Guest sheridans_world Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Good points, question is, who elects the 'poor local government'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanakapan Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 From the Manchester Evening News (Full article >here<) North of Cross Street it is the town of the numpty and the knob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oa_exile Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 North of Cross Street it is the town of the numpty and the knob Eh ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philliggi Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Good points, question is, who elects the 'poor local government'? granted, we as voters have voted in local government over the past 20 years, but is a situation where you are damned if you do and your damned if you dont. it isnt one particular party who have been in power over the last few years, two, or maybe three different parties have had a shot, and all have been pretty poor. The fact is Oldham is run by Old timers who wish to ook after the historical aspects of the town, which is a good thing, but it seems to me like they are wearing blinkers, and quite simply dont like change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ackey Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 Good points, question is, who elects the 'poor local government'? Not me! I don't live there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ketsbaia Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 The fact is Oldham is run by Old timers who wish to ook after the historical aspects of the town Not if you count the market and the town hall as historical aspects... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Not if you count the market and the town hall as historical aspects... Nor a football club which is twice as old as it's surrounding neighbourhood... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danoafc Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) Not if you count the market and the town hall as historical aspects... True Kets, though I'm slighty more concerned on a personal level about the Town Hall and it's aesthetics over and above the ugly market hall (though of course the market itslef is a different entity altogether). I work in the centre of Manchester and whilst I understand that we can't draw exact comparisons because of Manchester's commercial 'pull', you look around at the beautiful old buildings like the Town Hall, the Royal Exchange and the old Refuge building and they all sit alongside the new developments giving the city character as well as a modern energy and vibrancy. Oldham is allowing some of it's most significant old buildings to go to ruin, yet not even attracting the new developments to bring aesthetics and 'desirability' to the town. It's going down the nick and it's all a bit sad really. Edited February 12, 2008 by danoafc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyterryb Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 True Kets, though I'm slighty more concerned on a personal level about the Town Hall and it's aesthetics over and above the ugly market hall (though of course the market itslef is a different entity altogether). I work in the centre of Manchester and whilst I understand that we can't draw exact comparisons because of Manchester's commercial 'pull', you look around at the beautiful old buildings like the Town Hall, the Royal Exchange and the old Refuge building and they all sit alongside the new developments giving the city character as well as a modern energy and vibrancy. Oldham is allowing some of it's most significant old buildings to go to ruin, yet not even attracting the new developments to bring aesthetics and 'desirability' to the town. It's going down the nick and it's all a bit sad really. I have to say that I left Oldham because of many reasons. The main one was that we couldn't get our child into the school of our choice. My second reason was that I saw a town which seemed to lack any sense of history or pride in its buildings and facilities. The Tommyfield market is known throughout the world and once gave Oldham true notoriety. Look at it now. The council seems to be hell bent on killing both local and national enterprise. The local comprehensive here in Halifax is as good if not better than the best school in Oldham. Including Crompton House and Bluecoat... Thats got to be down to the council. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edhunteruk Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 granted, we as voters have voted in local government over the past 20 years, but is a situation where you are damned if you do and your damned if you dont. it isnt one particular party who have been in power over the last few years, two, or maybe three different parties have had a shot, and all have been pretty poor. The fact is Oldham is run by Old timers who wish to ook after the historical aspects of the town, which is a good thing, but it seems to me like they are wearing blinkers, and quite simply dont like change. which historical aspects are you referring too exactly??? the old townhall is a bloody disgrace,hasnt been touched for years,you go and look round other towns like has been said,bolton bury manchester even blackburn for that matter.all maintain there pride and cleanliness of there respective buildings. oldham council dont want to spend 200k fixing chadderton baths,instead it wants to build a new baths with a new library and drop in centre with a police office in it.for 6.5 million. then it can sell chadderton library and the old police station,just like it did the listed buildings on middleton