TWO new faces join a stalwart councillor to represent Saddleworth on Oldham Council.
Liberal Democrat Alicia Marland and Conservative Chris McManus have been voted in for the first time alongside long-time councillor Pam Byrne.
Cllr Marland gained the seat for her party in Saddleworth West and Lees from out-going Labour councillor Val Leach.
She received 1,379 votes – ahead of Paul Shilton (Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth) on 1,102 – to join fellow Lib Dem councillors Sam Al-Hamdani and Mark Kenyon in representing the ward.
Cllr Marland said: I am absolutely delighted that the community has voted for me to be their councillor and in truth it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.
“I’m excited that I can continue to learn from the existing Liberal Democrat councillors and I am looking forward to knowing what I can do to benefit our area, to meet many more local residents and understand what they want from me.
“My own focus areas will be to continue my work on crime prevention and getting traffic calming methods implemented on problem roads.
“I will continue to give my time to the monthly village litter events, be an active committee member of the Grotton community group and also carry on with the regular socials with isolated and elderly local residents.
“I will continue to ensure improvements take place in the area and resolve matters which are important to residents.
“I would like to thank my family, many friends and acquaintances that have supported my campaign – your unquestionable faith as really been truly appreciated.
“During my campaign a very valued friend and supporter suddenly passed away but I will ensure her enthusiasm and dedication to fight for a better community for all residents continues.”
Cllr McManus was the winning candidate in Saddleworth South and replaces out-going Conservative councillor Jamie Curley who stepped down from the seat.
He received 1,196 votes – ahead of John Fay of the Labour Party who gained 819 votes – and joins fellow Conservatives Graham Sheldon and Max Woodvine to represent the ward.
Cllr McManus said: “I would like to thank everyone who voted for me and for the messages of support and congratulations I have received both before and since the election. I am honoured to have been elected.
“I would also like to thank my opponents on election night for their kind words and sincere congratulations. A special thanks to Cllr Max Woodvine and Cllr Luke Lancaster for their hard work.
“My priorities for Saddleworth South will be to continue to call for a health centre, and other increased service provisions, for all of Saddleworth’s people.
“I will continue to demand fairer funding for Saddleworth, considering people pay a premium to live here, and I will oppose building on green belt and support brownfield building.
“I will call for improvements to our local services, footpaths, roads and environment, and hold the Labour-controlled Oldham Council to account over its shocking handling of CSE and mismanagement of the public purse.”
In Saddleworth North, Cllr Byrne was re-elected into her seat to continue working alongside Luke Lancaster (Conservative) and George Hulme (Labour).
She gained 1,292 votes and was ahead of Joshua Charters (Labour and Co-Operative Party) on 867 votes.
Cllr Byrne said: “I would like to thank all those residents of Saddleworth North Ward who not only voted for me but also congratulated me afterwards.
“To be re-selected in this present climate was not easy for many but I have always stuck to local issues and how they affect local people here.
“The last two years have thrown up different problems for residents especially those in jobs and businesses where grants have had to be sought.
“We have also had the many traumas of road diversions in Diggle which affected other villages, but we have come out the other side with a new school for our children of Saddleworth.
“Footpaths have been quite a lot of the ward work and will I expect continue to be as we make the best possible place for us to live.
“Your problems can often be solved by contact with a ward councillor who can find you a route to resolve it.
“My ‘Villarreal’ moment as my son called it in being elected for a further year means I am available to help you until the next time the boards go up.”
The overall voting turnout in Oldham was 32.91 per cent, with the Saddleworth wards slightly higher than average: Saddleworth North: 39.21 per cent; Saddleworth South: 42.76 per cent; Saddleworth West and Lees: 38.27 per cent.
All 60 Oldham Council councillors are up for re-election in 2023.
In the current climate 40% is actually a pretty respectable turnout, in St James Ward where we live it was only about 23% and no one round here knew anything at all about our conservative candidate and apart from a couple of incoherent leaflets and the hard work of The Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth Party , (who probably cost the conservative the seat,) hardly anyone round here would have known there was an election taking place.
Despite all the usual NIMBY stuff and I’m really no fan of the Lib/Dems a solid, legitimate and well earned success; well done.