Latest news with #Oldham-based
Scottish Sun
11-05-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Former Salford chief, whose house is on the line, returns in bid to save club
Red Devils said to owe more than £1 million to pay fay loan companies BAC-KING Former Salford chief, whose house is on the line, returns in bid to save club SALFORD'S former boss has returned as he looks to save the club – and his house. Paul King left after the Red Devils were taken over by Sire Kailahi and Curtiz Brown. 1 Paul King is back at Salford Red Devils as the club teeters on the brink of collapse But after it turned into a disaster, with administration or a winding up order looming, he has come back to try and make sure it survives. Any sale or saving of the club would also in turn save his home, which he has put up as a guarantee against loans taken out both last year and this. Now SunSport can reveal they are said to owe payday loan firms a staggering £1.1 million, with £900,000 alone to Oldham-based WeDo Finance. On top of that, HMRC are £500,000 short – which is most likely to see action – and the Rugby Football League a similar sum. Then there are operating costs as well, pushing the total to somewhere between £2.5 million and £3 million. SunSport has learned two parties are interested in Salford, NRL side Sydney Roosters and one UK-based group. However, it is thought the Australians' bid depends on whether the stadium is involved and the competition Down Under buys into Super League. Officially, Kailahi and Brown are still working towards a stadium and land deal, which would finance their 'Salford project.' However, the city's council, which currently owns it, is said to have set a deadline after seeing the mess they have made of the club, with the man they brought in to run it, chief executive Chris Irwin, sacked. Meanwhile, the Rugby Football League has put up a wall of silence around how Kailahi and Brown passed the fit and proper persons' test. Several questions were put to the governing body but it insisted it would not comment as, 'the view is details of process are confidential.'
The Irish Sun
11-05-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Former Salford chief, whose house is on the line, returns in bid to save club
SALFORD'S former boss has returned as he looks to save the club – and his house. Paul King left after the Red Devils were taken over by Sire Kailahi and Curtiz Brown. 1 Paul King is back at Salford Red Devils as the club teeters on the brink of collapse But after it turned into a disaster, with administration or a winding up order looming, he has come back to try and make sure it survives. Any sale or saving of the club would also in turn save his home, which he has put up as a guarantee against loans taken out both last year and this. Now SunSport can reveal they are said to owe payday loan firms a staggering £1.1 million, with £900,000 alone to Oldham-based WeDo Finance. On top of that, HMRC are £500,000 short – which is most likely to see action – and the Rugby Football League a similar sum. Then there are operating costs as well, pushing the total to somewhere between £2.5 million and £3 million. SunSport has learned two parties are interested in Salford, NRL side Sydney Roosters and one UK-based group. MOST READ IN RUGBY LEAGUE However, it is thought the Australians' bid depends on whether the stadium is involved and the competition Down Under buys into Super League. Officially, Kailahi and Brown are still working towards a stadium and land deal, which would finance their 'Salford project.' Most read in Rugby League However, the city's council, which currently owns it, is said to have set a deadline after seeing the mess they have made of the club, with the man they brought in to run it, chief executive Chris Irwin, sacked. Meanwhile, the Rugby Football League has put up a wall of silence around how Kailahi and Brown passed the fit and proper persons' test. Several questions were put to the governing body but it insisted it would not comment as, 'the view is details of process are confidential.'
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Willmott Dixon to undertake Visitor Centre construction project at Northern Roots, UK
Willmott Dixon, a contracting and interior fit-out group, has been selected by Oldham Council to undertake the construction of a new Visitor Centre and Forestry Skills Centre at Northern Roots, stated to become the UK's 'largest' urban farm and eco-park. This initiative is a component of Oldham's 'Green and Growing' priority, aiming to transform 160 acres of local green space. The council has secured £12.9m ($17.1m) from the national government's Town Deal and Levelling Up Fund Round 2 to advance this key phase of the project. The Visitor Centre, nestled in the woodland at the northern end of the site, will provide an array of facilities including a café, shop, production kitchen, and spaces for exhibitions and performances, as well as learning and meeting areas. The Forestry Skills Centre is designed to offer vocational learning opportunities to residents, focusing on technical and land-based skills and qualifications. Since 2023, efforts to enhance local biodiversity have included the planting of 2,000 trees and the creation of six ponds, in addition to establishing a community garden and a wildflower meadow. The Visitor Centre is a move forward for the Northern Roots project, which also encompasses the creation of car parking, access improvements, an outdoor amphitheatre, and landscaping. Willmott Dixon has set a target to complete the Visitor Centre by summer 2026. Oldham Council leader and councillor Arooj Shah said: "Northern Roots is a ground-breaking project that will benefit our communities for generations to come – a place where nature, learning, and opportunity come together. Oldham Council is proud to be driving this project in partnership with Northern Roots, creating a thriving space for education, recreation, and enterprise, showcasing Oldham as a leader in green innovation.' 'The Visitor Centre will provide our residents with skills, support opportunities for businesses, and enhance the local environment. It's a win-win for our borough.' Willmott Dixon director for the North West Michael Poole-Sutherland said: 'As an Oldham-based business we are excited to be shaping this invaluable community space, working in partnership with Oldham Council once again. In partnership with our proud local supply chain partners, we are committed to creating four new employment opportunities directly on the project. Through our bespoke 'Building Lives Academy' pre-employability programme, we will support 10 previously unemployed Oldham residents with qualifications, skills and work experience.' Recently, Willmott Dixon, along with real estate developer Milligan, has been chosen by Dover District Council to spearhead a strategic regeneration initiative focused on transforming Dover's town centre into a contemporary destination in the south east of England. "Willmott Dixon to undertake Visitor Centre construction project at Northern Roots, UK" was originally created and published by World Construction Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
