{"id":934776,"date":"2026-05-03T10:12:51","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T10:12:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/934776\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T10:12:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T10:12:51","slug":"sooner-or-later-someones-going-to-get-hurt-oldhams-election-is-going-to-be-messy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/934776\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Sooner or later someone’s going to get hurt’ – Oldham’s election is going to be messy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Big billboards are plastered across businesses in Oldham\u2019s central wards. Faces of smiling election candidates, draped in party colours or group logos, with \u2018Vote for me on May 7\u2019 messages printed large enough for drivers to read while weaving their way through densely parked-up avenues.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year feels a bit like it\u2019s election-by-billboard,\u201d one sitting councillor quips. \u201cRather than, you know, actually speaking to people on the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

The billboards are just one sign that the local elections are just days away. Next week, residents in Oldham<\/a> will select a third of their council by voting in one new representative in each of the twenty wards in the borough.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> for the latest on Greater Manchester’s politics in our newsletter.<\/strong><\/p>\n

And this year is set to be a tight race. Labour<\/a> and the Conservatives<\/a> popularity are waning nationally. Reform UK and the Greens are standing candidates in every area. And the presence of several strong independent groups in Oldham means vote shares could be split in up to seven ways in some wards.<\/p>\n

\"Oldham's<\/p>\n

Oldham’s new market on Parliament Square. (Image: Jason Roberts \/Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

\u201cI genuinely don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen,\u201d a Labour campaigner says, then rattles off thirteen potential \u2018battlegrounds\u2019 – more than half of the borough. The sentiment is echoed by one of Oldham\u2019s two biggest opposition groups. A Lib Dem source thinks if Labour are \u2018lucky\u2019 they\u2019ll lose two of their 27 councillors – but could lose up to 12. Labour currently still have the biggest group in the council, despite losing overall control in 2024.<\/p>\n

Reform is due to make further inroads in the Royton wards, Failsworth<\/a>, and parts of Chadderton<\/a>, while many of the previous Labour safe seats in the central wards with high Asian heritage populations now seem up for grabs. Even in Saddleworth<\/a>, traditionally Lib Dem and Conservative area, the picture is more complex this year.<\/p>\n

So, with tightly contested seats across the borough, every vote counts.<\/p>\n

But many people in Oldham are so fed up with local politics, they\u2019re not sure they\u2019ll even make the trip to the polling station.<\/p>\n

\"Many<\/p>\n

Many people the M.E.N. spoke to are too fed up with Oldham’s politics to vote. (Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t know if I\u2019m going to vote,\u201d Mohammed, 44, tells the Local Democracy Reporting Service. He\u2019s on a light jog around Alexandra Park and will only speak if we jog with him. \u201cThere\u2019s just so much fighting [between the candidates]. People are dragging up people\u2019s dirty laundry from the past and sharing it around families, in WhatsApp groups. And I do get it, everyone wants to know that the politicians representing you\u2019ve got good characters. But it\u2019s getting extreme, lots of families are getting involved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mohammed claims he witnessed campaigners from different political groups \u2018facing off\u2019 on the street outside his house in Glodwick – a situation that was only de-escalated when the community’s elders stepped in. Political groups in Oldham said they were unaware of this incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t come to blows,\u201d he said. \u201cBut sooner or later someone is going to get hurt in this election. Sometimes it feels like real gangland stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

And he\u2019s not the only one to feel jaded. Another man is sunning himself on a bench in the park. The 42-year-old looks relaxed, but his expression immediately sours at the mention of the election.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

