Oldham wins title for ‘Most improved council’

Oldham council has won the ‘Most Improved Council’ title at a national awards ceremony for local authorities.

The Local Government Chronicle Awards nominated the council for its ‘crisis responses’ and ‘record-breaking results’ in education and town centre regeneration. 

The LCG, a trade paper for the public sector, runs the annual awards to recognise significant achievements in local government. Oldham was one of nine local authorities shortlisted for the title, beating Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Croydon, East Hampshire, Liverpool, Sandwell, Sheffield, Swindon and Thanet councils to the post. 

Townhall boss councillor Arooj Shah said: “We’re over the moon. It shows you how far Oldham has come in the past few years.

“The judges recognised our improvement journey, from our ambitious regeneration projects to the rapid improvement in children’s services, which was the fastest of any council in the country.

“Winning this award has only been possible because of the remarkable efforts of our staff, our cabinet members setting ambitious goals, our partners for buying into our vision and our residents for sticking with us.” 

The win comes after the council received a ‘good’ Ofsted rating on its children’s services after it was told it ‘requires improvement’ in 2019. 

Shelley Kipling, the council’s chief executive, added: “This award recognises the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in driving change in Oldham.  

“It’s a great boost for the council but we’ll keep pushing to make sure our services get better for all our residents.” 

The news received a mixed response on social media, with many celebrating the council’s win, while others dubbed it a ‘late April Fool’s joke’.

Opinions of the council’s effectiveness remain divided, with residents commenting on struggling trade in the town centre, and the handling of the Places for Everyone housing scheme and the historic grooming gang cases remaining contentious issues across the borough. 

The LGC meanwhile praised the council’s ‘resilience’ and ‘tangible improvements’ in children’s services. 

A comment on their website reads: “The pride and passion from both the leader and chief executive and the strength of their leadership throughout the presentation was evident. They demonstrated a journey of resilience, innovation and partnership serving communities and residents across the place with real and tangible improved outcomes for children and young people.”

Councillor Shah added the award was ‘just the beginning’. “We know there’s still progress to be made,” she said. “This is why we’ve committed to working with an even greater resident focus this year because we know there’s still more work to do.”