Three Saddleworth Lib Dems Given Shadow Roles
Cllr John McCann
Former Oldham Council leader Howard Sykes has revealed his shadow Lib Dem team for the coming year, and there are three Saddleworth councillors in it.
Two are in the Shadow Cabinet, with John McCann given the Housing, Transport and Regeneration brief, while Barbara Beeley takes Co-operatives and Community Development. Derek Heffernan is made Deputy Shadow Cabinet member for Finance and Human Resources.
Cllr Sykes made the announcement after he was re-elected by the borough’s Lib Dems as the party’s leader in Oldham, despite their disappointing showing in the election earlier this month. The Lib Dems lost six of the nine seats they were defending, as Labour took control of the council for the first time since 2008.
Cllr McCann, who lives in Dobcross and represents Saddleworth South, will be shadowing the post he held during the last administration.
Springhead-based Cllr Beeley lost her Parish Council seat in the election held on the same day as the borough vote, but she remains an Oldham councillor for Saddleworth West and Lees. She brings her experience as Chair of the Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership to the Co-operatives and Communities job.
Cllr Howard Sykes speaks to reporters on election night.
Cllr Derek Heffernan, from Austerlands, clung on to his Saddleworth North seat by just 17 votes on polling day, and he’ll focus particularly on the finance aspect of his new role.
In a statement e-mailed to Saddleworth News, Cllr Sykes commented: “I believe that an essential part of our role over the next 12 months is to act as a responsible opposition on Oldham Council and, I can assure the citizens of this borough that the Liberal Democrat Group intends to take that responsibility extremely seriously.”
He added: “”I am proud therefore to announce my Shadow Cabinet for 2011/12 secure in the knowledge that they will use the experience they have gained over many years and especially the last three years to ensure that, on behalf of the citizens of this borough, the new administration is properly held to account.”
Cllr Jackie Stanton remains Lib Dem deputy leader. The duo were re-elected unopposed by their fellow Lib Dem councillors.
You can read about Labour leader Jim McMahon’s nominations for his new Cabinet here.
Following Cllr Ian Barker’s decision to switch back to the Conservatives from being an Independent, the state of the parties on Oldham Council is: Labour 34, Liberal Democrats 21, Conservatives five. The first meeting of the new full council takes place on Wednesday night.
The full archive of Saddleworth News stories about the 2011 Oldham Council election is here.
The list of jobs revealed by Cllr Sykes is:
SHADOW CABINET
Howard Sykes, Leader, External Relations, AGMA and Democracy
Jackie Stanton, Deputy Leader, Adult Social Services and Health
Mohammed Masud, Partnerships and Commissioning
Barbara Beeley, Co-operatives and Community Development
John McCann, Housing, Transport and Regeneration
Lynne Thompson, Finance and Human Resources
Mark Alcock, Children, Young People, Families, Leisure and Culture
Rod Blyth, Neighbourhoods
DEPUTY SHADOW CABINET
Phil Holley, Deputy for Housing, Transport and Regeneration
Derek Heffernan, Deputy for Finance and Human Resources (Finance focus)
Roger Hindle, Deputy for Adult Social Services and Health (Health focus)
Diane Williamson, Deputy for Neighbourhoods
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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