Meet the candidates

ELECTION 2010

Oldham East and Saddleworth

Phil Woolas (Labour) 

The 50-year-old has been a Labour MP since 1997.

He is the Minister for Immigration and Borders and Minister for the North West and has previously served as Minister for Climate Change and Minister for Local Government. He is married with two children.


Elwyn Watkins (Liberal Democrat)

Born and bred in Rochdale, the 46-year-old now lives in Delph.

A former Rochdale councillor, he has worked for manufacturing businesses in Germany, the Middle East and the UK and as a business and financial adviser for a Saudi Arabian sheikh.


Kashif Ali (Conservative)

Born and brought up in Oldham, the 30-year-old barrister studied law at Oxford and Cambridge. A former law tutor at Manchester University, he was also deputy chairman of Manchester Conservatives.


David Bentley (UKIP)

The 55-year-old, of George Street, Shaw, runs an international air transport consulting and publishing business.

Born in Oldham, he was educated at Chadderton Grammar School and served as a parish councillor in Shaw in 2003/04 and has previously stood as a candidate in local elections for the Conservatives and as an Independent.


Alwyn Stott (BNP)

THE self-employed 64-year-old was born in Oldham and educated at St James School and Crompton Central and has lived in Shaw all his life.

He has always worked in the transport business, eventually starting his own haulage company.


Gulzar Nazir (The Christian Party)

The 41-year-old, who is married and has three sons, is a nurse and team leader at Avalon Park Nursing Home and has lived in Melling Road since 2002.

A life-long Roman Catholic, he has a keen interest in caring for the elderly, helping the community, mixing with local residents and spending time with his family.


Oldham West and Royton


Michael Meacher (Labour)

A Labour MP for Oldham since 1970, he served as a government minister in three different departments in the 1970s and was Environment Minister from 1997 until 2003.

The 70-year-old is married with four children.


Kamran Ghafoor (Conservative)

Mr Ghafoor (31) is a businessman with a property and petrol station portfolio who was a Labour councillor in Werneth for a year in 2003.

The 31-year-old is Oldham born and went to St Augustine’s RC School.


Mark Alcock (Liberal Democrat)

The 49-year-old grandfather lives in Shaw with his daughter.

He is an Oldham Borough councillor, holding the environment and infrastructure portfolio, and serves on Shaw and Crompton Parish Council.


David Joines (British National Party)

The Lancashire born 54-year-old, who now lives in Cheshire, is retired from the oil industry.

He has previously stood five times for the BNP in local elections and in the 2005 general election in South Derbyshire.


Shahid Miah (Respect)

The married father-of-two, from Oldham, is a journalist who owns the Bengali North West newspaper Jonosheba and is also a legal adviser.

It’s the first time the 31-year-old has stood for election.


Helen Roberts (UKIP)

The mother of two teenage boys, who lives in Wirral and works as a company accountant.

Because of her professional involvement with finances she is particularly interested in the economy and fully supports UKIP’s plans to improve the situation.


Ashton


David Heyes (Labour)

The 64-year-old has been MP for Ashton since 2001, the first time he stood, and was an Oldham councillor before that for 12 years.

He is married with two children and has lived in Failsworth for more than 40 years.


Paul Larkin (Liberal Democrat)

MR Larkin is a former Labour party member who turned to the Lib Dems.

The 34-year-old lives with wife Natasha and their two children.


Seema Kennedy (Conservative)

The 35-year-old was born and brought up in Blackburn and graduated from Cambridge University.

The mother of two boys, she is the director of a Lancashire-based family property company.


Angela McManus (UKIP)

The 32-year-old mother-of-two lives in Hyde and is a student nurse who is also a unit helper with the Brownies.

She became involved with politics because she was disillusioned by the way the country appeared to be heading and has stood previously in three local elections.


David Lomas (BNP)
The party’s Tameside organiser is from Droylsden and has stood previously for BNP in elections.

Catch up the with candidates at www.oldham-chronicle.co.uk/news-features/elections/