Metropolitan Borough of Oldham

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Borough of Oldham
Oldham town centre closeup from Hartshead Pike.jpg
Oldham skyline with Oldham Civic Centre in the distance and Oldham Parish Church
Motto(s): 
Latin: Sapere Aude, lit. 'Dare to be wise'
Oldham UK locator map.svg
Oldham shown within Greater Manchester
Coordinates: 53°32′N2°07′W / 53.533°N 2.117°W / 53.533; -2.117
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country England
Region North West
City region and ceremonial county Greater Manchester
Historic counties
Incorporated1 April 1974
Named for Oldham
Administrative HQ Oldham Civic Centre
Government
[1]
  Type Metropolitan borough with leader and cabinet
  Body Oldham Council
   Control Labour
   Leader Arooj Shah (L)
   Mayor Zahid Chauhan
   Chief Executive Harry Catherall
   House of Commons
Area
[2]
  Total54.9 sq mi (142.3 km2)
  Rank 167th
Population
 (2021) [3]
  Total242,072
  Rank 77th
  Density4,410/sq mi (1,701/km2)
Demonym Oldhamer
Ethnicity (2021)
[4]
   Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[4]
   Religion
List
Time zone UTC+0 (GMT)
  Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
Postcode area
Dialling codes
  • 01457
  • 0161
  • 01706
ISO 3166 code GB-OLD
GSS code E08000004
ITL code TLD37
GVA 2021 estimate [5]
 Total £4.0 billion
 Per capita£16,652
GDP (nominal)2021 estimate [5]
 Total£4.7 billion
 Per capita£19,578
Website oldham.gov.uk

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 242,072 in 2021, making it the sixth-largest district by population in Greater Manchester. [3] The borough spans 142.3 square kilometres (54.9 sq mi). [2]

Contents

Geography

Part of Oldham is rural and semi-rural, with a quarter of the borough lying within the Peak District National Park.

The Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale lies to the north-west, the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees (of West Yorkshire) to the east, and the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside to the south. The City of Manchester lies directly to the south west and the Derbyshire Borough of High Peak lies directly to the south east, but Derbyshire is only bordered by high moorland near Black Hill and is not accessible by road.[ citation needed ]

History

Skyline of Chadderton, looking towards Manchester in the distance Oldham above Chadderton (2).jpg
Skyline of Chadderton, looking towards Manchester in the distance

Following both the Local Government Act 1888 and Local Government Act 1894, local government in England had been administered via a national framework of rural districts, urban districts, municipal boroughs and county boroughs, which (apart from the latter which were independent) shared power with strategic county councils of the administrative counties. [6] The areas that were incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in 1974 had formed part of Chadderton Urban District, Crompton Urban District, Failsworth Urban District, Lees Urban District and Royton Urban District from the administrative county of Lancashire, Saddleworth Urban District from the West Riding of Yorkshire, and the politically independent County Borough of Oldham. [7] By the early 1970s, nationally, this system of demarcation was described as "archaic" and "grossly inadequate to keep pace both with the impact of motor travel, and with the huge increases in local government responsibilities". [8] After the exploration of reform, such as the proposals made by the Redcliffe-Maud Report in the late 1960s, the Local Government Act 1972 restructured local government in England by creating a system of two-tier metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties and districts throughout the country. [9] The act formally established the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham as a local government district of the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester on 1 April 1974. The district was granted honorific borough status on 23 November 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, which allowed the council to have a mayor. [10] The new dual local authorities of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council and Greater Manchester County Council had been running since elections in 1973 however. [11] The leading article in The Times on the day the Local Government Act came into effect noted that the "new arrangement is a compromise which seeks to reconcile familiar geography which commands a certain amount of affection and loyalty, with the scale of operations on which modern planning methods can work effectively". [12]

Ombc logo.png
Oldham Council's corporate logo, designed in 1974 by David McRae for the new authority. This logo was replaced in 2008 as part of a rebranding exercise. [13]
Oneoldham.png
The new "One Oldham" branding for the borough, used from 2008

