The Mayor news

Oldham Council has granted its highest civic honour to former mayor Councillor Dr Zahid Chauhan OBE, making him an Honorary Freeman of the Borough. The title, awarded on 23 December 2025, recognises years of public service and places Chauhan among a small group of residents given permanent symbolic rights within the town hall.

The honour follows a period when Chauhan, who still chairs local health scrutiny panels, invited 15-year-old Brooke Travis Newcombe to address the council on 8 January. Brooke's personal story, shared with the mayor, deputy mayor Eddie Moores and acting chief executive Shelley Kipling, was described by onlookers as moving and unusually direct for a chamber meeting.

While the council celebrated one former mayor, it also marked the loss of another. Alan Griffiths, who held the mayoralty in 1996-97, died on 16 January. Tributes recalled his term during Oldham's early post-industrial adjustment and his quiet work behind the scenes for veterans' groups.

No date has been fixed for Chauhan's formal admission ceremony, and the council has not confirmed whether Brooke's deputation will lead to any youth-focused policy changes. Griffiths' family have asked for donations to the Royal British Legion in lieu of flowers, with the funeral expected to draw past and present councillors.