Neil Wilby Media

A turbulent period for the ruling Labour Group on Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council is set to continue after they were called out earlier this week over a fake Pledge that features prominently on their website.

On a page titled ‘We’re Building A Better Oldham’ and under a section headed ‘Putting Residents First’ this is the second of three Pledges:

“Holding senior officers to account for the treatment residents get from Oldham Council and improving customer service.”

But on all the copious evidence gathered since the last local elections in May, 2023 by the author of this article, Neil Wilby, there is no such holding to account of senior officers. Nor, it seems, is their any real intention to do so by their political masters.

Indeed, one of the worst culprits in terms of poor service, ineptitude and opacity is the Council Leader, Cllr Arooj Shah: Emails routinely go unanswered, press requests for statements ignored, right of reply to articles highlighting serious wrongdoing spurned. Almost non-existent ethical and professional standards amongst the paid officer leadership team, and institutionalised, large-scale law-breaking, is now normalised under her purported leadership (read more about the latter here).

She counteracts such well-aimed criticism with a simple, if controversial, media strategy which can be read, in less than five seconds, here. It also explains, to a significant extent, why Oldham has such an appalling reputation as either a ‘bandit’ or ‘cover-up’ Council. Described by one national news broadcaster as ‘Odious Oldham’.

The Leader of neighbouring Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council, Shabir Pandor, resigned over much less, in July this year, after more than half of his own Labour councillors turned on him, ahead of a planned ‘no-confidence’ vote. The BBC reported this insider’s view at the time:

“Different councillors will have come to their conclusions [on voting for a change of Leader] for different reasons.

“One of the factors that will have pushed them over the edge is that there has been a sense for quite a while that it has been time for a fresh start.”

The council’s leadership had been “too distant”, with a “lack of accountability and poor communication”, the BBC’s source added.

“There’s a real determination to show a new face – the Labour Party has changed nationally and also needs to change locally to be more accountable and transparent,”

Almost every single word of that report applies in Oldham: A Council so very badly in need of change to a model of accountability and transparency. Cllr Shah attempting to set a world record for glammed-up photo-shoots, and mealy mouthed platitudes, is no substitute for either.

But, in a post-shame generation of politicians who rely on getting Oldhamers to see anything they want them to see, why bother trying to unify and inspire all those you are supposed to serve, when dividing them into haves and have-nots is so much more beneficial, personally ?

On 8th November, 2023, an email was sent to the Oldham Labour Group, its Secretary being rookie councillor, Josh Charters, whom. since May has represented the St James’ ward, having failed to be elected elsewhere in the Borough on a number of occasions.

The significance, importance and wider implications likely to flow from that email cannot be overstated:

“Oldham Labour Group is offered the standard courtesy of right of reply to the below article, published a few minutes ago:

“https://neilwilby.com/2023/11/08/bandit-council-defies-parliament-almost-every-working-day/

“If OLG can provide documented evidence of holding senior paid Council officers to account, as per your election pledge, then I would be happy to update the article and include them.

“A statement concerning the consistent turning of blind eyes by the Labour administration, and its Leader, to law-breaking on a quite horrendous scale would also be very welcome”.

The email was not even acknowledged. Setting aside the familiar disrespect and discourtesy, more crucially, no evidence of Labour holding Oldham Council’s senior paid officers has been provided and, surprise, surprise, no statement from the head in the sand Council Leader.

In that light, there is little to add to this particular saga other than to take up the matter with Labour’s Regional Executive and their National Constitutional Committee; the Electoral Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority. The latter with the intention of providing further support to their ambition to see political advertising appropriately regulated (read more here).

In the meantime, a personal message from the author of this article, Neil Wilby, to Arooj Shah, with words borrowed from Jim Rohn:

“Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems; wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge; wish for more wisdom”.

As for the other thirty one Labour councillors in Oldham, there is also a collective message for you, too:

“Your neighbouring counterparts in Kirklees had the bottle and, more crucially, a deep sense of public service, to oust a Labour Council Leader whom, put most kindly, had clearly lost his way. You are urged to look inward, both individually and as a group, and, if you do not come to the same conclusion over Cllr Shah, please consider whether sitting on Oldham Council is the right thing for you to continue doing”.

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

Page last updated: Sunday 4th June, 2023 at 1105 hours

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