Neil Wilby Media

Very arguably the worst-run and most wasteful local authority in the country has been named by at least two national media outlets, including the Daily Mirror, as being at risk of bankruptcy.

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council has debts of almost £700 million (read more here) and admitted a budget deficit last year of £27.9 million. By the end of the next financial year, it says, ‘the deficit could be over £45 million’.

The out-turn from a recent freedom of information request, made by a member of the public and passed to Neil Wilby Media, showed that two of the worst performing departments, (i) Legal Services and (ii) Strategy and Communications, run by two senior paid officers who would likely struggle to be employed anywhere else at the same level, Borough Solicitor Paul Entwistle and Assistant Chief Executive Shelley Kipling, have head counts of 55 and 53 and budgets of £4.004 million and £8.018 million respectively. 

Both those officers survive almost entirely due to the patronage of Council Leader, Cllr Arooj Shah. Who routinely overlooks the profligacy and rank inefficiency of both those senior officers to serve her own ends. Indeed, she is set to promote Mrs Kipling, the architect of the Council’s infamous media strategy (read more here) to Deputy Chief Executive when the present incumbent, Sayyed Osman, departs shortly (read more here). 

By contrast, Customer Services is manned by 46 staff with a budget of £2.184 million. Which might give Oldham taxpayers a clue as to where they stand in the overall scheme of things.

The next meeting of Oldham’s Full Council is on 28th February, 2024 when the Labour administration will put its 2024/2025 budget proposals to a vote. It promises to be a fiery session.

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

Page last updated: Wednesday 31st January, 2023 at 0855 hours

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