At a tense meeting of Oldham Council, the Labour Party clung onto power, surviving a no confidence vote with support from ‘Independent’ allies from Shaw and Failsworth.
Councillor Kamran Ghafoor of the Oldham Group put forward the motion to remove the current authority and Labour Group leader, Arooj Shah.
This Labour administration has failed Oldham. They have taken the people of this town for granted for far too long and now it’s time to hold them accountable.”
Cllr Ghafoor said that the Labour council had “ignored” councillors with regards to the Greater Manchester Places for Everyone scheme, which aims to create 11,500 new homes in Oldham.
Deputy Leader of the group , Elaine Taylor responded to Cllr Ghafoor’s comments in the Chamber stating: “In reality, you have no pathway to govern and no plan to lead.
“This is just a political stunt. We’ve already heard about some of the unsavoury tactics.
“You have no policy suggestions, other than anti-Arooj.
We have no idea what you stand for.”
Then in a break with tradition, the position of Deputy Mayor – which should have passed to a Liberal Democrat member this year – was instead gifted to Failsworth representative and key Labour ally councillor Brian Hobin.
Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “It’s very clear that the gift of the Deputy Mayor’s nomination was a part of Labour’s grubby deal with these so-called Independents. It’s a very low moment for Oldham because it damages the reputation of the Mayor’s Office, which should be politically neutral.”
The Labour Party lost its majority on Oldham Council at the last set of local elections in 2024. For the second year running, embattled Labour Leader councillor Arooj Shah continues as Leader of the Council following a series of political positions she has given to ‘Independent’ members from Shaw and Failsworth in return for the votes she needs to stay in control.
Councillor Sykes said, “What we’ve seen over the last year has had nothing to do with public service and everything to do with keeping Labour in power at any cost.”
“People expect it from Labour Party politicians, but what I think most people will want to know is why these so-called Independents are just voting along with Labour time after time, despite being elected to oppose them.”
