Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council
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Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, also known as Oldham Council, is the
local authority Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...
of the
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is named after its largest town, Oldham. The borough had a population of in , making it the sixth-largest district by population in Greater Manch ...
in
Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...
, England. It is a
metropolitan borough council A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropol ...
and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the
Greater Manchester Combined Authority The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is a combined authority for Greater Manchester, England. It was established on 1 April 2011 and consists of 11 members: 10 indirectly elected members, each a directly elected councillor from one ...
since 2011. The council has been under
no overall control In the context of local authorities in the United Kingdom no overall control (NOC; ) is a situation in which no single political group achieves a majority of seats, comparable to a hung parliament. Of the 248 councils who had members up for elec ...
since the 2024 election, being led by a Labour-led minority administration. The council meets at
Oldham Civic Centre Oldham Civic Centre is a municipal building in West Street, Oldham, England. History The low-level western section of the Civic Centre was originally built as offices for the housing and social services departments as well as the Regional Healt ...
and has its main offices in the Spindles Town Square shopping centre.


History

The town of
Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
had been governed by
improvement commissioners Boards of improvement commissioners were ''ad hoc'' urban local government boards created during the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its predecessors the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Irel ...
from 1826. In 1849 the town was incorporated as a
municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...
, 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. 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 Lancashire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashire is smaller than the ceremonial county, which additionally includes Blackburn with Dar ...
, whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Lancashire. The larger Metropolitan Borough of Oldham and its council were created in 1974 under the
Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
as one of ten metropolitan districts within the new
metropolitan county Metropolitan counties are a Subdivisions of England, subdivision of England which were originally used for Local government in England, local government. There are six metropolitan counties: Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyn ...
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 Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...
and the
urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...
councils of
Chadderton Chadderton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irk and Rochdale Canal. It is located in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Oldham, south of Rochdale and north-east of Manchester. The ...
,
Crompton Crompton may refer to Place names *Crompton (West Warwick), a community in West Warwick, Rhode Island, US *Crompton, Greater Manchester, in Shaw and Crompton, Greater Manchester, England formerly in Lancashire *Crompton Urban District, an obsole ...
,
Failsworth Failsworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, north-east of Manchester and south-west of Oldham. The M60 motorway, M60 ring-road motorway skirts it to the east. The population at the United Kingdom C ...
, Lees,
Royton Royton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 21,284 in 2011. Close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, it is northwest of Ol ...
and
Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parishes in England, civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet (place), hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the Saddleworth Moor, west ...
(the latter was in the
West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...
, 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. The metropolitan district was awarded
borough status Borough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, si ...
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. The council styles itself Oldham Council rather than its full formal name of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the
Greater Manchester County Council The Greater Manchester County Council (GMCC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater Manchester from 1974 to 1986. A strategic authority, with responsibilities for roads, public transport, planning, emergency services ...
. 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. Since 2011, the council has been a member of the
Greater Manchester Combined Authority The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is a combined authority for Greater Manchester, England. It was established on 1 April 2011 and consists of 11 members: 10 indirectly elected members, each a directly elected councillor from one ...
, which has been led by the directly elected
Mayor of Greater Manchester The mayor of Greater Manchester is the directly elected metro mayor, mayor of Greater Manchester, responsible for strategic governance in the region that includes health, transport, housing, strategic planning, waste management, policing, the G ...
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. In 2011, Oldham declared its ambition to become a "co-operative council", aiming to find better ways of working for and with local communities. The council went on to be one of the founder members of the Co-operative Councils Independent Network, established in 2012. 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. 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. In 2020, Oldham Council bought the shopping centre "The Spindles" with the intent of renovating the shopping centre and local market grounds.


Governance

Oldham Council provides
metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of districts of England, local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan distr ...
services. Some strategic functions in the area are provided by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority; the leader of Oldham Council sits on the combined authority as Oldham's representative. There are two
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
es in the borough at
Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parishes in England, civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet (place), hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the Saddleworth Moor, west ...
and
Shaw and Crompton Shaw and Crompton is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, and lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines. It is located north of Oldham, south-east of Rochdale and north- ...
, which form an additional tier of local government for their areas; the rest of the borough is unparished.


Political control

The council has been under no overall control since the 2024 election, being led by a Labour minority administration. Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms took effect has been as follows:


Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Oldham. Political leadership is instead provided by the
leader of the council Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...
. The leaders since 1974 have been:


Composition

Following the 2024 election, the composition of the council was: The next election is due in May 2026.


Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023, the council has comprised 60
councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...
s representing 20
wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office. The wards 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


Premises

Council meetings are held at
Oldham Civic Centre Oldham Civic Centre is a municipal building in West Street, Oldham, England. History The low-level western section of the Civic Centre was originally built as offices for the housing and social services departments as well as the Regional Healt ...
, which was purpose-built for the council in phases between 1962 and 1977. The council is in the process of vacating the building; most of the council's staff moved to offices on the upper floors of the Spindles Town Square shopping centre in early 2024. Council meetings are due to move to a new council chamber being created in the town's old library on Union Street, which had been built in 1883. Prior to completing its move to the Civic Centre in 1977, the council had been based at the Old Town Hall on Yorkshire Street, which had been completed in 1841.


Coat of arms

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

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.


Honours

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, William Schofield, Charles Ward,
Marjory Lees Marjory Lees (9 September 1878 – 11 May 1970) was a British suffragist and local politician. Lees was active in the local women's movement in Oldham, Greater Manchester where she became the honorary secretary of the local branch of the National ...
, 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.


Notable recent achievements

* 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. * Oldham was ‘Most Improved Council’ at the Local Government Chronicle awards in 2012. * 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. * Council Leader, Jim McMahon was named ‘Leader of the Year’ at the C’llr Achievement Awards in February 2014. * Oldham was ‘highly commended’ at the LGC Council of the Year awards for the top prize in 2014.


Oldham child sexual exploitation scandal

In June 2022, an independent review into
child sexual exploitation Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) defines the "umbrella" of crimes and activities that involve inflicting sexual abuse on to a child as a financial or personal opportunity. Commercial Sexual Exploitation consists of forcing a chil ...
in Greater Manchester was published. It had been expanded to cover Oldham following claims that widespread child sexual exploitation had been covered up in the city. The report found there was no "widespread" abuse in the city and no evidence of a cover-up, but that some child sexual abuse victims had been failed by
Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
and the council itself because "child protection procedures had not been properly followed". The review also found the council had done "everything possible" to warn people of the threat of child sexual exploitation, "consistently attempted" to address the problem, and were supported in these efforts by Greater Manchester Police. Among the failings reported, the review found that police had not notified the council that Shabir Ahmed, seconded to the Oldham Pakistani Centre from his role as a welfare rights officer, had previously been arrested for sexual assault of a child. Ahmed was subsequently convicted as the ringleader of a "grooming gang". The review also found a "structural flaw" in the authority's multi-agency safeguarding processes meant that some offenders were "not being apprehended earlier".
Andy Burnham Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British politician who has served as Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017 Greater Manchester mayoral election, 2017. He served in Gordon Brown's Brown ministry, Cabinet as Chief Secretary to th ...
, the
Mayor of Greater Manchester The mayor of Greater Manchester is the directly elected metro mayor, mayor of Greater Manchester, responsible for strategic governance in the region that includes health, transport, housing, strategic planning, waste management, policing, the G ...
(
Labour and Co-operative Party Labour and Co-operative Party (often abbreviated to Labour Co-op; ) is a description used by candidates in United Kingdom elections who stand on behalf of both the Labour Party and the Co-operative Party. Candidates contest elections under an el ...
) who commissioned the report, said, "It is never too late to face up to past mistakes, to say sorry to those who were failed nor to prosecute those responsible for appalling crimes against children and young people". The council and Greater Manchester Police said they were "deeply sorry" for the failings. In October 2022, the
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Minister for Safeguarding,
Amanda Solloway Amanda Jane Solloway (née Edghill, 6 June 1961) is a British politician who served as Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from September 2022 to July 2024 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Affordability and Skills from February 202 ...
, rejected calls for a national public inquiry, saying it was for local authorities to initiate local inquiries. In October 2024,
Jess Phillips Jessica Rose Phillips (; born 9 October 1981) is a British politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Yardley since 2015. A member of the Labour Party, she has served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for S ...
, Labour's safeguarding minister, also rejected a Home Office-led inquiry but supported a local inquiry. In 2025, Conservative opposition leader
Kemi Badenoch Olukemi Olufunto Adegoke Badenoch (' Adegoke; born 2 January 1980) is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservati ...
and others called for a national public inquiry in Oldham. The chair of the
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in England and Wales was an inquiry examining how the country's institutions handled their Duty of care in English law, duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse. It was announced ...
, Professor Alexis Jay, said the government should implement the previous recommendations she had published in 2022, saying victims had "had enough of inquiries, consultations and discussions" and wanted "action" instead. Home Secretary
Yvette Cooper Yvette Cooper (born 20 March 1969) is a British politician who has served as Home Secretary since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, Cooper has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), member of parliament (MP) for Po ...
announced a government-backed Oldham inquiry, and a nationwide review of evidence, on 16 January 2025.


See also

* Oldham local elections


References


External links


The review into historic safeguarding practices in Oldham (2022)
{{Authority control Metropolitan district councils of England Local authorities in Greater Manchester Leader and cabinet executives Local education authorities in England Billing authorities in England 1974 establishments in England
Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...