Arooj Shah survives leadership coup as opposition fails to seize control of Oldham Council

Wednesday, 21 May 2025 15:01

By Charlotte Hall

Arooj Shah speaking at Oldham Council meeting 21/05

A leadership challenge mounted against the leader of Oldham Council has failed after an explosive council meeting.

The council boss Arooj Shah faced off an attempted take-over by independent councillor Kamran Ghafoor, who leads The Oldham Group.

Coun Ghafoor, who represents Hollinwood, attempted to unite opposition groups to boot out the current cabinet, which is led by a minority Labour administration.

Speaking at a full council meeting on Wednesday, May 21, coun Ghafoor said: “This Labour administration doesn’t listen. Not to this chamber. Not to the residents. Not to the people they claim to serve. We are better suited to deal with the real issues facing Oldham than this tired, out-of-touch Labour administration.”

But Labour councillors called the challenge ‘a political stunt’ and accused Ghafoor of ‘unsavoury tactics’ to convince the independents supporting the administration to jump ship. Coun Ghafoor has denied these allegations.

Deputy Elaine Taylor said: “In reality, you have no pathway to govern and no plan to lead. This is just a political stunt. We’ve already heard about some of the unsavoury tactics. You have no policy suggestions, other than anti-Arooj. We have no idea what you stand for.”

The challenge failed when the Shaw & Crompton and Failsworth Independents voted with the 27-strong administration.

Following the outcome, coun Ghafoor hurled accusations of ‘betrayal’ at Brian Hobin and the whole chamber descended into shouting, allegations of dishonesty and insults.

The entire Oldham Group and some members of the Conservative party then stormed out of the chamber in protest.

Councillor Shah has been reinstated as council leader for 2025/26.

The leadership challenge echoed a similar bid made by a ‘rainbow alliance’ of independents, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats exactly a year ago. At the time boss coun Howard Sykes was proposed as leader, as he is the boss of Oldham’s Lib Dems, who were the biggest opposition group at the time. Yet the bid failed in a very similar vote, after the Shaw & Crompton and Failsworth Independents and the Labour group came to a ‘mutually beneficial agreement’. The independents agreed to back-up the administration during votes of no confidence and budgets in exchange for greater support for local projects and the CSE inquiry, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands.