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83-617: The Oldham Evening Chronicle was a daily newspaper published each weekday evening. It served the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham , in Greater Manchester , England. There were also four sister editions, called the Oldham Extra , Saddleworth Extra , Tameside Extra and Dale Times , which were published on the first Thursday of each month. The paper was owned by Hirst, Kidd and Rennie Ltd. In February 2018,

166-505: A Mayor of London and 25-member London Assembly . The first mayoral and assembly elections took place in 2000. The former Leader of the Greater London Council , Ken Livingstone , served as the inaugural Mayor, until he was defeated by future Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2008 . The incumbent, Sadiq Khan , was first elected in 2016 . The Mayor's functions include chairing Transport for London , holding

249-468: A non-metropolitan county council and two or more non-metropolitan district councils share responsibility for these services. In single-tier areas a unitary authority , London borough , or metropolitan borough provides all services. The City of London and Isles of Scilly have unique local authorities. The London boroughs, metropolitan boroughs, and some unitary authorities collaborate through regional authorities. The Greater London Authority (GLA)

332-561: A complex matter, in part because the paper had stored so much of its information in the cloud and retrieving it might be difficult. The title relaunched as an online-only publication in February 2018. This English newspaper–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Metropolitan Borough of Oldham The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It

415-483: A county council and a district council, which would share local authority functions. In May 2022, 21 non-metropolitan county councils and 164 non-metropolitan district councils remain. These are better known as simply county councils and district councils. The Local Government Act 1985 also abolished metropolitan county councils, but there are still 36 metropolitan district councils as of May 2022. There are also (as of April 2023) 62 unitary authorities. These carry out

498-547: A devolution deal, which are usually reserved to combined authorities for additional functions and funding. And, like some combined authorities and parish councils, local authorities do have a general power of competence . Separate to combined authorities, two or more local authorities can also work together through joint boards (for legally-required services: fire, public transport and waste disposal), joint committees (voluntarily) or through contracting out and agency arrangements. The Greater London Authority Act 1999 established

581-529: A griffin gules each gorged with a collar engrailed argent charged with six bendlets gules pendant therefrom a heptagon argent that on the dexter charged with a pierced mullet that on the sinister with a saddle both sable. Badge or Device: On a heptagon sable environed by an annulet gules an owl argent. Showing status at 31 March 1974 (prior to the Local Government Act 1972 taking effect). Showing former status. The following table shows

664-460: A local authority. Ten currently exist, with more planned. Parish councils form the lowest tier of local government and govern civil parishes . They may also be called a 'community council', 'neighbourhood council', 'village council', 'town council' or (if the parish holds city status) 'city council', but these names are stylistic and do not change their responsibilities. As of December 2021 there are 10,475 parishes in England, but they do not cover

747-411: A matter of discretion for the leader whether he/she exercises those powers personally or delegates them. Generally decisions are delegated to individual cabinet members or to the council's cabinet. The cabinet is made up of leader, a deputy leader and up to nine councillors appointed by the leader. The cabinet is responsible for strategic decisions and recommends proposals for approval by full council on

830-551: A national framework of rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs and county boroughs , which (apart from the latter which were independent) shared power with strategic county councils of the administrative counties . The areas that were incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in 1974 had formed part of Chadderton Urban District , Crompton Urban District , Failsworth Urban District , Lees Urban District and Royton Urban District from

913-633: A parish council must meet certain conditions of quality. Civil parishes developed in the nineteenth century and were based on the Church of England's parishes , which until then had both ecclesiastical and local government functions; parish councils were created by the Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73). The ecclesiastical parishes continue to exist, but neither they nor their parochial church councils have any local government role. There are 317 local authorities covering

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996-744: A section of Dark Peak , the Ladcastle and Den Quarries , the Lowside Brickworks , the Rochdale Canal , and part of the South Pennine Moors . Alexandra Park status on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England was upgraded in 2013 from Grade II to Grade II* due to the large number of listed statues and buildings in the park. It is one of only 30 parks and gardens to receive

1079-579: A strategic authority running regional services such as transport, strategic planning, emergency services and waste disposal, comprised 106 members drawn from the ten metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester. However, in 1986, along with the five other metropolitan county councils and the Greater London Council , the Greater Manchester County Council was abolished, and most of its powers were devolved to

1162-590: A total of 107 schools in Oldham. This includes 86 primary schools, 15 secondary schools, 5 special schools and 1 independent grammar school. In 2007, the Oldham LEA was ranked 122nd out of 148 in the country—and 8th in Greater Manchester—based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A*-C grades at GCSE including maths and English (35.4% compared with the national average of 45.8%). In June 2014

1245-446: A view to improving cross-community unity. Officials believed the borough's image was outdated and that "often negative" national media coverage held and continues to hold back businesses and hampers attempts to attract new investors, visitors and external funding. There had been calls for the borough to be renamed to a "settlement-neutral" name (such as those of neighbouring districts of Calderdale , Kirklees and Tameside ) as part of

1328-561: A whole has limited revenue-raising powers compared to other G7 countries. In the 20th century, local authorities found that the costs of providing services exceeded the revenues raised from local taxes and so grants from the UK Government (specifically the Treasury ) gradually increased. However, UK Government grants were cut by 40% in real terms between the financial years 2009/10 and 2019/20, although grant income did grow due to

1411-512: A wider project to bring some of Oldham's civic buildings to life on Google Streetview. There are two railway lines that serve places in the Oldham borough; one is the main line service running between Huddersfield and Manchester , with Greenfield railway station the only station served by this line in the borough, and the only railway station within the borough. The other line is the main line service running between Manchester and Leeds via Halifax and Rochdale, with Mills Hill railway station (in

1494-481: Is Oldham Civic Centre . Civil parishes form the bottom tier of statutory local government; the parish councils are involved in planning, management of town and parish centres, and promoting tourism. In 2001, 46,072 people lived in Oldham's two civil parishes— Saddleworth and Shaw and Crompton —20.9% of the borough's population. The rest of the borough is unparished . In 2008 a critical Audit Commission inspection found that Oldham Council's rate of improvement

1577-481: Is a public interest in disclosing information about local government investments which will generally outweigh any concerns about whether disclosure could affect an investment's performance or be protected by confidentiality requirements. Local authorities cannot borrow money to finance day-to-day spending and so must rely on yearly income or reserves for this type of expenditure, although they can borrow to fund capital expenditure. Local government in England as

1660-517: Is clear both practically and democratically that the overly centralised arrangements of government in England are problematic" and that reform was also needed of funding structures. As of May 2024, the various combined authorities, county, district, and sui generis councils formed an administrative hierarchy as shown in the table below. Unitary authorities are legally either district councils which also perform county functions or county councils which also perform district functions; they therefore straddle

1743-609: Is higher in Oldham (15.8 people per hectare) than in England (4.1) although it is lower than that for Greater Manchester (21). Females continue to make up over half (51%) of Oldham's population, which is comparable to Greater Manchester, North West and national figures (50.6%, 50.9%, 50.8% respectively). Oldham has a younger age structure than England, with under 16s making up 22.4% of the population in Oldham compared with 18.9% nationally. People aged 75 and over make up 6.5% of Oldham's population compared with 7.8% of England's population. Despite improvements in school and college outcomes,

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1826-548: Is named after its largest town, Oldham . The borough had a population of 243,912 in 2022, making it the sixth-largest district by population in Greater Manchester. The borough spans 142 square kilometres (55 sq mi). Part of Oldham is rural and semi-rural, with a quarter of the borough lying within the Peak District National Park . The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale lies to

1909-462: Is the regional authority for Greater London , with responsibility for transport, policing, fire and rescue, development and strategic planning. Combined authorities are statutory bodies which allow two or more local authorities to voluntarily pool responsibilities and negotiate a devolution deal with the UK Government for the area they cover, giving it powers beyond those typically held by

1992-563: The COVID-19 pandemic . Local government receives two types of grants: the Revenue Support Grant, which can be spent on any service according to the wishes of the local government body in question, and specific grants, which are usually 'ring fenced' to specifically defined service areas. Council tax was introduced in 1993 to replace the ' poll tax '. It is a domestic property tax, based on eight bands (A to H) depending on