Two locals in Alexandra Park described Oldha’s politics as dangerous. (Image: Liv Clarke)<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all frauds,\u201d he spat. \u201cI don\u2019t trust any of them. There\u2019s a few good ones, but the rest just turn up for their allowances.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man, born and raised in Alexandra, asked not to be named.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll get my windows smashed in, or my car set on fire. I\u2019m not joking, that\u2019s what\u2019s been going on,\u201d he explained. He plans to spoil his ballot, frustrated that nothing seems to get done in his local area.<\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve been asking for a Pelican crossing near the PureGym for years,” he said. “I see a lot of mothers cross there with their kids, and people turn in at speed. It\u2019s really dangerous. A kid was hit and killed further up the road just a few years ago. Seems like it takes someone dying for things to change.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just voters in the central wards who feel disillusioned by politics. Sarah Cotterill-Wareing, from Greenfield was on her way to the shops in Lees<\/a>, admits she stopped voting years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know my mum would tell me Emmeline Pankhurst is turning in her grave,\u201d the 50-year-old psychotherapist joked. \u201cThere\u2019s quite a lot of\u2026,\u201d she paused to look for a diplomatic word. \u201cPassionate people, shall we say. People can get quite aggressive when it comes to sharing their political views in Oldham. So I just don\u2019t get involved. I just hate that so many people seem to share stuff – like things they see on Facebook – when they don\u2019t have any factual basis for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Local<\/p>\n

Screenshot(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

But Julie, 59, and Pauline Warren, 82, think it’s time for a change. The mother-daughter duo hails from Lees, but speak to the M.E.N. in the town centre while waiting for a taxi.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just can\u2019t believe they\u2019re knocking all this down,\u201d Pauline said, gesturing to the Tommyfield Market, where they’ve just come from a spot of shopping at the last remaining outdoor stalls. \u201cAnd now they\u2019re digging up all the cobbles in the town centre AGAIN, which they keep doing. They dug the park up too. It\u2019s endless.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a pause, she adds: \u201cAnd there\u2019s too many foreigners.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if they thought that would influence their vote in the local election, Julie cuts in: \u201cNo. I think it\u2019s just flogging a dead horse to be honest. It\u2019s more the housing and parking. They\u2019re building a college here, but there\u2019s nowhere to park. They\u2019ve moved the market – but where can they park?\u201d<\/p>\n

Both are firm that they won\u2019t be voting Labour this time – despite having done so at previous elections. \u201cWe\u2019re going to give that Sonny Shah a go, from the Oldham Group,\u201d Julie said, before they dash off for their ride.<\/p>\n

Local elections have always been a bit of a temperature check for the national government. But the lines between local and national politics are becoming blurred, according to some voters.<\/p>\n

\"Roy<\/p>\n

Roy Willans and his dog Fudge. (Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

Roy Willans, 66, a retired draftsman from Hollinwood<\/a> cites pavement parking as one of his major local concerns – because of its impact on those on mobility scooters and wheelchairs. He\u2019s out walking his 13-year-old dog Fudge in a stroller and says his local council \u2018don\u2019t do bad\u2019 – but he\u2019s planning to vote Reform this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Conservatives and Labour have had their time, they\u2019re both the same. It\u2019s time for someone else to have a go. [Reform] might be terrible, they might be good. Either way, it\u2019s time to give them a shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the national issues rather than the local, for me. They all keep saying they\u2019re going to stop illegal immigration, but the numbers just keep rising. I get they need somewhere to go. I just don\u2019t understand why we\u2019re spending all this money on housing them – and then you see them trying to close down services like Chadderton Hall Park [adult day care centre], or people who can\u2019t afford their own care. The money is really tight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, it\u2019s the local battles. Julie Johnson, 70, is a retired sales representative who has lived in Grasscroft for 22 years. She\u2019s passionate about her local village.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut soon it won\u2019t be a village anymore,\u201d she said, pausing on her way to the pharmacy in Lees. \u201cWhat were fields only two years ago are now massive housing estates. And they\u2019re just going to build more. It bothers me because if they build on it, that\u2019s it. You can never get it back to what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

She won\u2019t disclose who she\u2019ll be voting for – but makes it clear she wants a change.<\/p>\n

With votes split so many different ways, and areas like Failsworth, Chadderton, and many of the central wards facing knife-edge elections, the outcome on May 7 is likely to be volatile. But some believe what Oldham needs more than anything is not more change – but stability.<\/p>\n

\"Stephen<\/p>\n

Stephen and Tracey Jones had a tough time deciding between Reform and Labour. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been bobbing back and forth between Labour and Reform,\u201d Stephen Jones, 71, said. The retired warehouse manager has lived in St James for 50 years with his partner Tracey Jones, 61, who works in retail.<\/p>\n

