About Oldham news

Oldham Council has secured the Gold Award in the national Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme, the highest badge a civilian employer can earn. The honour, announced in July 2025, recognises the authority's record of hiring veterans and supporting reservists.

The town centre is quietly changing shape. In June 2025 the council opened Snipe Gardens, a new pedestrian gateway that funnels walkers from the tram stop into the retail core. A week earlier, builders fenced off the five-acre plot that will become Tommyfield Park, a green square named after the historic market that once stood nearby.

Civic pride was given a national stamp in June when the Local Government Chronicle judged Oldham the 'Most Improved Council' of 2025. Judges cited tighter finances and cleaner streets; the award came only months after the authority balanced its books following 14 years of central-government cuts.

Culture is also on the mend. The Oldham Coliseum building, dark since the theatre company left, will reopen in 2026. No resident company has been signed yet, so the programme that greets audiences is still being written.

Taken together, these moves give. Oldham a rare combination: national recognition for looking after veterans, fresh public space in the middle of town, and the promise of a theatre curtain rising again next year.