2075-717: The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Commissioner to account and keeping strategies up to date, including the London Plan . Meanwhile, it is the Assembly's role to regularly hold the Mayor and their key advisers to account and it can also amend the budget or a strategy by a two-thirds majority, though this has not ever happened as of March 2022. Combined authorities can be created at

2158-478: The Industrial Revolution , but local communities had to rely on Manchester papers for news about the town and surrounding districts. The Oldham Chronicle was published in an attempt to fill this gap. Five months later, he sold it to Robert Lewis Gerrie. Gerrie died from consumption 18 months after his purchase. Jonathan Hirst and Wallace Rennie bought the paper in 1857 for £800, and members of

2241-548: The Localism Act 2011 . In every area, one local authority acts as the billing authority (the district council in two-tier areas), which prepares and collects council tax bills. Other parts of local government (like county councils in two-tier areas, police and crime commissioners, fire authorities, parish councils and combined authorities) act as precepting authorities, which notify the relevant billing authority of their decision on council tax and later receive this money from

2324-560: The Manchester Grammar School . The Oldham family arms were: Sable a chevron Or between three owls argent on a chief of the second as many roses gules. The owls were a " canting " reference, or heraldic pun, on the original pronunciation of the name. This is still reflected in the local pronunciation of "Ow'dom". In the Metropolitan Borough's arms the gold chief (upper third of the shield) and chevron have "invected" or fluted edges. The arms are further differenced by

2407-636: The sui generis City of London Corporation . The other sui generis local authorities are the Council of the Isles of Scilly , Middle Temple and Inner Temple . Outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly , the Local Government Act 1972 divided England into metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties, which would have one county council and multiple district councils each. That meant that each area would be covered by two tiers of local authorities - both

2490-437: The "new arrangement is a compromise which seeks to reconcile familiar geography which commands a certain amount of affection and loyalty, with the scale of operations on which modern planning methods can work effectively". The borough is noted as one of the more unpopular amalgamations of territory created by local government reform in the 1970s. This being especially true of residents of the parish of Saddleworth who viewed

2573-573: The Electoral Commission has recommended that all authorities use whole council elections every 4 years. Local authorities have a choice of executive arrangements under the Local Government Act 2000 : mayor and cabinet executive, leader and cabinet executive, a committee system or bespoke arrangements approved by the Secretary of State. As of April 2023, just 15 local authorities have directly-elected mayors . Some functions are just

Oldham Evening Chronicle - Misplaced Pages Continue

2656-556: The Hirst family continued to work for the newspaper until its demise. The last chairman was Philip Hirst, a great-great-grandson of Jonathan Hirst. The paper went from strength to strength. The increase in popularity led to a decision in 1880 to produce a daily edition (Monday to Saturday). The weekly edition and the Oldham Evening Chronicle were published together until 1982, when the paid-for Oldham Chronicle became

2739-527: The Labour Party as of 2024 except for Tees Valley . Each combined authority's executive consists of a representative from each of its constituent local authorities, plus (if applicable) the mayor. Functions can be devolved directly to the mayor, to the combined authority as a whole, or have a different decision-making requirement. The budget and functions of each combined authority can be vastly different, but possible functions include responsibility for

2822-590: The Oldham Education and Skills Commission was launched, chaired by former Education Secretary Estelle Morris. This 12-month inquiry is to review Oldham's classrooms from 0 to 19 years and aims at raising standards and aspirations so that every child can achieve their full potential. It will report findings in June 2015. There were 11 Grade II* listed buildings , and 524 Grade II in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, and thirty-six Conservation Areas. Although

2905-541: The Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. The twenty wards are: Following the 1974 reorganisation, a new coat of arms was granted to Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, based closely on that of the predecessor Oldham County Borough Council. Like the county borough's arms, which dated from 1894, the new coat is derived from the arms of the Oldham family. The most famous member of the family was Hugh Oldham , Bishop of Exeter and founder of

2988-569: The Secretary of State the power to provide for a directly-elected combined authority mayor . And, as of May 2022, nine out of the 10 combined authorities have mayors, including Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester and Andy Street in the West Midlands . In the 2024 local elections , new Combined Authorities were elected; they were the new York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority , North East Mayoral Combined Authority , East Midlands Combined County Authority . They are all controlled by

