Tameside Council leader Roy Oldham is to go into hospital for surgery. Councillor Oldham, 74, will take time off later this year to undergo surgery for bladder cancer. He announced the news at a recent meeting of the Labour Group. Councillor Oldham, who represents Longdendale ward, has been head of the council since 1980, making him the longest-serving council leader in British history. He was awarded a CBE in 2000 for his services to local government. Speaking to the Advertiser, he said: "This has been planned for some time and I have put in place robust arrangements to ensure business continues as usual in my abscence under the deputy leader, Councillor Joe Kitchen. I am fully ready for this operation and anticipate a speedy recovery, and plan to be back in time for my annual festive mince pies and sherry with our high-achieving staff before the Christmas break." Tameside AdvertiserNot that it counts for anything but I would like to wish Cllr Oldham a speedy recovery. It is testament to the man that he is still working for the people of Tameside at the age of 74. I have always said that Cllr Oldham possesses common decency and a sense of purpose which has long since been abandoned by many career politicians from all parties but non more so than Labour. In my opinion Cllr Oldham represents the last of the Labour old guard who entered political life to be of service to the people – not to themselves.
24 comments:
Good luck Roy with your operation the best leader we have ever had in Tameside.
While i wish him well i wish he decided to call it a day along with his wife and focused on fighting cancer rather than controling the council.
you have to question his decision not to walk away and enjoy what ever life he has left.
oh TC what a sense of humour you have by uploading that picture with Roy Oldham holding a cheque saying the big one.
Roy Oldham is corrupt. He will never leave office as there is too much dirt on him. The filth are best finding it when he is 6 feet under
Please keep it decent anon. Cllr Oldham is an elderly gentleman who is facing a serious operation. Please have a heart.
We have some scum posting on here none of you could ever tell him to his face, or do a fraction of the work hes done.good luck to him he will be back.
I wish him well for his operation. Though I dislike his politics I admire his professionalism.
I also have this feeling that when he does retire what comes next will be worse.
He is a traditionalist who has views on the military, crime, service to the community and loyalty which I admire and can agree with. Watch last year's state of the area address and see what I mean.
I only wish just once we could have a proper debate. I would give a better account than Cllr Bell !
So do you and the BNP justify £10k pa being spent on nothing more than a political rally? I think the Tories boycotting of the state of the ark address is justified criticism of this complete waste of taxpayers' money.
As i thought the BNP and Labour typical Socialists.
The State of Area is just a waste of money and the Tories are right to boycott it.
The Tories should shut up and get on with their jobs as elected councillors and represent their ward. I believe it Oldham offered the Conservatives to stand and speak... Not that it would make much difference as John Bell has the intelligence of a monkey. As soon as the full council is over, you will see all the Tories at the Firestation supping away.
Hey John Leslie
How come there hasn't been a Tory Mayor since Roy Oldham took over the Council?
Lots of other Councils up and down the country have oposition Mayors how come Tameside doesn't?
Or is it the fact that Tameside is run like a dictatorship and doesn't belive in oposistion.
Plus it makes me laugh about you saying they're over in the Firestation Mr Parker Perry i've seen you in there myself very cosey in the corner with a lovely girl from Hyde
Dear Mr Blue Sky.
And do you remember the "Queen's portrait in every school" episode when the Tories ruled Tameside?
How much did that cost?
I find the Tory Boycott of the State of the Area Address unacceptable. They should attend and put forward their views. To try and to fail is to sucumbe to life's fortune, to be a player and not a spectator. But to refuse to fight. To give up with a shrug what you are elected to do is moral cowardice and a betrayal of the trust placed in you by the voters.
Mr. Lesley, or Cllr Parker-Perry - thanks to Roy Walker for clearing that one up!! Isn't it really you who has the intelligence of a jungle primate? You're fooling no-one with your childish and increasingly foolish comments.
Crikey, and all of this foolhardy bravado comes from the man of mystery from Mottram who sits cosily in the corner at the Firestation with a lovely young lady from Hyde.
