Town's transformation will continue in 2017

Jean Stretton

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I'D LIKE to take this opportunity to wish all residents across our borough a happy new year.

This has been my first year as Oldham Council leader. It has flown by at a rapid pace and it will be hard to forget 2016 for many reasons.

I would probably choose the Old Town Hall opening event in October as my personal highlight.

That spectacular show produced some iconic images and fantastic memories. Best of all, it showcased our ambitions.

Raising the bar as the boldest outdoor event that we've ever put on in the town centre, it was brilliant to see and hear the excited reaction of families ­- especially young children ­- and made it a remarkable experience.

The opening of the Odeon cinema and restaurants - and the other businesses emerging and blossoming in our Independent Quarter - are clear signs of the transformation that's now under way in Oldham.

These aren't just physical symbols of regeneration. They are bringing jobs, footfall and visitors and they are contributing towards the family friendly environment we have needed for so long.

There is also more to come. We've recently been able to complete funding packages for our new Arts and Heritage Centre and the new Coliseum Theatre that are going to link up with Gallery Oldham and our library to make a fantastic Cultural Quarter.

And we continue to work up amended plans for the Prince's Gate at Oldham Mumps development, which we will share as soon as we can.

Our borough can't be immune, however, from the impacts of the dramatic events we've seen at national and international levels in 2016.

Old assumptions and orders have been challenged: I can still barely believe I'm now writing in a pre-Brexit and Planet Trump era.

Oxford Dictionaries have named "post-truth" ­- which means ignoring objective facts and taking emotional decisions­- as their word of the year.

My word for 2017 is going to be 'fairness'. That's because, as a place and a council, it seems to be the overriding issue on so many levels.

Fair growth, for example, is a key part of my new brief at the GM Combined Authority and I am leading on this agenda to make sure more of our residents share in the benefits of prosperity - not just selected parts of the south and centre of the region.

Oldham needs fairness on many other levels to give people the best chance to compete and prosper.

Cash-strapped

The cuts in government funding have hit us disproportionately hard in recent years and that continues - not least with the decision to stop funding adult social care from central government budgets and hand the responsibility over to cash-strapped councils and taxpayers.

Answers to the questions about how we are going to be funded in future when government withdraws our core grant in 2020 ­- and in a way that genuinely reflects the level of need here ­- are also going to be vital.

And there are other issues about our access to infrastructure and opportunities - like a direct tram link to Manchester Piccadilly, HS2 and beyond - where we will be fighting Oldham's corner at a regional and national level.

The past year has seen the continuation of much unseen work that has such a positive impact on so many lives ­- and gives our residents a fairer chance.

I'm thinking of campaigns like Warm Homes Oldham, which has lifted more than 1,300 people out of fuel poverty, and our Early Help scheme, which is supporting people and families to get self-help and the skills needed to tackle their long-term issues in better ways.

We've also made good progress on implementing the Oldham Education and Skills Commission's recommendations, created thousands of new employment opportunities through Get Oldham Working, attracted important new private investment, and begun building many of the new homes ­- and range of housing choice ­- we need as a borough.

In all those things, our aim is to make Oldham a place where everyone can reach their potential and enjoy good quality districts, homes, transport links and opportunities.

We'll be spelling out those new priorities and our programme for the rest of this decade in the first part of 2017. None of us, however, can predict with confidence what lies ahead.

Undeniable

At a time when the world feels as though it has been turned on its head, one undeniable truth is the value of strong public services ­- as shown by the response from the council and partners to the Maple Mill fire, or November's flooding.

Those services remain vital to communities and we will continue to defend them - and invest in our future ­- as the next budget challenges get under way.

I've been inspired by some great local people this year. Nicola White, our Olympic gold medallist, has made more than 60 appearances since the Rio games to inspire schoolchildren, and she is just one high-profile example of hundreds of people who are "putting something back" into our communities.

We still also have that great Oldham sense of humour to fall back on ­- as you showed in our "Name a Gritter" competition that proved so popular it ended up being endorsed on the X Factor by Nicole "Saltslinger" herself.

And another constant, which I've seen in countless examples this year, is that Oldham only succeeds when we pull together in the same direction.

That was true in 2016 - and it remains more vital than ever for 2017 and beyond. Happy new year!