The borough is noted as one of the more unpopular amalgamations of territory created by local government reform in the 1970s. [14] [15] [13] This being especially true of residents of the parish of Saddleworth who viewed the new arrangement as a "retrograde step". [14] It had been proposed in a government White paper that the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham include the former mill town of Middleton. However this was given to the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale once it was decided that Rochdale and Bury would not be merged. [16] Before its creation, it was suggested that the metropolitan borough be named New Oldham, but that was rejected. [17] For its first 12 years the borough had a two-tier system of local government; Oldham Council shared power with the Greater Manchester County Council. Since the Local Government Act 1985 Oldham Council has effectively been a unitary authority, serving as the sole executive, deliberative and legislative body responsible for local policy, setting council tax, and allocating budget in the district. The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham has two civil parishes and 20 electoral wards. Noted as one of the more unpopular amalgamations of territory created by local government reform in the 1970s, [14] [15] [13] the Oldham borough underwent a £100,000 rebranding exercise in early 2008. The town has no listed buildings with a Grade I rating, [18] and the borough's architecture has been described as "mediocre". [19] There have been calls for the borough to be renamed, [13] [20] but that possibility was dismissed during the rebranding of 2008. [19]

Saddleworth Viaduct Saddleworth viaduct - geograph.org.uk - 2394598.jpg
Saddleworth Viaduct

In the early 20th century, following some exchanges of land, there were attempts to amalgamate Chadderton Urban District with the County Borough of Oldham. [21] However, this was resisted by councillors from Chadderton Urban District Council. [21]

The Oldham borough underwent a rebranding exercise in 2008 with a view to improving cross-community unity. [13] [20] Officials believed the borough's image was outdated and that "often negative" national media coverage held and continues to hold back businesses and hampers attempts to attract new investors, visitors and external funding. [20] There had been calls for the borough to be renamed to a "settlement-neutral" name (such as those of neighbouring districts of Calderdale, Kirklees and Tameside) as part of the rebranding. [20] However, consultants cited that this idea came from a "vocal minority" wishing to distance themselves from Oldham. The borough name was unchanged. [19]

Oldham Town Centre aerial view from the north Oldham town centre, aerial view from north.JPG
Oldham Town Centre aerial view from the north

Council

For the first 12 years after the county was created in 1974, the borough had a two-tier system of local government, and so Oldham Council shared power with the Greater Manchester County Council. [22] The Greater Manchester County Council, a strategic authority running regional services such as transport, strategic planning, emergency services and waste disposal, comprised 106 members drawn from the ten metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester. [23] However, in 1986, along with the five other metropolitan county councils and the Greater London Council, the Greater Manchester County Council was abolished, and most of its powers were devolved to the boroughs. [22] Since 1986, Oldham Council has effectively been a unitary authority that serves as the sole executive, deliberative and legislative body responsible for setting local policy, and allocating budget. Its duties also include setting levels of council tax, monitoring the health service in the borough, providing social care, and providing funding for schools.[ citation needed ] The borough's centre of administration is Oldham Civic Centre. [24]

Civil parishes form the bottom tier of statutory local government; the parish councils are involved in planning, management of town and parish centres, and promoting tourism. [25] In 2001, 46,072 people lived in Oldham's two civil parishes—Saddleworth and Shaw and Crompton—20.9% of the borough's population. [26] [27] The rest of the borough is unparished.

In 2008 a critical Audit Commission inspection found that Oldham Council's rate of improvement was ‘adequate’ and gave it a two-star rating. It said the rate of improvement had increased but had been "inconsistent". [28]

Since 2011 Oldham is one of the ten member authorities of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) which is a top tier local authority with responsibility for Transport, Health, Housing and Economic matters.[ citation needed ] The membership of the Combined Authority is drawn from the Leaders or Executive Mayors of each of the ten councils.[ citation needed ] In December 2012, Oldham was named ‘Most Improved Council’ at the Local Government Chronicle awards. [29] A team of six experienced politicians and officers from the Local Government Association carried out another independent ‘peer review’ of Oldham Council in December 2013. Their report said: "There has been a remarkable transformation in Oldham in recent years, both in terms of the place and in having established an ambitious and effective council. The authority can be proud of what has been achieved." [30]