3071-463: The administrative county of Lancashire , Saddleworth Urban District from the West Riding of Yorkshire , and the politically independent County Borough of Oldham . By the early 1970s, nationally, this system of demarcation was described as "archaic" and "grossly inadequate to keep pace both with the impact of motor travel, and with the huge increases in local government responsibilities". After

3154-405: The agreement of the relevant local authorities, and under the Localism Act 2011 eligible parish councils can be granted a " general power of competence " (GPC) which allows them within certain limits the freedom to do anything an individual can do provided it is not prohibited by other legislation, as opposed to being limited to the powers explicitly granted to them by law. To be eligible for this

3237-578: The arms of the Byrons. From the collars hang heptagons , the seven sides representing the union of seven councils. One heptagon bears a black spur-rowel from the Assheton family arms, the other a black saddle, recalling the derivation of the name "Saddleworth". The badge is a black heptagon bearing a silver owl, the whole contained within a red annulet. The Latin motto of the county borough continues in use: Sapere Aude or "dare to be wise" refers to

3320-559: The arms. Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council was granted supporters and a heraldic badge . The supporters recall the local authorities merged in 1974, and are made up of portions of the arms of the ancient manorial lords . The red griffins come from the arms of the Chadderton and Chetham families. Each griffin wears a collar with an "engrailed" edge recalling the arms of the Radcliffe family. Each collar bears red bendlets from

3403-631: The award in the North West and the only open space in Oldham to receive the distinction. Alexandra Park has also been a Green Flag Award winner. It was reported in March 2014 that within the year the Grade II-listed Old Town Hall would be transformed into an entertainment complex with a cinema and restaurants in Oldham town centre. A 360-degree virtual tour of the building was put online before restoration work began as part of

Oldham Evening Chronicle - Misplaced Pages Continue

3486-604: The billing authority. Between financial years 2009/10 and 2021/22, council tax rates increased by 30% in real terms, in light of reduced grants from the UK Government. Business rates is a tax on business premises. It is based on the rateable value of the premises (set by the Valuation Office Agency ) and a business rate multiplier. It is set and collected by billing authorities. Reforms in 2013 now mean that local authorities keep 50% of business rate revenues raised locally. The UK Government then distributes

3569-636: The borough has no Grade I listed buildings , it does have the second highest number of Grade II buildings in Greater Manchester after Manchester. The listed buildings range from former weavers' cottages in Saddleworth to some of the large former cotton mills in the West of the borough through to fine civic buildings such as the Old Town Hall in Oldham town centre. Oldham has two of Greater Manchester's 38 Scheduled Monuments . Castleshaw Roman fort

3652-760: The borough of Rochdale, and the most used station of the 3 mentioned) serving North Chadderton and Mills Hill , and Moston railway station (in the borough of Manchester) serving South Chadderton and Hollinwood. A former railway line, the Oldham Loop Line has been converted to be part of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network. Oldham & Rochdale Line services serve Derker , Shaw & Crompton , Oldham Mumps , Freehold , South Chadderton , Hollinwood and Failsworth . Local government in England Civil parishes are

3735-467: The borough to be renamed, but that possibility was dismissed during the rebranding of 2008. In the early 20th century, following some exchanges of land, there were attempts to amalgamate Chadderton Urban District with the County Borough of Oldham. However, this was resisted by councillors from Chadderton Urban District Council. The Oldham borough underwent a rebranding exercise in 2008 with

3818-421: The boroughs. Since 1986, Oldham Council has effectively been a unitary authority that serves as the sole executive , deliberative and legislative body responsible for setting local policy, and allocating budget. Its duties also include setting levels of council tax , monitoring the health service in the borough, providing social care, and providing funding for schools. The borough's centre of administration

3901-409: The budget, Council tax levels and the council's policy framework. Some decisions are delegated by council to district executives. There are six districts containing between two and five wards; Chadderton, Failsworth & Hollinwood, Oldham, Royton, Saddleworth & Lees and Shaw & Crompton. Membership of each district executive is drawn from the elected councillors within each district. Since

