New political group has formed in Tameside

A new political group in Tameside has been launched. Just days after a by-election to forget for Labour, a new enemy has reared its head.

The newly formed Tameside Independent Group will be led by former council leader Ged Cooney. He will be joined by some of his long-time political allies who have also become estranged from the Labour group. 

Councillors Gary Ferguson, Vincent Ricci, Ann Holland, Barrie Holland and Kaleel Khan make up the group with Coun Cooney. 

The mantra of the group is to put the needs of the towns they represent first, rather than the political party.

Every councillor in the new group, except Coun Khan, left the Labour group over the course of the last 12 months through either a fall out with the party or a failure to recognise what they deem as true Labour values.

Some resignations were more dramatic than others. After a political storm back in October 2024, which saw the chief executive quit amidst failures in children’s services, Coun Cooney resigned. 

The Droylsden West councillor would later be suspended from the Labour Party in the wake of the Trigger Me Timbers WhatsApp scandal. He wasn’t a member of the scandalous group chat, which contained a number of offensive messages about constituents, but he was a vocal objector to the group at the time.

Coun Cooney was temporarily suspended by the Labour chiefs for ‘giving commentary to the media’ on the matter. The Labour investigation into the matter was called off in recent weeks as Coun Cooney decided to resign from the party altogether. 

Coun Ricci was suspended for his connection to the Trigger Me Timbers WhatsApp group, who claimed he raised concerns about this with party chiefs. In February 2025 he said he was ‘thrown under the bus’ by the Labour Party.

The next to go was Coun Ferguson – back in April 2025. The Longdendale councillor branded the organisation ‘toxic’ and regarded the recent intervention from Labour’s National Executive Board (NEC) in the council as unacceptable.

Ann Holland quit Labour after feeling her views no longer aligned with the national party. This came after it was revealed that Labour chose not to reselect Coun Holland as their candidate for the Droylsden West ward at the upcoming Local Elections.

Coun Barrie Holland also left the Labour Party shortly after his wife’s resignation.

In a statement, Coun Cooney said: “This is the first time in the borough’s history that Independent councillors have come together in this way under a shared commitment to put community interests before party politics.

“Our main objective is simple: to put our communities and our towns first, always. 

“The Tameside Independent Group will work together on a common manifesto focused on benefiting local towns, strengthening scrutiny of the current administration and making it easier to submit motions at full council. However, each independent councillor will remain fully independent in their own ward, accountable directly to their residents and guided by local priorities.

“We also wish to encourage anyone interested in standing as a local independent candidate in Tameside to contact us for a discussion. We welcome people from all communities, including young people , who want to serve their area with integrity, independence and a community-first approach.”

Deputy leader Coun Khan added: “Councillor Ged Cooney, with his history, experience and previous leadership as Leader of the Tameside Labour-run
council, is best placed to lead this new group.

“This decision is to put our town first above party politics for the residents of Tameside.”

It is understood that independent councillor Steve Barton will not be part of the independent alliance.