Neil Wilby Media

The managing director of the company that owns the Borough’s oldest newspaper, The Oldham Chronicle, was refused access to the allocated press area at a key Council budget meeting earlier this week.

Prior to the meeting, Matthew Ramsbottom, who runs the Credible Media Group,  had written to Shelley Kipling, the recently-appointed Oldham Council chief executive officer, raising a number of concerns on behalf of constituents.

Excerpts from the email were published by the Chronicle yesterday afternoon (6th March, 2025). That article can be read in full at this weblink. It appears from close reading of that article, and the published email in particular, that the newspaper boss was, actually, acting as a proxy for Raja Miah, a notorious grifter, grooming gang and Asian cartel conspiracy theorist (read more here). 

This is how Matt Ramsbottom describes the incident with the Council:

“It was clear that the purpose of the incident was to humiliate me in front of councillors, and council staff.

“I made my feelings clear that I was being humiliated.

“The doorman was extremely polite when asked who had given the order.

“I was informed it was Smyth Harper, a communications officer known to me, who insinuated he didn’t like our story earlier in the day.

“I accused him of being a bully and undemocratic, with the situation being an attack on UK free press.

“Thank goodness it was witnessed by staff, including a former member of my team that I trust.”

The Chronicle has formally requested an apology and has offered the Council the right to reply.

Now that Matt’s association with Raja Miah, whom for five years has refused every single entreaty from Neil Wilby Media to show his evidence of large scale grooming gangs operating in Oldham, with a conglomerate of Labour politicians (local, regional and national), senior paid council officers, an entire police force, partner agencies and journalists all turning a blind eye in order to facilitate block votes from Asian community leaders. is in the open, he will, rightly or wrongly, find a number of official doors slammed shut.

Whilst the issue may now be moot, it is believed that Matt doesn’t hold the necessary credentials that would allow him access to a press area on council premises, but he has been contacted to confirm that point. 

Neil Wilby, the author of this article says: “Matt is an affable man with the responsibility of keeping one of the town’s longest standing institutions afloat. Aligning himself with a persistent, mendacious liar and a notorious exploiter of elderly, vulnerable, disabled and plain gullible folk, over a long period of time, is not going to assist either him or his newspaper in the medium and long term.

“Nevertheless, if Matt has uncovered evidence that, in five long, exasperating years I’ve failed to bring to light, as one of the most feared investigators in the country, then I take my hat off to him”.

“But, without a trace of self-regard, I doubt that very much. The suspicion being that Matt is just the latest in a very long line of people taken in by ‘The Beggar’, only to find his evidence cupboard is bare”.

“For the avoidance, of doubt, I utterly condemn Oldham Council’s decision to escort a newspaper owner off their premises, simply because they take exception to an email, written in neutral tone, however uncomfortable its content might have been to the local authority’s decision-makers”.

Page last updated: Sunday 9th March, 2025 at 12h55

Photo Credits: Credible Media Group/Oldham Chronicle

Corrections: Please let me know if there is a mistake in this article. I will endeavour to correct it as soon as possible.

Right of reply: If you are mentioned in this article and disagree with it, please let me have your comments. Provided your response is not defamatory it will be added to the article.

© Neil Wilby 2015-2025. Unauthorised use, or reproduction, of the material contained in this article, without permission from the author, is strictly prohibited. Extracts from, and links to, the article (or blog) may be used, provided that credit is given to Neil Wilby, with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.