Neil Wilby Media

Two Neil Wilby Media articles, published in quick succession in mid-April this year, proved several things: An Oldham councillor was a liar and a bully with little regard for the formal duties and responsibilities that come with elected office (read more here and here).

During what was, in a field of plenty, the Borough’s most controversial election campaign ever those thoroughly researched pieces of investigative journalism did not attract the attention they, perhaps, warranted.

They did, however, bring forth repeated legal threats, couched in unpleasant and derogatory terms, from Cllr Marc Hince (pictured front centre in grey suit) in an attempt to prevent them reaching the public domain. They were duly faced down and, of course, the court claims never materialised.

Cllr Hince, whom represents the Shaw ward on beleaguered Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, has since been swamped with further controversy, and wider press attention, over the wearing of a Nazi uniform with multiple insignia and a ‘secret’ deal with the Leader of the Council, Cllr Arooj Shah (pictured on left of centre wearing brown jacket) and her chief executive, Harry Catherall, that entered the public domain by way of a covert recording of a meeting at Oldham Civic Centre.

The end result of that meeting was Cllr Hince giving the voting support necessary to keep the Leader in power, a seat on the Labour front bench in the civic chamber and the coveted post of Chair of OMBC Planning Committee. 

For two reasons, neither of those stories were covered by Neil Wilby, usually at the forefront of any Oldham political scandal: Mainly, due to incapacity following an exceptionally painful wisdom tooth removal, and its aftermath, and, secondly, from information flowing in from a strong network of contacts, and a knowledge bank built up over four years of intensive reporting in Oldham, there was doubtless much more to those two farragos than at first met the eye. 

By way of background to the Nazi issue, Cllr Shah also held the post, throughout the past municipal year, of Equality Lead in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. But she was repeatedly exposed by Neil Wilby Media as being completely unfit to hold such office. One gaffe might be excusable, two would start to raise doubts, but more than five is a resignation matter for anyone with a shred of integrity or responsibility (read more here).

Cllr Shah was in her first spell as Leader of the Council when, in April 2022, Marc Hince posted on Facebook: “You couldn’t make it up, but I suppose I should feel honoured. LibDems are claiming I’m a Labour supporter whilst Labour are going around telling everyone I’m a fascist”. 

It is a matter of record that Cllr Shah lost her Chadderton South seat and the Leadership around two weeks later following a grotesque smear campaign orchestrated by an unemployed, Tameside-based conspiracy theorist, Raja Miah. Her arch-enemy.

The same Raja Miah (pictured below left) who launched, and managed, the smear campaign that saw Marc Hince finally elected onto Oldham Council in 2023, after years of failure at the polls. He was a founder member of a group that became known as The Rabble (or Raja’s Rabble) whom relentlessly marauded social media, trolling and harassing any pro-Labour sentiment.

Miah and Hince fell out soon afterwards over claims that the latter had promised the former a substantial amount of money as a reward. That fee, allegedly running into thousands of pounds, remains unpaid.

Given those circumstances, most residents of Oldham Borough would find it remarkable that twelve months later Cllr Hince held the political future of Cllr Shah and Oldham Labour in the palm of his hands – and was able to extract a grubby, self-serving deal with the very people he was elected to oppose by his Shaw ward constituents.

Since the Hince Nazi uniform picture was circulated widely on social media, and then picked up by the local and regional press (the Daily Mail was offered the story but didn’t run it), more damaging revelations of the same genre have emerged:

A press release issued on 30th May, 2024 by a fellow Shaw and Crompton Parish Council Member, Cllr Tom Penketh reads thus:

“The conduct of Councillor Marc Hince has sparked intense scrutiny and controversy in Shaw and Crompton due to recent revelations.  Images portraying Councillor Hince in a Nazi uniform have surfaced, compounding the situation.  Despite attempting to excuse the uniform as a past fancy dress choice, his recent use of the phrase “sieg heil” during a Town Council meeting has elicited significant shock and outrage.

“Councillor Tom Penketh, who sits on Shaw and Crompton Town Council, condemned Councillor Hince’s actions, stating, “What I witnessed in the meeting that night was disgusting and an insult to the people of our town and country as a whole. An elected councillor has used a Nazi phrase, which praises Hitler, and tried to laugh it off.”

