For the latest Oldham news sign up to the MyOldham newsletter here Following Oldham’s dramatic election shock in the early hours – which saw council leader Sean Fielding lose his seat – the question of his successor looms large.
Mr Fielding lost his seat in Failsworth West, which he had held since 2012 by 191 votes to Mark Wilkinson, a candidate from new hyper-local group Failsworth Independent Party.
He used to work for Greater Manchester Police. During the night, early confidence for a Labour result fell away once the verification of voting got fully underway.
By 3am, the result was almost a foregone conclusion despite it yet to be announced by officials. As the news filtered through, with Mr Fielding sending an email to Labour group
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