Latest news with #OldhamCouncil
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
Neighbours say our swish new porch ‘makes home look like a shopping centre' – but they're just jealous of our mansion
The property owner was forced to pay out thousands after a retrospective planning application was rejected PORCH FURY Neighbours say our swish new porch 'makes home look like a shopping centre' – but they're just jealous of our mansion Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A FAMILY says their neighbours are 'jealous' following complaints that their new porch looks more like a 'giant shopping complex' than a home. Proud homeowner Aysha Khanom has hit back at her Oldham neighbours who have gone to the council about her 'monstrosity' extension, which was built without planning permission. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The porch extension has been described as the final straw by neighbours Credit: STEVE ALLEN 3 The home before the added pillars Credit: Oldham Council Ms Kanhom, who shares the property with the rest of her family, was made to pay £2,000 after a retrospective planning request for the swish new porch was rejected. Angry neighbours have claimed that this new addition to the semi-detached property, which features two 2.4 metre high columns and a tiled roof, was 'more in keeping with the Roman pillars of the Trafford centre'. Residents also protested to the council that it 'sticks out like a sore thumb', dubbing the porch an 'eyesore.' Oldham Council received 23 formal objections. Ms Kanhom's son, Mohammed, 21, is now claiming that these neighbours are simply 'jealous' of their large home. He explained the family-of-nine moved from a "bad area" and saved up to build "the house of dreams". Mohammed told the MailOnline: 'Some people are just jealous because our home makes theirs look small. "Personally, I wouldn't even care if my neighbour painted his house yellow." 'There's nine of us living here, so we need a big home for our family.' However, local resident Ian Rees, 69, said the porch "jutted out a long way", adding that the builders also "left a lot of rubbish piled up" on the grass opposite. I came home to find my nightmare neighbour knocking down my DOOR – he claimed it was his right to do it Mohammed went on to reveal the family plans to build another "even bigger" property on some nearby land and turn it into an AirBnB, which may cause further friction with their neighbours due to the potential parking issues and more. The family already own another home, restaurant and car hire firm in Dubai. The Chadderton Hall Road house has already had applications for a dormer, a two-storey side and rear extension and a children's play house approved. One neighbour said the porch is "the final straw", with the property described as already "overdeveloped". Oldham Council initially drew the line at the porch proposals in December 2022. According to a report, it was an 'overly dominant and incongruous addition to the existing property'. It read: 'It would cause a detrimental impact upon the character and appearance of the street scene, largely owing to its prominent and unduly conspicuous appearance.' Ms Khanom appeal and submitted revised plans in March 2023 but the plans were again refused. After a further appeal was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate, the homeowner defied an enforcement notice to either remove the porch or reduce its size. This failure to comply saw the council take her to Tameside Magistrates' Court last month. Here, she admitted to breaching the enforcement notice and was ordered to pay £1,050 costs, a £500 fine and £200 victim surcharge. Alternative plans for the porch have since been approved by the council, which sees the removal of the two large pillars - which have been replaced with wooden supports. But not all neighbours were upset by the porch, with one woman - who did not wish to be named - saying the developments "never bothered me" and accused some residents of worrying "about some things too much". The Sun has reached out to the council for comment.