Tracey went on: \u201cWe think we\u2019re going to go for Labour though. Otherwise the council will be split in so many different ways, they just won\u2019t get anything done. They\u2019re already attacking each other all the time, and that will just get worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The big issue in their area is litter, according to the couple.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a clean street in our area,\u201d Tracey said. \u201cThere\u2019s dead rats everywhere, a lot of fly-tipping. It was lovely when we moved there together, but ever since Covid-19<\/a> it\u2019s gone really bad. We think it\u2019s because of all the buy-to-lets in the area. People are only there for a short time, so they don\u2019t care about their neighbourhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephen chimed in: \u201cBut in general, we back Arooj Shah [the leader of Oldham council]. She really fights for things and she\u2019s inclusive – she wants everyone to be represented and she\u2019s done a brilliant job on the Coliseum, and on the Eton school, and the market. She\u2019s what\u2019s swayed us to vote Labour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The regeneration works taking place in the town centre have convinced others the town is going in the right direction too. The council recently opened the brand new \u00a340m market on Parliament Square, where former Tommyfield Market traders have set up shop.<\/p>\n

\"Andrea<\/p>\n

Andrea Dolan, 49, is impressed by the changes in the town centre.<\/p>\n

Andrea Dolan, 49, sings the market’s praises as she speaks to the M.E.N. on its doorstep. She\u2019s pro-Labour and will be voting for them in the local elections, she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI actually think they\u2019ve done a fantastic job in the town centre,\u201d the chiropractor from Chadderton said. \u201cJust look around you. It looks amazing. I think the only thing I wish they spent more money on was social cohesion – we\u2019re still a very divided community.\u201d<\/p>\n

But her friend, Tracey Raftery, 62, a retired art technician, is less convinced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve always done Oldham up, for as long as I\u2019ve known it. They keep redoing it – and now they\u2019re doing it yet again. We\u2019ve just had a look around the market for the first time. It looks good, I really hope it works. But then there\u2019s things like the new sports centre seems really inferior compared to the one we\u2019ve lost. Instead of investing in the one we had, we sold that to get a lesser one.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, I have just ripped up my ballot because there\u2019s nobody there worth voting for. Local councillors seem to be inaccessible. We\u2019ve protested against building on the greenbelt, and tried to attend council meetings and stuff like that. They\u2019ll only accept questions ahead of time, only answer certain things, they\u2019ll deny things in council meetings that later turn out to be true.<\/p>\n

\"Residents<\/p>\n

Residents say they see councillors ‘attacking each other’ and ‘fighting’ in the chambers. (Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

“It just doesn\u2019t seem to work. It seems like they\u2019re too busy with the political infighting to remember why they\u2019re actually there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Responding to some of the critiques levelled at the council, town hall boss coun Arooj Shah said: \u201cOldham is changing, and we are completely focused on delivering for the people who live here. Investment in the town centre is about unlocking growth for the whole borough. Our approach is already bringing in hundreds of millions of pounds of external investment which has led to huge improvements such as the new Market and The Loom. At the same time, we have also secured major funding for other areas, including \u00a320 million each for Chadderton and Alt through Pride in Place.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not recognise the negative caricature of an Oldham that is divided which has recently appeared in some national media. The reality is that we are a council that supports communities, and we are building a future people can be proud of in partnership with the people who live here. Change does not happen overnight, but it is happening, and we will always put Oldham\u2019s residents first.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a hugely mixed bag in some of Oldham\u2019s key election battlegrounds, and across the borough. And with the council already in no overall control, May 7 could see Labour lose its grip on the council entirely, and be replaced by unusual coalitions from across the political spectrum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever the outcome,\u201d one council source commented, \u201cIt\u2019s probably going to be chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Big billboards are plastered across businesses in Oldham\u2019s central wards. Faces of smiling election candidates, draped in party…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":934777,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,10751,2465,1286,14984,285,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-934776","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-local-elections","12":"tag-manchester","13":"tag-oldham","14":"tag-oldham-council","15":"tag-politics","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116510118269444120","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=934776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/934776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/934777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=934776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=934776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=934776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}