Council accepts £20m of Levelling Up funding to make Oldham 'greenest borough in Greater Manchester'

Leaders have agreed to formally accept £20m of Levelling Up funding which will go towards projects aimed at making Oldham the greenest borough in the region.

The borough was awarded millions from the second round of the national fund following a bid from the authority with the aim of boosting its ambition for Oldham to become a ‘top destination for green businesses’. However the second half of the council’s bid, for another £20m to develop a ‘creative improvement district’ in the town, including refurbishment of the Lyceum Theatre and Masonic Hall and the re-opening the Old Library, was not successful.

The borough was one of only three local authorities in Greater Manchester, along with Trafford and Wigan, awarded funding.

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The winning bid, which covered the Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency, was put forward to support the borough’s ‘green new deal’ commitment to being carbon neutral by 2030. At a meeting of the cabinet, councillors voted to formally accept the funding which will be split across three different projects.

Council leader Amanda Chadderton said: “It’s good to reinforce this, how successful our team are in attracting external investment into Oldham despite what some people claim. We’re only one of three authorities in Greater Manchester to be successful in the Levelling Up fund round two.

“So our successful bid was for green technology and our innovation network; the three projects they will fund are Jubilee Park and the Greenway corridor. This will create a sustainable network through the town centre and a new park to create a modal shift towards active travel.

“Secondly the Northern Roots learning centre to create