In February 2014 ex-Council Leader Jim McMahon was named ‘Council Leader of the Year’ by the LGiU thinktank who said his "strong leadership has helped lead to a dramatic improvement in service delivery and correlating significant improvement in resident satisfaction rates." [31]

Oldham Civic Centre, the headquarters of Oldham Borough Council Oldham Civic Centre (3).JPG
Oldham Civic Centre, the headquarters of Oldham Borough Council

Decision making

The council operates a "strong leader" cabinet model, under which the person elected to be the leader of the council personally holds all the executive decision making powers. [32] It a matter of discretion for the leader whether he/she exercises those powers personally or delegates them. Generally decisions are delegated to individual cabinet members or to the council's cabinet.

The cabinet is made up of leader, a deputy leader and up to nine councillors appointed by the leader. [33] The cabinet is responsible for strategic decisions and recommends proposals for approval by full council on the budget, Council tax levels and the council's policy framework. [33]

Some decisions are delegated by council to district executives. There are six districts containing between two and five wards; Chadderton, Failsworth & Hollinwood, Oldham, Royton, Saddleworth & Lees and Shaw & Crompton. [34] Membership of each district executive is drawn from the elected councillors within each district.[ citation needed ]

Political composition

Since the council's formation it has generally been under the control of the Labour Party. Since 2011, the Labour Party has had overall control and now holds 32 of the 60 seats on the council. [35]

Party political make-up of Oldham Borough Council
PartySeatsCurrent Council (2018–23)
2018
2019
2021
2022
2023
Lib Dems 888910                                             
Labour 4745403532                                      
Conservative 448911                                             
Other13377                                             

Outlying towns, villages and suburbs

Aside from Oldham, the borough covers other towns and villages including:

Electoral wards

The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is divided into 20 electoral wards, each which elects three councillors who generally sit for a four-year term on the Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. The twenty wards are:

Electoral WardDistrictPopulationCouncillors
AlexandraOldham11,830 [36] 3
Chadderton CentralChadderton10,454 [37] 3
Chadderton NorthChadderton11,031 [38] 3
Chadderton SouthChadderton11,019 [39] 3
Coldhurst Oldham13,233 [40] 3
CromptonShaw & Crompton10,581 [41] 3
Failsworth EastFailsworth & Hollinwood10,352 [42] 3
Failsworth WestFailsworth & Hollinwood10,397 [43] 3
Hollinwood Failsworth & Hollinwood11,297 [44] 3
Medlock ValeOldham12,414 [45] 3
Royton NorthRoyton10,283 [46] 3
Royton SouthRoyton11,001 [47] 3
Saddleworth NorthSaddleworth & Lees9,672 [48] 3
Saddleworth SouthSaddleworth & Lees10,043 [49] 3
Saddleworth West & LeesSaddleworth & Lees11,196 [50] 3
St JamesOldham11,473 [51] 3
St MarysOldham13,994 [52] 3
ShawShaw & Crompton10,501 [53] 3
Waterhead Oldham12,027 [54] 3
Werneth Oldham12,149 [55] 3

Coat of arms

Oldham council's coat of arms, seen here at the Civic Centre Coat of arms of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council.jpg
Oldham council's coat of arms, seen here at the Civic Centre

Following the 1974 reorganisation, a new coat of arms was granted to Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, based closely on that of the predecessor Oldham County Borough Council. Like the county borough's arms, which dated from 1894, the new coat is derived from the arms of the Oldham family. The most famous member of the family was Hugh Oldham, Bishop of Exeter and founder of the Manchester Grammar School. The Oldham family arms were:

Sable a chevron Or between three owls argent on a chief of the second as many roses gules. [56]

The owls were a "canting" reference, or heraldic pun, on the original pronunciation of the name. This is still reflected in the local pronunciation of "Ow'dom". In the Metropolitan Borough's arms the gold chief (upper third of the shield) and chevron have "invected" or fluted edges. The arms are further differenced by the replacement of the three red roses by three red annulets or circles, representing the initial "O" of the authority's name. [57]

