SHAW and Crompton councillors have helped force Oldham Council to request withdrawal from a controversial planning scheme.
The borough authority will now write to Secretary of State for Housing and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner to exit Places for Everyone (PfE).
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) housing blueprint aims to bring 170,000 new homes to nine Greater Manchester boroughs, including 11,500 in Oldham.
But more local representatives have won their battle to get Oldham Council to say it wants to join Stockport in withdrawing.
Shaw Councillor Howard Sykes, who brought the Liberal Democrats’ motion, told the extraordinary council meeting on Tuesday, February 12: “This is an opportunity to do the right thing by the people of Oldham borough.
“It’s been made clear for years that the people have always rejected Places for Everyone.
“I’m sure some Labour members will tell us hell will freeze over and the world will stop spinning if your vote for this motion.
“Expensive luxury housing on the green belt is not the answer to the housing crisis. This will be a developer and profit-led plan, not a people and need-led plan.
“Is Labour really suggesting that the best Oldham can do is back a plan that was designed in Manchester 10 years ago, with no idea about the local challenges we face? I think we can do better.”
Cllr Sykes was backed by Shaw and Crompton Independent Cllr Marc Hince, who feels the area would be hit harder than others.
He added: “I’m glad we finally came out of the twilight zone with conspiracies. Our position is clear, that it is developer-led.
“There will be implications of coming out of PfE, as we’ve seen in Stockport.
“However, we represent the people of Shaw and Crompton and in effect, we feel the PfE plan disproportionately affects the people who live there.
“I think if there’s going to be a burden, it should be shared. PfE simply doesn’t do it.
“Hopefully, we‘ll be in a better position for Shaw and Crompton to renegotiate going forward.”
Crompton Liberal Democrat Cllr Louie Hamblett cited the impact more homes would have in local infrastructure.
He said: “My ward of Crompton has been inundated with bolted on new developments on our green belt.
“Roadworks are frequent and traffic is horrendous, local infrastructure’s at breaking point.
“We need infrastructure in first. Why don’t we have a local-led strategy? I’m not bothered about what Stockport’s doing.
“Let’s do something for Oldham for a change. What’s so scary about writing a letter?”
After the Liberal Democrats’ motion was voted through 31-29, meaning the withdrawal request will be made, Oldham’s Labour group insisted the PfE debate was a case of political point scoring.
Council leader Arooj Shah said: “It shocked me how brazen some people are about misleading our residents.
“This is cheap political point scoring at the expense of those Oldham people who just want a place to live, and at the expense of our precious green spaces and green belt.
“We know it’s a stunt because they haven’t got an alternative.
“What is truly shocking is how they are insisting on imposing their Lib Dem stunts on Oldham. It is going badly wrong in Stockport, everyone can see this, and trying to do the same here is madness.
“If, as a result of this game playing, the Lib Dems succeed in forcing us out of Places for Everyone, the people of Oldham can’t say they have not been warned.
“They will reap what they have sown, but unfortunately it’s our communities who’ll suffer as a result, including care leavers struggling to find their first proper home, families looking to move to somewhere with the space they need, those in temporary accommodation needing a permanent place to live and elderly or disabled residents who need accessible and adaptable homes.
“It is vulnerable residents the Lib Dems are preventing from getting a home by using PfE as a political football.”