Rochdale set for FOURTH election of the year

Rochdale is set to have its fourth election of the year following the removal of North Middleton’s councillor from his post.

Peter Allonby, the former ward representative for North Middleton, had not attended a council meeting for six consecutive months - meaning he was removed from his post. Mr Allonby was last elected into the post for the Middleton Independent Party back in 2022.

The by-election to fill the vacant North Middleton seat will take place on Thursday, October 31.

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The day most commonly known for Halloween will mark the fourth time in 2024 that the people within the Rochdale borough will go to the polls. The area was plunged into the national spotlight during the February by-election after George Galloway threw his hat in the ring and eventually got elected as the area’s new MP.

This seat became available after the former MP Sir Tony Lloyd died. Five months after the Workers Party leader was elected Mr Galloway tried to reclaim his seat in the general election in July, but lost out to Labour's Paul Waugh in a close contest.

During Mr Gallway’s stint in Parliament, in May, there was a local election for seats on Rochdale Council. Much like in the February by-election there were spiky exchanges between political parties and culminated in two Workers Party councillors getting elected in - to the detriment of Labour.

This latest by-election is for a council seat, but things have already got heated with the Middleton Independents pointing the finger at Labour for getting their councillor removed from his post. They claim Labour blocked their motion to grant extended leave to Mr Allonby.

Lee Wolf, leader of the MIP, said: “The reason