All the candidates standing in local elections

Ex-Labour councillors turned independents are to be challenged for their seats in Oldham by their former party colleagues.

Ex-Labour councillors turned independents are to be challenged for their seats in Oldham by their former party colleagues.

A third of the whole council is up for election on Thursday, May 2, with 102 candidates standing across the borough.

One seat in each of the 20 wards is being contested.

Of the seats up for election, 14 are currently held by Labour, three by Liberal Democrat, one Conservative and two by independents.

In Coldhurst and Medlock Vale, Labour are putting forward new candidates to challenge their former members.

Councillors Montaz Ali Azad and Kaiser Rehman have both been suspended by the Labour party and sit in the chamber as independents.

But they are both attempting to retain their seats as independents.

This year Ukip are putting forward 14 candidates – in a shift from last year when they didn’t contest a single seat.

In the previous local elections in 2018, Oldham members had been encouraged to support Rochdale candidates, who they thought were in more ‘achievable’ seats.

The Green Party are standing in 13 seats, while the Lib Dems, Labour and Conservatives are contesting every seat.

Grassroots party Saddleworth First! are fielding candidates in the three Saddleworth wards.

And 12 independent candidates are seeking to challenge the major parties across the borough.

Long-serving Liberal Democrat councillor Derek Heffernan is not standing again in Saddleworth North.

He was first elected to the council in May 1995, and served as Mayor in 2016.

In a tearful speech at his last full council meeting, Coun Heffernan said he had previously confirmed these four years in office would be his last.

He said it was not related to dementia, adding his ‘marbles are all in place and well polished’.

“It is time to pass the torch to somebody else,” he said. “But believe me friends, it is a wrench.”

Another former Mayor Shadab Qumer is also not seeking re-election in St Mary’s ward.

He has served on the council for 12 years but said he is stepping down to spend more ‘quality time’ with his four children – something he feels he has been missing out on.

And Liberal Democrat councillor Julia Turner, who was elected in 2015, is not standing again in Crompton ward.

Full list of candidates standing in Oldham elections:
Alexandra Ward
Martin Dinoff, Liberal Democrats
Jenny Harrison, Labour (Incumbent)
Jawaad Hussain, Conservative
Muhammad Imran Sarwar, Independent
Carl Douglas Sinderby, UKIP
Chadderton Central Ward
Barbara Ann Beeley, Liberal Democrats
Marian Goodwin, UKIP
Mohammed Shah Jahan, Conservative 
Jess Mahoney, Green
Eddie Moores, Labour (Incumbent)
Chadderton North Ward
Mohon Ali, Labour (Incumbent)
Mohammad Riaj Alom, Conservative
John Hall, Liberal Democrats
Chris Parr, Green
Tracy Samantha Woodward, Independent
Chadderton South Ward
Robert Barnes, Conservative
Jack Dickenson, UKIP
Tabirul Islam, Liberal Democrats
Graham Shuttleworth, Labour (Incumbent)
Melodey Walker, Green
Coldhurst Ward
Montaz Ali Azad, Independent (Incumbent)
Jean Betteridge, Green
Md Shahid Miah, Conservative
Ruji Sapna Surjan, Labour
Kutub Uddin, Liberal Democrats
Crompton Ward
Phelyp Bennett, Conservative
Louie Hamblett, Liberal Democrats
Colin Francis Jones, UKIP
Alex Jones-Casey, Labour
Failsworth East Ward
Alan Belmore, Liberal Democrats
Antony Cahill, Conservative
Brian Hobin, Independent
Paul Jean Jacques, Labour (Incumbent)
Failsworth West Ward
Warren William Bates, Independent
Richard Neville Darlington, Liberal Democrats
Annette Louise Evans, UKIP
Elaine Garry, Labour (Incumbent) 
Andy Hunter-Rossall, Green 
Michele Stockton, Conservative
Hollinwood Ward
Stephen Barrow, Liberal Democrats
Sajjad Hussain, Conservative
David William Maybury, Green
Steve Williams, Labour (Incumbent)
Matthew James Woods, UKIP
Medlock Vale Ward
Neil Allsopp, Conservative
Mohammed Alyas, Labour
Daniel Clayton, Green
Marcus Esbach, UKIP
Philip Edward Howarth, Independent
Rachel Pendlebury, Liberal Democrats 
Kaiser Rehman, Independent (Incumbent)
Royton North Ward 
Allan Fish, Conservative
Paul Francis Goldring, UKIP
Russell Gosling, Liberal Democrats
Clint Phythian, Labour (Incumbent)
Lina Shaw, Green
Royton South Ward
Steven Bashforth, Labour (Incumbent)
Ken Berry, Liberal Democrats
Ian James Bond, Conservative
Anthony Joseph Prince, UKIP
Jim Stidworthy, Green
Saddleworth North Ward
John Douglas Eccles, Liberal Democrats
Chris Green, UKIP
George Hulme, Labour
Luke Lancaster, Conservative
Carl Roberts, Saddleworth First!
Phil Sewell, Independent
Saddleworth South Ward
Helen Louise Bishop, Independent
Alec Crook, Independent
Duncan Clive Goodman, Saddleworth First!
Connor Daniel Green, Labour
Brian Lord, Liberal Democrats
Harry Moore, UKIP
Graham Sheldon, Conservative (Incumbent)
Saddleworth West & Lees Ward
Sam Al-Hamdani, Liberal Democrats
Adrian Clive Alexander, Labour (Incumbent)
“Boots” Errock, Saddleworth First!
Tom Lord, Conservative
Paul Taylor, UKIP
Shaw Ward
Chris Gloster, Liberal Democrats (Incumbent)
Catherine Hunter-Rossall, Green
Ken Rustidge, Labour and Co-operative 
Lisa Smirk, Conservative
Rob Vance, UKIP
St James Ward
Atif Ali, Conservative
Colin Herbert Burrows, UKIP
Angela Carol Cosgrove, Labour (Incumbent)
Amoy Lindo-Crooks, Independent 
Tony Martin, Liberal Democrats
Roger Pakeman, Green 
St. Marys Ward
Sean Raymond Curley, Conservative
Nyla Ibrahim, Labour
Pat Lord, Liberal Democrats
Miranda Meadowcroft, Green
Waterhead Ward
Linda Dawson, Liberal Democrats
Peter Dean, Labour (Incumbent)
Max Joseph Woodvine, Conservative
Werneth Ward
Asghar Ali, Independent
Heath Fletcher, Conservative
Javid Iqbal, Labour (Incumbent)
Keith Pendlebury, Liberal Democrats
Irfat Ahmed Shajahan, Green

Written by Local Democracy Reporter Charlotte Green.