Pam Byrne (Conservative)
I HAVE served the Saddleworth North ward for the last five years, during which the casework for the ward has been varied and sometimes unusual.
Planning help and footpaths recur as well as bins and potholes.
I have always supported our Green Belt but there is now some sense in building on a brownfeld site in Delph.
I am still supporting residents in their fight to reduce the speed limits on rural roads in all the villages and have raised motions at full Council in Oldham on this.
The 20mph which came into being in some villages during the COVID pandemic helped a little. The scheme around Denshaw School to reduce speed was the first I was involved in 2017 and is only now being realised
I have met many residents in my casework and at my Saturday morning surgeries in Delph and hope that this has been of benefit to them.
My mission is always to serve my ward residents and for them to have trust in me.
Glyn Ford (Labour)
I HAVE lived in East Manchester for almost a third of a century. First in Ashton and Mossley and more recently in Dobcross.
I have been a Labour Party member for all that time and served on Tameside Council for eight years and was for a period chair of the environmental health committee and then the education Committee.
I subsequently represented Oldham in the European Parliament for 15 years. I am standing in this election on behalf of the Labour Party because I believe all the people of the borough are best served by having a Labour council in control with the strongest possible majority.
Labour will continue to deliver the hard fought for policies needed to secure the future of Oldham and its residents despite the Conservative Government’s neglect of the north west.
Garth Harkness (Liberal Democrat)
I HAVE nine years’ experience as a Saddleworth councillor.
I care deeply about our precious green spaces and have been a long-standing campaigner to protect them and for decisions to be made locally.
I have been lobbying for a new health centre since 2014, identifying land and funding and for better road safety.
An award winning defibrillator campaign, fighting for the new secondary school, highway improvements, the 356 bus and 20mph speed limits are among my achievements.
I am a lead teacher of autistic children and champion children’s causes. I have put many proposals to council from protecting trees to protecting children and the most vulnerable.
Day to day things such street lights, hundreds of potholes and blocked drains fixed are part of my many actions as a councillor.
Our priorities are your priorities such as preserving the unique Saddleworth identity and traditions. I have been proud to represent the people of Saddleworth and relish doing so.
Simon Hodgson (Oldham Borough Independent)
NATIONAL political parties have had an influence over local councils for too long.
Local issues should not be under the influence of the main political parties. The time has come to break that stranglehold.
I intend to push for absolute transparency and demand greater accountability.
Local councils should be answerable to their residents and do their bidding.
I am not interested in creating a popular public profile and courting favour to make myself look good. I am here to get the dirty laundry done.
There is one question worth asking – do your local councillors serve you, or do they serve their political parties?
If they primarily serve their parties, then they put politics before the people.
That means the tail wagging the dog and it needs to stop.
Oldham collects huge sums of money in council tax and gives very little in return.
Big changes are needed.
Gary Kershaw (Oldham Borough Independent)
LOCAL, keen, enthusiastic, already heavily involved in all aspects of sport, both locally and the borough beyond.
A highly successful businessman, proven track record, what an opportunity for a community of getting someone of Gary’s calibre.
If that wasn’t enough, Gary is also one of the consortium that has put its hand in its pocket to secure the future of Oldham Rugby Club.
He brings experience, expertise and wisdom to a council that’s let its people down (badly), for too long now.
Saddleworth North has been constantly “short-changed” from Oldham Council and the imbalance of what its people are paying in and what they are getting out is getting wider.
Indeed it’s developed into a chasm in recent years.
Gary Kershaw will seek to address that, firmly but fairly, and isn’t that what any ward desperately needs, without interference of main party politics.
It’s the very reason why The Independent movement here in Oldham Borough is going from strength to strength and is the real alternative to what we’ve got now.
Luke Lancaster (Conservative)
AS YOUR councillor for Saddleworth North, I have sought to champion our communities and causes of local importance, and with my proud record of action and a promise of more, I hope to earn your support.
Alongside helping hundreds of residents with their casework items, I have volunteered to assist with many events in the annual Saddleworth calendar and have supported voluntary groups across all our villages.
