Oldham now looking for a new Council leader plus the full local election results

Former Oldham Council leader Arooj Shah

With the departure of former Oldham Council Leader Arooj Shah from the Chadderton South ward last night, a seat won by Conservative candidate Robert Barnes with a margin of 96 votes, a new leader must be selected.

This is the second consecutive year that the Oldham Labour Council Leader was ousted at the local elections.

Cllr Shah’s result was a major blow for the ruling Labour party on an otherwise positive night, but intense questions are now sure to follow as the loss of Cllr Shah’s seat.

She was first elected as a Councillor for St Mary’s Ward in 2012 and selected as Cabinet Member for Performance and Corporate Governance, with responsibility for key campaigns and communications, in that same year. Cllr Shah was then confirmed as leader of the council last May.

Overall, the turnout across Oldham was 32.91-per-cent, which was higher than a number of other Greater Manchester Boroughs.

An announcement of who will be Oldham's new Council Leader is esxpected early next week.

The full elecion results can be viewed here

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