The crest, an owl upon a rock, is placed on a helm above the shield. In order to distinguish the crest from that of the county borough, it rises from a gold circlet bearing six red annulets. The crest wreath and decorative mantling repeat the black and gold colouring of the arms.[ citation needed ]

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council was granted supporters and a heraldic badge. The supporters recall the local authorities merged in 1974, and are made up of portions of the arms of the ancient manorial lords. The red griffins come from the arms of the Chadderton and Chetham families. Each griffin wears a collar with an "engrailed" edge recalling the arms of the Radcliffe family. Each collar bears red bendlets from the arms of the Byrons. From the collars hang heptagons, the seven sides representing the union of seven councils. One heptagon bears a black spur-rowel from the Assheton family arms, the other a black saddle, recalling the derivation of the name "Saddleworth".[ citation needed ]

The badge is a black heptagon bearing a silver owl, the whole contained within a red annulet.

The Latin motto of the county borough continues in use: Sapere Aude or "dare to be wise" refers to the owls in the arms, while "Aude", pronounced "Owd" continues the pun. The motto is also used by Manchester Grammar School. [57] [58]

The blazon is as follows:

Sable a chevron invected or between three owls argent on a chief engrailed or as many annulets gules; and for a Crest: On a wreath of the colours issuant from a circlet or charged with six annulets gules a rock proper thereon an owl argent.

Supporters: On either side a griffin gules each gorged with a collar engrailed argent charged with six bendlets gules pendant therefrom a heptagon argent that on the dexter charged with a pierced mullet that on the sinister with a saddle both sable.

Badge or Device: On a heptagon sable environed by an annulet gules an owl argent. [57] [58]

Parishes

Showing status at 31 March 1974 (prior to the Local Government Act 1972 taking effect).[ citation needed ]

  1. Saddleworth (Saddleworth Urban District)
  2. Shaw and Crompton (Crompton Urban District)

Unparished areas

Showing former status.[ citation needed ]

  1. Chadderton (Chadderton Urban District)
  2. Failsworth (Failsworth Urban District)
  3. Lees (Lees Urban District)
  4. Oldham (County Borough of Oldham)
  5. Royton (Royton Urban District)

Demography

Ethnic groups

Ethnic GroupYear
2021 [59]
Number%
White: Total164,89768.2
White: British 157,91465.2
White: Irish 1,2790.5
White: Roma 5490.2
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller 1770.1
White: Other 4,9782.1
Asian or Asian British: Total59,56524.5
Asian or Asian British: Indian 1,6760.7
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani 32,80213.5
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi 21,7549.0
Asian or Asian British: Chinese 8190.3
Asian or Asian British: Other Asian2,5141.0
Black or Black British: Total8,2093.4
Black or Black British: African6,0652.5
Black or Black British: Caribbean 8760.4
Other Black1,2680.5
Mixed or British Mixed: Total6,1252.6
Mixed: White and Black Caribbean2,3531.0
Mixed: White and Black African1,0430.4
Mixed: White and Asian1,8290.8
Mixed: Other Mixed9000.4
Other: Total3,2911.3
Other: Arab 5210.2
Other: Any other ethnic group2,7701.1
Total242,088100%

Religion

The following table shows the religious affiliation of residents in Oldham.

Religion2011 [60] 2021 [61]
Number%Number%
Christian 134,16759.7108,72044.9
Muslim 39,87917.759,03124.4
Jewish 108<0.11460.1
Hindu 1,2330.51,2220.5
Sikh 70<0.11320.1
Buddhism 3710.24680.2
Other religion4060.25890.2
No religion 36,16916.160,50725.0
Religion not stated12,4945.611,2734.7
Total224,897100.00%242,088100.00%

Other demographic statistics

As of the 2011 UK census, the borough of Oldham had a population of 224,897. [62]

Of the 89,703 households in Oldham, 56.6% of those aged 16 and over either live as a couple, are married, in a civil partnership or co-habiting, in line with the national average. A relatively high proportion of 9.3% of people are separated or divorced compared with England (8.6%) but in line with Greater Manchester (9.2%). [62]

