Arooj Shah, Oldham's new council leader: A profile

Arooj Shah has been confirmed as the leader of the Labour group on Oldham Council.  It means - as the largest party - that Cllr Shah will be confirmed as the new leader of the council at a full meeting on 19 May.

Cllr Shah has been prominent front bench councillor who has led on the council’s Covid-19 response in the past year as well as being joint deputy leader with Cllr Abdul Jabbar.

Cllr Shah was a key ally of Sean Fielding, the borough's former leader, who lost his Failsworth seat in Thursday's local council elections to the Failsworth Independent Party.

The former deputy has lived in Oldham all her life, after her parents moved from Pakistan to Glodwick to work in the textile industry in 1968.

She is one of seven siblings and studied Politics and International Relations at De Montfort University in Leicester.

Cllr Shah 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.

She was key in the implementation of Oldham’s Energy Switching campaign which became the most successful single-authority scheme of its type in the country. The initiative, which gave individuals the opportunity to get to gether and receive bulk energy discounts, was later rolled out across Greater Manchester.

During her time on the council, she has been outspoken about the misogyny and racism she says she has experienced as an Asian female councillor, as well as issues of deprivation in Oldham’s communities.

In January 2020, Cllr Shah made an emotional speech in the council chamber, where she directly addressed some of the abuse and false accusations that had been made against her in an online campaign.

Coun Shah has served as the cabinet member for neighbourhoods, and in a different role covering social justice and communities.

On confirmation of her appointment, Cllr Shah said the council had work to do: "As a council we need to reconnect with our residents and businesses. My commitment is to lead a Council that is really listening to the concerns of local people, and that helps businesses across the borough to flourish.

"We’ll make sure the reopening of our town centres is a time of celebration, and develop networks of businesses in all our town and district centres so that they have the support they need to create great jobs and rebuild Oldham’s reputation as a place of pioneering industry.

"It’s a huge privilege to be Leader of Oldham Council. I intend to continue the great work already planned to transform our economy and stand ready to put my shoulder to the wheel alongside colleagues, council staff and, most importantly, local people to take Oldham where we want it to go.”

The new leader represents Chadderton South, where she was elected in 2018.

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