Oldham Council
Oldham Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1974 |
| Leadership | |
Harry Catherall since 2022 | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 60 councillors[4] |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Joint committees | Greater Manchester Combined Authority Greater Manchester Police, Fire and Crime Panel |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Civic Centre, West Street, Oldham, OL1 1NL | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Oldham Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2011.
The council has been under no overall control since the 2024 election, being led by a Labour minority administration. It is based at Oldham Civic Centre.
History[edit]
The town of Oldham had been governed by improvement commissioners from 1826.[5] In 1849 the town was incorporated as a municipal borough, governed by a body formally called the 'mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Oldham', generally known as the corporation, town council or borough council.[6] When elected county councils were established in 1889, Oldham was considered large enough to provide its own county-level services, and so it became a county borough, independent from the new Lancashire County Council, whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Lancashire.[7]
The larger Metropolitan Borough of Oldham and its council were created in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of ten metropolitan districts within the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. The first election was held in 1973. For its first year the council acted as a shadow authority alongside the area's seven outgoing authorities, being the borough council of Oldham and the urban district councils of Chadderton, Crompton, Failsworth, Lees, Royton and Saddleworth (the latter was in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the others were all in Lancashire). The new metropolitan district and its council formally came into being on 1 April 1974, at which point the old districts and their councils were abolished.[8]
The metropolitan district was awarded borough status from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Oldham's series of mayors dating back to 1849.[9] The council styles itself Oldham Council rather than its full formal name of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council.[10]
From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater Manchester County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to Greater Manchester's ten borough councils, including Oldham, with some services provided through joint committees.[11]
Since 2011 the council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. The combined authority provides strategic leadership and co-ordination for certain functions across Greater Manchester, notably regarding transport and town planning, but Oldham Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions.[12][13]
In 2011, Oldham declared its ambition to become a Co-operative Council, which it describes as "one where citizens, partners and staff work together to improve the borough and create a confident and ambitious place...Put simply, becoming a co-operative borough is about everybody doing their bit and everybody benefitting."[14]
An early progress report by the RSA thinktank in 2012 said Co-operative principles could help councils manage and reduce demand for services and create ‘a sustainable economic and social future’.[15]
Oldham leads the national Co-operative Councils Innovation Network – a group of local authorities who say they are committed to finding better ways of for, and with, their local communities.[16]
Oldham Youth Council, formed in 2006, now has constitutional power on Oldham Council – a national first. The Youth Council is democratically elected every two years via a borough-wide election run in schools, colleges and youth organisations.[17] The group now has its own section on the agenda of each meeting of Full Council at Oldham Council where it can raise and debate issues and hold councillors to account.[18]
In mid-September 2020, Oldham Council announced that it had acquired the shopping centre "The Spindles" with the intent of renovating the shopping centre and local market grounds.
Honours[edit]
The council can confer the title of Honorary Alderman of the Borough on persons who have, in the opinion of the council, rendered "eminent services" to it as a past member. Recipients to date are Ralph Semple, Ellen Brierley, Jack Armitage, George Edmond Lord, Sidney GW Jacobs, David Roger Jones, Christine Wheeler and Richard David Knowles.
The Freedom of the Borough is the highest honour the council can bestow. It is awarded rarely and dates back to the Middle Ages when freemen had commercial privileges and route into a position of power in a town or city. Associated with this is a ‘freedom of entry’ which the council can award to service units that have "rendered conspicuous service" and are closely associated with the borough. Freedom of entry grants the service unit the right, privilege and honour of marching through the streets of Oldham on ceremonial occasions with swords drawn, bayonets fixed, drums beating, bands playing and colours flying.
Recipients to date are: Dame Sarah Anne Lees, Dr Thomas Fawsitt, Alderman William Schofield, Charles Ward, Marjory Lees, Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, JR Clynes, William E Freeman, James Bannon, Frank Tweedale, Thomas Driver, John Fletcher Waterhouse, the 41st (Oldham) Royal Tank Regiment TA, Sir William Turner Walton, Alice Amelia Kenyon, Charles Leslie Hale, Sir Frank lord, Dame Eva Turner, Arnold Tweedale, 75 Engineer Regiment (Volunteers), Ellen Brierley, Sir Norman Kelvin Stoller and Michael Hugh Meacher.
Political makeup[edit]
The most recent elections took place in May 2024 where the Labour Party lost overall control but remain the largest party on the council. As of May 2024[update] the political makeup of the council is:[19]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 27 | |
| Independent | 14 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 9 | |
| Conservative | 8 | |
| Failsworth Independent Party | 2 | |
| Total | 60 | |
Arooj Shah is the leader of Oldham Council, serving in office since being re-elected to the council in May 2023. She had previously held the post between 2021 and 2022 before being defeated at that year's election, becoming the second of three leaders to lose their seats in consecutive elections.[20]
Coat of arms[edit]
The borough's coat of arms is based on the crest of the former Oldham County Borough and includes within it symbols to identify the other six districts that make up the Borough. These are the former urban districts of Chadderton, Crompton, Failsworth, Lees, Royton and Saddleworth.
