This week 2,600 Nationwide members in Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton will receive a £100 “Fairer Share” payment

This year marks the fourth consecutive year that Nationwide will return £100 to eligible members through our Fairer Share payment. This commitment reflects the strength of the mutual model, sharing value with the people who own the building society – its members.

In Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton, 2,600 members will benefit from the £100 Fairer Share payment, meaning £260,000 will be returned directly to local constituents this year.

On top of this they have committed to maintaining a high street branch, standing from the growing list of banks abandoning our town centres.

We need more community focused and consumer owned businesses, and I’m pleased our work through the Co-operative Party to double the size of the sector has been taken up by the government.

This week’s Annual Council has ended in a stalemate, making it the first time the borough has failed to elect a Mayor, and with it the failure to allow the meeting to continue its business of electing a new leader and cabinet, leaving the borough in limbo.

Oldham deserves better than this. The grandstanding which took place wasn’t necessary and it can’t be said it was in the public interest.

Labour did the right thing. It took account of the election result and didn’t attempt to hold on to control at all costs. It recognised the mood was for change and called on the two successful parties to come forward with a viable administration. Labour also stood to honour the commitment made by the council a year earlier to Cllr Hobin when he was elected Deputy Mayor, to support his nomination on to Mayor for the forthcoming year.

Instead of the other parties doing the same they became caught up in petty and personal politics aimed at removing the would-be mayor before he even took office. Why, when it added nothing to the fundamental question of who would form the administration?

Taking away the person involved; there has been a deeply disappointing break with the convention of the “first citizen” of Oldham; in that the Deputy Mayor serves in preparation before becoming the Mayor the following year.

Whatever party politics may divide, the office of Mayor has always been treated with a degree of respect and civic decency, and ought to be above politics.

Oldham faces serious challenges, from regeneration and housing to neighbourhood services and community cohesion. What people want is leadership prepared to put the borough first, not more political games.

The practical fall out also means the council doesn’t have a functioning administration.

This is not a new challenge, the outgoing Labour administration had to operate under minority control, and before taking control in 2011, the borough was run by a Lib Dem and Conservative coalition. Unless Reform as the second largest party, and the Oldham Group as the third largest party together with the Lib Dems, Conservatives and various Independents, come forward with viable proposals then the borough faces calls for government intervention.

But before then, let’s hope the unnecessary and petty-minded politics is taken out of it.

The government is investing £20m in specialist National Crime Agency officers to investigate and tackle illegal activity at shops used as fronts for organised crime to launder illicit money, sell illegal vapes, cigarettes and drugs. And it can’t come soon enough.

Trading standards teams will be allocated an additional £6m, helping to rebuild capacity lost through the years of cuts under the Tories.

There has been a marked increase in convenience stores, takeaways and barbers including in Oldham and though many will be legitimate businesses trading as normal, some may not be. It is for the benefit of law abiding businesses too often tarred with the same brush that action is needed, as well as the wider public good.

Greater Manchester Police will benefit from additional officers and I will be asking what is intended for Oldham and that there is information shared on enforcement activity.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/18/dodgy-shops-handling-criminal-cash-targeted-by-new-unit

They campaigned in this months local election claiming they wanted to supposedly ‘fix’ what they thought was wrong with the Council, yet they are not even attempting to form an administration.

They were the clear beneficiaries of the recent elections in Oldham but by refusing to step up are abdicating their responsibility and betraying the voters who lent them their support.

They seem to want it both ways; they want to campaign to take control, and opt for the easy life when the opportunity comes. Judging by the response from some who voted for Reform this month, the excuses don’t wash and it may well be a short honeymoon even in opposition.

No act is without consequences and it’s fair to say the thought of Reform leader (and former Conservative) Lewis Quigg handing over control of the council to HMO landlord, Oldham Group leader (and former Conservative) Kamran Ghafoor hasn’t gone down well at all.

If you’d like to see my appearance on The Granada Debate on ITV earlier this week in full, head to https://www.itv.com/watch/news/watch-the-latest-granada-reports-from-monday-18th-may/sdvdqjt

Our local candidates worked tirelessly, and they were the best of our movement, but we have to be honest about the results for Labour and what’s needed to turn things around.