3984-415: The council's formation it has generally been under the control of the Labour Party. Since 2011, the Labour Party has had overall control and now holds 32 of the 60 seats on the council. Aside from Oldham, the borough covers other towns and villages including: The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is divided into 20 electoral wards, each which elects three councillors who generally sit for a four-year term on

4067-439: The district. The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham has two civil parishes and 20 electoral wards . Noted as one of the more unpopular amalgamations of territory created by local government reform in the 1970s, the Oldham borough underwent a £100,000 rebranding exercise in early 2008. The town has no listed buildings with a Grade I rating, and the borough's architecture has been described as "mediocre". There have been calls for

4150-547: The exploration of reform, such as the proposals made by the Redcliffe-Maud Report in the late 1960s, the Local Government Act 1972 restructured local government in England by creating a system of two-tier metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties and districts throughout the country. The act formally established the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham as a local government district of the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester on 1 April 1974. The district

4233-576: The financial year 2019/20, local authorities received 22% of their funding from grants, 52% from council tax and 27% from retained business rates. In the financial year 2023/24, 51% of revenue expenditure is expected to come from UK Government grants, 31% from council tax and 15% from retained business rates. Local government can also receive some money from fees and charges for the use of services, returns and interest from investments , commercial income, fixed penalty notices and capital receipts. The Information Commissioner's Office has ruled that there

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4316-540: The free Chronicle Weekend . In 2010, Chronicle Weekend was separated into two free monthly editions, the Oldham Extra and the Saddleworth Extra . In 2012 the Oldham Evening Chronicle produced the first Eid festival supplement which was aimed at the significant BME community in Oldham. According to Paul Bagguley and Yasmin Hussain, the newspaper's editorial stance had been "widely seen as anti-Asian" around

4399-703: The functions of both county and district councils and have replaced two-tier local government in some areas. The creation of these first became possible under the Local Government Act 1992 , but now takes place under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 . In the 2023/24 financial year, 33% of budgeted service expenditure across local government as a whole is set to be on education , 19% on adult social care , 13% on police , 11% on children's social care and 24% on all other services. Notably, Cornwall Council has been subject to

4482-420: The industry of employment was 20.4% retail and wholesale, 20.3% manufacturing, 10.7% health and social work, 9.2% property and business services, 7.5% education, 7.1% construction, 6.7% transport and communications, 5.0% public administration and defence, 4.6% hotels and restaurants, 3.6% finance, 0.8% energy and water supply, 0.5% agriculture, and 3.7% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, although

4565-623: The last available census data. Although the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham has only existed 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be constituent parts of the borough. The average gross weekly income in the borough of Oldham is £297; not only is this below the national average but it is the lowest of Greater Manchester's ten boroughs. Environmental technologies and life science industries have been identified as growth industries in Greater Manchester and are concentrated in Oldham as well as Bolton, Manchester , and Tameside. Out of

4648-413: The lowest tier of local government, and primarily exist in rural and smaller urban areas. The responsibilities of parish councils are limited and generally consist of providing and maintaining public spaces and facilities. Local authorities cover the entirety of England, and are responsible for services such as education, transport, planning applications, and waste collection and disposal. In two-tier areas

4731-552: The main Evening Chronicle title relaunched online after it was bought by a local radio station. On 6 May 1854, the first edition of the Oldham Chronicle (as it was originally known) was published by a bookseller and printer Daniel Evans in an effort to provide the then thriving cotton manufacturing town of Oldham with its own locally produced newspaper. Oldham was enjoying rapid economic expansion thanks to

4814-412: The new arrangement as a "retrograde step". It had been proposed in a government White paper that the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham include the former mill town of Middleton . However this was given to the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale once it was decided that Rochdale and Bury would not be merged. Before its creation, it was suggested that the metropolitan borough be named New Oldham, but that

4897-583: The north-west, the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees (of West Yorkshire ) to the east, and the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside to the south. The City of Manchester lies directly to the south west and the Derbyshire Borough of High Peak lies directly to the south east, but Derbyshire is only bordered by high moorland near Black Hill and is not accessible by road. Following both the Local Government Act 1888 and Local Government Act 1894 , local government in England had been administered via