The population density is higher in Oldham (15.8 people per hectare) than in England (4.1) although it is lower than that for Greater Manchester (21). [62]

Females continue to make up over half (51%) of Oldham's population, which is comparable to Greater Manchester, North West and national figures (50.6%, 50.9%, 50.8% respectively). Oldham has a younger age structure than England, with under 16s making up 22.4% of the population in Oldham compared with 18.9% nationally. People aged 75 and over make up 6.5% of Oldham's population compared with 7.8% of England's population. [62]

Despite improvements in school and college outcomes, the proportion of residents with degree-level qualifications (18.6%) has fallen further behind national rates (27.4%). The proportion of residents with no qualifications has dropped and the gap between Oldham and England has narrowed to 29.6% with no academic qualifications in 2011 compared to 37.7% ten years earlier. [62]


The rise of the middle classes in Oldham has reflected the wider national trend, roughly steady from 1841 until 1921 and then increasing almost exponentially until 2001. However, the proportion of middle-class people was always 5–10% below the national average. [63] Over the same period, the proportion of working class people in Oldham decreased steadily from 60% in 1841 to 23% 1991; since then there has been an increase in the percentage of working-class people to 34%. This was roughly the same pattern as the national averages, however Oldham has a greater proportion of working-class people than the whole of England. [64] [65] In the 2007/2008 financial year, the crime rates in Oldham were broadly similar to the national averages. However, the number of theft from a vehicle offences and theft of a vehicle per 1,000 of the population was 10.6 and 4.5 compared to the English national average of 6.9 and 2.7 respectively. [66]

Population change

The table below details the population change since 1801, including the percentage change since the last available census data. Although the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham has only existed 1974, figures have been generated by combining data from the towns, villages, and civil parishes that would later be constituent parts of the borough.

Population change in Oldham since 1801
Year1801181118211831184118511861187118811891
Population41,47152,95559,61584,49066,87377,350117,797158,244198,691233,445
 % change+27.8+12.5+41.7−20.9+15.7+52.3+34.3+25.6+17.5
Source: Vision of Britain [67]
Population change in Oldham since 1901
Year19011911192119311941195119611971198119912001
Population244,138255,322250,794246,353234,901223,982224,005224,071219,462219,613217,393
 % change+4.6+4.6−1.8−1.8−4.6−4.6+0.01+0.03−2.1+0.1−1.0
Source: Vision of Britain [68]

Economy

Oldham compared
2001 UK Census Oldham [69] Greater Manchester [70] England
Population of working age152,6021,805,31535,532,091
Full-time employment40.7%40.3%40.8%
Part-time employment11.6%11.3%11.8%
Self employed6.8%6.7%8.3%
Unemployed3.7%3.5%3.3%
Retired13.0%13.0%13.5%

The average gross weekly income in the borough of Oldham is £297; not only is this below the national average but it is the lowest of Greater Manchester's ten boroughs. Environmental technologies and life science industries have been identified as growth industries in Greater Manchester and are concentrated in Oldham as well as Bolton, Manchester, and Tameside. [71] Out of the ten metropolitan boroughs in Greater Manchester, the average house prices in Oldham are seventh highest, 15% below the average for the county. [72]

At the 2001 census, Oldham had 152,602 residents aged 16 to 74. Of these people, 2.1% were students with jobs, 3.9% students without jobs, 6.7% looking after home or family, 7.7% permanently sick or disabled and 3.8% economically inactive for other reasons. [69]

In 2001, of 92,777 residents of Oldham in employment, the industry of employment was 20.4% retail and wholesale, 20.3% manufacturing, 10.7% health and social work, 9.2% property and business services, 7.5% education, 7.1% construction, 6.7% transport and communications, 5.0% public administration and defence, 4.6% hotels and restaurants, 3.6% finance, 0.8% energy and water supply, 0.5% agriculture, and 3.7% other. This was roughly in line with national figures, although the proportion of jobs in agriculture was below the national average of 1.5% and the rates of people working in the areas of finance and property were below the national averages of 4.8% and 13.2 respectively; the proportion of people working in retail and wholesale was above the national average of 16.7%, and much higher than the national average of 14.8% for people working in manufacturing. [73]

