Mayor-making ceremony erupts into shouting match

A mayor-making ceremony erupted into a shouting match in Oldham council’s chambers. 

The authority’s new mayor, councillor Eddie Moores, peacefully took the reins from outgoing mayor Zahid Chauhan.

But while usually an uneventful formality to nominate the new mayors and deputy mayors, a dispute over the deputy mayorship caused tensions to rise, after bosses endorsed the nomination of independent councillor Brian Hobin. 

The nomination marked a break from convention, with deputy mayors usually decided through a points-based system that is supposed to ensure different political groups receive a proportional chance to make a nomination.

This year, the choice would have fallen to the Liberal Democrats after the group postponed their nomination last year.

This was to allow Mr Chauhan a second stint as mayor following the tragic death of his wife during his first term. 

Instead, Oldham bosses decided to dispense with the more than 50-year-old tradition to support the nomination of Failsworth independent Brian Hobin. 

The Lib Dems still put forward an alternative nominee, coun Alicia Marland, creating an unprecedented ‘deputy mayoral election race’.

Councillor Howard Sykes, leader of the Oldham Lib Dems, accused the council of ‘dragging the Office of the Mayor into a grubby power-sharing deal’. 

Coun Sykes said: “Last year we waived our right, so the outgoing mayor could do another year for very good reasons.

"We did the right thing back then, on the clear understanding it would be our turn this year.

"And now those with no honour are breaking their word.”

He suggested the nomination was made to ‘secure the support of the independents’ in an upcoming vote of no confidence. 

“I’ve nothing against Brian Hobin,” Coun Sykes said.

“But the only reason he’s been nominated today is because the Labour group needs his vote to stay in power.”

But the Failsworth and Crompton and Shaw independents spoke in support of the nomination.

Coun Neil Hindle claimed ‘times have changed’ and noted that the greater number of independents in the council meant it was ‘high time for an independent mayor’. 

It was noted during the meeting that under the points system, Oldham would have seen its first independent deputy mayor in around two years time. 

The council later erupted into a shouting match after mutual allegations of politicising the mayoral role were hurled between Labour and the Oldham Group.

Coun Shah claimed Oldham Group boss Kamran Ghafoor, who attempted to ‘overthrow’ the council leader at the same meeting, had ‘offered the mayorship to several different councillors’ to help him win votes.

Coun Ghafoor vehemently denied these allegations.

His bid for leadership failed. 

The hostile atmosphere caused members in the public gallery to leave, including the new mayor’s youngest family members.

Ultimately, the deputy mayorship was handed to Hobin after a narrow vote in his favour, making him Oldham’s first ever independent deputy mayor.

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