The Shield is derived from the former arms of Oldham showing three white owls (a pun on "Owldham") and three red rings giving the initial letter "0".
Above it is the closed helm proper to Civic arms with its twisted crest-wreath and decorative mantling. Upon the wreath stands the Crest. The owl is shown on its rock rising from a gold circlet charged with the three red rings from the shield.
The two red griffins identify the other districts by the heraldry of their chief manorial families which are some of the most famous in history. They include the Chaddertons (connected with Chadderton, Failsworth, Crompton and Lees) and the Chethams (connected with Crompton). Both families are branches of the de Traffords whose red griffin is also seen at Eccles and elsewhere. As a necessary difference, they wear collars with fluted edges like those in the arms of the Radcliffes (Oldham, Royton and Chadderton). On the collars are the three red "bendlets" on white, of the arms of the Byrons (Failsworth, Crompton and Royton).
From each collar hangs a white heptagon symbolic of the united seven authorities. On the left one is the black "mullet" of the Asshetons (Oldham and Chadderton) and on the right Saddleworth is represented by a black saddle in reference to the name of its derivation – a settlement on a saddle-shaped ridge.
The Oldham Council motto "Sapere Aude" means "dare to be wise" with the word "Aude" containing the syllable "Owd" of the local pronunciation of "Owdham" or "Owldham."
Youth Mayor[edit]
 | This section needs to be updated. (August 2022) |
Oldham Council introduced the office of Youth Mayor in 2009 when Mohammed Adil became the first-ever holder of the post. The post was the idea of – and is chosen by – members of the Oldham Youth Council.[21]
Wards[edit]
Oldham Council has 20 electoral wards across its six districts of Chadderton, Failsworth and Hollinwood, Oldham, Royton, Shaw and Crompton, and Saddleworth and Lees.
These are:
- Alexandra
- Chadderton Central
- Chadderton North
- Chadderton South
- Coldhurst
- Crompton
- Failsworth East
- Failsworth West
- Hollinwood
- Medlock Vale
- Royton North
- Royton South
- Saddleworth North
- Saddleworth South
- Saddleworth West and Lees
- St James
- St Mary’s
- Shaw
- Waterhead
- Werneth
Notable recent achievements[edit]
- Oldham’s ‘Bloom and Grow’ campaigns have seen it win the ‘Best City’ category four years running at the North West in Bloom competition up to 2013. It has also represented the region at the national Britain in Bloom in the same category and won the ‘Best City’ gong in 2012.[22]
- Oldham was ‘Most Improved Council’ at the Local Government Chronicle awards in 2012.[23]
- Jean Stretton was named ‘Community Champion of the Year’ and councillors Amanda Chadderton, Sean Fielding and Arooj Shah jointly won ‘Young Councillor of the Year’ awards in 2013.[24]
- Council Leader, Jim McMahon was named ‘Leader of the Year’ at the C’llr Achievement Awards in February 2014.[25]
- Oldham was ‘highly commended’ at the LGC Council of the Year awards for the top prize in 2014.[26]
- First Female Muslim Council Leader Arooj Shah 2021[citation needed]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Council minutes, 24 May 2023". Oldham Council. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Mayor of Oldham returns for second term". Oldham Council. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Council minutes, 24 May 2023" (PDF). Oldham Council. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ "Oldham Councillors". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
- ^ "Oldham Improvement Act 1826". legislation.gov.uk. The National Archives. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "The parish of Prestwich with Oldham". A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5. London: Victoria County History. 1911. pp. 92–108. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Oldham Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1972: Schedule 1", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70 (sch. 1), retrieved 30 May 2024
- ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Find your local council". gov.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ "Local Government Act 1985", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1985 c. 51, retrieved 5 April 2024
- ^ "The Greater Manchester Combined Authority Order 2011", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2011/908, retrieved 30 May 2024
- ^ "Understand how your council works". gov.uk. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
- ^ "Oldham Council Co-operative approach".
- ^ "public finance article".
- ^ "Co-op Innovation website".
- ^ "Oldham Youth Council website".
- ^ Council, Oldham Youth (22 November 2013). "Oldham Youth Council: empowering young people in the community". The Guardian.
- ^ "Council political makeup". Oldham Council. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
- ^ "Ousted Oldham Council leader says town's politics remain toxic". 9 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ "News article – Oldham's first youth mayor".
- ^ "News article – Oldham wins Britain in Bloom".
- ^ "News article – Oldham Council is most improved".
- ^ "News article – Oldham Councillor wins national award". March 2013.
- ^ "News article – Awards winners announced".
- ^ "News article – LGC Council of the year 2014". 13 March 2014.