ITV News
17-06-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
'All communities' want to see grooming gangs punished, says Council leader
A Council Leader has said that all communities want nothing more than to see the members of grooming gangs "punished to the full extent of the law." Oldham Council Leader Arooj Shah welcomed a national report from Baroness Louise Casey, which looked at the scale of grooming gangs across the country and the failure to recognise how ethnicity affected local investigations. Cllr Shah said: "So clearly on the back of Baroness Casey's report, she made it very explicit and clear that there was, she felt her findings found that there was some reluctancy to discuss ethnicity. "Child Sexual abuse is perpetrated by people of all races and religions, and inflicted on people of all races and religions. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't ask questions about any drivers of this very specific type of offending. "We need to do more to understand why this particular pattern of abuse is more prevalent among some groups of men. "To say so is not racist. What is racist is to suggest that all Pakistani men are groomers or the implication, the suggestion, that any one community condones this behaviour - it does not. "Nobody I have spoken to, from any community, wants to see anything other than for these men to be punished to the full extent of the law." The report criticised local authorities for failing to understand the nature and scale of young girls being exploited. Oldham has been the subject of a number of investigations into grooming gangs and sexual exploitation dating as far back as 2006. Responding to the report, Cllr Arooj Shah said: "In Oldham, we recognise the failings of the past and are determined not to repeat them. "We apologise again to those who were failed and thank the survivors who have been bravely telling their stories to not let these injustices go forgotten. "Baroness Casey has shone a bright light on uncomfortable and distressing issues that will now help us navigate a path to protect our children. Anyone who cares about the safety of children should read and digest this report. "All agencies with responsibility for safeguarding children should implement its recommendations in full." A local review published in 2022 found that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and Oldham Council had failed a number of young girls who became the victims of grooming and child sexual exploitation. At the time, both organisations said they were "deeply sorry" to all those affected. Baroness Casey's National Audit found that the ethnicity of those involved in grooming gangs has been "shied away from" by authorities, and there was enough evidence in Greater Manchester that there was "disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation". While Cllr Shah said investigations should not shy away from asking why patterns abuse are more prevalent in certain groups, she highlighted that it is not Oldham's South Asian community that needs to ask these questions but instead the authorities. She said: "I don't think there's anything about reflection or inward looking because that makes the assumption that there's been denial from a community about this."As far as the community's concerned, the Pakistani community, the South Asian community, is like any other community, a crime is a crime." Oldham Council became the subject of international headlines in January, after the Labour Government denied their request for a public inquiry. The refusal was criticised by Tech billionaire Elon Musk, sparking a wave of interest in grooming gangs in Oldham, which eventually gave way to calls for a UK-wide child sex abuse inquiry. The Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer initially denied this request, and instead set up a number of local investigations into individual towns across the country. However the latest review from Baroness Casey laid out a number of recommendations for the Government, one of which was to hold a full national inquiry that co-ordinates targeted local investigations into abuse. The Government has now accepted all of the recommendations including the inquiry; something which Oldham Council has welcomed. Cllr Shah said: "We share Baroness Casey's desire to see a national inquiry, which is why we requested one to be commissioned back in February. "reI hope that this report will make it clear that this must happen, for the sake of everyone affected by child sexual exploitation, and that survivors' voices will be at the heart of it. "We are working with the Home Office to understand how the local and national inquiries will align, and we are in conversation to get clarity and next steps." Cllr Shah also welcomed calls from a number of victims and activists, including former Greater Manchester Police detective Maggie Oliver, to see those who failed in their duties to safeguard victims face the justice system. She said: "I think absolutely anyone who has failed these young people, girls, women and boys need to be held to account. It's a huge shame on society that they haven't for this long... so anyone that's failed them absolutely should be held to account and be prosecuted."
The Age
15-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Starmer to tackle grooming gangs after sex exploitation case shakes UK
London: The conviction of seven men for the sexual exploitation of two teenage girls in northern England has prompted British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to announce a national inquiry into grooming gangs – a sharp policy shift after months of political pressure and growing public scrutiny. The verdict, delivered on Friday at a Manchester court, revealed that the men – aged between 41 and 67 – groomed the girls, who were just 13 at the time, and subjected them to prolonged abuse between 2001 and 2006. The case, which occurred in Rochdale, reignited a scandal that has plagued numerous British towns for more than a decade and is now seen as the trigger for a comprehensive national response. Speaking ahead of the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer said he had accepted a recommendation of Baroness Louise Casey, who recently completed a months-long audit into child sexual exploitation in England. Casey's findings are reportedly expected to assert that the grooming gang issue is explicitly tied to men of Pakistani origin, claiming that white British girls who were targeted were 'institutionally ignored' because of racism concerns. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation,' Starmer told reporters. 'That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.' The inquiry will be statutory, giving it the legal authority to compel witnesses to testify – a key demand from victims and campaigners. While Starmer did not commit to a timeline, he said details would be set out 'in an orderly way'. The announcement marks a significant reversal for Starmer, who had repeatedly rejected calls for a new national inquiry, arguing that the focus should remain on implementing the 200 recommendations of earlier reviews. Instead, the government had backed local investigations in five towns, including Oldham and Telford. Pressure for a national response had been building for months. While political opponents – including the Conservative Party and Reform UK – consistently criticised the government's handling of the issue, international attention intensified in January after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his platform on X to highlight concerns over institutional inaction. Musk's posts brought renewed attention to a previous decision to deny Oldham Council's request for a national inquiry, fuelling wider public debate.
