News for Chadderton

31/08/2026

Bring back our sign!!!

WHERE IS CHADDERTON'S WELCOME SIGN?

Many residents will have noticed that the historic "Welcome to Chadderton" boundary sign at Mills Hill has disappeared.

This is not just a sign marking the entrance to Chadderton. Its location, close to Mills Hill railway station and on the border between Rochdale and Oldham, means it is one of the first things many people see when entering the borough. It is a welcome sign for Chadderton, but also a welcome sign for Oldham.

That is why I am so disappointed to learn that the sign was removed as part of highway works and has not been replaced. Even more concerning is that this appears to have happened without any consultation with local residents, community groups or elected representatives.

I have been working with Chadderton Historical Society and have raised the issue with the relevant organisations. While I understand changes to the road layout may have made the original location unsuitable, I struggle to understand how a sign of such local importance could be removed without identifying an alternative location before the works took place.

Boundary signs are more than just pieces of street furniture. They reflect our heritage, civic pride and local identity. They tell visitors they have arrived somewhere with a proud history and a strong community.

I am now seeking answers to several questions:

✅ Why was the sign removed without consultation?

✅ Why was no alternative location identified as part of the design process?

✅ What plans are there to reinstate a boundary sign welcoming people to Chadderton and Oldham?

✅ How quickly can a replacement be installed?

Some may see this as a small issue. I do not. Chadderton's identity matters. Oldham's identity matters. Once local landmarks disappear, they are often forgotten about unless residents speak up.

I will continue pressing for answers and pushing for the sign to be reinstated.

What are your thoughts? Should the sign be replaced?

30/08/2026

OLDHAM PRAVDA HAS A GOAL

I’ve been thinking about where this page goes next, and every project needs something to aim for.

My goal is simple. I want Oldham Pravda to become the number one go to place for news in Oldham.

Raw local news, real pictures, real videos, real stories and the truth told in the Pravda way. Not endless press releases, not sanitised corporate statements and not stories appearing after half the town already knows what happened.

But I cannot do that on my own.

I need the people of Oldham involved. There are thousands of potential reporters walking around this town every day and almost everybody now has a camera in their pocket.

If you see an incident, a problem, traffic chaos, flooding, fly tipping, crime, council issues, community news, sport or simply something happening that you think Oldham should know about, record it, photograph it and send it to me. Give me the location, time and as much context as you can and I can take it from there.

I’m also going back on something I have said before. I need people to like, comment on and share the page and the posts they think deserve to be seen.

That is simply how Facebook works. The more people interact with a post, the more chance it has of being shown to other people. If everybody reads something and scrolls on, Facebook has very little reason to keep pushing it.

This is not about chasing likes for the sake of it. I’m anonymous, so there is not much of an ego trip to be had anyway. It is about building a proper independent local news network.

Printed newspapers are slowly going the way of the dodo and more people now get their news online. That means there is absolutely no reason an independent local page cannot compete with the established media if enough people get behind it.

I can provide the platform, but I need Oldham to provide the eyes and ears.

I do not know everything that happens in every street, estate, village and neighbourhood across the borough. Nobody does. But thousands of people together can see almost everything.

So if you see something, send it in. If you think a story matters, share it. If you want an alternative to the same old local media, help build one.

Let’s make Oldham Pravda the place people check first when they want to know what is really happening in Oldham.

And while we are doing it, we might just stick two fingers up at the old local media establishment.

Oldham news. Raw, local and unfiltered.

26/08/2026

This photo shows the Wellington Street Car Park site in Chadderton, located between Wellington Street and Andrew Street near Chadderton FC.

A full planning application (FUL/356610/26) was submitted to Oldham Council for the er****on of 4 "modest family houses" on this parcel of land.

Key Context & Community Considerations:

Current Usage: The land functions as an informal, off-street parking area. It is frequently used as overflow parking on matchdays for Chadderton FC fixtures and serves as routine parking for local residents in the surrounding terraced streets.

Proposed Development: The proposal outlines four residential dwellinghouses intended to blend in with the existing traditional terraced housing style of the neighborhood.

Local Impact: Converting this site into housing would permanently eliminate the informal parking space. This is a major point of discussion locally, as removing off-street capacity risks displacing vehicles directly onto adjacent residential streets, exacerbating matchday congestion and parking friction for local residents.

Residents wishing to submit formal comments or objections regarding highway safety, loss of parking, or residential amenity can do so directly via the Oldham Council Planning Portal referencing application number FUL/356610/26.

22/08/2026

👉Oldham Councillors refused to give YOU the public the final say over who should govern Oldham.

1️⃣They blocked all attempts by Reform UK to form an administration.

2️⃣They even rejected giving the voters of Oldham the last say TWICE in one night.

Sign and share the petition for an ALL out election in May to end the deadlock on Oldham Council👇

Oldham currently has 60 councillors representing 20 wards, with three councillors in each ward. Under the usual system, only one councillor in each ward is elected at a time, meaning only one third of the council normally faces the electorate at each local election. We believe Oldham would be better...

21/08/2026

𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗨𝗞 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸

Last nights Extraordinary Meeting of Oldham Council solved nothing. The deadlock remains. While Reform UK brought the only new ideas and practical solutions, residents once again watched the same tired amendments, the same manoeuvring, and the same fragile alliance that has failed to deliver strong leadership.

Oldham is being run by a shaky collection of interests more focused on protecting their own arrangements than on governing. This cannot continue.

There are two clear ways out:

An all-out election – let the people of Oldham decide who runs the borough.

Four-year election cycles – deliver the stability needed for real leadership, clear accountability and better value for taxpayers.

The current “strong leader and cabinet” system, inherited from the Blair era, was meant to create decisive government. Instead, when no one holds a stable majority, it traps councils in endless uncertainty with no proper mandate. Residents deserve better than perpetual bargaining. They deserve a council that decides, directs and delivers – and is held to account for results.Reform UK’s priority remains simple: protect Oldham taxpayers. Political instability costs money. Every day wasted on positions and procedures is a day not spent on cleaner streets, safer communities, better services and value for money.Power belongs with residents, not backroom deals.

Reform UK Group Leader Councillor Lewis Quigg said: “What was clear last night was that no one wanted to work with Reform UK. Despite saying we should work together, in reality it meant working for them rather than with them. That’s not what the electorate voted for. We offered three clear options: a minority Reform UK administration, a special all-out election in May 2027, and a change to all-out elections once every four years. All options were rejected. It is clear the majority of Councillors are scared to go back to you, the voters. It is clear they have contempt for the electorate having the final say.”

The meeting didn’t break the deadlock. It proved one thing beyond doubt: Oldham needs Reform – and Reform UK will stand next May with a simple message:

𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗨𝗦 𝗔 𝗠𝗔𝗝𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗜𝗡 𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝗧𝗢 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗝𝗢𝗕.

18/08/2026

👉It's time to put up, or shut up.
❌️End the stalemate, gimmicks and lotteries.

🗳Let the people decide.
🇬🇧Vote Reform UK.