4980-432: The owls in the arms, while "Aude", pronounced "Owd" continues the pun. The motto is also used by Manchester Grammar School. The blazon is as follows: Sable a chevron invected or between three owls argent on a chief engrailed or as many annulets gules; and for a Crest: On a wreath of the colours issuant from a circlet or charged with six annulets gules a rock proper thereon an owl argent. Supporters: On either side

5063-523: The people within government are unsure at times where powers and responsibility, and hence accountability, rest, this lack of clarity is magnified for individuals who have little knowledge or experience of the structures. This has the potential to leave individuals less likely to be able to access what they need from government, leaving them often unable to know who is responsible, and as a result are not properly able to hold their democratic representatives to account. The Committee also said that "[t]he evidence

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5146-408: The proportion of jobs in agriculture was below the national average of 1.5% and the rates of people working in the areas of finance and property were below the national averages of 4.8% and 13.2 respectively; the proportion of people working in retail and wholesale was above the national average of 16.7%, and much higher than the national average of 14.8% for people working in manufacturing. There are

5229-422: The proportion of middle-class people was always 5–10% below the national average. Over the same period, the proportion of working class people in Oldham decreased steadily from 60% in 1841 to 23% 1991; since then there has been an increase in the percentage of working-class people to 34%. This was roughly the same pattern as the national averages, however Oldham has a greater proportion of working-class people than

5312-508: The proportion of residents with degree-level qualifications (18.6%) has fallen further behind national rates (27.4%). The proportion of residents with no qualifications has dropped and the gap between Oldham and England has narrowed to 29.6% with no academic qualifications in 2011 compared to 37.7% ten years earlier. The rise of the middle classes in Oldham has reflected the wider national trend, roughly steady from 1841 until 1921 and then increasing almost exponentially until 2001. However,

5395-408: The rebranding. However, consultants cited that this idea came from a "vocal minority" wishing to distance themselves from Oldham. The borough name was unchanged. For the first 12 years after the county was created in 1974, the borough had a two-tier system of local government , and so Oldham Council shared power with the Greater Manchester County Council. The Greater Manchester County Council,

5478-773: The relevant police force and/or fire brigade , bus franchising and spatial strategy. Lower-tier of a two-tier system. Upper-tier of a two-tier system. De facto unitary authorities since abolition of metropolitan county councils . Metropolitan county councils were abolished in 1986 and most of their functions were devolved to the metropolitan boroughs making them unitary authorities in all but name. Some combined and regional authorities may assume responsibility for policing, e.g. South Yorkshire . Some combined and regional authorities may assume responsibility for policing, e.g. Greater Manchester . In England, local authorities have three main sources of funding: UK Government grants, council tax and business rates . In

5561-488: The religious affiliation of residents in Oldham. As of the 2011 UK census , the borough of Oldham had a population of 224,897. Of the 89,703 households in Oldham, 56.6% of those aged 16 and over either live as a couple, are married, in a civil partnership or co-habiting , in line with the national average. A relatively high proportion of 9.3% of people are separated or divorced compared with England (8.6%) but in line with Greater Manchester (9.2%). The population density

5644-478: The remaining 50% of business rate revenues according to its own judgement. It was initially planned to increase the proportion of business rates that local authorities retain to 100%, but this was indefinitely delayed in 2021. In 2022, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee said that it had "significant concerns about the current governance arrangements for England": If

5727-404: The replacement of the three red roses by three red annulets or circles, representing the initial "O" of the authority's name. The crest, an owl upon a rock, is placed on a helm above the shield. In order to distinguish the crest from that of the county borough, it rises from a gold circlet bearing six red annulets. The crest wreath and decorative mantling repeat the black and gold colouring of

5810-527: The request of two or more local authorities. Combined authorities do not replace the local authorities in question, but can receive separate functions and funding. As of May 2022, there are 10 combined authorities covering some of England. The Secretary of State was first granted the power to create combined authorities by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 . The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 gave

5893-439: The responsibility of the executive of a local authority, but local authorities must also have at least one overview and scrutiny committee to hold the executive to account. The London Government Act 1963 established 32 London borough councils. It also established the Greater London Council , covering the whole of Greater London , but this was later abolished by the Local Government Act 1985 . Greater London also includes

