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Oldham Council has quietly published a single web page that bundles every winter hardship service together, from school closures to emergency heating grants. For families who usually hunt through separate departments, the move puts gritting routes, benefit top-ups, and homelessness help under one roof.

The page lists practical links that residents have requested for years: real-time school shutdown alerts, a form to report missed bin collections when snow blocks alleys, and a fast-track way to apply for Council Tax Reduction if cold weather pushes energy bills up. It also repeats the offer of help with rent and social housing applications, signalling that officers expect more people to struggle as fuel prices stay high.

Transport and road crews get their own section, with the same gritting maps that drivers argue over on local Facebook groups now pinned at the top. There is no fresh money attached, but council sources say the page will be updated daily once ice is forecast, replacing the patchy Twitter threads relied on last year.

Critics note the site still pushes people online, even though 11 per cent of Oldham households have no home internet. Paper copies of the heating grant form can be picked up at libraries, yet the library opening-hours feed is buried two clicks away, raising questions about whether the poorest residents will find the help in time.