Arooj Shah
Arooj Shah is a British Labour politician and since May 2023 is the leader of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester, a position she also previously held between 2021 and 2022. As leader she is a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and is the combined authority's portfolio lead for Equalities and Communities. She was the first Muslim woman to take charge of a council in the north of England.
Arooj Shah | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Leader of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 8 May 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Amanda Chadderton | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office May 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Amanda Chadderton | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council for St Mary's | |||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 4 May 2023 – | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 1978 (age 45) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Labour | ||||||||||||||||||||
First elected to the council in 2012, she was the councillor for the Chadderton South ward. She was elected as leader of the council in May 2021 after her predecessor Sean Fielding lost his seat in that year's election. Shah lost her seat in 2022 being beaten by Robert Barnes the Conservative candidate. She later re-gained a seat on the council at the 2023 election, topping the poll in the St Mary's ward. Following the election, at which incumbent leader Amanda Chadderton was defeated, Shah was elected to lead the council again.