road next to the town hall for as much money as it can get. because it has poured money down the drain constantly over a period of time. the roxy cinema was on a prime location site,and they told the owner he couldnt sell to anybody else except them,as they wouldnt allow a licence,all so they can build state of the art offices for corporate buisness. there was even talk not so long ago of them selling off foxdenton hall,because they were short of cash. in the town centre we have a state of the art water feature that hasnt even worked once in the 3 years its been there. how proud of that are we.....would much prefer them to commision a statue of sir winston churchill who was born in oldham. i constanly send letters and emails about the state of council accomodation,but get no joy.i sent lots of emails to various councillors about not having a cinema or bowling complex,and you get a bog standard reply about feesability studies and so on and not being practical. the only reason the clubs march was so successfull was because genuine fans jump onboard because it directly affected us all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laticsrblue Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) would much prefer them to commision a statue of sir winston churchill who was born in oldham. Sorry Mr Hunter, Churchill was born a toff, in Oxfordshire. He was Tory MP for Oldham though, 1900-1904, during which time Oldham deselected him! 1904 he became a Liberal. I doubt he had fond memories of Oldham! Edited February 12, 2008 by laticsrblue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philliggi Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 sorry ed, by historical aspects, rather than meaning physical buildings, or whatever, i meant the protection against change. look at the clayton playing fields saga. im not saying past propasals for the site were for the best, in all honesty i cant remember any details, but the town has come out and said no development work whatsoever will be carried out on the site. forward thinking or what. i can think of no better location in the entire borough for a leisure park similar to that at sandbrooke park or pilsworth. it would go hand in hand with that of the ajacent retail park. surely the football pitches could be relocated to the site of ferney fields or something, thereby not losing the playing fields. This is all due to a promise made many years ago to the clayton family. surely this could be overcome during talks with the present day clayton family. The council in this instance have ruled out any development whatsoever in what i feel is having a detrimental effect to the borough, but now do you see what i mean by protecting historical aspects? hope ive cleared it up but its probably as clear as mud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astottie Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 I have to say that I left Oldham because of many reasons. The main one was that we couldn't get our child into the school of our choice. My second reason was that I saw a town which seemed to lack any sense of history or pride in its buildings and facilities. The Tommyfield market is known throughout the world and once gave Oldham true notoriety. Look at it now. The council seems to be hell bent on killing both local and national enterprise. The local comprehensive here in Halifax is as good if not better than the best school in Oldham. Including Crompton House and Bluecoat... Thats got to be down to the council. Interesting point about schools that one Terry as my kids are both of school age and it's obviously an issue for me. The Report on the 'riots' cited the relatively large number of selective schools in Oldhamas one of the reasons for the unrest. Which school were you looking at and where did you live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murrayzmint Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 Oldham council have continually turned down outside investment - M&S and IKEA being 2 prime examples. This has led to a downturn in flagship stores/eateries etc wanting to invest in the town - particularly the town centre. For example, why would a big restaurant chain like Frankie and Benny's or Pizza Express or similar, want to invest money into a town centre which has few of the other 'brands' likely to drag consumers to it's doorstep? If the council had granted permission for these 2 stores (and probably countless other schemes) where there was outside investment coming into the borough, they would undoubtedly have led to other developments leading to economic growth. How can a town of over 200,000 people not have a cinema? A bowling alley? Decent town centre eateries (well I suppose we've got Mc:censored:ties). A bloody town centre toy shop for goodness sake (remember toy 'n' hobby?! )! All these things might encourage more money/investment into the town. I grew up in the seventies and early eighties and remember thinking at the time that Oldham was quite a nice town. Not brilliant but not bad all the same. It's been in decline since then due to poor local government making decisions which on the whole have not been in the whole boroughs interest. Good points Dan. My Grandparents came to Oldham from Ireland, Wales and an Eastern Bloc country that we can't decipher on the birth certificate! My wife's mother brought her to Oldham from Scotland - her grandparents having already joined the large Scottish contingency in the town. I grew up in the 60s and 70s. I thought I'd never leave, I expected to live, work and die in Oldham (as well as seeing the world by holidaying abroad) and I was quite happy with that. Later on in life, with a family in tow, things changed. Friends and family