‘I’ve stopped telling people where I live and work’ - Oldhamers have their say
The article explores the varied opinions of Oldham residents regarding the council's handling of historic child sexual exploitation (CSE) scandals, as well as other local issues like fly-tipping, housing shortages, and crime. Many residents express frustration with the council's perceived inaction, while others feel disconnected from local politics. The article also highlights concerns about misinformation and the borough's tarnished reputation.
Oldham’s name has become shorthand for Britain’s child-sex scandal, and residents say the stigma is poisoning daily life as surely as the rubbish that clutters their back alleys.
“I’ve stopped telling people where I live or work,” said Shanice, 27, who travels from Rochdale to help homeless people in Oldham. “I just say I’m from Manchester. Because I know what everyone thinks of.”
Her words echo across the borough where right-wing protesters heckle councillors, Elon Musk amplifies conspiracy theories online, and neighbours argue over whether another inquiry into historic grooming gangs will achieve anything more than the last one.
Outside the Civic Centre, the toxic atmosphere has turned council meetings into shouting matches. Labour members defend a 2022 Greater Manchester review that admitted “significant failings” in how police and social workers handled victims, while Conservatives and independents demand a government-led investigation. Demonstrators have forced several sessions to be adjourned.
Yet walk ten minutes to Failsworth and the storm inside the chamber feels distant. “It’s happened. Everybody knows it’s happened - especially the young girls it’s happened to,” said a 75-year-old dog-walker who gave only his first name, Ken. “And it needs to be sorted out. It should have been cleared up years ago.”
His neighbour, 39, who moved from Cheshire five years ago, said fly-tipping, potholes and poverty affect her more directly: “A lot of it is down to the council. But also - how does the council get a grip of it, when they’ve got no money?”
Similar frustration spills out on Oldham Road where Joyce, 67, surveys a half-empty high street. “It’s like everywhere. It’s just a bad state now. It’s horrendous,” she said, blaming both cash-strapped officials and residents who “don’t have any pride in the place any more.”
Others feel priced out entirely. Ubaid Khan, 49, a Pakistani taxi driver in Werneth, supports the inquiry - “I don’t want any criminal to get away just because they are Pakistani” - but says rent hikes threaten his family more immediately. “When you look to the council, they don’t have any way to support you.”
Council leader Arooj Shah urged residents to ignore online “mouthpieces who spout nonsense about our town from the comfort of their armchairs” and insisted surveys show “most Oldhamers are proud to come from here.” She invited critics to contact the town hall directly, adding: “Let’s all show some pride in our place.”
The plea may struggle to be heard above the noise. Some taxpayers have already voted with their wallets - a Chadderton resident admitted refusing to pay council tax since 2022, claiming officials are “very corrupt,” while an 83-year-old couple in the town centre dismissed the latest promised inquiry as pointless. “This one will take another 15 years, and then nothing will happen again,” the husband said.
Others simply tune out. Josef, 22, pushing a pram in Derker with partner Serena, 23, shrugged: “So long as they’re collecting our bins, I don’t care about anything else.” A school-run mum, Gbemi, 39, was equally bemused: “I don’t know much about the council but I guess they do a good job? I love it here because it’s really peaceful where I live.”
Whether that peace survives the next viral tweet or protest rally remains an open question. As Shanice put it: “If everyone actually worked together and communicated on the issues and spoke to local people, a lot of problems could be solved.”
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