Millions to be spent on maintenance backlog in Oldham

Town hall chiefs have agreed to spend more than £4.6 million fixing a backlog of maintenance problems and 'safety risks' at public buildings and schools.

According to an Oldham council report, the repairs that have been identified are categorised as ‘priority one’, and include broken roofs, electrical repairs and disability access.

Bosses say they are essential to either mitigate legal and health and safety risks, or are urgent repairs or replacements which are deemed necessary to maintain the operational use of the authority’s buildings.

The total amount that will be spent across buildings and schools is £4.63m, which was signed off by cabinet member for economy and enterprise, council leader Sean Fielding.

Of this, £330k is to be spent on ‘urgent remedial’ works required to the roof, ceilings and electrical services at the Civic Centre, the council chamber, and the Failsworth Suite.

It follows a partial collapse of the ceiling grid, and includes essential works to the roof, drainage system and electrical services.

Urgent works are also to take place on walkways, footpaths, bridges, and walls damaged by recent floods to the tune of £725k.

Priority repairs are required to the electrical infrastructure at Alexandra Park, which will cost £400k, while electrical rewiring and the ‘essential refurbishment of the toilet areas’ at Moorhey Depot will cost £325k.

At Medlock Court in Lees, repair work is to be carried out to the fire alarm and electrical services, which is budgeted at £175k.

Essential groundwork repairs to the footpaths and drainage systems at Oldham’s cemeteries are also to take place to ‘mitigate health and safety’, costing £120k.

On Huddersfield Road in Diggle, the second phase of works will see repairs to the retaining wall structure, which the council has responsibility for as a corporate landlord.

This will cost £60k.

And at Tommyfield Market in the town centre, essential works priced at £50k are required to the heating system.

Repair works are also urgently required at more than a dozen of the borough’s schools.

At Alexandra Park junior school essential heating and boiler replacement works are needed as they deemed at the ‘end of service life’, to the tune of £200k.

While at Diggle Primary School a ‘defective’ modular classroom needs to be replaced, which would also cost £200k.

“The existing modular cabin classroom situated in the grounds has fallen into a state of dilapidation and disrepair, both from an electrical services and fabric perspective and requires replacement,” the council report states.

At Delph Primary School, window replacements and improved safeguarding would cost £70k, while essential electrical rewiring works at Friezland Primary School are budgeted at a quarter of a million pounds. 

Flood defence and groundworks at Ferney Field Community School in Chadderton are due to be carried out to mitigate health and safety risks.

Explaining the reason for the £50k works, officers state: “The drainage systems to the schools are separate surface and foul water systems, which in places have collapsed or are partially blocked, which during periods of heavy rainfall is causing flooding to the internal school environment, causes environmental pollution and health and safety related problems.”

Elsewhere in the borough, priority roofing and fabric works are to take place at Higher Failsworth Primary School (pictured below) at a cost of £200k. 

At Glodwick Primary School, priority health and safety works to the building fabric and grounds are required to the tune of £170k.

Works to bring Knowsley Primary School in Springhead in line with disability discrimination legislation, including ramps and toilet adaptions, are also required, which will cost £85k. 

At Saddleworth School (pictured below), £200k is to be spent on works to the electrical services, while £90k is destined for roofing works at Mather Street Primary.

£300k is budgeted for essential rewiring works at Mills Hill Primary School in Chadderton as the ‘electrical infrastructure is life expired, with the wiring in poor condition’.

Drainage works costing £100k are to take place at Shaw’s Rushcroft Primary School, with safeguarding and security works billed at £80k scheduled for Springhead and Kingsland Primary Schools.

Some sports facilities are also to be upgraded with the astro truf at St Thomas Primary School being replaced at a cost of £70k on health and safety grounds. 

At the Radclyffe School in Chadderton bosses are planning the urgent replacement of the running track surface and covering, which is due to cost £260k. 

Additionally, the council is funding equipment upgrades to the kitchen areas at community school kitchens which is budgeted at £120k.

However for the planned works to educational facilities, the council is planning on seeking a school contribution of 10 pc, subject to the school’s funding capabilities.