Oldham candidates set out their stall ahead of local election

Voters in Oldham are preparing to head to the polls on Thursday to decide who they want to represent them as councillors.

There are 10 political parties and five independent candidates contesting seats in the borough’s 20 wards in the May 6 local elections.

The parties and independents have set out their stall of what they would offer the electorate and what they hope to achieve for residents if they win enough support.

Here’s what they want to say to voters:

Montaz Ali Azad (Independent)

My question to the residents of Coldhurst is – have your concerns and needs been heard and addressed or has your lives, area and community become any better?

I am standing to change this, for our area, community and people. During our campaign and also by meeting many residents I have come to realise the frustration that our community members feel due to the lack of responsibility by the elected representatives and their politics and political gamesmanship. 

I am standing as an independent therefore I will be free from any ties or political affiliations. My only goal is to support you and our residents’ concerns.

My number one priority is to increase engagement with our residents and bring their needs across to the Oldham council.

Your vote will guarantee that I can stand for you and that my voice can become your voice.

Candidate: Montaz Ali Azad for Coldhurst

Warren Bates (Independent)

I have lived in Failsworth West for over 45 years, after I lost my seat at the last local elections by a small margin to Labour in 2019 my campaign started straight away.

I accept it has been a very difficult time for governments and local councils with the pandemic.

Despite this, it is now time for action on May 6.

These elections are not about changing the government, but are about changing Oldham council, who claim to represent openness and transparency.

Proud to represent you, I must continue to take seriously the quality of the environment, such as keeping the streets clean, keeping green spaces, entries and walkways clean and tidy.

Also, we have a public demanded review ongoing regarding allegations of child sexual exploitation in our town, and we still await the outcome.

I will make myself available with my contact details and if elected at my surgeries in our local Failsworth town hall.

Our future is in your hands by voting for the ‘Real Independent’.

Candidate: Warren Bates for Failsworth West

Helen Bishop (Independent)

I was brought up in Greenfield and have been a youth and community worker in the village and surrounding areas for 22 years.

I have lived in the Saddleworth wards for my entire life and have built up significant knowledge about the area’s heritage, people and culture.

I have a fresh, transparent approach and a proven track record of supporting and delivering important services and projects. 

I have been involved in a number of high profile campaigns and have had great success in drawing attention to the everyday problems faced by the community, such as flooding, crime and anti-social behaviour, lack of resources, over-development, traffic and parking. 

I have developed some exciting new ideas to tackle these issues and have the knowledge, skills and experience to represent this community effectively, protecting its heritage and interests. 

My ethos is to provide a vision for the community moving forward and to focus my time and energy on contributing positively.

Candidate: Helen Bishop for Saddleworth South 

Conservative Party

Our plan to fix six issues in our borough:

Delivering 347 new police officers in Greater Manchester. With more visible policing, better detection, and prevention, and making sure our streets are safer.

Invest an extra £5m to fix potholes and more gully cleaning to stop roads flooding and cars being damaged.

We will fight Labour-run Oldham council and their plans to build on our green belt. We must build new houses on brownfield sites first. We want neighbourhood plans which are then put to a referendum.

We want a cleaner and greener environment and we will invest £1.2m extra to fight fly-tipping and fixing the dog fouling problem that is plaguing our borough.

We want to cut the number of councillors to 40 to save nearly £1m over four years and put that into helping people back into work.

The Conservative government will fund 50m extra GP appointments and £33.9 billion into the NHS. Locally we will look to rebuild and refit tired surgeries.

Candidates: 

Jonathan Ford for Alexandra , Sharif Miah for Chadderton Central, Mohammed Jahan for Chadderton North, Robert Barnes for Chadderton South, David Cahill for Coldhurst, Lewis Quigg for Crompton, Shefur Miah for Failsworth East, Jawaad Hussain for Failsworth West, Michele Stockton for Hollinwood, Sahr Abid for Medlock Vale, Dave Arnott for Royton North, Ian Bond for Royton South, Luke Lancaster for Saddleworth North, Max Woodvine for Saddleworth South, Antony Cahill for Saddleworth West and Lees, Tom Lord for Shaw, Beth Sharp for St James, Mujibur Rahman for St Mary’s, Sajjad Hussain for Waterhead, Mohammod Rahman for Werneth 

Failsworth Independent Party

As Failsworth residents, our aim is to continue to build on, nurture and maintain the existing Failsworth community, creating sustainable initiatives that keep us all bound.

We are approachable and accessible to all and will represent the towns people being their voice, expressing our constituents wants and needs for the place we live.

We are not led by national politics and stand independent for you, our constituent.

The youth will be encouraged to play active parts in their community, giving them a sense of belonging to where they live.

We are inclusive of all our residents, focussing on our youth, the elderly and the most vulnerable within our community, being a friend to all.

