GOW Digital, a programme aimed at improving digital skills and access across the borough. The initiative will create two Digital Inclusion Hubs and a Mobile Digital Hub that will visit venues including Access Oldham, SAWN, Millennium Centre, and Fatima Women's Association. Over 400 laptops will be issued to participants who complete learning activities, while 30 tablets will be given to trained Digital Champions who will volunteer in their communities. Councillor Abdul Jabbar said the programme is about building confidence, independence and opportunity for residents who lack digital access.
Oldham Council has confirmed it is aware of allegations made about a sitting councillor and that a formal standards process is ongoing. Claims emerged at the weekend (February 15) over 'serious safeguarding concerns' about a sitting Oldham councillor. A council spokesperson stated: 'We are aware of the allegations, and these claims are being looked into through our formal standards process. While this is ongoing, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further.' The council has not named the councillor involved or provided details of the specific allegations.
Oldham's Adult Social Care services have been rated 'Good' by the Care Quality Commission following an inspection that praised the council's life-changing support for vulnerable residents. Inspectors highlighted the compassionate care at home, strong safeguarding arrangements, and tailored support that helps people live fuller, safer, and more independent lives. The CQC commended Oldham's strong leadership, positive culture, and person-centred approach, with most service users reporting good experiences. Partnership working with health services and community organisations was identified as a key strength, along with effective multi-agency safeguarding systems. Councillor Barbara Brownridge praised the workforce's compassion and professionalism, noting the achievement is particularly significant given the challenging circumstances facing Adult Social Care teams nationwide.
Oldham Council must cut £8m from its budget to address a £20m shortfall, despite government funding changes. Proposed cuts include axing 13 managerial posts (£1.3m), reducing youth centre funding by £100k, closing a £150k day care service for disabled adults, restructuring waste collection to save £350k, and charging homeless families a 'fair share' for temporary accommodation. Care workers will receive £13.10/hour instead of the planned £13.45/hour, saving £2.456m. The council faces high demand in adult social care (£8.9m), children's services (£5.4m), and temporary accommodation (£4.563m).
Oldham Council has awarded £266,000 in grants to 25 local businesses to improve shop fronts in the town centre. The Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme, funded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority's Local Growth and Place Flexible Grants Programme, targets areas including Union Street, Yorkshire Street, Henshaw Street and George Street. Leader Cllr Arooj Shah met with grant recipients including Pennine Mencap and Tymbuktu Health and Beauty Clinic to celebrate the investment. The scheme aims to enhance the visitor experience and support independent businesses as part of Oldham's high street revitalisation efforts.
Oldham Council has launched the Stepping Forward fostering campaign, a first for Greater Manchester, to help children in residential care move into loving family homes. The initiative matches children with specialist foster carers who receive training and support, with carers coming from diverse professional backgrounds including residential work, policing, nursing, and education. Jo became Oldham's first Stepping Forward foster carer and has successfully welcomed a second child into her home, where both children have bonded and are thriving. The campaign offers carers a financial package of over £75,000 annually and seeks resilient individuals who can provide stability and encouragement to vulnerable young people.
Councillor Dr Zahid Chauhan OBE has been appointed as an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Oldham, the highest civic honour the council can bestow. The ceremony took place on Saturday at 11am in the Council Chamber, attended by Mayor of Oldham Councillor Eddie Moores, Deputy Mayor Councillor Brian Hobin, Chief Executive Shelley Kipling, and Monitoring Officer Alex Bougatef. Dr Chauhan, who has served as a councillor for Alexandra ward since 2013 and was Mayor from 2023 to 2025, becomes the 28th person and first Asian person to receive this honour in Oldham's history. The appointment recognises his exceptional service to the borough, including his work as a practising GP, leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic, and founding Homeless Friendly in 2017 to support people experiencing homelessness.
Oldham Council's Get Oldham Working service has won the Tailored Employment Support Award at the ERSA Employability Awards 2025, beating major industry names including Ingeus, Seetec, The Growth Company, Maximus, G4S and Reed. The service, launched in 2013, has created over 21,600 opportunities and supported more than 16,500 residents into work. The award recognises its pioneering approach to personalised employment support, which includes services like GOW Wardrobe for interview preparation and GOW Therapy for clinical support. The team was also shortlisted in five other categories at the awards, which attracted over 250 national nominations.
Oldham Libraries has received a Met Strong rating from Arts Council England as part of the Libraries Development Framework, recognising excellence in community impact and innovation. The service was praised for using data to design programmes in early years literacy, digital inclusion, and health literacy. Council leaders highlighted the achievement as a source of pride for the borough and evidence of the libraries' vital community role. Over the next five years, Oldham Libraries will use the framework to develop partnerships and secure funding. In 2026, they will launch Author Sparks, an Arts Council-funded programme offering free author workshops and creative writing activities for children across the borough.