Labour retain seat in by-election win

Labour has retained a stronghold council seat despite a robust Tory challenge in a by-election triggered by the death of a former town hall leader.

Hannah Roberts, an ex-cabinet member who lost her seat in Royton North in the May local elections earlier this year, has been elected to the Hollinwood ward with 718 votes.

The Conservative party candidate Kamran Ghafoor received 639 votes, followed by independent candidate Barbara Whitehead in third place with 152 votes.

John Lawrence from the National Housing Party Putting UK First won 59 votes and Liberal Democrat candidate Dominic Cadman received 36 votes.

There was a turnout of just over 21pc in the by-election which took place yesterday (Thursday).

It was called after the death of serving Labour member Jean Stretton in September, aged 64.

Ms Stretton had represented the ward for 19 years in two stretches of service, and been council leader for two years in 2016-18.

Ms Roberts said that during the campaign she had on occasions had to break the sad news of Ms Stretton’s death to her constituents.

“There were a number of people who didn’t know, who she’d actually done quite a lot of work for, so that was quite difficult and a bit tough,” she said.

“She’d been a councillor for a long time and she’d done a lot of work for people.

"There were people on the doorstep who were genuinely upset to find out.”

However, Ms Roberts said the reaction during her campaign was ‘mostly positive’, adding: “We ran a strong campaign in a short space of time, we spoke to a lot of people. 

“We were basically campaigning on the support that the council is giving people through the cost of living crisis. 

“Hollinwood is one of the areas in Oldham that is going to be most affected and we were trying to push the message that there is help there.”

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she was relishing a return to the council chamber, despite ‘toxicity’ in its politics currently. 

“I think it’s deeply unpleasant the way that some people have behaved at council meetings and on social media, but what the council can do, it’s important that we do it well because we affect people,” Ms Roberts said.

“The kinds of services that the council provides, it’s important that we have good social care services, good child social care services.

"I’m actually very proud of the work that I did as cabinet member for housing.

“You can make a difference as a local councillor, and I think it’s important to hang onto that.”

Despite the by-election result, the Hollinwood seat, along with the other 59 council seats, will be contested again in May as part of the ‘all out’ elections in the borough.

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