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Oldham Council has quietly rolled out a winter support hub that folds school closure alerts, gritting updates, and emergency heating grants into one place. For parents who have previously scrolled separate pages at 6 a.m. to find out whether the gates are open, the change removes at least one layer of morning uncertainty.

The same page now links directly to the council's home-heating fund, which can clear £200 off a resident's first energy bill or repair a broken boiler. Staff say the aim is to stop people drifting between departments when cold weather hits both travel and household budgets at once.

Housing help has been pulled into the same menu. Anyone facing rent shortfalls can apply for discretionary housing payments without re-entering details already held for council tax or benefits. Homelessness teams are flagged on the same screen, so a family served with a section-21 notice can see shelter options immediately.

There is no new money behind the reshuffle; it is simply the same winter grants and social-housing queues, reached through fewer clicks. Whether that speeds up decisions will only show once the first heavy snow is forecast.