I’M not an online shopper really which is odd given I work in tech and have done for 30 years

I stopped going to Oldham for anything about 20 years ago! It had nothing to offer me I like to eat and drink when I shop I like nice cafes etc because when I shop that’s my down time.

Oldham to me was scruffy and rough bars were not multi generation they were either teen bars with fights or sleezy grotty day drinking pubs.

However! About 12 months ago I started venturing back I found the smoke yard was lovely the eatery cake shop is amazing and I went to the cinema all because of a little social networking group on Twitter #oldhamhour this has made me more aware of some of the nicer places in the town all I saw was fried chicken shops from the tram on my way through.

That said The town needs to tidy itself up it is dirty it’s full of fried chicken offerings and little else it does not represent many people who live here which is why people shop and eat elsewhere

The Oldham pound sadly is spent where it is earned! As there is very little work in Oldham people have got to make a special effort to go to Oldham and as it’s not a special place why would anyone bother?

While the council choose to over charge for parking over charge on rates business will continue to die and move away.

To bring vibrancy to the town there must be thought to what people want now! What people need now and how and when people wish to access the town now not in the past.

What should a new town look like? If a large percentage of the borough work outside of the town during the day it should be a nighttime town. A centre for leisure activities for families to socialise shopping on foot during the day isn’t the future.

Jo-AnnWild