In standing up for Saddleworth and providing strong opposition to Oldham Council, I have led on the issues which local people have told me matter most.
I have spoken out and voted against harmful overdevelopment and have campaigned to strengthen protections on our precious green spaces.
I have repeatedly raised road safety concerns and made representations for improvement interventions.
I fought against the Labour-Liberal consensus on annual council tax increases and for fair investment in return.
Please do support your local Conservatives.
Michael Powell (Liberal Democrat)
I LIVE locally in Saddleworth and love our open spaces and the diversity of our villages and communities.
Having grown up on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, I am familiar with the issues and challenges facing rural communities.
I work as a primary school teacher, currently in Year 4, and I am passionate about how education can give every child the very best chance in life.
It has been great helping residents with a variety of issues over the last year, from potholes to streetlights, to dangerous pavements and road issues.
I have previously served as a local councillor and I would welcome the chance to use my experience to make more of a difference locally and provide a strong voice on the council.
If elected, I will look to continue the push for a new health centre for Saddleworth, improve road safety, and champion key local events.
Stuart Pyefinch (Conservative)
I WAS born and continue to live in Saddleworth and have been proud to call Saddleworth my home for so long.
I bring a positive, “can-do” approach to getting things done, built through a career in IT and management.
I understand the challenges of running a small business and if I’m fortunate to be elected as one of your councillors, I look forward to helping support the needs of businesses in Saddleworth North.
It has been a privilege meeting with voters while campaigning across the ward, and hearing concerns raised.
Your priorities will be my priorities.
I will work to protect green spaces and preserve the character of these beautiful villages. I have also heard concerns around road safety and will work to maintain and improve initiatives that have already been undertaken.
I would welcome the chance to give something back to Saddleworth. I hope to gain your support to do so on May 4.
Phillida Shipp (Labour)
PHILLIDA has lived in Delph and been a member of the local Labour Party for more than 50 years.
She has two children and four grandchildren. Her children were educated at Delph Primary School and Saddleworth School.
She worked as a doctor in child health and sexual health for Tameside and retired in 2007.
She was a Parish Councillor for Delph from 2003 until 2007 and chair of Delph Community Association from 2012 to 2017.
Phillida helped prevent the closure of Delph Library and is now the volunteer coordinator, as well as being a member of Saddleworth Peace Group.
As a councillor, her interests would be in early years education and public health.
Paul Stevenson (Oldham Borough Independent)
PAUL has shown tenacity and determination in sticking up for Saddleworth at a level that is proven, a given!
He was absolutely pivotal in raising £50,000 to fund a Judicial Review to save The Valley.
Turning up at all fundraising events, he was not shy about not only helping our physically, but also putting his hand in his pocket for no personal gain whatsoever… or fanfare!
Each meeting that was called upon, he was there.
He was involved in formulating policy of the Independent inception locally here in Saddleworth that has made it the force it has become today.
All aspects of Saddleworth life he has immersed himself in and again a lifelong resident who has much to offer the community and holds a deep love of the area.
A vote for Paul is an opportunity that is rare for any ward as together with both Gary Kershaw and Simon Hodgson, Saddleworth North has a unique chance of much calibre and professional experience to make the difference the area so desperately needs.
Lynne Thompson (Liberal Democrat)
I HAVE lived in Saddleworth virtually all my adult life and would not now live anywhere else.
I grew up in a village and value the countryside and the strength of our caring village communities.
Saddleworth as we know it is under threat from the excessive development plans Greater Manchester and Oldham councils seek to impose on us.
The character and culture of the area stand to be undermined along with the green space. I will not stand by and see that happen.
It is also clear to me that Saddleworth does not get a fair share of resources. Why, for instance, have we paid millions towards lavish town hall redevelopments elsewhere in the borough while Saddleworth pays for its own? And why are we last in the queue for a health centre?
I have 10 years’ senior experience on Oldham Council and know how to take on the system. Please let me!
You must be logged in to post a comment.