On October 4, 2025, Sir Keir Starmer took to the stage at the Labour Party Conference with an energy rarely seen from the typically reserved leader. As reported by the BBC, Starmer's keynote speech was marked by an unusually impassioned and animated delivery, with delegates waving mini flags and breaking into enthusiastic applause. Starmer thundered that Labour would be the party to fight for communities, for fairness, and against the issues that have left many feeling left behind.
But behind the rousing rhetoric, a quieter story was unfolding—a story rooted in the terraced streets of Oldham, where the lived experiences of residents like Joyce Todd have come to symbolize the tangled realities of immigration, community change, and political awakening.
Starmer himself invoked this story during his conference speech, recalling a visit a decade earlier to Mrs. Todd's home on Villa Road. It was there, he admitted, that he realized his party had "got it wrong" on immigration. The encounter with Mrs. Todd, a retired trade journalist now 79, was more than a political anecdote—it was a turning point for Starmer, and perhaps for Labour's approach to one of Britain's most contentious issues.
According to the Daily Mail, Mrs. Todd and her husband Norman moved into their two-bedroom terraced house in July 1979, purchasing it for just £3,000. Today, it's worth around £130,000—a staggering 4,300% increase. But for Mrs. Todd, the financial gain is cold comfort. She feels poorer, not richer, as she watches what she describes as the degeneration of her street. "Things changed," she reflected. "It's slowly got worse with drug dealing and fly tipping…no one takes any pride anymore."
Mrs. Todd's memories are tinged with nostalgia—black and white photos from the 1970s show a neat Villa Road, fewer cars, and a sense of neighborly camaraderie. "You knew who everyone was, and you could have a chat with them and leave the door open and people would look out for you. It used to be a lovely street with fantastic people," she told the Daily Mail.
But the numbers tell a dramatic story of change. In 1981, 92% of Villa Road residents were born in Britain, predominantly white British. The 1979 electoral roll showed that less than 25% of eligible voters were of Asian heritage, with the Patel family among the first Asian residents. Over the years, this balance shifted. By 2022, of 220 eligible voters, 191 had Asian or Eastern European-origin surnames, and only 29 were apparently white British—among them Mrs. Todd and her husband.
Mrs. Todd largely exonerates the Asian families who began arriving in the late 1970s, but she blames more recent arrivals, particularly from Eastern Europe, for the street's decline. The Daily Mail analysis supports her perception of a demographic shift, though the consequences remain a matter of debate. Over two decades, from 2002 to 2024, the number of British Isles surname holders plummeted by 61.6%, while Pakistani and Indian heritage voters rose by 90%, now comprising 82% of the street's population. Meanwhile, the number of residents with English as a first language has dropped to 67%.
Villa Road's transformation is not just about ethnicity or origin. The street's population has grown by 20% since the early 2000s, driven by the rise of houses of multiple occupation (HMOs). These homes, often filled beyond their original design, have become common, especially among newer arrivals from Poland and Romania. Now, 12% of residents are from the EU, mostly from poorer Eastern countries. Residents—of all backgrounds—point to these changes as the source of increased social problems: drug dealing, fly tipping, littering, theft, violence, and even prostitution.
Mrs. Todd's protest to Starmer in 2015 centered on this new wave of arrivals and the anti-social behavior she believed followed. Whether these claims are fair or simply scapegoating is difficult to determine. However, the Oldham Chronicle has reported a string of incidents in Villa Road, including armed robberies, dog attacks, and youth crime, lending some support to the residents' concerns.
Across Villa Road, stories repeat with variations. Faisal Iqbal, whose family has run Villa Stores since 1987, said, "There is no racial tension between the white people and Asian families. We all get on but Eastern European migrants moving in have caused more problems now. It is more dirty and there's litter." His brother-in-law echoed the sentiment, remembering a time when there were very few Asian families and the area felt welcoming and safe.
Romana Sheikh, a mother of seven who moved to Villa Road 26 years ago, described a once vibrant street where children played together across backgrounds. "We used to sit out on our front porch and watch our kids play with the white and Asian kids. It was really safe. But we don't let our kids play out now. It's not safe. There's lots of gangs of Eastern European men hanging out in the street and there's lots of fly-tipping."
Gail Molloy, who has lived at number 44 for nearly 40 years, agreed: "It was a great place to live - really quiet and the Asian and white families all got on. But it has become a bit of a nightmare since the Eastern Europeans moved in. I've had eggs thrown at my windows and all sorts. Some youths just sit on my wall - it's very intimidating."
Yet, not all voices are critical. Mohammed Siddiq, a father of two at number 30, offered a more hopeful perspective: "There's no racial tension. Some people have voiced concerns about the Romanians here but they just have to learn how to behave in our culture in Britain. This will come… but generally it's a good mix." Security guard Hassan Ali, whose family came from Pakistan, described Villa Road as "very friendly" and said his family is happy there.
Still, the sense of loss is palpable among long-term residents. The street's mosque, opened in 1994, was firebombed after the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017—a stark reminder of the tensions that can simmer beneath the surface. The number of English and Irish residents has dwindled to barely one-seventh of the street, and as one unnamed pensioner put it, "There's so much crime that at one point we had a police van almost constantly parked outside our house. It was a nightmare."
Starmer's acknowledgment that Labour "got it wrong" on immigration, prompted by his meeting with Mrs. Todd, signals a political reckoning. Whether this will translate into tangible change for places like Villa Road remains to be seen. For now, the story of Villa Road is a microcosm of modern Britain: a community transformed by waves of migration, grappling with the challenges and opportunities that diversity brings, and searching for new ways to live together.
As the flags waved and the applause rang out at the Labour Conference, the voices from Villa Road echoed quietly—reminding the nation that behind every policy debate, there are real streets, real neighbors, and real lives in flux.
