Your chance to get more involved with Housing Market Renewal

People who live in the Housing Market Renewal (HMR) neighbourhoods in Oldham and Rochdale are invited to share their views on what HMR is doing by joining the Pathfinder-wide Residents Sounding Panel.

The panel was set up in 2006, and gives residents the chance to make their views and opinions known about the Housing Market Renewal programme and policy development across both boroughs.

In previous years, panel members have gone on a tour of the Pathfinder, influenced new HMR policies and met the Audit Commission and the Junior Housing Minister, Iain Wright.

There are ten vacant seats to be filled on the RSP Core Meetings Group for this year, for residents from Kirkholt and Milkstone/Deeplish. The Core Group meets quarterly at community venues across Oldham and Rochdale.

Panel members will receive a £10 shopping voucher for every meeting that they attend, as well as transport provision and training opportunities.

Claire Morgan, HMR Consultation Manager, who currently chairs the Panel, said: “The Residents Sounding Panel is providing residents from across the Pathfinder with a real chance to input into HMR policies at a strategic level, as well as opportunities to progress their own ideas and skills. I am looking forward to welcoming some new members onto the panel to ensure that we are giving a voice to people from all backgrounds across both Boroughs.”

Residents from all HMR neighbourhoods can also apply to sit on a wider email group, which is not required to attend any meetings but will be consulted in other ways such as by email, postal questionnaires, telephone or occasional focus groups.

The panel works in addition to all the existing neighbourhood consultation groups, such as the Kirkholt Steering Group, and discusses issues that apply across the whole HMR area, not just one neighbourhood.

The deadline for applications for the Residents Sounding Panel is Thursday 2 April. HMR will notify successful applicants for the Core Group during April, and other applicants will be added to the wider email group and contacted later in the year.

You can find more details and an application form on the Pathfinder website.

For further information contact Claire Morgan on 0161 770 8328 or claire.morgan@oldham.gov.uk