Liberal Democrats win vote to protect Green Belt as Oldham Council rejects Places for Everyone report

Oldham Council has upheld a Liberal Democrat Opposition motion calling on the Government to remove Oldham from Places for Everyone – Greater Manchester’s regional housing policy led by Labour Mayor Andy Burnham.

A Liberal Democrat motion submitted in July called on the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government requesting that Oldham be removed from the plan, which is controversial for its use of Green Belt land and lack of affordable housing. The final decision was deferred until a meeting of the Full Council (06/11) where elected members took a vote on whether or not to make the request.

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader and Leader of the Opposition councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “Liberal Democrats have been against the destruction of our Green Belt in pursuit of developer profit from day one. When Labour lost control of the council earlier this year, we promised the people of Oldham we would force another vote on this issue and lead the charge to pull out of this scheme in favour of a brownfield first strategy for truly affordable housing. That is what we have done.”

Oldham Council’s Labour Administration was defeated 30 votes to 29 after a vote on whether to remain part of the Manchester-wide strategy.

Speaking against the strategy, councillor Sykes said, “The report argues that to write a letter to the Secretary of State would be unlawful. Members should ask themselves how can it be that making a request of a government minister could be considered unlawful? Because the report fails to tell us how. No legislation or legal precedent is cited. 

“So, let’s be really clear, without a proper legal explanation as to how and why it would be unlawful to write to the Secretary of State, the resolutions in this report amount to nothing more than an attempt to unduly influence elected members. 

“This is a decision for Oldham Councillors and Oldham Councillors alone.”

It was confirmed prior to the meeting that the council’s senior leadership would in the event of losing the vote write to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – Labour’s own Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner – asking for Oldham to be removed from the Places for Everyone plan.