A PLAN for building a more “prosperous and inclusive” Oldham in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic was agreed at council leader Arooj Shah's first cabinet meeting last night.

Councillor Shah was appointed as the cabinet member for Covid-19 Recovery in May 2020, before becoming leader of the council last month.

She said: "Now that this strategy has been agreed by cabinet, we can collectively get on with the job of building an even better Oldham, for the benefit of all our communities.

"I know this last year has been a tough one, and that Covid-19 has hit Oldham hard. Many of us have lost loved ones, and seen others seriously ill or with long-term complications from Coronavirus. We also know that the pandemic has hit some of our areas and some of our communities much harder than others, due to underlying inequalities in health, in income and in opportunities.”

She added: "When I became the first cabinet member for Covid recovery, I had no idea that a full year later we would still be in the midst of the pandemic, but also facing the need to deal with the very real long-term impacts the pandemic has had on people’s physical and mental health, their finances, local jobs and businesses, and education. That's why this strategy is about acting quickly to do exactly that."

The new strategy sets out ambitions in six areas - driving equality, investing in quality housing; championing a green recovery; creating and protecting jobs and supporting businesses; prioritising education, skills and early years and promoting health and wellbeing, including protecting the most vulnerable.

The strategy was shaped by a public consultation with Oldham residents in February and March of this year that more than 600 people responded to.

The consultation revealed a huge 83 per cent of residents said they continue to be worried by Covid-19, while 84 per cent had been affected by social isolation and 77 per cent felt their mental health had been. This rose to 81 per cent among informal carers and 89 per cent among parents of school-aged children.

Meanwhile 95 per cent of parents were worried about the impact of the pandemic on their children's education; while 65 per cent said their physical health had been affected.

Of the respondents 54 per cent said their work or employment situation had been directly affected and 63 per cent of people had been forced to isolate, rising to 77 per cent among parents of school-aged children.

The overwhelming majority of respondents said that the number one priority should be to prioritise those most in need, while creating safe and decent homes and providing easy access to parks and green spaces were also important.

Oldham's Covid Recovery Strategy will be formally agreed at the next full council meeting, on July 14.

To read the full document visit the Oldham council website.