Education

There are a total of 107 schools in Oldham. [74] This includes 86 primary schools, 15 secondary schools, 5 special schools and 1 independent grammar school. In 2007, the Oldham LEA was ranked 122nd out of 148 in the country—and 8th in Greater Manchester—based on the percentage of pupils attaining at least 5 A*-C grades at GCSE including maths and English (35.4% compared with the national average of 45.8%). [75]

In June 2014 the Oldham Education and Skills Commission was launched, chaired by former Education Secretary Estelle Morris. This 12-month inquiry is to review Oldham's classrooms from 0 to 19 years and aims at raising standards and aspirations so that every child can achieve their full potential. It will report findings in June 2015. [76] [77]

Landmarks

There were 11 Grade II* listed buildings, and 524 Grade II in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, [78] and thirty-six Conservation Areas. [79] Although the borough has no Grade I listed buildings, it does have the second highest number of Grade II buildings in Greater Manchester after Manchester. [80] The listed buildings range from former weavers' cottages in Saddleworth to some of the large former cotton mills in the West of the borough through to fine civic buildings such as the Old Town Hall in Oldham town centre.[ citation needed ]

Oldham has two of Greater Manchester's 38 Scheduled Monuments. Castleshaw Roman fort was built in 79 AD and was one of a chain of forts built along the route connecting the fortresses at Chester ( Deva Victrix ) and York ( Eboracum ). [81] It is one of only two known Roman forts in Greater Manchester, the other is at Manchester ( Mamucium ). Oldham's other Scheduled Monuments is a Bronze Age bowl barrow in Saddleworth. [82] Also in the borough are five of Greater Manchester's Sites of Special Scientific Interest, they are a section of Dark Peak, [83] the Ladcastle and Den Quarries, [84] the Lowside Brickworks, [85] the Rochdale Canal, [86] and part of the South Pennine Moors. [87]

Alexandra Park status on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England was upgraded in 2013 from Grade II to Grade II* due to the large number of listed statues and buildings in the park. It is one of only 30 parks and gardens to receive the award in the North West and the only open space in Oldham to receive the distinction. Alexandra Park has also been a Green Flag Award winner. [88] It was reported in March 2014 that within the year the Grade II-listed Old Town Hall would be transformed into an entertainment complex with a cinema and restaurants in Oldham town centre. [89] A 360-degree virtual tour of the building was put online before restoration work began as part of a wider project to bring some of Oldham's civic buildings to life on Google Streetview. [90]

Transport

There are two railway lines that serve places in the Oldham borough; one is the main line service running between Huddersfield and Manchester, with Greenfield railway station the only station served by this line in the borough, and the only railway station within the borough. The other line is the main line service running between Manchester and Leeds via Halifax and Rochdale, with Mills Hill railway station (in the borough of Rochdale, and the most used station of the 3 mentioned) serving North Chadderton and Mills Hill, and Moston railway station (in the borough of Manchester) serving South Chadderton and Hollinwood.

A former railway line, the Oldham Loop Line has been converted to be part of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network. Oldham & Rochdale Line services serve Derker, Shaw & Crompton, Oldham Mumps, Freehold, South Chadderton, Hollinwood and Failsworth. [91]

There are many bus services running in the Oldham borough. The main bus operator is First Greater Manchester, whose headquarters is based in Oldham at Wallshaw Street, which is located at Oldham Mumps Bridge. [92]

The Metrolink extension, which was completed in 2014, was seen as crucial to regeneration plans for Oldham town centre and to change the nature of what it offers to residents, investors, and visitors. [93] It offers good connectivity to Manchester city centre and beyond. Trams run directly to Manchester Victoria in under 30 minutes and onwards to national networks, and also to Rochdale railway station and town centre. [94]

Oldham bus station provides a transport hub at the heart of the town centre. Combined with a network of bus corridors the services include express bus services every town minutes into Manchester city centre. The Metrolink network also extends to Manchester Airport which has direct flights to more than 200 destinations and is also only a 30-minute drive from Oldham. [95]

Twin towns

The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham has formal twinning arrangements with three European places: [96] Each was originally twinned with a place within the Metropolitan Borough boundaries prior to its creation in 1974.

