July’s full council meeting saw the publication of an update report bringing forward information on the huge range of projects and activities Oldham’s Labour council has undertaken over the last twelve months as part of its effort to be the greenest borough in Greater Manchester. The projects include:

• COALESCCE (Community Owned And Led Energy for Security, Climate Change and Employment) providing support, finance workshops and toolkits to help community energy groups and private sector landlords engage with the sector.
• RED WoLF (Rethinking Electricity Distribution Without Load Following) – to develop a new design of an all-electric heating system, combining solar PV renewable energy generation with battery storage and modern storage heaters, for use in Oldham homes.
• Alexandra Park Eco-centre – a new flagship ‘eco-centre’ providing a range of facilities, including classrooms, greenhouses for growing bedding plants, and onsite renewable energy generation to achieve a zero-energy cost development with highly energy-efficient and biodiversity-friendly buildings.
• Northern Roots – a new eco-park on the Snipe Clough site adjacent to Alexandra Park, its aim is to provide opportunities for community food businesses, learning around agriculture, leisure activities such as walking, mountain biking and bush-craft, plus other benefits for local residents.

At the council meeting, Cllr Abdul Jabbar announced our intention for the council to be carbon-neutral by 2025, and set out a plan to announce an Oldham Green New Deal later this year, putting the borough at the forefront of efforts to drive forward the green agenda. Stepping beyond the declarations of a climate emergency that many council s across the country have brought, the Oldham Green New Deal will set out a clear plan for a greener future in Oldham and beyond.

Councillor Abdul Jabbar, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet member for Low Carbon said: “Oldham has an amazing natural environment and it’s about time we celebrated it.

“We hope the campaign has helped resident make green choices, enjoy days out in Oldham’s fabulous green spaces and encouraged organisations to make environmentally conscious choices.

“It’s easy to believe one person’s efforts don’t matter, but if we all made some small changes we could make a huge difference to the environment.

“Also, as part of being a carbon neutral borough, one of our key ambitions is to produce clean electricity from renewable sources to power our own buildings and street lighting by 2025”.