Arooj Shah | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leader of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council | |||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office 8 May 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Amanda Chadderton | ||||||||||||||||||||
Member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority | |||||||||||||||||||||
Assumed office May 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Amanda Chadderton | ||||||||||||||||||||
Member of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council for St Mary's | |||||||||||||||||||||
In office 4 May 2023 – | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
Born | September 1978 (age 46) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||
[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||
Arooj Shah is a British Labour politician and since May 2023 is the leader of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester,a position she also previously held between 2021 and 2022. As leader she is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is the combined authority's portfolio lead for Equalities and Communities. [2] She was the first Muslim woman to take charge of a council in the north of England. [3]
First elected to the council in 2012,she was the councillor for the Chadderton South ward. She was elected as leader of the council in May 2021 after her predecessor Sean Fielding lost his seat in that year's election. Shah lost her seat in 2022 after being beaten by Robert Barnes the Conservative candidate. She later re-gained a seat on the council at the 2023 election,topping the poll in the St Mary's ward. [4] Following the election,at which incumbent leader Amanda Chadderton was defeated,Shah was elected to lead the council again. [5]
Less than two months after her election as leader,in the early hours of the night of the 13 July 2021,Shah's car was deliberately set alight in what Greater Manchester Police described as a "reckless,abhorrent act". [6] The car and neighbouring property were damaged but nobody was injured as a result of the attack. [7]
Shah's relationship with Mohammed Imran Ali (known locally as "Irish Imy") has been the subject of much speculation and criticism. Ali is a convicted heroin trafficker who has been in and out of prison for most of his adult life. He was convicted in 2013 for being the getaway driver for Dale Cregan,a gangster who had assassinated a gangland rival in a turf war. While on the run Cregan lured two female Greater Manchester police officers to an address in neighbouring borough Tameside,where he cold-bloodedly murdered them by gunning them down and throwing a grenade onto their bodies. [8] [9]
At a full council meeting in 2020,as Deputy Leader of Oldham Council,Shah addressed long-standing rumours about her relationship with Ali,explaining she had known him since she was 11 years old. [10] Shah's relationship with Ali was subject to further criticism when he started a vigilante group to patrol the streets of Oldham in the Chadderton and Werneth areas. Whilst Shah expressed reservations about Ali's plans,she stopped short of condemning them. [9] [11] This prompted a backlash by residents;local community campaigner,Robert Barnes,wrote to the Chief Executive of Oldham Council,Carolyn Wilkins,asking her if she thought it was "acceptable for street patrols to be carried out by a convicted getaway driver and heroin dealer?" [11] Barnes subsequently stood against Shah in the Chadderton South ward as the Conservative candidate at the 2022 local elections,defeating her by 96 votes,leaving Oldham Council searching for a new leader for the second year running. [12]
The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. Its largest town is Rochdale and the wider borough covers other outlying towns and villages,including Heywood,Littleborough,Middleton &Milnrow. It is the ninth-largest district by population in Greater Manchester with a population of 226,992 in 2022.
The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester in England. It is named after its largest town,Oldham. The borough had a population of 243,912 in 2022,making it the sixth-largest district by population in Greater Manchester. The borough spans 142 square kilometres (55 sq mi).
Oldham West,Chadderton and Royton is a constituency in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It has been represented by the Labour Party since its creation in 1997.
The 2000 Oldham Council election took place on 4 May 2000 to elect members of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester,England. One third of the council was up for election and the Liberal Democrats gained overall control of the council from the Labour Party.
Bolton Council,or Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council,is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester,England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2011.
On 18 September 2012,two Greater Manchester Police officers,Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone,were killed by Dale Cregan in a gun and grenade ambush while responding to a report of a burglary in Tameside,Greater Manchester,England.
Coalshaw Green is a locality in the town of Chadderton in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham,Greater Manchester.
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council,also known as Oldham Council,is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester,England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2011.
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council,also known as Tameside Council,is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester,England. It is a metropolitan borough council and provides the majority of local government services in the borough. The council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2011.
James Ignatius O'Rourke McMahon is a British politician who has served as Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution since July 2024. A member of Labour Co-op,he has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Oldham West and Royton since 2015 and as the Chair of the Co-operative Party since 2020.
On 3 December 2015,a by-election was held in the UK Parliamentary constituency of Oldham West and Royton in Greater Manchester. This was the first by-election of the 56th UK Parliament.
James Barry Daly is a British politician who has served as the Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party from February to July 2024. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury North from 2019 to 2024. He is a member of the Conservative Party.
Chadderton Town Hall is a municipal building on Middleton Road,Chadderton,Greater Manchester,England. The town hall,which was the headquarters of Chadderton Urban District Council,is a grade II listed building.
The 2022 Manchester City Council election took place on 5 May 2022. One third of councillors on Manchester City Council were elected. This election was a part of the other local elections across the United Kingdom.
The 2022 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. One third of councillors—20 out of 60—were to be elected. The election took place alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom.
The 2022 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. One third—20 out of 60—of councillors on Oldham Council was elected. The election took place alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom.
Amanda Chadderton is a British Labour politician and former leader of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. Prior to becoming leader,she was the deputy leader and cabinet member with responsibilities for neighbourhoods.
The 2023 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council elections took place on 4 May 2023 alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom. Due to boundary changes all 60 seats on Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council were contested.
The 2024 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on Thursday 2 May 2024,alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 60 members of Oldham Council in Greater Manchester were elected. The election resulted in Labour losing overall control of the council,with a net loss of 4 seats. Despite this,Labour maintains the largest share of seats,with 27 of the 60 councillors,and managed to form a minority administration after the election.
Date of birth: September 1978