09/10/2026
On Sunday 20th September we hosted the Mayoral Service to formally mark the term of office of the Mayor of Oldham, Cllr Pam Byrne, to pray for her and for Oldham Council. The service of Evensong was led by our Curate, the Revd Hannah Currin, supported by Dob Cross Silver Band and Oldham Choral Society. The Vicar, Canon Daniel Burton, who is also the Borough Dean, preached the sermon and spoke about the concept of the "Common Good" - something which he said appeared to have been entirely lacking in Oldham since the local elections in May. He reminded the elected Councillors of the 7 Principles of Public Life - also known as the "Nolan Principles". "Failure to uphold these standards leads to the erosion of the Common Good and that is a dereliction of duty" said the Vicar. The full text of the sermon is below.
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Mayoral Sunday Oldham – 20th September 2026
The 2 bible readings that we have heard this afternoon have not been chosen by the Mayor, or by me, or by anyone here today. These readings are given to us by the Lectionary which is a pattern of daily readings followed by many churches (including the Church of England and the RC Church) to ensure that we cover the full breadth of the bible over the course of a 3 year cycle, and do not simply concentrate on our favourite passages. I doubt whether today’s readings are anybody’s favourite passages but the challenge for us this afternoon is the same confronted by any preacher who takes the Lectionary seriously: what is Almighty God saying to us through these particular readings?
The reading from Ezekiel is about false prophets and how all too often in the history of the Jewish people they were badly led by leaders who forgot that they were to be servants of the people. The passage might be said to be a gift to a Borough Dean who might want to berate their local Council for the failures in leadership. That is not my style Madam Mayor as berating people seldom brings out the best in them. But we will come back to false prophets!
The reading from the Acts of the Apostles comes towards the end of that fascinating book when St Paul is under arrest and having to defend himself against hostile authorities. Paul gives a spirited defence before King Agrippa including a heartfelt account of his own conversion and asserting before his opponents that he is speaking the sober truth.
From these 2 readings I take 3 themes: False prophets, conversion and truth. I want you to hang on to these themes please because I will come back to them.
But first I want to reflect for a few moments on the concept of the Common Good because I believe passionately that this is a fundamental concern for local government as well as for local churches, and it is a concern that appears to have been largely lacking in our council since the local elections in May.
There is a UK charity dedicated to civic and spiritual renewal called Together for the Common Good which is well worth a look. The phrase has appeared in documents and campaigns from many different churches and political parties over the past 20 years. But what does the phrase actually mean? According to the Second Vatican Council of the RC Church, the Common Good is: “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfilment more fully and more easily”.
There is a great line of Anglican thinkers including Octavia Hill, Brooke Foss Westcott, Henry Scott Holland, William Temple, Rowan Williams and Oliver O’Donovan who have had a lot to say about the Common Good. And certainly Anglicanism’s global reach, and the Church of England’s parochial structure means that it is well placed to make an important contribution to the Common Good. But I am going to stick with the 2nd VC definition……Surely this is the business of local government as much as it is the business of the local. We are all in the business of human fulfilment – enabling people to live well.
In the light of this concept of the Common Good, what is the role of our elected councillors? The LGA reminds us that:
The role of councillor across all tiers of local government is a vital part of our country’s system of democracy. It is important that as councillors we can be held accountable and all adopt the behaviours and responsibilities associated with the role. Our conduct as an individual councillor affects the reputation of all councillors. We want the role of councillor to be one that people aspire to. We also want individuals from a range of backgrounds and circumstances to be putting themselves forward to become councillors.
The LGA’s model Code of Conduct includes commitment to the 7 Principles of Public Life (aka the Nolan Principles) and spells out specifically the importance of:
acting with integrity and honesty; acting lawfully; treating all persons fairly and with respect including fellow councillors; and leading by example and acting in a way that secures public confidence in the role of councillor.
As citizens of Oldham we have a duty to remind our elected Councillors of this Code of Conduct because failure to uphold these standards leads to the erosion of the Common Good and that is a dereliction of duty.
In the light of this concept of the Common Good, part of your role Madam Mayor is – as an impartial Chairperson of our Council – to hold your fellow Councillors to account; and to ensure as far as you are able that the 7 Principles of Public Life are upheld and are evident in the business and conduct of Oldham Borough Council. For this role Madam Mayor you certainly do need the help of Almighty God; and in this role you have our support and our trust which we pledge to you today.
But may I implore you as I implore all of our councillors to keep the Common Good in mind. Ask always what is the best thing for Oldham? Not what is the best thing for my party or my ward? No! What is the best thing for this borough as a whole? You are duty bound to do the best for the approximately 252,000 souls who live in the Oldham Metropolitan Area. This job is not for the faint-hearted and we have confidence Madam Mayor that there is nothing faint-hearted about you.
In conclusion I want to return to those three themes of false prophets, conversion and truth that we mined from our bible readings for today. I said at the outset that I am not interested in berating so-called false prophets. There has been too much finger-pointing, name-calling, and worse, in our Council of late. Let’s go high not low. There are expected standards in public life and when they are neglected we are all the poorer as a result. Living well with diversity and with and difference with tolerance and respect is a sign of maturity. Conversion is what we need – conversion from factionalism to a commitment to the Common Good. Truth is perhaps the most important factor: always to seek the truth and always to tell the truth. Many who love Oldham would say that the truth is the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is less than the sum of its parts, (in other words it is not as good as it should be) and that is very sad.
Madam Mayor it could be that you were born for just such a time as this. May your year of office herald a new era for the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, brave Oldham. Amen.
