(Eighth update) Streets full of dog-mess, overflowing bins, fly-tipping, two green flag parks where the borough used to have seven yet cash strapped Oldham Council has spent has spent another £7,471 in August and £4,720 in September, £7,929 in October, £4,452 in November and £7,260 in December making a grand total of £68,671 to promote its coop agenda in 2017 with COOP Brand Ltd a Devon based specialist brand marketer.
Coop brand Ltd payments from Oldham Council August 2017
COOP Brand Ltd, this is a private limited company and on its obligatory about us page, after waffle about the coop movement history and poverty, comes the line “Allow me to help you showcase your cooperative identity” this is an information and marketing service provider working in the niche coop industry. Oldham Council already has a sizable in-house marketing team that has escaped all OMBC staff cuts in the last six years. Quite sure the public wouldn’t be happy to know the council also employs external additional marketing services.This company helps to promote Oldham Council and the co-operative councils innovation network which the council is part of. Under the cooperative devolution banner this website highlights the council’s Get Oldham Working scheme “which is an initiative to support local residents into sustainable jobs” think this needs an update. When we checked figures with Get Oldham Working in November 2015 42% of advertised employment opportunities were not sustainable jobs. As for the fair employment charter the Odeon Cinema which opened in the £39.2 million old town hall cinema complex decided to pay the minimum rather than living wage despite have bespoke premises built and funded by the council.
Oldham Council’s published monthly accounts can be downloaded here