Neil Wilby Media

The grim outfall from the latest controversial Full Council meeting in Oldham Metropolitan Borough continues unabated.

It has already spawned three Neil Wilby Media articles and this fourth is unlikely to be the last: The first was headlined ‘Rookie councillor told: I hope your son gets raped and dies’ and, in short, told of a meeting suspended twice by the Mayor, Dr Zahid Chauhan OBE, amidst scenes, yet again in this civic chamber, of public disorder (read full article here).

The councillor to whom that comment was made, the Conservative elected Member for the Hollinwood ward, Cllr Kamran Ghafoor, now faces at least one complaint to the Council’s Standards Committee over his use of what is alleged to be ‘inappropriate language’ during his maiden speech in a debate over land for a Muslim-only cemetery.

The extenuating, and indeed extreme, circumstances will, doubtless, be taken into account by those assessing and determining the complaint but, viewed objectively, it is not a good look for a Council that is now notorious, nationwide, for all the wrong reasons.

Cllr Ghafoor, a popular local businessman born and bred in Oldham, who is also Deputy Leader of the local Conservative Group, has been offered the usual courtesy of right of reply.

The other two articles featured a ‘who said what’ spat between the Council Leader, Cllr Arooj Shah, and nationally known child sexual exploitation campaigner and charity founder, Maggie Oliver, which appeared to be resolved (read more here and here) until the appearance of an email from the Charity boss to a notorious, unemployed Tameside-based Conspiracy theorist, Raja Miah, which raises more serious questions (read here).

UPDATE: Cllr Ghafoor did not acknowledge the email sent to him inviting a response.

Follow Neil Wilby on Twitter (here) and Neil Wilby Media on Facebook (here) for signposts to any updates.

Page last updated: Monday 17th July, 2023 at 18h25

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Picture credit: Oldham Council

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