Cllr Penketh, a Liberal Democrat, added, “We have a strong community of veterans in Shaw and Crompton, both through our British Legion branch and the veterans located at The Cartshaft.  I wonder how they feel after Cllr Hince’s abhorrent behaviour?  There is no place for fascist beliefs in our country, let alone our town. It is clear to me people are starting to see the real Marc Hince, and as the saying goes, a leopard never changes its spots!  Cllr Hince should publicly apologise and resign immediately”

To add to that horror show, Neil Wilby Media has been provided with a series of video clips that depict Cllr Hince in racist settings and, seemingly, wearing a ‘For Britain’ lapel badge, indicating association with, or support of, the disgraced far-right political party.

There is also a video clip in which he likens Neil Wilby, and his journalism, to the work of Joseph Goebbels, the infamous Nazi propagandist. Criticism of any reporter’s output, frequently in unflattering terms, is regarded as fair game, and an integral part of both the job and a reader’s right to freedom of expression. But the comparison to one of the most infamous Nazi leaders is completely unacceptable and, moreover, provides added fuel to the Nazi sympathiser fire (view YouTube clip at 27m os here).

If he had a shred of decency, which on all available evidence, is sadly lacking, Cllr Hince should make today (31st May, 2024) his last day in public office.

He should be joined through the exit door by Arooj Shah and Harry Catherall whose willingness, and enthusiasm, to do business with such an individual also leaves their own positions as untenable.

All three were offered the standard courtesy of right to reply. None took up the invitation. 

The UK Labour Party press office, and its North-West Regional Office, has also been approached for comment. Not least in the light of Keir Starmer’s alleged zero-tolerance approach to anti-semitism. They, too, offered no reponse.

The Leader of the Oldham Liberal Democrats declined to comment when asked.

Raja Miah is similarly silent over the racist councillor for whose election to Oldham Council he was almost entirely responsible. 

UPDATE: Shortly after this article was published, Cllr Hince issued this statement:

“It’s been just over a week since the full council meeting at OMBC. Since then both me and my family have been subject to a horrendous campaign of hate and abuse. This has caused serious distress to my wife and my young children, who unfortunately are not immune tis (sic) abuse.

“The campaign is systematic and has stopped at nothing to discredit me and portray me negatively even as a racist. For those who know me this is a total fabrication, designed to cause maximum impact on my person. I have always called out racism and believe strongly in social justice and equality. The two main factors why I put myself up for public office.

“The latest attacks involve releasing snippets from several satirical videos made between 2016/2019 as fictional UKIP election broadcasts and were shared privately at the time. Calling out the unsettling obsession UKIP had with immigrants and foreigners at the time.

“These videos have been sent to OMBC in full, who have concluded they have been made to make fun of the far right. We have a strong history of satire, and these videos were made in that vein.

“These were shared privately at the time and it’s no coincidence they have been released now and not the full versions. Ask yourself why?”

Cllr Kamran Ghafoor, Leader of The Oldham Group which now has five sitting councillors says:

“Again, this goes to show how desperate the Labour Party are to hold onto power. Offering anything under the sun to make sure they remain in control of Oldham Council.

“The issue is that, nor do they care about, the alleged background of the councillor propping up their administration, or for the communities of Oldham.

“This toxic and divisive politics needs to stop – the only thing that this Labour administration has achieved in the past year is to unite the rest of us against them.”

The Oldham Conservatives, in the form of their Facebook curator, Cllr Lewis Quigg, has also given the Council Leader, her chief executive and their New Best Friend a collective and public kicking:

“Will Keir Starmer intervene and clean up “a changed Labour?

“There has been only silence from Shah.

“Why has Greater Manchester’s Equalities Lead, Arooj Shah failed to condemn the EXTREME behaviour of her COALITION partner?

“Who at Oldham Council says all this is not a problem? Chief executive Harry Catherall or someone else?

“Will Council Leader Arooj Shah ditch Cllr Hince and show some REAL leadership?

“Or is it a case of history repeating itself? Just like the anti-LGBT leaflets in her St Mary’s ward, will she just simply turn a blind eye?”

A public protest is planned for Wednesday 5th June, 2024 when the Planning Committee meets for the first time under the chairmanship of Cllr Hince. Amongst other questions to be asked are full public exposure of the ‘secret deal’ that saw him rewarded with a post that the protesters say he is entirely unfit to hold.  

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

Page last updated: Friday 31st May, 2024 at 2355 hours

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