The founder of Homeless Friendly and leading activist, Cllr Zahid Chauhan OBE, is promising to reunite the people of his home town and restore peace across the borough ahead of becoming Oldham’s new Mayor.
This commitment comes after another turbulent local election in the town earlier this month, which saw the council lose its third leader in as many years.
Preparing to don the borough’s prestigious chains and robes for the first time at a council meeting on Wednesday, the well-respected local GP says he is ready to play his part in bringing the people of Oldham closer together.
“The last few years have been very difficult,” admitted Cllr Chauhan, who has served as a councillor in the Alexandra Ward since 2013.
“The discussion of Oldham online has become so divisive and toxic, and it has devastated our town.
“This is partly because of the narrative we see nationally, but it is also a result of the sheer hate being spread across social media and it is truly upsetting to see because Oldham is such a loving and generous community.
“Anyone who lives here will tell you it is a place where we all do our best to support and look after one another.
“I am really eager, as Mayor, to highlight these true qualities and I look forward to meeting with our residents, helping to restore their pride in Oldham and bringing everyone together.”
Cllr Chauhan’s credentials as a social justice campaigner, and a champion in tackling the challenges faced by people who are homeless, already stand him in good stead for the role he hopes to play.
In 2019 he received an OBE from Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his charitable work and two years later he was honoured as a change-maker for housing and homelessness by the Big Issue, which shows his commitment to putting the needs of others first.
He has also been a long-term campaigner on issues of equality and led a successful petition for the work of Jean Purdy and Sister Muriel Harris being officially recognised at the Royal Oldham Hospital for their central work in the world’s first test tube babe in the 1980s.
In another change to Mayoral traditions, Cllr Chauhan has also decided to replace prayers before official council meetings with inspirational stories and poems about Oldham.
“The Mayoral chains aren’t just for show,” Cllr Chauhan added.
“They are worn to signify what it means to represent this borough and every resident who lives here, no matter your background or religion.
“That’s why I would much rather use the time before official meetings, not for me, but as a platform to remind everyone of our many inspiring local achievements and to strengthen our civic pride.”
On Sunday 28th May, 2023 Cllr Chauhan will lead a procession as the new Mayor through Oldham town centre before attending a formal Civic Service at Oldham Parish from 10.30am.
Here, Cllr Chauhan will be officially invested as honorary church warden for his year of office, and he is excited to invite all members of the public to attend the service.
“This ceremony is a special moment for everyone in the town, not just me.
“So come along and begin this journey with me as we bring the people of Oldham back together as one.”
The practitioner is a man of firsts too, having organised the world’s first Covid-19 vaccination clinic for those dealing with homelessness during the pandemic.
Keen to continue leading by his own example, the impending Mayor now plans to become the first Mayor in the UK to organise his own charitable cause to grant the wishes of local residents.
In a change to the Mayor’s traditional approach of supporting a select number of charities to with donations, Cllr Chauhan is changing things up and is set to launch ‘Truly Wished’ in the coming weeks to aid his efforts in making as big of an impact as possible on the lives of locals.
“I want to make my time as Mayor less about gold chains and cutting ribbons, and more about giving as much as I can back to the people of this great town because I am here to serve them,” said Cllr Chauhan, who is particularly keen to support residents in hardship and those most deserving of something special.
“Sadly, we all know of someone who has either experienced real difficulty, or someone who deserves the chance to experience something special in their life – especially at a time when people are struggling with the cost of living.
“That is why, in a change to tradition, I will be giving all the money I raise as Mayor directly back to the people by making as many of their wishes come true as I can.”
In the coming weeks, residents will be invited to nominate someone they know in Oldham, who they think deserves to have a wish granted.
Every nomination must explain why the person was nominated, what their wish would be and how it would make a difference to that person’s life.
Examples could include someone who has raised a large amount for charity, a person who is really struggling and is deserving of a long overdue pick me up, or someone who cares for the needs of others before their own.
All wishes up to a maximum value of £500 will be eligible for consideration, with the final decision on which ones are granted being made by the borough’s Mayoral Committee.
True to his selfless character, Cllr Chauhan will be donating his full allowance as Mayor – £16,495 – to the cause, while he has already gathered early support for his ‘Truly Wished’ cause from some local businesses.
Residents can contribute to making someone’s wish come true too by donating directly to the Mayor’s Charity appeal which will be used to fund ‘Truly Wished’.
For more information on how you can do this and for further details on ‘Truly Wished’, visit http://www.trulywished.org.
On Sunday 28th May, 2023 Cllr Chauhan will lead a procession as the new Mayor through Oldham town centre before attending a formal Civic Service at Oldham Parish from 10.30am.
Here, Cllr Chauhan will be officially invested as honorary church warden for his year of office, and he is excited to invite all members of the public to attend the service.
“This ceremony is a special moment for everyone in the town, not just me.
“So come along and begin this journey with me as we bring the people of Oldham back together as one.”
A significant proportion of the toxicity to which the incoming Mayor refers emanates from a notorious, unemployed, Tameside-based conspiracy theorist, Raja Miah, whose controversial and mostly troubling output on his various social media platforms – styled as Recusant Nine – is regarded as the cause of much hate and division in the neighbouring Borough of Oldham.
Dr Chauhan is currently the claimant in a High Court defamation action which Bradford-born Miah, 50, appears on the available evidence certain to lose and, potentially he says, face financial ruin (read more here).
Miah claims that there is a ‘cross-party boycott’ by councillors planned for today’s Mayor-making ceremony. That is not supported by definitive statements obtained from the Labour and Liberal Democrat Leaders on Oldham Council. The Conservatives did not respond to the same press request which, essentially, sought knowledge of such a boycott.
Follow Neil Wilby on Twitter (here) and Neil Wilby Media on Facebook (here) for signposts to any updates.
Page last updated: Wednesday 24th May, 2023 at 1005 hours
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