Mixed Results In Saddleworth As Labour Wins In Oldham

The next leader of Oldham Council, Labour's Jim McMahon, pictured at the count at the Queen Elizabeth Hall last night.

The three Saddleworth wards on Oldham Council were won by three different parties, as Labour regained overall control of the borough for the first time since 2008.

The biggest shock of the night was in Saddleworth West and Lees, where Labour’s Adrian Alexander unseated Lib Dem Cabinet member Brian Lord.

The Lib Dems also lost Saddleworth South to Conservative Graham Sheldon, but Derek Heffernan clung on to Saddleworth North by just 17 votes over Independent Ken Hulme.

Across the borough, Labour took a total of five seats from the Lib Dems, and a further two from the Conservatives. Adding in the Tory victory in Saddleworth South, the state of the parties is now Labour with 34 seats, the Lib Dems on 21, with four Conservatives and one independent.

Lib Dems blamed the unpopularity of the national coalition for the party’s poor set of results, announced at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the early hours. Cllr Lord, who was later re-elected to Saddleworth Parish Council, said: “We got punished really for what’s gone on nationally.”

Cllr Lord, who saw his majority of 824 from four years ago turned into a deficit of 140, added: “I won all the Saddleworth boxes, but I got walloped in Lees. So there’s not a lot you can do about that.”

Cllr Brian Lord with his wife Pat, who was also returned as a parish councillor.

After serving in a high-pressure role in the council’s Cabinet, Cllr Lord also commented: “It will give me some time to have for myself and my wife. I’ve put 40 to 50 hours a week in for the last three years, so now I probably don’t know what the hell I’ll be doing!”

Outgoing council leader Howard Sykes added that he “wasn’t surprised” by the outcome. He said: “Despite our vigorous and positive campaign, which focused on our record of achievement since May 2008, anti-government sentiment was strong and punching our successful message through, proved a tall order.”

Cllr Sykes added: “Despite the result, the Lib Dems remain upbeat and committed, secure in the knowledge that we leave behind a borough and a council in much better health than when we found it.”

The next leader of Oldham Council will be Labour’s Jim McMahon, who at the age of just 30 will be the youngest council leader in the country. He said he felt “humble” at the prospect of leading the borough.

Cllr McMahon said: “I’m pleased at the result, but we’ve now got quite a daunting task in front of us, which is to steer the council and the borough through some of the worst cuts in the borough’s history.”

He added: “What we can say is that we’ll speak to people, we’ll listen to people, and we’ll make sure that any budget settlement is driven by our values, which is about fairness and looking after the most vulnerable.”

Cllr McMahon revealed there would be a review of the Lib Dem decision to close respite and daycare centres for elderly people, saying he was “confident” that could be reversed. He promised an emergency budget in July, with proposals including cutting the council’s press and communications team and layers of management, as well as councillors’ allowances.

Listen to Cllr McMahon speaking to reporters at the count here:

The most tightly-fought contest of the night was Saddleworth North, and it ended in personal triumph for Cllr Heffernan. He had almost been deselected by his own party last year, but after his planned replacement changed his mind about standing, Cllr Heffernan returned to secure another four years on the council.

He narrowly saw off the challenge of his old sparring partner Cllr Hulme following a hard-fought campaign and two recounts. Cllr Heffernan said he was pleased to have retained his borough seat, but added he was “very sad” that colleagues including Cllr Lord wouldn’t be rejoining him at the Civic Centre.

He commented: “It is about keeping on the work I’ve been doing, and that I enjoy doing, and I intend to go on doing for the next four years.”

You can hear more from Derek Heffernan here:

However, Cllr Hulme, who was also later re-elected to the parish, was left fuming by what he described as a “dirty campaign” by the Lib Dems. The Independent warned that he would consider taking action about leaflets circulated in the last few days, which included articles focusing on the Labour connections of Cllr Hulme and some other Independents.

He said: “The level of the leaflets they put out, the comments they made in Saddleworth News and the Oldham Chronicle, was diabolical. I was really saddened by that. I’m afraid it shows that dirty politics work, and we had nothing to do with dirty politics.”

Cllr Hulme continued: “Some of the material were absolutely deceptive, some of them contained downright untruths. It smacked of desperation. From the e-mails I’ve had and the discussions I’ve had with people, clearly it will have affected more than 17.”

He added: “I don’t think the result has respect or credibility. We will be looking at that further. There will be action. We’re going to have a good sleep, but we’ve already decided we’re taking action, we’re not going to have that sort of politics, and that’s got to be stamped out.”

To listen to Cllr Hulme and his fellow Independent Nicola Kirkham speaking after the count, click below:

Defending the Lib Dems’ decision to make the Labour links of Independents an issue in the campaign, Cllr Lord said: “I wasn’t impressed with known party supporters trying to masquerade as Independents. That is wrong. They’ve fooled the public, and it simply isn’t on.”

Meanwhile, in Saddleworth South, there was victory at last for Uppermill sub-postmaster Graham Sheldon. After coming close in the past, this time the Conservative comfortably saw off Lib Dem Phil Renold, who was standing in place of the retiring Christine Wheeler.

The other seats to change hands in the borough included Waterhead, where another Lib Dem Cabinet member, Kay Knox, was defeated. Labour also made gains from the Lib Dems in Coldhurst, Hollinwood and St James, while they took Chadderton Central and Chadderton North from the Conservatives.

You can read the Saddleworth News liveblog of the count as it happened by clicking here.

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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