Oldham Council failing to elect leader on Thursday evening left the authority without an administration after seven proposals all failed to pass. The deadlock now moves to a Section 5 report and a letter from the monitoring officer to the Secretary of State.
Alex Bougatef, the council’s top legal officer, told members of Oldham Council that the appointment of a leader is not optional. He said it was his legal duty to declare the local authority is breaking the law, and warned the lack of anyone in charge raised concerns about decision-making, accountability, and effective governance.
Oldham Council and Section 5
The latest meeting followed Bougatef’s report at an extraordinary meeting on Thursday evening. Labour and Reform both put forward bids to form a minority administration, while an alliance made up of smaller parties and an independent councillor also put forward a bid to form an administration.
Reform also put forward proposals that would have seen councillors elected at the ballot box in May 2027. Other parties described that idea as passing the buck and said the council would still need a leader over the coming nine months before any election.
Oldham in May
The deadlock came after Labour lost eight seats and Reform UK took seven seats in the elections in May, leaving no party with an overall majority. That left the council trying to settle control through negotiation rather than a clear winner’s mandate, and seven proposals on Thursday could not bridge the gap.
An Oldham Council spokesperson said the monitoring officer will write to the Secretary of State to formally advise of the situation. The authority’s chief executive is also advising the government, while the Section 5 report opens the route to outside intervention if no solution follows.
Oldham services
The council said services continued to operate as normal and arrangements remained in place to ensure it could meet statutory responsibilities and continue delivering for residents, communities and partners across the borough. Bougatef also warned there could be significant financial costs if commissioners are required.
For residents, the immediate issue is not day-to-day services but who has the authority to take decisions. If the deadlock continues, the government can move from monitoring the situation to sending in commissioners, and that would shift control away from members of Oldham Council.
