Tameside councillor elected to national role

Audenshaw councillor Oliver Ryan has been elected to the Local Government Association Labour Group's Executive as Chief Whip.

The Local Government Association (LGA) is a politically-led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of all councils across England and Wales to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice within national government. The LGA aims to influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils and communities so they are able to deliver local solutions to national problems, promoting, improving and supporting the sector.

The Labour Group Executive is made up of seven elected officers and is led by Cllr Nick Forbes CBE, Leader of Newcastle City Council, who is the national Leader of Labour in Local Government. The Group influences policy and political decisions through communications, publications and regular meetings between its members and senior national politicians.

Cllr Ryan (pictured) received over 50 nominations for the role from every region and nation represented by LGA and enjoyed support from district, county, unitary and city authorities of all sizes. Nominations for Cllr Ryan were made from major cities like Birmingham, Manchester, Doncaster, Southampton, Swansea, Portsmouth, Sunderland  Plymouth, Nottingham and 10 London boroughs. Closer to home, nine of the 10 Greater Manchester Councils supported Cllr Ryan, including his home borough of Tameside.

Cllr Ryan, who is Tameside Council's Executive Member for Finance and Economic Growth, said: "I'm really pleased to be able to contribute in this way and proud to be helping to represent Tameside on a national level. I want to thank our Leader Cllr Brenda Warrington for all her help and support with this election, Tameside is raising its voice nationally and Brenda has led on this. Never has there been a more important time for Labour in Local Government. 

"The Coronavirus pandemic has tested our communities, our institutions and our politics in ways many of us have never experienced before. The challenges have been immense, the loss of life deeply tragic and the impacts will be profound for years and decades to come; local government as a sector is facing an existential crisis, not least financially. In Tameside, our gap created by Covid will be in the tens of millions. The response, innovation and leadership of Labour in local government, including in Tameside, has stood out as a beacon of hope amidst the numerous failings and lack of leadership from this Tory government.

"We’ve been central to helping our communities and country through the worst of this pandemic, and our role will be even more crucial as we work to build back better, transform and ensure a reset and recovery that guards against a return to ‘business as usual‘ and the lost opportunity of a decade of Tory austerity pre-Covid-19.

"The truth is, this virus has served as a powerful and salutary reminder of the importance of the values we share as Labour Party members - cooperation, compassion, social justice, fairness, equality and community. I look forward to the challenge."