Neil Emmott from Rochdale Council has a concealed history that is causing harm to Middleton.

Mr.Emmott, born at Fairfield Hospital in 1963 and attended Cardinal Langley RC Grammar School in Middleton and served as the Director of Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) from 1 July 2022 until his resignation on 15 May 2024, has a hidden past that remains unknown to many.

Neil Emmott Rochdale Council Leader

The 61-year-old West Middleton councillor was born in Heywood and attended St Joseph’s RC Primary School in Heywood and Cardinal Langley before going on to study modern languages at Swansea University. Councillor Emmott also studied at the University of Valencia and the Sorbonne in Paris and is fluent in five languages.

He was first elected to the council in 1986 at the age of 23 and served for 8 years before leaving to pursue work opportunities in other parts of the country. The former competitive figure skater returned as a councillor in 2010 for his second spell which continues to this day. Neil who was a former Labour Party agent was cleared of forging voting documents in a city council election but was warned that he acted with impropriety.

The jury at Derby Crown Court returned five not guilty verdicts on Neil Emmott, who had denied forgery charges relating to votes in Derby City Council's Kingsway ward in May 1995. He was cleared on a sixth count on the direction of Judge Alexander Morrison.

But the judge told Mr Emmott: 'Although you committed no crime, you acted with extreme impropriety.' First elected to the council in 1986, he served on the council until 1994 before stepping down. He returned to politics in 2010 where he was elected to his current seat in the West Middleton ward, and was elected as leader of the council following the 2021 elections after challenging former leader Allen Brett for the leadership position. Is this the guy that people want running the council and managing the way their hard earned tax money is spent? Following his recent engagement with Hopwood Hall Estate and its vicinity, it has become apparent that Mr. Emmott is incapable of arranging a basic beer party at a brewery, let alone managing a whole town council and community. This role demands commitment, dedication, and a genuine regard for people's inquiries and heritage, rather than viewing it as merely paycheck at the end of each month. Follow Manchester Today on Facebook, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Newsdesk@ManchesterToday.org.uk