CountryArmsPlaceCounty / District / Region / StateOriginally twinned withDate
Flag of Germany.svg Germany Wappen Landsberg.svg Landsberg am Lech Flag of Bavaria (lozengy).svg Bayern Failsworth Urban District 1974
Flag of Germany.svg Germany Geesthacht-Wappen.png Geesthacht Flag of Schleswig-Holstein.svg Schleswig-Holstein Chadderton Urban District 1966
Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia Coat of arms of Kranj.svg Kranj Upper Carniola County Borough of Oldham 1961

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Oldham.

Individuals

Military Units

[101]

See also

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Oldham East and Saddleworth is a constituency in outer Greater Manchester represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since January 2011 by Debbie Abrahams of the Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oldham West and Royton (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1997 onwards

Oldham West and Royton is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It has been represented by Jim McMahon of the Labour Co-op party since 4 December 2015, after winning a by-election following the death of Michael Meacher on 21 October 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollinwood, Greater Manchester</span> Human settlement in England

Hollinwood is an area and electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England. The population at the 2011 census was 10,920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaw and Crompton</span> Civil parish in Greater Manchester, England

Shaw and Crompton is a civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, and lies on the River Beal at the foothills of the South Pennines. It is located 2.3 miles (3.7 km) north of Oldham, 3.6 miles (5.8 km) south-east of Rochdale and 8.7 miles (14 km) north-east of Manchester. Its largest settlement is Shaw.

Crompton Urban District was, from 1894 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England. The area was coterminate with Shaw and Crompton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hollinwood tram stop</span> Manchester Metrolink tram stop

Hollinwood tram stop is a tram stop and park & ride site on the Manchester Metrolink Oldham and Rochdale Line in Hollinwood, Greater Manchester, England. It was formerly a railway station before its conversion to a tram stop between 2009 and 2012.

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council elections are generally held three years out of every four, with a third of the council being elected each time. Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, generally known as Oldham Council, is the local authority for the metropolitan borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2004, 60 councillors have been elected from 20 wards. New ward boundaries are due to come into effect from the 2023 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trent Mill</span> Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Trent Mill was a cotton spinning mill on Duchess Street in Shaw and Crompton, Greater Manchester, England. It was built by F.W. Dixon & Son in 1908. It closed and was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in 1929 reopened in 1938 and closed again in 1962, and was demolished in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dawn Mill, Shaw</span> Cotton mill in Greater Manchester, England

Dawn Mill, Shaw was a cotton spinning mill in Shaw and Crompton, Oldham, Greater Manchester. It was built on the site of Shaw Mill at the "dawn" of the 20th century. Dawn Mill was equipped with mule weft spindles in 1950. It was powered by Engines named Venus and Mars, 1800 hp twin tandem compound engine by George Saxon of Manchester. It was taken over by the Lancashire Cotton Corporation in the 1930s and passed to Courtaulds in 1964. It was sold again and used by distribution company DTS Logistics for storing and distributing clothing. It was demolished in 2006 to make way for an Asda supermarket.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newton Heath and Moston tram stop</span> Manchester Metrolink tram stop

Newton Heath and Moston is a Manchester Metrolink tram stop on the Oldham and Rochdale Line (ORL), in the Newton Heath area of Manchester, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive</span> Public body responsible for public transport in Greater Manchester (1974–2011)

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive was the public body responsible for public transport in Greater Manchester between 1974 and 2011, when it became part of Transport for Greater Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oldham Council</span>

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, branded and commonly referred to as Oldham Council, is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of ten in Greater Manchester and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of local government services in Oldham. It is composed of 60 councillors, three for each of the 20 electoral wards of the borough.

References

Notes

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Bibliography