Former Oldham Council Leader returns to post
The local Labour group has elected Cllr Arooj Shah once again as its leader after she made a triumphant return to politics in the all-out local election last week.
Shah secured a guaranteed four years in office after winning 2,743 votes in the St Mary’s ward. The same election saw Oldham Council Leader Amanda Chadderton, also Labour, become the borough’s third leader in a row to lose their seat, after she failed to win her election in the Royton South ward.
Labour managed to retain a slight overall majority in the borough after the election, despite losing three seats. There are now 32 Labour councillors in the borough, compared to 11 Conservative, 10 Liberal Democrat, and seven that are either independent or from other groups.
- READ MORE: North West local elections 2023 results
Shah first became leader following Sean Fielding’s defeat in 2021. She was subsequently ousted from the position last year after losing her seat in the Chadderton South ward.
“Being re-elected to lead the borough I love is one of the biggest honours anyone could hope to have,” Shah told the Oldham Times. “Not for title, office or status, but for something much than all of that; [the] chance to change the place I was born and raised in, proudly call home, and demand better for.”
Saving a theatre and improving the public realm through greenery and investment in parks are among Shah’s new pledges to the borough.
Cllrs Elaine Taylor and Shaid Mushtaq will serve as deputy leaders.
Shah was not the only former Oldham Council Leader to return to politics in the election. Fielding also became a councillor once again, this time in Bolton.
Oldham looks set to go to NOC if elections are held next year.
By 1981
Do Labour never learn?
The electorate voted her out previously obviously having no confidence in her!
Doesn’t reflect well on Oldham Council!
By Manc
Manc – I’m not from Oldham nor work there so have no bias – but don’t think that’s fair. A consistent campaign by local groups to unseat different leaders is unfortunate for stable leadership whatever the party, and doesn’t necessarily reflect on the individuals. Secondly, her electorate voted her back in, clearly deciding they do prefer her to the party that had unseated her – which sounds more like a vote of confidence to me!
By New mancunian
Re the previous comments – she was re-elected last week to the electorate obviously had confidence in her this time around!
By DMPlanner
Congratulations, and a great choice by the electorate.
By Digbuth O'Hooligan
If you read the recent history of Oldham politics in the Mill it’s a very sad tale of insurgency, conspiracy theories, and misinformation driven by social media. What a nightmare place to run local government.
By Rich X
Having previously been voted out in her OWN ward, she was parachuted into a DIFFERENT ward where, due to the characteristics of the ward, she would be elected with 100% certainty. It is certainly NOT the case that she was simply re-elected by her original voters. This is not good for democracy in Oldham, it is not good for Oldham’s already terribly tarnished (rightly) image. It will prove to be the undoing of the Labour group in future elections, their administration is too long in power, complacent, jaded, ineffective and not trusted by a majority of the electorate – a proportional representation calculation shows they are already in a minority. It does not provide encouragement or incentive for developers and businesses to look at Oldham, on the contrary better not to become embroiled.
By K W