WHO will get your vote when Oldham goes to the polls on Thursday, May 6?
The candidates who are vying for votes in the local elections and Greater Manchester Mayoral Election have now been confirmed.
In the local elections, voters will cast their choice of who they want to elect to represent them on Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council. One seat is being contested in each of the 20 wards in Oldham.
There are different ways to vote in the elections: at your local polling station, by post or by proxy (appointing someone to vote on your behalf).
You will receive a poll card telling you where to vote if you wish to vote in person at your local polling station on May 6.
Significant efforts have been made to ensure that all polling stations are Covid safe. Voters and staff will be required to wear a face covering (unless they are exempt), observe social distancing and use hand sanitiser which will be made available. Voters can bring their own pen or pencil should they wish to do so.
Applications for postal votes and proxy votes had to be completed in April.
The verification and counts for local elections will commence at 10pm on Thursday, May 6 at various locations across Oldham. The count for Shaw, Crompton, Royton North and Royton South will be held at Oldham Sports Centre.
To find out more, visit Oldham Council’s website: www.oldham.gov.uk/elections
Here are the candidates standing in Shaw ward:
Syed Maruf Ali, Labour Party
My first priority will be making sure both the elderly and young are receiving support following the Covid-19 outbreak.
Then I would work with local businesses in Shaw to help them get back on their feet and asking people to shop, eat and drink local.
I love the people of Shaw. I had great time meeting with you before the start of the global pandemic and I have enjoyed talking to you on the phone since then. Everyone who I speak to cares passionately about where they live and our community, which is fantastic to be a part of.
A vote for Labour at the elections will give the people of Shaw a representative who is prepared to work directly with the decision makers who can invest in Shaw and see some real positive change to our area.
For too long Shaw has been let down by the Lib Dems and we all want that to change.
Marc Hince, Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth
I have lived in Shaw and Crompton since 1982 and for the past 15 years I have been involved in various aspects of operational and strategic management within the private sector.
I am blessed with eight-year-old twins and my wife is a front-line NHS worker.
For some time I have been disillusioned with local politics and its politicians and their failure to put the people they represent first.
I have also been dismayed how Shaw has declined over the past 30 years. It seems to me our current local councillors are far more focused on bureaucracy than serving residents.
If elected, I will work with residents, businesses and other stakeholders on a plan to get Shaw back to being the vibrant and energetic town it once was.
I am also determined to fight the theft of our amenities and open spaces including our greenbelt with definitive action and not just lip service and token votes at council meetings.
If I am elected, I have pledged to donate monies received from OMBC in way of councillor allowances to the Save Shaw’s Greenbelt campaign.
I am also determined to fight to ensure we get a fair deal and residents have a visible, approachable and accountable councillor who works for them, not themselves.
Tom Lord, Conservative Party
I AM a 38-year-old criminal barrister from a single parent family, raised by my mother.
I attended Hulme Grammar School for Boys between 1994 and 2001 and after university worked as a teaching assistant in a primary school and as a sports coach in Salford with the physically and mentally handicapped and children from Pupil Referral Units.
I have been a barrister for 10 years, defending all manner of people in the Crown Court; the homeless, people with substance addictions and those with the most serious mental health conditions. These are the most vulnerable in society and every day I have a glimpse into their lives and the daily difficulties they face.
I had the honour of being the Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate in 2019 for Oldham East and Saddleworth and now stand for Shaw, in my third local elections, demonstrating my continued commitment to Oldham and its people, a sensible approach to our local finances and a determination to oppose the slow erosion of our green spaces.
Howard Sykes, Liberal Democrats
I have lived in Shaw all my life and live in the heart of the town, unlike the Labour and Conservative candidates who live miles away.
For 34 years as a councillor, I have been speaking out and standing up for Shaw and its people.
I am honoured to serve the people of Shaw, and I am asking for YOUR support to help me to keep fighting and campaigning for YOU.
While others appear more interested in personal attacks and mudslinging, my fight, as it has always been, is for the people of Shaw and Crompton and this community. I:
- Am fighting for a new Health Centre for Shaw and Crompton,
- Am fighting to protect our green spaces and green belt,
- want to get our roads and footways repaired,
- Am campaigning to keep our town and neighbourhoods clean and tidy,
- want a thriving market, and support Shaw’s businesses and voluntary organisations.