OLDHAM COUNCIL has confirmed the appointment of Jean Stretton as the local authority’s first ever female leader.
The Hollinwood councillor’s selection was approved at an ‘extraordinary’ meeting of Full Council on January 27.
Cllr Stretton, 57, had been provisionally selected for the role by the ruling Labour group earlier in the month after serving as Deputy Leader to Jim McMahon since June 2014.
Now, she replaces Cllr McMahon who is stepping aside to focus on his duties as the new MP for Oldham West and Royton following a parliamentary by-election in December.
Accepting the nominations, Cllr Stretton praised the work of Cllr McMahon’s administration and pledged Oldham Council’s improvement journey would continue under her leadership – delivering a firm message that “the work goes on”.
She highlighted the regeneration projects underway – like the transformation of the Old Town Hall into a cinema and family entertainment venue – as symbolising “so much about how we are moving and getting our priorities right”.
Cllr Stretton also talked about the need to focus more on “social regeneration”, pledging to do whatever is needed to implement the recommendations of the recent Oldham Education and Skills Commission report.
She added that being Oldham Council’s first female leader would not define her leadership and she would represent every district and deserving cause in the borough.
“I am an Oldhamer born and bred. I want what’s best for this town, for its people and for our young people,” she said. “I am not afraid of hard work and I’m not afraid of a challenge.
“I will represent every Oldhamer – regardless of gender, sexuality, religion, race, creed, class or background. And I will do it because we all share the same aspirations.
“No problem is insurmountable. With courage, determination and teamwork – with all of us doing our bit – Oldham can overcome anything that is thrown at us.”
Cllr Stretton, who was first elected as a ward councillor in 2003, will now assume responsibility for regeneration, taking over this crucial brief from Cllr McMahon.
In 2013, Cllr Stretton was named ‘Community Champion of the Year’ at the Cllr Achievement Awards organised by the LGiU for her “inspiring work to help her community in Oldham recover following a gas explosion” in Shaw.
Married to John, she has two step-children, five grandchildren and a great granddaughter but describes herself as “a very, very young great granny”.
A keen supporter of Oldham Foodbank, she is also chair of Oldham Credit Union, serves on the governing bodies of Oasis Academy Oldham and Limehurst primary and has been on the Contour Estate Board since 2003.
Cllr Stretton will start a Leader’s Blog online which will be updated every Wednesday and can be found via the Oldham Council website: www.oldham.gov.uk
Meanwhile, Cllr Abdul Jabbar’s appointment as Oldham Council’s new Deputy Leader was also confirmed.
A Labour ward councillor who has represented Coldhurst for 21 years, he retains his portfolio as Cabinet Member for Finance and HR.
Under his stewardship, the local authority has established itself as a leader in public sector finance and became the quickest local government body to publish its accounts in half a century in 2015.
Cllr Jabbar has also led on the low carbon and energy saving agenda with invest-to-save schemes designed to reduce emissions and create savings for the local authority and communities through strong partnerships.
He said: “I am honoured that colleagues have put their trust in me to serve as Deputy Leader and am looking forward to getting started.
“These are crucial times for the borough and I will be working very closely with Jean Stretton to continue the great work that began under Jim McMahon.”
Former leader Jim McMahon OBE retains his Oldham Council seat as one of three ward members for Failsworth East.
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