Oldham Council remains in limbo after months of political deadlock, with no leader in charge and officers using emergency powers to keep services running. Some residents now say they are ready to welcome outside intervention, describing it as 'the devil we don't know'.
At the end of July, the council officially declared it is breaking the law, citing an ongoing row over who should lead the authority. The council's top legal boss, Alex Bougatef, issued a Section 5 Report stating the council was acting unlawfully without anyone in charge. This sets in motion a process that could see outside intervention if no solution is found at a meeting on August 20, but 'the financial risks for the council should commissioners ultimately be sent to Oldham are significant.'
Commissioners could be sent in
Commissioners are officials sent by the UK Government to help run councils deemed to be failing or breaking the law, with little local say. Often brought in when a council goes effectively bankrupt, commissioners being imposed due to an unshifting political quarrel like Oldham's is thought to be a first.
Some parties think this scenario is unlikely given voters will go to the polls again next May to elect another third of councillors, potentially changing the council's makeup. However, if that were to happen, it would come at a cost of at least £1,200 a day.
The reason Oldham is in this situation is that, despite Reform gains, the recent local elections in May left no party with a majority or even a third of seats in the council chamber. This is because not everyone was up for election in 2026, as members are elected a third at a time.
Parties trade blame
The deadlock has not shifted in recent weeks, with all parties accusing each other of being the reason talks have failed. Controversies over past coalitions appear to have been a barrier to progress in some quarters too.
Reform leader councillor Lewis Quigg said they are now prepared to table a motion which he said could lead to an entirely new set of councillors being elected. Letting the people decide, he argued, may be the only way forward.
Other proposals could also come forward next week. Oldham Group Coun Kamran Ghafoor said their plan is for a rotational leadership model that would see power handed over from one party to the next proportional to the number of seats they have in the council chamber. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat Coun Mark Kenyon has put forward 'some unusual ideas' which would see Diane Williamson, one of Oldham's longest serving members, taking over temporarily. However, key decisions would be considered cross party.
Residents react
Out on the streets of Oldham town centre, however, many are unaware of the situation unfolding down the road. With day to day services largely running as normal, the public may not realise the impact of the stalemate just yet.
Tony Fuller said: “I do not think it affects me. Life goes on. It’s one of those things. Some people might have an issue with it but I am okay with it.” Pointing to the regeneration works in the town centre, he said: “I have no real confidence in the overall direction,” adding: “A lot of it is just cosmetic and I think the money could be better spent elsewhere. It might be nice to see an outside perspective on what is going on. They might look and see why are you doing that?”
Ray Farrell said: “It’s sad for the person on the street like myself. There’s no clarity on anything,” adding: “It’s ridiculous but what can you do about it?” When asked how he felt about the government stepping in, he told the Manchester Evening News councillors have had plenty of time and intervention would help the borough move on. Someone else running the show, he feels, could also change the image of Oldham’s divided politics.
Despite the cost of potential commissioners, he said: “I think [the government] have to do what they have to do. Someone has to do something”, adding: “Either way there is a cost and there’s always going to be a cost. We have tried the devil we know. Maybe it’s the devil we don’t know that we need to go with.”
Lynne Carrington from Chadderton said she voted to see change in the council at the elections in May, adding: “I have had the best of Oldham being a little girl. I have seen the worst. I think it’s horrible how Oldham has gone. It was such a fantastic town. You used to come by choice just to go to the market. You do pull for the place you live but it’s so sad how it’s gone.”
Talks break down
While several meetings have been held in public, much of the negotiations to try and find a way through the deadlock have taken place behind closed doors. In July, Reform said they were done with talks and argued it was time to move on.
Lewis Quigg, who leads the borough’s second largest group of councillors, told the Manchester Evening News: “The talks were going around in a vicious circle. It was a Mexican standoff where three effective sides weren't prepared to go anywhere. It isn’t constructive to progress any further.” The first group to put forward a formal bid to run the council, he said their group had engaged in talks with every political group for months and officers had tried their best. However, the stalemate ‘has been very draining’ for those across the political spectrum and for him, the Section 5 notice is a legal mechanism to move the council forward and try to bring about a resolution.
If that does not work, he said: "We are prepared to table a motion at this council in some form or another that the people are given the final choice. If we can't elected a leader, then we go back to the people of this borough to elect a fresh set of councillors."
Oldham Group leader Kamran Ghafoor said his proposal of rotational leadership would share power fairly in the remaining months before the next set of elections and be a temporary solution, describing it as a ‘cabinet of last resort’. When asked why he thought there had been no progress, he said: “There’s too many personalities in Oldham Council and the leadership, myself included. People can’t let go of what has happened in the past. It’s unfortunate really. The people who are affected most by this are the people of Oldham.” Initially putting himself forward as a leader of an alliance, he said he backed away after Labour and Reform expressed personal opposition, telling the Manchester Evening News: “I have made more concessions on this than anybody else. I am from the third largest party and I brought the alliance together and I stepped back and said let somebody else be the leader."
Councillor Mark Kenyon, deputy leader of the Lib Dems, said their proposal was also different from what came before after listening to Reform and Labour concerns, telling the Manchester Evening News: “It’s a bizarre and crazy way of running a council but it’s preferable to having commissioners come in.” He added: “It’s an abdication of responsibility to expect someone to sort this. All 60 of us were elected to sort stuff out and if this isn’t the definition of stuff, I do not know what is.” Pointing to the regular meetings had with group leaders, he said: “The proposal we have put forward is just to formalise that. All we need to do is tick that box and get a leader in place and if we do that, we avoid the commissioners.”
The Manchester Evening News has repeatedly tried to interview Labour group leader councillor Arooj Shah. A statement from the group previously said: "We are deeply worried that the council is not fulfilling its basic legal obligations on behalf of the people of Oldham. The longer this goes on the more the borough will slip and important decisions simply won't get made, risking much needed investment and confidence in our borough at a time it needs it the most. Labour as the largest party in the council, with councillors representing all our communities, cannot stand by and allow this to continue." They added: "We have committed to a new way of working and to work cooperatively with all members in all parts of the borough to rebuild trust and confidence in the council, but we need every councillor to play their part nad put the borough before party interest. Further inaction is not a responsible option. It threatens the functioning of council services and our financial stability. Oldham deserves better."
