Oldham: Plans to address 'unprecedented demand' on housing

Cllr Arooj Shah, who represents the St Mary’s ward, said that a lack of affordable properties, expensive rents and planning issues were making the situation worse across the country.

She said that the situation comes at a time when 1,000 properties sit empty in Oldham.

In a column written by the Labour leader, Cllr Shah argued that the solution to the housing crisis is three-fold.

She said that the authority needs to prioritise access to housing support; accelerate house building; and secure more temporary homes to “meet the growing need for emergency accommodation”.

Cllr Shah said: “There are still some frustrations.

“While people in Oldham are without a home of their own, at the same time, there are 1,000 properties sat empty across the borough.

“But we are looking at ways to get those empty homes occupied again.

“We have tried to ‘encourage’ owners of empty homes to get them occupied by doubling, tripling and sometimes even quadrupling the council tax on a vacant property, but still too many remain empty.

“We are now looking at using compulsory purchase powers to acquire long-term empty homes in Oldham and exploring how some of those properties could be transformed into dedicated temporary accommodation, to ensure we can meet the rising need.”

She added: “Britain’s cost-of-living crisis has also further exacerbated the housing crisis in Oldham and across Greater Manchester.

Cllr Arooj Shah holding a spade at Fitton Hill site (Image: Oldham Council)

“Working families on low to middle incomes are struggling to afford their own home.

"Moving back-in with mum and dad is one of the only options for many, leading to overcrowding and other challenges – and for those in rental properties, rising evictions, rent arrears and the spectre of homelessness are very real.

“More than 7,000 people are currently on Oldham’s housing register waiting for a social home, with more applying every week.

"Demand already far outstrips supply – simply put, there aren’t enough social and affordable homes to go round.”

Cllr Shah held a housing roundtable in February, which brought together builders and developers from across the private and social housing sectors to agree how they could work collaboratively to get more homes built and improve the standard of existing homes." 

She said: “This was a really important event which put firm plans in place to find real solutions to the housing crisis.

"Following the roundtable, I was proud to announce 500 new social homes would be built in Oldham over the next five years, a great first step in the right direction.

“We are also looking to address housing needs in other projects the Council is driving forward.

"Through our partnership with Muse to regenerate the town centre, 2,000 new homes will be built in the heart of Oldham – creating a brand-new neighbourhood and vastly increasing the number of modern, quality homes available in our borough.

“Home is where the heart is, they say. That is why we are tackling Oldham’s housing crisis to give our residents the homes and life opportunities they all deserve.”