Cllr Arooj Shah

Councillor Arooj Shah (Leader of Oldham Council & Cabinet Member for Building a Better Oldham)

Arooj has lived all her life in the Oldham borough and is serving as Leader of the Council after first serving as Leader from May 2021 to May 2022, Arooj is the first Muslim woman to hold such a role in the North of England.

Arooj’s parents migrated from Pakistan in 1968 to work in the local textile industry. She is one of seven siblings and went on to study Politics and International Relations at The DeMontfort University in Leicester, before returning home to Oldham and becoming a local Councillor.

As well as being Leader of the Council, Arooj is Oldham’s Cabinet Member for Building a Better Oldham, within her portfolio she has responsibility for reducing inequality & tackling poverty, Oldham’s ambitious regeneration plans, transport, and the overall borough strategy. This portfolio allows her to utilise her passion for tackling inequalities and championing social justice for all of Oldham’s communities.

Prior to becoming Leader, Arooj had served as Deputy Leader and held a number of Cabinet roles including being the first Cabinet member in the Country responsible for Covid-19 Recovery, Arooj has also held the Neighbourhoods, Communities and Corporate Services portfolios in her time as a Councillor.   

In 2013, Arooj was named ‘Young Councillor of the Year’, alongside fellow Oldham councillors Amanda Chadderton and Sean Fielding, by the Local Government Information Unit.  

She entered politics to give people strength and confidence in what they do so that they feel able to speak up and have a voice. She has also worked hard encouraging local groups in schemes designed to take control of their communities and make them better places to live.