Time to grow up darling.........
Tony,
In life you have several choices you can either do something or not.
The Tories don't go to the state of area because they feel it's a waste of tax payers money and don't want to be a part of it.
Now if anything were voted on at this labour party rally then the Tories should be there but Tony nothing is voted on at all it's just another excuse for several Labour CLLR'S to get drunk on tax payers money.
I admire the Tories stand on this Tony.
I am not Cllr. Sean Parker-Perry.
The point is that the (shit) state of the area is to engage the opinion of Tameside Councillors to give an insight to the year ahead. Roy Oldham offered John Bell to speak last year, but he refused to take the offer up - presumably to try to hide the fact that he has nothing to offer at the table as he is thick.
Yes the costs are high, but Trafford holds one too- and that is a Tory council. Admittedly not as expensive, but a state of area address is much needed.
Under the Tories John Bell has taken the opposition into a massive farce. Nothing is voted on, all you do is abstain. This would never of happened under Colin Grantham.
John Leslie or who ever you are?
Traford council have a state or area and cost in the region of £800 not £10,000
There is a big difference socialists waste money and Conservative run councils get things done for a fraction of the cost.
Regarding your comments regarding abstaining maybe if the budget was voted on in parts then the Tories would vote for or against but how it's curently done you have to vote for all or nothing so to abstain is right because there are parts they agree on and parts they disagree.
But the dictator who runs the council wouldn't change anything.
Mr Walker
Your comments have some value and logic. But taken to their logical conclusion since the Tory group is too small to achieve anything in a vote they should just stay away from everything.
I know this is not what you would like to see but it is what you implicitly advocate.
Since a boycott is too subtle for many of the electorate to understand and is deliberately misrepresented by Labour, you need to try something else.
How about turning up and letting John Bell denounce the junket before walking out?
Or heckle the speech with pithy comments?
But don't just leave it alone!
Janet Callender has resigned from her position of Chief Executive.
Tony,
I understand exactly what you're saying but i think the budget should be broke down and voted on in parts.
Last year there were extensive changes to the budget at the last minute but they expected people to vote on it without oppotunity to read the changes but the Labour sheep went ahead and voted on it anyway not that any of them had read the thing in the first place.
Boycotting is subtle but i feel it is a valid option even though walking out after making a scene would be fun but would be twisted by the new labour spin on Tameside Council.
Trafford have not had a state of the Ark address since the Tories gained control of the council in 2004.
As for the "Queen's portrait in every school" episode when the Tories ruled Tameside, I do remember it very well - a decision passed at committee, proposed by a vicar and seconded by a Labour councillor.
Roy Walker, well done for picking up on the Advertiser's scoop!
I hadn't looked at the Advertiser i were told by another avenue.
But credit to the advertiser.
Roy Walker sounds like a right Tory gobshite no all don't you think?
Love to you too Labour Deep Red (Taylor)
Oh,and it's Know all,not no all.
mr blue sky said...
Trafford have not had a state of the Ark address since the Tories gained control of the council in 2004.
As for the "Queen's portrait in every school" episode when the Tories ruled Tameside, I do remember it very well - a decision passed at committee, proposed by a vicar and seconded by a Labour councillor.
10/11/08 17:55
Advertiser scoop said...
Roy Walker, well done for picking up on the Advertiser's scoop!
10/11/08 18:59
roy walker said...
I hadn't looked at the Advertiser i were told by another avenue.
But credit to the advertiser.
10/11/08 20:13
labour deep red said...
Roy Walker sounds like a right Tory gobshite no all don't you think?
10/11/08 20:37
Mr Blue sky, I think you will find Noah had no involvement, What is the Ark about?
Roy, I think you may mean, I was told by somebody else. Perhaps you mean I discovered this using a different avenue of approach.
Labour deep Red/JT , I think you may have confused no with KNOW. I am in NO way a pedant. This shows what 61 years of Labour education has done for this country.
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