In hotels, hostels and unsafe accommodation, tragedy keeps following tragedy
Dozens of young, homeless children are losing their lives every year - and the tragedy appears to be getting worse. Calls are growing for tighter measures to drive up standards in temporary accommodation. It comes as new figures show 80 children died while living in temporary accommodation across England between October 1, 2023, and September 30 last year - representing three per cent of all child deaths in the same period. Dr Laura Neilson, CEO of Oldham-based Shared Health Foundation, told the Manchester Evening News: "There is no reason why children should be dying in temporary accommodation more than children living in settled accommodation. This is preventable and it's really fixable." Amid the recent cost of living crisis, the number of homeless families in temporary accommodation has increased. Rising rents, evictions, an increase in domestic violence and unstable relationships, and a housing shortage which is at crisis point are all contributing to the problem, Dr Neilson says. The figures, obtained by the National Child Mortality Database, have been described by the Shared Health Foundation as 'disproportionate and significant'. They also show that from 2019 to 2024, there were 74 children who died unexpectedly, with temporary accommodation found to have contributed to their deaths. Of that figure, 58 children were under the age of one. Previously, 55 children were reported to have died in those circumstances from 2019 to 2023. 'We know that the more instability you have in children's lives, the more likely they are to die, particularly if they are under one," said Dr Neilson. Having a settled routine, access to a cot, and safe, clean facilities - including kitchens - all benefit young children. But for many homeless families, they are luxuries which they have no access to in temporary accommodation. The process of frequently moving accommodation, and changing GP, can also be overwhelming for pregnant women and new mums. Temporary accommodation can also often be unsafe, cold and riddled with damp. Dr Neilson added: "I've had three children. My pregnancies were thankfully quite straightforward, but it was quite overwhelming. I can't imagine doing that and repeatedly moving house, and moving doctors, and moving hospitals. That's really difficult.' Of the 74 children who had temporary accommodation attributed to their deaths - 11 were known to be staying in B&Bs, hotels and hostels. Chloe Wild, 23, became homeless while pregnant with her daughter Evie. After living with family and sofa-surfing from August to October last year, she was moved to a hostel in Harpurhey, then to Openshaw, and now lives in an Oldham hotel with her baby. The young mum waits 'every day' for the phone to ring, in case she's on the move yet again. "It's extra stress that you don't need," she told the M.E.N. "It's the physical exhaustion, but it's the mental exhaustion that gets you more, because it's being in that situation. "You sort of feel like, the more you get to the end of your pregnancy, am I letting my baby down for being in that situation - for not having a house? For not being in a stable environment? 'I felt bad because I thought I'm going to have to bring a child into the world, I've not got a stable environment for her to be in. And God knows when they're gonna move me next.' Chloe is constantly mindful of keeping her baby safe, and only one previous hostel had adequate cooking facilities. 'You never really know the cleanliness of everything," she added. "I buy anti-bac and I've got my own cloths and sprays, I'm having to clean everything I physically can when I get into a new place because I don't know how well it has been cleaned. She's a newborn, she can catch anything, it can make her really poorly and it could potentially kill her. I spray everything all the time." The new figures, released today (January 28) by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Temporary Accommodation, are only available because the Shared Health Foundation and National Child Mortality Database worked to update the Child Death Overview Panel questions to include temporary accommodation. Dr Neilson feels the figures could still be an underestimate. She is urging Government to tighten regulation on standards. 'I don't mind which piece of legislation it's in. It just needs to be regulated," Dr Neilson said. Guidance issued to councils states temporary accommodation should not be considered suitable for families with children under two years old. The government says it plans to consult on how Awaab's Law - secured for social housing following an M.E.N. campaign - could apply to temporary accommodation, while the Decent Homes Standard should be extended to temporary accommodation as part of the Renters' Rights Bill. Dame Siobhain McDonagh MP, chair of the APPG for Temporary Accommodation, insists new regulation cannot come soon enough. "Seventy-four children have died in five years with temporary accommodation contributing to their death," she said. "That is more than one every month. How shocking is that? In the fifth largest economy in the world. "Last year, the APPG I chair was successful in getting the Homelessness Code of Guidance changed to include cots for homeless families. This guidance needs to be made law to ensure that deaths in temporary accommodation is zero." The government says it is committing almost £1 billion on homelessness prevention, while tenants should be protected by the abolition of 'no-fault evictions' in the Renters' Rights Bill. Emergency Accommodation Reduction Pilots have also been launched in 20 areas to move families out of B&Bs and into more suitable accommodation. Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner said: 'These truly shocking findings break my heart. No family should ever have to endure such a tragic loss of life and be failed by the very system there to protect them. 'No child should be forced to grow up in unsafe and frankly appalling conditions and that is why we are taking urgent action to right the wrongs of the past. We will fix the current system that has left far too many families trapped in temporary accommodation with no end in sight and end homelessness for good by tackling the root causes and driving up housing standards. 'This year alone we are providing the largest-ever cash boost in homelessness prevention services, with nearly £1 billion for councils, to stop families becoming homeless in the first place and provide them with safe, secure and stable housing so they can rebuild their lives. This is part of our long-term plan to turn the tide and end homelessness once and for all.'
