
The local and mayoral elections are due to take place next month after the coronavirus pandemic forced a year’s delay.
There are seats in 20 wards up for grabs in Oldham – with a third of the council’s total 60 seats being contested.
Labour holds the vast majority of seats currently up for election, with just three Liberal Democrat held seats and one Conservative up for grabs.
A key battleground for May 6 will be Failsworth West ward, in which incumbent council leader Sean Fielding will be seeking to defend his seat for Labour.
He is being challenged by the Failsworth Independent Party, the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives, and previous councillor Warren Bates who is standing as an independent.
In Coldhurst Ward, incumbent and joint deputy Abdul Jabbar is standing for re-election for Labour, but is being challenged by former Labour councillor and now independent candidate Montaz Ali Azad.
Mr Azad had the Labour whip withdrawn in 2016 after a Home Office investigation found his former company had employed three illegal workers.
Mr Jabbar is also being challenged by the Conservatives, Green Party and Liberal Democrats.
In Shaw ward, opposition group leader Liberal Democrat councillor Howard Sykes is running for re-election, against Labour, the Conservatives and hyper local party Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth.
The new party is contesting eight wards in the borough, after first fielding candidates in the 2019 general election.
Several well known faces on the council are also standing down, including long serving Conservative member and former mayor John Hudson, who will not contest his Saddleworth South seat.
Councillors had paid tribute to him at the last full council meeting of the municipal year, praising his diligence, wit and remembering his ‘colourful’ public language.
In Chadderton North ward a new Labour candidate is standing to retain the seat for the party, after incumbent Fazlul Haque was deselected after first winning the seat in 2012.
His fellow ward councillor Barbara Brownridge said: “It is a great shame that the local party decided, not for the first time, not to reselect a good local councillor and I’m sure he will be missed by many people in the ward and many in this virtual chamber.”
In Waterhead, incumbent Labour councillor Vita Price is also not seeking re-election.
She had been a social worker in another borough, and a carer while also serving as a councillor.
Fellow ward member Peter Dean said her ‘contribution to local people and the help she’s given them has been exceptional’.
In Saddleworth West and Lees, incumbent Stephen Hewitt is also not seeking re-election, after having been deselected by the Labour party.
He said he had been dumped by the party for his prominent campaigning to protect the countryside from development.
Here are the full list of candidates standing in the election which will be held on May 6.
Alexandra Ward
Zahid Chauhan, Labour (Incumbent)
Andrea Chaverra Valencia, Green Party
Martin Dinoff, Liberal Democrats
Jonathan Ford, Conservative
Chadderton Central Ward
Barbara Beeley, Liberal Democrats
Jack Dickenson, Northern Heart (UK) Oldham
Jess Mahoney, Green Party
Sharif Miah, Conservative
Elaine Taylor, Labour (Incumbent)
Chadderton North Ward
Daniel Clayton, Green Party
Katie Gloster, Liberal Democrats
Mohammed Islam, Labour
Mohammed Jahan, Conservative
Tracy Woodward, Independent
Chadderton South Ward
Bernard Akin, UKIP
Robert Barnes, Conservative
Joe Beeston, Liberal Democrats
Chris Goodwin, Labour (Incumbent)
Cath Jackson, Northern Heart (UK) Oldham
Lisa Roddy, Workers Party of Britain
Coldhurst
Montaz Ali Azad, Independent
Jean Betteridge, Green Party
David Cahill, Conservative
Abdul Jabbar, Labour (Incumbent)
Mick Scholes, Liberal Democrats
Crompton Ward
Lewis Quigg, Conservative
Basit Shah, Labour
Lina Valencia-Shaw, Green Party
Rob Vance, Northern Heart (UK) Oldham
Diane Williamson, Liberal Democrats (Incumbent)
Failsworth East Ward
Neil Hindle, Failsworth Independent Party
Liz Jacques, Labour (Incumbent)
Shefur Miah, Conservative
Lynne Thompson, Liberal Democrats
Failsworth West Ward
Warren Bates, Independent
Richard Darlington, Liberal Democrats
Sean Fielding, Labour (Incumbent)
Jawaad Hussain, Conservative
Mark Wilkinson, Failsworth Independent Party
Hollinwood Ward
Ronald James, Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth
Brian Lord, Liberal Democrats
Kyle Phythian, Labour
Michele Stockton, Conservative
Medlock Vale Ward
Sahr Abid, Conservative
Ateeque Ur-Rehman, Labour and Co-operative Party (Incumbent)
Mark Birchall, Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth
Rachel Pendlebury, Liberal Democrats
Royton North Ward
Dave Arnott, Conservative
Paul Goldring, Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth
Russ Gosling, Liberal Democrats
Mick Harwood, Labour and Co-operative Party
Colin Jones, Reform UK
Royton South Ward
Ken Berry, Liberal Democrats
Ian Bond, Conservative
Amanda Chadderton, Labour (Incumbent)
Anne Fiander Taylor, Northern Heart (UK) Oldham
Anthony Prince, UKIP
Jim Stidworthy, Green Party
Saddleworth North Ward
Kathryn Banawich, Green Party
Chris Green, Reform UK
Connor Green, Labour and Co-operative Party
Garth Harkness, Liberal Democrats (Incumbent)
Luke Lancaster, Conservative
Gary Tarbuck, Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth
Saddleworth South Ward
Brian Banawich, Green Party
Helen Bishop, Independent
Kevin Dawson, Liberal Democrats
Simon Hodgson, Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth
Stephanie Shuttleworth, Labour Party
Max Woodvine, Conservative
Saddleworth West and Lees Ward
Antony Cahill, Conservative
Mark Kenyon, Liberal Democrats
Ken Rustidge, Labour and Co-operative Party
Paul Shilton, Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth
Shaw Ward
Syed Maruf Ali, Labour
Marc Hince, Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth
Tom Lord, Conservative
Howard Sykes, Liberal Democrats (Incumbent)
St James Ward
Cath Ball, Labour (Incumbent)
Amoy Crooks, Proud of Oldham and Saddleworth
Joe Gloster, Liberal Democrats
Roger Pakeman, Green Party
Beth Sharp, Conservative
St Mary’s Ward
Aftab Hussain, Independent (Incumbent)
Pat Lord, Liberal Democrats
Miranda Meadowcroft, Green Party
Mujibur Rahman, Conservative
Imran Yousaf, Labour
Waterhead Ward
Ros Birch, Labour and Co-operative Party
Linda Dawson, Liberal Democrats
Sajjad Hussain, Conservative
Freedom Solaiman, Green Party
Paul Taylor, Northern Heart (UK) Oldham
Werneth Ward
Fida Hussain, Labour (Incumbent)
Keith Pendlebury, Liberal Democrats
Mohammod Rahman, Conservative