5976-794: The ten councils. In December 2012, Oldham was named ‘Most Improved Council’ at the Local Government Chronicle awards. A team of six experienced politicians and officers from the Local Government Association carried out another independent ‘peer review’ of Oldham Council in December 2013. Their report said: "There has been a remarkable transformation in Oldham in recent years, both in terms of the place and in having established an ambitious and effective council. The authority can be proud of what has been achieved." In February 2014 ex-Council Leader Jim McMahon

6059-466: The ten metropolitan boroughs in Greater Manchester, the average house prices in Oldham are seventh highest, 15% below the average for the county. At the 2001 census , Oldham had 152,602 residents aged 16 to 74. Of these people, 2.1% were students with jobs, 3.9% students without jobs, 6.7% looking after home or family, 7.7% permanently sick or disabled and 3.8% economically inactive for other reasons. In 2001, of 92,777 residents of Oldham in employment,

6142-426: The time of riots in 2001 . On 31 August 2017, it was announced that the newspaper had gone into administration after 163 years in print, resulting in the loss of 49 jobs. The final edition was published on that day. In October 2017 it was announced that local radio station Revolution 96.2 had bought the title and assets of the newspaper with the intention of relaunching it. According to a spokesman, doing so would be

6225-411: The value of the property on 1 April 1991. Various discounts are set out in law and exist at the discretion of billing authorities. On a yearly basis, local government bodies review and consider whether to increase or decrease the level of council tax to fund their spending plans. The level at which a local authority can increase council tax each year without holding a local referendum is regulated by

6308-474: The whole of England. In the 2007/2008 financial year, the crime rates in Oldham were broadly similar to the national averages. However, the number of theft from a vehicle offences and theft of a vehicle per 1,000 of the population was 10.6 and 4.5 compared to the English national average of 6.9 and 2.7 respectively. The table below details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since

6391-560: The whole of England. There are five main types of local authorities: London borough councils , two-tier county and district councils , metropolitan district councils and unitary authorities . Some local authorities have borough , city or royal borough status, but this is purely stylistic. All local authorities are made up of councillors , who represent geographical wards . There are 7,026 wards as of December 2021. Local authorities run on four year cycles and councillors may be elected all at once, by halves or by thirds; although

6474-430: The whole of the country as many urban parishes were abolished in 1974. The only specific statutory function of parish councils, which they must do, is establishing allotments . However, there are a number of other functions given by powers in the relevant legislation, which they can do, such as providing litter bins and building bus shelters . Their statutory functions are few, but they may provide other services with

6557-457: Was built in 79 AD and was one of a chain of forts built along the route connecting the fortresses at Chester ( Deva Victrix ) and York ( Eboracum ). It is one of only two known Roman forts in Greater Manchester, the other is at Manchester ( Mamucium ). Oldham's other Scheduled Monuments is a Bronze Age bowl barrow in Saddleworth. Also in the borough are five of Greater Manchester's Sites of Special Scientific Interest , they are

6640-534: Was granted honorific borough status on 23 November 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom , which allowed the council to have a mayor. The new dual local authorities of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and Greater Manchester County Council had been running since elections in 1973 however. The leading article in The Times on the day the Local Government Act came into effect noted that

6723-512: Was named ‘Council Leader of the Year’ by the LGiU thinktank who said his "strong leadership has helped lead to a dramatic improvement in service delivery and correlating significant improvement in resident satisfaction rates." The council operates a "strong leader" cabinet model, under which the person elected to be the leader of the council personally holds all the executive decision making powers. It

6806-500: Was rejected. For its first 12 years the borough had a two-tier system of local government; Oldham Council shared power with the Greater Manchester County Council . Since the Local Government Act 1985 Oldham Council has effectively been a unitary authority , serving as the sole executive , deliberative and legislative body responsible for local policy, setting council tax , and allocating budget in

6889-658: Was ‘adequate’ and gave it a two-star rating. It said the rate of improvement had increased but had been "inconsistent". Since 2011 Oldham is one of the ten member authorities of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) which is a top tier local authority with responsibility for Transport, Health, Housing and Economic matters. The membership of the Combined Authority is drawn from the Leaders or Executive Mayors of each of

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