The Mayor news
Oldham Council has granted its highest honour to former Mayor Dr Zahid Chauhan, making him an Honorary Freeman of the Borough. The title, awarded on 23 December 2025, recognises Chauhan's years of public service and his record as the town's first citizen during his mayoral term.
The honour arrives as the council also mourns Alan Griffiths, who held the mayoral chain in 1996-97 and died on 16 January. No details of Griffiths' funeral have been released, but tributes remember his civic year nearly three decades ago.
In a sign of how the current mayor is engaging with younger residents, 15-year-old Brooke Travis Newcombe was invited to share his personal story with Dr Chauhan, Deputy Mayor Eddie Moores and acting chief executive Shelley Kipling at the civic chambers on 8 January. The council has not disclosed what Travis Newcombe told the leadership team, only that his message was described as 'powerful'.
The twin events, an honour for one former mayor and the loss of another, book-end a winter that has seen the council both celebrate its own and listen to a teenager's voice inside the town hall.
At a Glance
| Honour awarded | Honorary Freeman of the Borough, 23 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|
| Recipient | Councillor Dr Zahid Chauhan OBE |
| Former mayor who died | Alan Griffiths, civic year 1996-97 |
| Date of death notice | 16 January 2025 |
| Youth speaker | Brooke Travis Newcombe, age 15 |
| Meeting date | 8 January 2025 |
| Leaders present | Mayor Dr Zahid Chauhan, Deputy Mayor Eddie Moores, Acting Chief Executive Shelley Kipling |
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