Oldham councillors met for half an hour on July 1, agreed on one thing, and then decided to go home. Some elected members were seen watching England play the Democratic Republic of the Congo after another meeting failed to break a bitter deadlock over who should run the authority.
With no one elected as Oldham Council’s leader, a long stalemate drags on. The local elections on May 5 left no party with a majority or even a third of seats in the council chamber.
Failed Bids for Leadership
Before the July 1 meeting, bids to lead had been put forward by Labour, Reform UK, and an alliance of different parties—all of which were rejected. Some progress had been made earlier in selecting a ceremonial mayor and appointing members to key committees.
Further steps forward were made on July 1 with some appointments confirmed for council representatives at various external organisations. The only other agreement found in a divided council chamber was to again push back deciding who will take charge, with the council to reconvene on July 15.
Risk of Commissioners
Despite several options on the table, leading councillors now warn the local authority is at risk of expensive commissioners being brought in. These are public officials who take over council functions and are appointed by the UK government.
The Local Government Association is supporting every political group to find a way forward, while Compassion in Politics has also offered help. Officers are working to ensure key services are delivered, but council services could be impacted with further delays.
Appeals for Stability
At the meeting, a series of proposals were put forward but all failed with no debate between elected members. Mayor Pam Byrne appealed to her colleagues, saying: “We are not always all wrong and we are not always all right.” When votes were lost on four nominations for mayor, she called on councillors to come up with a deputy mayor and ‘think very hard’ over the next two weeks. Five nominations for leader were all lost.
Following the meeting, Labour councillor Arooj Shah, who leads the borough’s largest group and was former council leader, said: “We have always been clear in our position that we would not stand in the way of a viable administration that would work in the interest of all residents across Oldham. As the largest party we put forward a proposal to try and break the stalemate, and we were the only group to outline what we would do as an administration. After several votes, we still do not have an administration. It is not in the interest of residents to continue down this path, but we are clear that no other option would represent people across the borough. Oldham needs stability and we are the only group that have the experience and ability to provide it.”
Alliance Denied Opportunity
Both Coun Kamran Ghafoor, who leads the Oldham Group, and Liberal Democrat Coun Mark Kenyon received 20 votes to become leader, the highest in the chamber alongside Labour’s nomination of Coun Shah.
Coun Ghafoor told the Manchester Evening News: “This evening’s council meeting is a bitter disappointment, and once again it is the people of Oldham who are paying the price for political games and self-interest. The largest alliance on the council, made up of councillors from different parties, backgrounds and communities across the borough, has again been denied the opportunity to provide the stable leadership that Oldham desperately needs. We have the numbers, we have the breadth of representation, and we have the mandate to bring people together and move this borough forward.”
He added: “The people of Oldham deserve better than endless political manoeuvring. They deserve a council that works together and gets on with the job of delivering for residents. If this deadlock continues, there is a real risk that commissioners could be brought in, costing Oldham taxpayers millions of pounds at a time when every penny should be spent on frontline services and supporting our communities. We remain ready to lead, ready to work across party lines, and ready to put Oldham first. We hope all parties reflect on tonight’s events and come back to the table before further damage is done to the borough.”
Reform UK's Stance
In a post, the Oldham branch of Reform UK thanked Conservatives and some independent councillors for supporting them, as well as Coun Byrne for nominating Coun Mark Wilkinson for deputy mayor. They said: “Quite simply, the opposition parties especially the Oldham Group and Lib Dems need to make up their minds. It is either Labour or Reform UK. Oldham Council is ungovernable.”
The Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives were also approached for comment.