started leaving the area, citing the lack of facilities, bad schools, lack of prospects etc., etc. Eventually we decided the same, wanting better for ourselves and not wanting our offspring to come home from University and re-settle in the area. I now live in a small town, with the nearest city 20 miles away, surrounded by stunning country side and a distinct lack of the oppressiveness of row upon row of terrace housing and urban sprawl. You can count the number of pubs on less than the fingers of one hand, there is no nightclub, no Tesco, no McDonalds, no retail park and no football club. All are accessible 20 miles down the road (except for the Latics (sniff)). Yet, still, the people of this town moan. They moan about the lack of a Tesco, they moan about the lack of a nightclub, they moan about the lack of a retail park because they have to travel the 20 miles. The pubs (apart from one) are stuck in a timewarp. Some might call them quaint but really, they just haven't moved with the times. As ever, apparently, local government just doesn't provide what the local people want!!! What I am saying, is people don't always appreciate what they have around them. Oldham does have access to beautiful countryside, Bury market is not that far (my mum is 84 and she travels to Rochdale, Ashton and Bury to browse around) and the cinema at Rochdale is excellent. I don't really miss Oldham, apart from relatives and friends who still live there. I do miss Manchester and I hate not being able to watch Latics, but I also appreciate what I have around me now. As for our offspring, well, Britain itself is just not good enough, so a life in another country has been established. Can't wait to see this new logo, it should really do the trick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyterryb Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Interesting point about schools that one Terry as my kids are both of school age and it's obviously an issue for me. The Report on the 'riots' cited the relatively large number of selective schools in Oldhamas one of the reasons for the unrest. Which school were you looking at and where did you live? The council only allocated Royton & Crompton for my daughter. A good friends daughter had to sit out the first year so that other Kids could catch her up. She had attended Buckstones Primery. I have no knowledge of R & C's standing other than what i have heard. It came down to there, or going to church to get her onto Crompton House. Not being a complete hypocrite as an agnostic I couldn't take the latter route so we decided to move 16 miles to Calderdale. a small authority. Calder High is as good if not better then the reports I received about both Bluecoat and Crompton House and it's results (Even though I despise league tables) are comparable. I got my Son into North Chadderton upon appeal from Shaw so that could be an option if you live over that end of town. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoytonBlueLad Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 (edited) The council only allocated Royton & Crompton for my daughter. A good friends daughter had to sit out the first year so that other Kids could catch her up. Was this at R&C? So because she was better than the rest of the year, she was the one who was held back? I finished there nearly seven years back and in all my time there if you showed yourself to excel in a subject beyond your years you were moved to a higher age group and took GSCE's at 14 then spent a day or two a week in college in your last two years should you get the grades required. As I say that went on from 96-01 while I was there, it could well have changed. Does seem odd to hold one child back at the detriment of them in order to wait for others. Edited February 14, 2008 by RoytonBlueLad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Good points, question is, who elects the 'poor local government'? I've taken this info from a Bury website. Year on year for the last six elections voting turnout figures have plummeted in Bury from a high of 79.6% in 1983 to record low of just 58.5% in the 2005 Parliamentary election. Turnout in Local Government elections is even lower with just 48.3% of local residents participating. According to British election studies the figures are not much better for Bury’s closest neighbours Rochdale, Oldham and Bolton who are also suffering from similar statistics. This follows a national trend which in the last election saw fewer than six out of every ten eligible voters taking part in the elections. According to the Electoral Commission this is a rapidly accelerating trend away from “participation in the institutions of democracy with what seems to be a growing tendency for people to make their voice heard through a variety of forms of direct action rather than through the ballot box”. Research shows that people do not vote for a number of reasons - including lack of information, distrust of politicians and inconvenience. From the above figures showing fewer than 50% of local residents participate in Local Government elections, it follows that candidates can be elected with only 26% of the electorate voting for them. With more than one seat vacant in some wards, the successful candidates might get less than 20% of the electorate's votes. It's everybody’s duty to vote - it is the only way that the electorate can make their voices heard. By using your democratic right to vote, you are telling the politicians whether you are happy with their performance. I would like to see voting made compulsory. If you don't vote then I reckon you've blown your right to complain afterwards. How many are wishing now that they had voted so that we weren't stuck with fluo yellow next season? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorvik_latic Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Was this at R&C? So because she was better than the rest of the year, she was the one who was held back? I finished there nearly seven years back and in all my time there if you showed yourself to excel in a subject beyond your years you were moved to a higher age group and took GSCE's at 14 then spent a day or two a week in college in your last two years should you get the grades required. As I say that went on from 96-01 while I was there, it could well have changed. Does seem odd to hold one child back at the detriment of them in order to wait for others. I don't see there being anything wrong with keeping people with their age groups. You learn a lot more at school than just the academical side of things. There are life lessons and being in a higher age group will only alienate a child and hinder their social progression. Just my thoughts on the subject Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoytonBlueLad Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I don't see there being anything wrong with keeping people with their age groups. You learn a lot more at school than just the academical side of things. There are life lessons and being in a higher age group will only alienate a child and hinder their social progression. Just my thoughts on the subject I should add it wasn't every lesson. If you were amazingly good at every subject and the other kids were progressing at a normal rate the chances are you'd be sent to some funded academy or whatever. Never happened while I was there. Just had the few maths and science whizz kids. Me? Too busy playing football. Wembley 2000>>>>>>Getting top grades Every time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelaticsfan Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I went to counthill school, I was classed at "gifted and talented in maths" I was getting grade A*'s in everything but was never rewarded with anything other than a gift voucher, as for the council the "wake up call" they mean is they will buy some more stupid monuments for town centre and say weare developing, theres no one on one with the council, they think that whatever makes them happy must make the rest of oldham happy, end of the day were just a number on a piece of paper to them, Ive just got back from my lunch, I was in oldham town centre because i work at oldham CAB, I sat on a bench eating my chips n beans n just stared out, if ever you do this you will notice a few things: 1) the local college students stampeding greggs, mcdonalds and burger king. 2) the kids about 12 years old walking around when its sunny with there hoods up, socks over there new nike tracksuit, and look like they have been shot. 3) the local nutter with his guitar, god bless him 4) the loud mouths who seem to want everyone in town to hear their convo I tell you if i went to a different town and saw this id just shake my head and walk on, but also on top of that like what has been said before - what is there for us to do? we have the theatre, art gallery and BP, thats it, if you want to be bottled you can risk going to nightclubs, where if your over 18 your probably the oldest one out, we have no cinemas, Bowling alleys, skate rings, ice skate rings, anything, if we built just one of these it would improve the area, or even hold some events in the town, not these festivals from countrys we never heard of before, but something that will appeal to everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoytonBlueLad Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 1) the local college students stampeding greggs, mcdonalds and burger king. 2) the kids about 12 years old walking around when its sunny with there hoods up, socks over there new nike tracksuit, and look like they have been shot. 3) the local nutter with his guitar, god bless him 4) the loud mouths who seem to want everyone in town to hear their convo Ace isn't it. I have got my speed walk through the Spindles down to a tee now. That place just depresses me. So much opportunity and chance for progression and it's just all the same. Same gangs hanging about, same people making a nuisance of themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senor_Coconut Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Great news people, the musical water thingymebob might be on the verge of working, all the time, 5 years after it was put in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoytonBlueLad Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 (edited) Great news people, the musical water thingymebob might be on the verge of working, all the time, 5 years after it was put in Is it going to be really good this or what? Daft question. I can't really see it dragging people in from other towns and I can think of much better things to spend a few hundred k on. Edited February 14, 2008 by RoytonBlueLad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Great news people, the musical water thingymebob might be on the verge of working, all the time, 5 years after it was put in How does the Council define "might be on the verge of working, all the time" Senor? It's either working all the time or it isn't. It sounds a bit premature to say it might be on the verge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelaticsfan Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 that means there is a possibility that it will nearly work, in 6 years time we might get it working for 3 mins between 4:01 and 4:04 am anually Worth waiting for dont you agree?' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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