We’ve achieved a lot; with over 50 Bills passed before the election on things that really do matter; workers rights, renters rights, community right to buy, and more, but it’s fair to say that just hasn’t cut through in its own right, and the programme of change hasn’t been bold enough.

All politics is personal and it’s local. Security, pride and dignity matters to all of us whether it’s our standing at work, maintaining a home for our family, and living in a place where we feel safe and can be proud of. When that’s threatened, as it has for millions of people for decades, trust in politics is weakened.

One real example is the issue of our high streets and banks leaving towns behind. The previous government restricted the number of banking hubs which then ruled out both Chadderton and Royton. Boldness and rooting ourselves in the reality facing communities would mean that we believe that every town should have access to a bank; for fair access to money, and to support local businesses. Without then high streets struggle even more. Yet the fight we had before continues today.

Likewise the rise of poor quality HMOs; again the previous government allowed a free for all and while some powers to control exist, the fact is it’s a gold rush for dodgy landlords who take often important buildings like former pubs, banks and shops, as well as family homes, and carve up every inch for profit above community interest.

I use those two examples not because they are politically the most grabbing; they don’t get discussed nearly enough, but because both are met with strong local views and frustration and both easily fixed by government with a will to meet people in their everyday lives.

The same is true of the cost of living crisis with eye watering rent now demanding over £1,000 a month for a modest house, or the energy bill goldrush, or the cost of the weekly shop.

As a party and a government we need to rise to that challenge; both the disconnection with working people and the struggles of everyday life mounting, and the scale of that challenge.

I have served for over two decades in elected politics and campaigned even longer to return Labour locally and nationally. It’s that commitment to return Labour candidates that requires honesty.

To see my appearance on The Granada Debate this week in full, head to https://www.itv.com/watch/news/watch-the-latest-granada-reports-from-monday-18th-may/sdvdqjt

Good to be back in Westminster for the start of a new parliamentary session as the prorogation was ended by the State Opening of Parliament. Here’s a small taster of what I got up to

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴’𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵

From delivering the Hillsborough Law, to enacting Votes at 16, nationalising British Steel, and fixing the broken leasehold & commonhold system for good; the King’s Speech set out an ambitious legislative programme focusing on economic resilience, stronger public services, energy security, and restoring trust in politics.

𝗖𝗼-𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆

A good week for the co-op as Bills covering longstanding co-operative priorities were announced in the King’s Speech such as new measures to enhance financial services with new provisions for credit unions, protections against ticket touting, and commonhold to change the housing system for the better.

𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆

It’s been a long campaign across many governments, but now all councillors will get the protection for their home addresses they deserve. Legislation has now passed which removes ambiguity and strengthens safety in public life. A step in the right direction

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗞’𝘀 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹

Pleased to offer my thoughts with Tribune on a democratic economic renewal with the co-operative movement at its heart. You can read it here: https://jimmcmahon.co.uk/…/the-uks-economy-needs-a…/

Now back up home to Oldham.

At the election, Reform sent out thousands of leaflets promising what they would do if they ran the council.

They went into the election holding just 3 seats. Even if they had won every single seat contested, they would still have been 8 short of a majority – meaning they would have had to work with another party regardless.

Now they claim they always promised not to “do deals” to run the council. Is it that they misled voters during the campaign, or that they simply can’t count?

There could be, of course, another explanation: perhaps Reform leader (and former Conservative) Lewis Quigg hasn’t been allowed off the leash by his “master in Mossley”. Who knows? Either way, it’s an abdication of responsibility.

Instead, they are now on track to hand control of Oldham Council to HMO landlord Kamran Ghafoor, still remembered by many over the King Street building collapse, and the Oldham Group. Is that really what Reform voters went out to support?

And then there’s the frankly pathetic line that Labour could still try to form a majority. Can you imagine the uproar these very same people would have caused had Labour attempted to cling on to control after such a devastating election result?

It’s all performative and highly personal towards local Labour leader Arooj Shah. It looks to me that they wanted to humiliate a woman they hounded relentlessly alongside the “Oldham Group” by removing her through a vote of no confidence. They weren’t just content with winning, they only really wanted a public humiliation. In fact, judging by their actions since, maybe they never actually wanted to govern at all. It’s the worst kind of politics.

What a sad state of affairs it is!