SADDLEWORTH councillors have reacted with dismay to events which forced the effective abandonment of a meeting of the borough authority.
Angry words were exchanged between representatives of political parties before an apparent confrontation between Conservatives Lewis Quigg and Graham Sheldon during an adjournment.
Royton North Councillor Quigg could be heard saying, ‘I quit this party. You no longer have any say over me.’
Saddleworth South Councillor Sheldon approached him and both were seen squaring up to each other, with the former seen pushing the latter.
Ward and party colleague Cllr Max Woodvine was later asked to apologise to Shaw and Crompton Independent Councillor Marc Hince, who claims he was referred to as a Nazi, which he refused to do.
And the unedifying spectacle that occurred before this alleged incident on Wednesday, December 18 has been heavily criticised.
Councillors had been discussing the Places for Everyone scheme and whether a motion at the last council meeting had been over whether to get the authority to write to Secretary of State Angela Rayner to formally request its removal or not.
Tempers frayed over what opposition councillors saw as a failure to act after it went through by 30 votes to 29, with borough Mayor Cllr Zahid Chauhan forced to step in.
Eventually Cllr Hince bellowed: “Take those words back now,” for which he later apologised, with a member of the public replying as they left the chamber: “If you’ve got something to say Cllr Hince, come and say it to me.”
And reacting to the scenes, Saddleworth West and Lees Liberal Democrat Sam Al-Hamdani said: “What happened in the chamber doesn’t help anyone. It gives the council a poor reputation and it prevented us from holding Labour to account over their backtracking on a democratic vote.
“People need to learn to hold their tempers and realise that effective opposition is not about jabbing fingers and name calling, which on that night descended into petty bickering and infighting.
“It’s about listening to people and delivering what they need day to day to make our borough a better place to live.
“I’m proud of where I’m from. I stood for election because I wanted to make it an even better place.
“What happened was not something to be proud of. I’m glad that my colleagues were not part of it, and instead did their best to try and keep the meeting going and do our job – making Oldham better and holding the council to account.”
Saddleworth South Councillor Helen Bishop added: “It’s not for the first time I’ve been ashamed to be associated with the shenanigans in the council chamber.
“And it is hard to put it into words how it makes one feel watching grown adults behave like tantrumming toddlers.
“My sympathy is firmly with those whose business did not get brought, such as the youth council, whose motion I was supposed to be speaking to, or to the CSE survivors whose statement was supposed to be read out last night but were deprived of that opportunity.
“Democracy really does not reside in Oldham, nor does general decency, self-control and good manners it seems. What an absolute shambles! “
During the debate, Cllr Al-Hamdani argued: “The original motion was to write to the secretary of state and anything removing this option would be a breach of the council constitution.”
Saddleworth North Councillor Pam Byrne cited ‘unacceptable jiggery-pokery red tape speak’ as muddying the waters while ward colleague Garth Harkness questioned the use of a double negative in papers and claimed ‘the leadership is trying to stop’ the outcome of the vote
“We all know what we were voting for,” he said before things got out of hand, ending with Cllr Hince’s outburst.
Oldham Council’s interim borough solicitor Alex Bougatef attempted to explain: “At no point have we been asked to write to the secretary of state as yet.
“It clearly says – it’s underlined and in bold – not to write to the secretary of state and to retain Places for Everyone.
“That’s what was voted upon and was voted down. Bring a motion then we’ll vote on it, it’s as simple as that.”
Cllr Quigg argued he made that clarification but exploded as the legal boss described it as ‘a really poor motion.’
After the adjournment, Cllr Chauhan called on him, along with Cllrs Hince and Woodvine, to apologise, only to also refuse and the meeting was eventually suspended.
Cllr Sheldon, who was backed by many sides, said: “Personal attacks and aggressive behaviour are not acceptable to all members of this chamber and certainly not to the people of Oldham.
“As leader of the Conservative group, two of my members have, in my opinion, overstepped the mark.”
Oldham Council leader Arooj Shah said: “The behaviour by some of the elected members at the meeting of the full council was a step too far.
“I will stress this is a handful of members – most members from all parties and groups treat the chamber with the respect it deserves.
“Certainly, the Labour group has always welcomed a difference of opinion in the council chamber, and political disagreement is to be expected when councillors are fighting for what they think is right for Oldham.
“I would urge those disruptive members to reflect on their behaviour and remember that we are all there to serve the people of Oldham.
“We were unable to do that because the meeting had to be abandoned. This is disrespectful, not just to their fellow councillors, but also to the residents we represent.
“Democratic discourse in Oldham needs to be elevated.
“We owe it to the people who have afforded us the privilege of being councillors to make that happen.”
Cllr Hince, who informed the police, told the meeting: “I will not be called a Nazi by anyone.”
He later added in a statement: “I understand as an elected councillor, not everyone will agree with the decisions I make.
“However, I could never have envisaged or prepared for the level of personal abuse I have received, particularly online and the attempts to smear me as an individual.
“This abuse has affected not just my professional career, but also my personal life, with both myself and my wife being abused in public and online.
“This has also had a significant impact on my health, due to the stress this has caused me and my family.
“As a public figure, I expect some level of abuse from those unwilling to engage and resort to name calling. However, I do not expect the same level of abuse from fellow councillors.”
Saddleworth North Conservative Cllr Luke Lancaster and Saddleworth West and Lees Liberal Democrat Cllr Mark Kenyon said they could not comment.
Cllr Woodvine has denied to the Independent claims he referred to Cllr Hince as a Nazi and asserted he had nothing to apologise for.
You must be logged in to post a comment.