We are Failsworth, where true worth never fails.

Candidates: 

Neil Hindle for Failsworth East, Mark Wilkinson for Failsworth West

Green Party

As the fastest growing party in the UK, people are turning to the Green Party because we offer a positive alternative to the failures of the past.

Our pledges to the people in Oldham:

Local green spaces – working with local communities, we will protect our open green spaces from development, benefiting people and wildlife, and tackling climate change.

Cleaner air – our ambitious plans to cut air pollution include reliable, affordable public transport.

Safer streets for walkers and cyclists – more action on dog-fouling, more investment in street cleaning and community policing.

Decent social care – we will fight for full reform of the chaotic social care system to give our elderly and disabled people the dignity they have a right to expect.

Affordable homes for everyone – we will make genuinely affordable homes for renting or buying, an absolute priority.

Make a positive difference. Vote Green on May 6.

Candidates: 

Andrea Chaverra Valencia for Alexandra, Jess Mahoney forChadderton Central, Daniel Clayton for Chadderton North, Jean Betteridge for Coldhurst, Lina Valencia-Shaw for Crompton, Jim Stidworthy for Royton South, Kathryn Banawich for Saddleworth North, Brian Banawich for Saddleworth South, Roger Pakeman for St James, Miranda Meadowcroft for St Mary’s, Freedom Solaiman for Waterhead

Aftab Hussain (Independent)

Community engagement is my number one priority, as an independent councillor the people of my ward are my only concern, I am not interested in climbing the political ladder.

I am only here to serve you. Representing people of St Mary’s ward through my hard work is what I spend most of my time on.

I have no party loyalty  to any party, my loyalty is to the people of St Mary’s and no one else.

I concentrate my efforts on what matters to ordinary people. Dealing with fly tipping, anti-social behaviour, blocked gullies and potholes. With the help of the local community.

I must have donated thousands of pounds worth of food to all the charities mainly food banks for food packages for vulnerable and needy people of Oldham, it may not be glamorous work but it is important work. 

If it matters to you then it matters to me. On May 6 vote independent Aftab Hussain.

Candidate: Aftab Hussain for St Mary’s

Labour Party 

We are proud of how Oldham’s communities, supported by Oldham’s Labour council, have pulled together through a tough year.

After £200m of Tory cuts to Oldham council, Covid tested our public services to their limit, but we came through.

We got help to those in need, paid business grants quickly, got laptops to children for home learning and now are supporting the vaccine rollout.

At the council’s budget meeting the Tories and Independent voted against setting a budget, but offered no alternative suggestions.

The Liberal Democrats put forward proposals to spend more in areas where they have councillors, at the expense of others.

Labour has a plan to improve schools, create jobs, build homes and rebuild the economy in an environmentally friendly way. No other party has a way forward.

Labour in Oldham has supported people through the pandemic, and now have a plan to help our borough prosper again.

Candidates: 

Zahid Chauhan for Alexandra, Elaine Taylor for Chadderton Central, Mohammed Islam for Chadderton North, Chris Goodwin for Chadderton South, Abdul Jabbar for Coldhurst, Basit Shah for Crompton, Liz Jacques for Failsworth East, Sean Fielding for Failsworth West, Kyle Phythian for Hollinwood, Ateeque Ur-Rehman for Medlock Vale, Mick Harwood for Royton North, Amanda Chadderton for Royton South, Connor Green for Saddleworth North, Stephanie Shuttleworth for Saddleworth South, Ken Rustidge for Saddleworth West and Lees, Syed Maruf Ali for Shaw, Cath Ball for St James, Imran Yousaf for St Mary’s, Ros Birch for Waterhead, Fida Hussain for Werneth 

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats represent the only effective opposition to Labour on Oldham council.

Unlike the Conservatives, we speak out on the issues that our electors care about in full council and we fight for what our communities want.

We are opposed to Labour’s plan to build homes on the green belt.

We are opposed to a giant incinerator in Royton.

And we are opposed to Labour spending £68m of taxpayers hard-earned money on ‘Spendles’.

We want to see a healthier, greener and cleaner Oldham borough.

This year in our latest annual budget proposals, we found the money to invest in three new health centres for Shaw and Crompton, Saddleworth, and Chadderton; in energy efficiency measures; to improve footpaths; tackle speeding, anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and dog-fouling.

As usual the Conservatives offered no alternative to Labour and failed to support our proposals.

The Liberal Democrats have a straightforward philosophy – to be a voice for the voters we represent and the communities we serve in Crompton, Shaw, Royton, Saddleworth and Lees.

