We are tackling road repair backlog

IN THE HOTSEAT — Council chief executive Charlie Parker
THE Chronicle puts Oldham’s leading figures in the hot seat and lets you ask the questions. Tonight, th third and final part of our Charlie Parker question and answer session


Q What is your view on the state of the roads in Oldham?

A WE need to invest a lot in our highways network to reduce our backlog of repairs. That’s why the council approved a £10 million investment programme in July, 2010. This will be spent over a four-year period, with £1.5 million being spent in 2010-11; £3 million in years two and three; and £2.5 million in year four.

We’re talking constantly to local district partnerships to determine their priorities on unclassified roads. The main aim of this investment is to reduce accident trip claims, target roads which have structural defects, and prioritise road safety hotspots.

I’ll be honest though — the backlog is huge and we must be realistic. It’s going to take time to clear it. Unfortunately the lack of investment in roads has been ongoing for several years and we are now paying an inevitable price for that.

I think throughout the UK there are real problems with the highways infrastructure and that’s been exacerbated by problems with the bad weather. If you go anywhere in the country it’s an issue, it’s not just confined to Oldham. We are addressing it at a time when resources are very limited and that shows we are putting our money where our mouth is.


Q How can a council allow the car parks to get into the state that they need closing? It can only be due to bad management or planning?

A The council is responsible for a large number of car parks and has been working towards improving them. As with everything, that is tough in the present finance climate.

Applications have been submitted to seek funding for assistance to six of Oldham’s car parking facilities at a total cost of £220,000. This is in addition to works already undertaken on four other car parks — Hobson Street multi-storey car park, Kershaw Street East, Shaw, car park, the Royton Precinct car park and the forecourt car park at the Civic Centre.

If members of the public are concerned about pot holes in car parks then we do encourage them to contact the Pot Hole Mole on 0161-770 1685.

The state of the car parks is something I inherited but as to whether investment was made in the past I can’t talk about that. We are getting on with trying to deal with that backlog. We have outlined how but it will be challenging.


Q IS it the intention of Oldham Council to continue to provide a much-needed service to the elderly and their families in the borough or can we all look forward to being put out to grass when we retire?

A Local authorities across the UK are facing very difficult decisions about the future of adult social care. We’re going to have less money at a time when the ageing population is growing.

Older people need direct support or services to help them to live an independent life. They need good housing; accessible and affordable transport; and help with the jobs at home that many of us are unable to do as we get older.

What we’re doing at present is reviewing the assistance that older people might need and what they need to enable them to maintain a good quality of life, and assisted independence. The council is looking at how we provide services by involving the people who use those services in how we shape them in the future. We’re also going to be looking at working with voluntary and community groups to shape these services locally and think beyond current conventional social care arrangements.

The way we provide these essential services in the future might look very different. We have already ruled out any reductions in individual care packages, and have instead looked for efficiencies in how we run the services. So I hope we can reassure people we won’t be putting anyone out to grass!


Q Why did it take 40 minutes to sort out the result of the Oldham East and Saddleworth by-election and to announce the result LIVE to the nation at 2am when, after quite clearly Debbie Abrahams and everyone else in the hall knew the result around 1.20pm . . . it made Oldham look stupid.

A The questioner is mistaken here. The political parties have people present at the count called counting agents who — as the name implies — stand in front of the tables watching votes being counted.

That’s why they can often make a pretty accurate guess about the result before we officially declare.

We are not allowed to guess, I’m afraid, we have to be totally accurate!

We also have to declare the provisional result to all candidates before the final announcement in case they want a recount, for example.

The by-election result was announced at 1.47am — not 2am — and overall it went very smoothly from our perspective.

I hope that people take some pride in the fact that the administration of elections was conducted so professionally, particularly given that many arrangements had to be made during the festive period.



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