Oldham Reform's new leader, councillor Paul Taylor, has pledged to change the borough's politics, describing its 'toxic atmosphere' as 'destructive'. Taylor, the party's third leader in a matter of weeks, set out his vision to build bridges across ideological divides and tackle the political stalemate that has left the council without a leader since May.
Reform's rise and the council stalemate
Earlier this year, Reform made significant gains across the borough, winning 13 seats and increasing their total to 16 in the council chamber. This placed them just two seats behind Labour and within reach of running the council. However, no party holds more than a third of seats, and political divisions have prevented cross-party consensus, leaving the local authority locked in a stalemate.
That could change in May 2027 when voters elect another third of their councillors, potentially ending Labour's position as the largest party in the borough for the first time since 2010. Reform's new leader faces immediate challenges, including a by-election in Failsworth West next month and another expected in Royton North.
Both of Taylor's predecessors, Lewis Quigg and Mark Wilkinson, have left the party in recent weeks, the first resigning mid-investigation and the latter for health reasons. Gary Tarbuck, a St James councillor, has been suspended pending an investigation, and some supporters have criticised the party's handling of events over the last two months.
Background and leadership style
Taylor, known for his trademark fedoras, said he stopped wearing them when he was younger after people poked fun at him, but following a near-death experience as a supermarket checkout in Greenfield, he changed his mind. He told the Manchester Evening News: "I don't care anymore. People can say what they want about me. I'm far too old, I'm far too thick skinned now. That was why I started wearing hats. I will wear my hats until the day I die now. I'm not going to change my habits."
Growing up in 'abject poverty' in Salford, Taylor sees himself as a former Labour activist who got left behind. He said: "I was a socialist. I've not moved and the world has changed around me. I'm now a so-called far-right whatever. I've not actually changed my opinion in any way shape or form."
Taylor left Labour after becoming disillusioned during Tony Blair's leadership. Before joining Reform, he set up his own independent party, which he has now resigned from, and has stood for the Brexit Party. He touted his Masters degrees and his work as Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service's commander for Oldham, saying: "You can go through your career and not see a single death. I've seen a lot of death and it sort of changes you, not saying in a bad way, but it makes you very hard edged."
Promise to fix divided politics
In the council chamber, Taylor has been known for his blunt comments, some of which have landed him in trouble with colleagues. However, he said he now wanted to build bridges across ideological divides to get things done and tackle a 'toxic atmosphere'. He described Labour group leader Arooj Shah as a 'switched-on cookie' and has asked to meet with other party leaders Kamran Ghafoor and Sam Al-Hamdani.
Asked if he felt he might have contributed to Oldham's divided politics, he added: "Probably in the past, I hold my hands up, mea culpa, I've poked fun at people. It's destructive. It doesn't work. I've learned that."
If Reform takes over the council, Taylor said he wanted to ramp up enforcement to tackle issues like flytipping, poor quality housing, and litter. He also made clear he would be willing to give up power, something he said is key to changing Oldham. He said: "We have got to trust our electorate to know that we are doing a good job and we've got to trust ourselves to do a good job."
Emergency powers and next steps
Without a leader or a cabinet, chief executive Shelley Kipling has been running things under emergency powers, but the power vacuum has risked government intervention and costly commissioners being brought in. Last month, an interim arrangement was introduced to share responsibilities across parties, a vote on which Taylor abstained from.
Despite not liking it, Taylor said he has no plans to rip up the agreement, which he sees as undemocratic. He told the Manchester Evening News: "We won't be doing this again next year. I've already been in the leader's meeting and said I will carry you all until next May, I won't rock the boat until next May but we are not doing this again." He added: "We are all basically papering over the cracks. Consequently I will only paper over the cracks until such time I don't have to paper over the cracks. That comes next May."
