Zahid Chauhan – Neil Wilby Media

Top cop set to address his local council today

A few weeks after he took over as District Commander in October last year, Chief Superintendent Chris Bowen delivered a powerful – and welcome – speech to a Full Council meeting in Oldham’s civic chamber (read in full here). This, in essence, is what he promised Greater Manchester Police would deliver in the Borough as hisContinue reading “Top cop set to address his local council today”

To the bitter end

A long-running, bitterly fought legal battle is set to reach a conclusion at the Royal Courts of Justice in London next month, writes Neil Wilby. In a High Court judgment handed down in February, 2022 a Conservative Party activist from Oldham, Greater Manchester was found to have harassed and libelled a long-serving, well known andContinue reading “To the bitter end”

‘Not our business’ says beleaguered council

A public question submitted to Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council on 16th May, 2022, by a well known local businessman and popular community champion, Tahir Mushtaq, has been rejected by the department which manages the process, Constitutional Services. This is the full text of what was submitted to the Council: “Please ask this question of CllrContinue reading “‘Not our business’ says beleaguered council”

Controversial ex-councillor may to be removed as candidate in 2022 election

Politics in East Lancashire is rarely dull and today is no exception. Following publication overnight of the list of candidates who will contest the local elections in Oldham next month, an objection to one of them has already been raised with the Returning Officer, Harry Catherall. Section 80 of the Local Government Act 1972 statesContinue reading “Controversial ex-councillor may to be removed as candidate in 2022 election”

Leading Tory activist faces up to £200,000 costs and damages after High Court defeat

In a detailed High Court judgment handed down on 3rd February, 2022, following hearings held at the Royal Courts of Justice in April and October, 2021, Master Victoria McLeod found that Khazir Rehman, 36, of Oldham, Greater Manchester had harassed and seriously defamed a pillar of his local community, Cllr Riaz Ahmad (read full detailsContinue reading “Leading Tory activist faces up to £200,000 costs and damages after High Court defeat”

Disgraced Tory activist faces agonising wait to learn his fate

Elsewhere on this website, on 3rd February, 2022, it was exclusively revealed that former Oldham Councillor, Khazir Rehman, had failed to defend a libel and harassment claim brought against him by sitting councillor and former close-working colleague, Cllr Riaz Ahmad (read full article here). In an excoriating judgement, dated 26th December, 2021, but delivered toContinue reading “Disgraced Tory activist faces agonising wait to learn his fate”

Number of candidates set to contest Oldham elections drops to 95

With the local elections in the East Lancashire mill town less than three weeks away, the statutory list of wards, candidates, and their proposers and seconders, has been published by Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (see here). There are twenty wards in the Borough, and the Council, as part of its Publication Scheme, provides impressive in-depthContinue reading “Number of candidates set to contest Oldham elections drops to 95”