Roy Oldham

Samuel Roy Oldham, CBE (born 27 April 1934) has been the leader of Tameside Council since 1980 which makes his tenure of office as council leader the longest in British history . He is a member of the Labour Party and is councillor for Longdendale. His son, Simon Walker is chair of the Tameside Labour Party and a former councillor.

In the 2000 New Years Honours List, Oldham was presented with a CBE in recognition of his services to local government.

Career

Roy Oldham was questioned by the police over his involvent in Tameside Enterprises Limited.

Roy Oldham has previously been the Chair of Manchester Airport between 1997 and 1998.

Oldham has been the main driving force for the Mottram-Tintwistle bypass (or Longdendale Bypass). In the summer of 2006, the North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) decided to fund the Metrolink extension instead of the bypass. Unhappy with this decision and the environmental opposition to his road scheme, Oldham blurted out his true feelings for the environment. He said in a council meeting: "If it takes out a few hedgehogs or snails, that’s the way of the world.".

By way of contrast, in the 1980s, Oldham had been very much against the closure of the Woodhead Line which he felt could bring about the extension of the M67 motorway through the Longdendale Valley. His comments at the Public Inquiry are recorded in Simon Bain's book Railroaded!: Battle for Woodhead Pass:

Controversy

In July 2000, Oldham was subject to a bomb threat at his home. This turned out to be an elaborate hoax. Given Oldham's high profile, it was decided that the Longdendale councillor would receive surveilance cameras paid for by the council tax payer at undisclosed sum, this was estimated to have cost £4,000.00 which excludes any annual maintenance fees.

There is also controversy over the fact that chauffeur driven BMW's were being used by Mr. Oldham on regular occasions. It was discovered that this came from tax-payers money.

In 2006, he was the subject of local controversy after declaring that potholes in one local road would not be immediately repaired as they presented a temporary traffic calming measure.

On a similar subject to potholes being a traffic calming measure, Oldham also made his own opinions on the Longendale Bypass. In one council meeting he said "If it takes out a few hedgehogs or snails, that’s the way of the world." This came under heavy critical response from local people.

In July 2007, Roy Oldham was accused of having an "ego trip" by the local press after including his house under a list of historic landmarks in Mottram. According to the Tameside Advertiser report, the plaque cost the tax payer £3,000.00 alone. A full Channel M video report can be seen on Youtube. In his defence he said the plaque "was just a bit of fun" and branded local people critical of the plaque as being "sad". In the video report it claimed that Mr. Oldham is the only councillor in the UK to be chauffeur driven.

Remuneration

In 2001, Oldham received a 32% pay rise from Tameside Council. The increase was from £23,453.00 a year to £31,000, a rise of £7,547.

Further to Oldham's 32% pay rise, it has been recently reported that he is now paid a £50,000 annual salary which again is above the rate of inflation and the average national UK wage., an increase of £3,350 from 2006. Part of his benefits include a BMW 5 Series car at the total cost of £63,000, which replaces a Rover 75.

External links

• Roy Oldham profile at Tameside Council