Sydney Morning Herald
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Starmer to tackle grooming gangs after sex exploitation case shakes UK
London: The conviction of seven men for the sexual exploitation of two teenage girls in northern England has prompted British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to announce a national inquiry into grooming gangs – a sharp policy shift after months of political pressure and growing public scrutiny. The verdict, delivered on Friday at a Manchester court, revealed that the men – aged between 41 and 67 – groomed the girls, who were just 13 at the time, and subjected them to prolonged abuse between 2001 and 2006. The case, which occurred in Rochdale, reignited a scandal that has plagued numerous British towns for more than a decade and is now seen as the trigger for a comprehensive national response. Speaking ahead of the G7 summit in Canada, Starmer said he had accepted a recommendation of Baroness Louise Casey, who recently completed a months-long audit into child sexual exploitation in England. Casey's findings are reportedly expected to assert that the grooming gang issue is explicitly tied to men of Pakistani origin, claiming that white British girls who were targeted were 'institutionally ignored' because of racism concerns. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation,' Starmer told reporters. 'That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.' The inquiry will be statutory, giving it the legal authority to compel witnesses to testify – a key demand from victims and campaigners. While Starmer did not commit to a timeline, he said details would be set out 'in an orderly way'. The announcement marks a significant reversal for Starmer, who had repeatedly rejected calls for a new national inquiry, arguing that the focus should remain on implementing the 200 recommendations of earlier reviews. Instead, the government had backed local investigations in five towns, including Oldham and Telford. Pressure for a national response had been building for months. While political opponents – including the Conservative Party and Reform UK – consistently criticised the government's handling of the issue, international attention intensified in January after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his platform on X to highlight concerns over institutional inaction. Musk's posts brought renewed attention to a previous decision to deny Oldham Council's request for a national inquiry, fuelling wider public debate.
North Wales Chronicle
14-06-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
PM announces full inquiry into grooming gangs after resisting calls for probe
The Prime Minister said he had read 'every single word' of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey and would accept her recommendation for the investigation. Earlier this year the Government dismissed calls for a public inquiry, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations already made in a seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay. Prof Jay's 2022 report concluded there had been institutional failings across the country and tens of thousands of victims in England and Wales. But speaking to reporters travelling with him on his visit to Canada, the Prime Minister said: 'From the start I have always said that we should implement the recommendations we have got because we have got many other recommendations… I think there are 200 when you take all of the reviews that have gone on at every level and we have got to get on with implementing them. 'I have never said we should not look again at any issue. I have wanted to be assured that on the question of any inquiry. That's why I asked Louise Casey who I hugely respect to do an audit. 'Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on. 'She has looked at the material she has looked at and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen. 'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation. That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit. 'I asked her to do that job to double check on this; she has done that job for me and having read her report, I respect her in any event. I shall now implement her recommendations.' Asked when it would be launched, Sir Keir said the probe would be implemented under the Inquiries Act, which will take 'a bit of time to sort out' and would be done in 'an orderly way'. This means the inquiry will be able to compel witnesses to give evidence. It is understood the inquiry will be national in scope, co-ordinating a series of targeted local investigations. A national row over grooming gangs was ignited in January after tech billionaire Elon Musk used his X social media platform to launch a barrage of attacks on Sir Keir and safeguarding minister Jess Phillips. It followed the Government's decision to decline a request from Oldham Council for a Whitehall-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town. The Government later commissioned a 'rapid' audit by Lady Casey into the nature and scale of group-based child sexual abuse, which had been due to take three months but was delayed. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who has repeatedly attacked Sir Keir over his resistance to launching another national probe, said the Prime Minister had to be 'led by the nose to make the correct decision'. 'Keir Starmer doesn't know what he thinks unless an official report has told him so,' she said. 'Just like he dismissed concerns about the winter fuel payment and then had to U-turn, just like he needed the Supreme Court to tell him what a woman is, he had to be led by the nose to make the correct decision here. 'I've been repeatedly calling for a full National Inquiry since January. It's about time he recognised he made a mistake and apologised for six wasted months. 'But this must not be the end of the matter. There are many, many more questions that need answering to ensure this inquiry is done properly and quickly. 'Many survivors of the grooming gangs will be relieved that this is finally happening, but they need a resolution soon, not in several years' time. Justice delayed is justice denied.' Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage said the move was a 'welcome U-turn' and would 'expose the multiple failings of the British establishment'.