Candidates: 

Martin Dinoff for Alexandra, Barbara Beeley for Chadderton Central, Katie Gloster for Chadderton North, Joe Beeston for Chadderton South, Mick Scholes for Coldhurst, Diane Williamson for Crompton, Lynne Thompson for Failsworth East, Richard Darlington for Failsworth West, Brian Lord for Hollinwood, Rachel Pendlebury for Medlock Vale, Russ Gosling for Royton North, Ken Berry for Royton South, Garth Harkness for Saddleworth North, Kevin Dawson for Saddleworth South, Mark Kenyon for Saddleworth West and Lees, Howard Sykes for Shaw, Joe Gloster for St James, Pat Lord for St Mary’s, Linda Dawson for Waterhead, Keith Pendlebury for Werneth 

Northern Heart (UK) Oldham

As a local Independent party, we seek to redress the current imbalance of representation that exists, within Oldham borough council. 

Apathy among the electorate is now the main reason that the majority controlling party clings to power, with as many as 79pc of voters simply no longer bothering to go and vote.

We offer open, inclusive representation for ALL communities, without favourites and without the national ideology, that results in a lack of consolation and complete disregard for the views of those, ‘our council’ is meant to serve.

We have core values that guide us, including safe streets for lone women, zero tolerance of fly-tipping, even distribution of resources across all ward areas, total transparency in awarding of contracts, spending and support for the local economy. Common sense, not vanity projects.

Take national ideology out of YOUR local priorities by voting on May 6 for Oldham Heart!

Candidates: 

Jack Dickenson for Chadderton Central, Cath Jackson for Chadderton South, Anne Fiander Taylor for Royton South, Paul Taylor for Waterhead 

Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth

Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth has a constitution that is different.

We have no whip!

The mission statement is to make each ward a better place for everyone who lives there.

At POAS each candidate is chosen on the basis that they live in the area and put ‘PEOPLE BEFORE THE PARTY’.

We are a centralist party attracting ex-moderate members of all parties, who’ve become disenchanted with the direction that ‘main party politics’ is going in.

Our intention is to also appeal to people who haven’t voted before; or are detached from politics.

Offering something fresh, new, invigorating, and breathing new life into the borough.

 A ‘can-do’ attitude, giving up on our beloved town is not an option.

Our door is open to all, 15,000 plus have joined us on this journey so far.

Time for a change – come on board, all are welcome at Proud of Oldham and Saddeworth.

Candidates: 

Ronald Bailey for Hollinwood, Mark Birchall for Medlock Vale, Paul Goldring for Royton North, Gary Tarbuck for Saddleworth North, Simon Hodgson for Saddleworth South, Paul Shilton for Saddleworth West and Lees, Marc Hince for Shaw, Amoy Crooks for St James

Reform UK

Reform UK are contesting two ward seats.

Candidates: Colin Jones for Royton North, Chris Green for Saddleworth North

UKIP

In this year’s local elections, we once again find ourselves defending our green and pleasant land from the clutches of Labour-run Oldham council and the Conservative’s spiralling immigration problem.

• Anti-social behaviour

We believe that our children have been let down by Labour who have removed youth centres  and this in part has led to a rise in anti-social behaviour. 

We pledge to put youth centres back in every ward, giving our youth a sense of belonging whilst learning vital people skills and keeping them out of mischief. 

• Fly-tipping

Unfortunately we can’t eradicate it, but we can help reduce it enormously. That’s why we pledge to put community skips in every ward periodically throughout the year. 

This could save the council up to a million per year in fly-tipping clean up costs. 

We also pledge to put community barbecues and picnic areas in every park for people to enjoy.

Candidates: Bernard Akin for Chadderton South, Anthony Prince for Royton South

Tracy Woodward (Independent)

Why vote for me? Having always lived and worked in North Chadderton, I am committed to represent the needs and hopes of our community.

As an independent candidate, I won’t be held back by party politics. 

The pandemic has shown that community matters, and that when people come together great things can happen.

I am the right candidate to link residents and the council and fight for a better future for North Chadderton.

I am passionate about our environment and I will continue to work tirelessly to protect the green spaces around us. 

I will listen to you and work to achieve better outcomes for all residents. 

As a teacher, I value the importance of quality education for all children. I am determined to work with the police to address crime, making the area a safer place for us all. 

A vote for me will be a vote for change.

Candidate: Tracy Woodward for Chadderton North

Workers Party of Britain

I have been working with homeless people for the past 20 years, and currently work helping homeless families. 

In the last few years, I have noticed more and more that the Labour Party no longer works for the benefit of the working class, and so I left the party and stopped paying them. 

We have two business parties and no party working for the people. 

I did plenty of research and found a new party called the Workers Party of Britain. They have a ten-point programme that confirms what they aim to do, and made it clear that this will not change. 

Helping the working class is central to everything they do. They stand for us, not for big business, or fire and rehire, or illegal wars, or privatisation. 

So I joined them and will work with them for the good of the working class.

Candidate: Lisa Roddy for Chadderton South

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