2026 Oldham Election Summary

An eventful election night in Oldham saw a ‘total Reform wipeout’ for Labour, throwing the future of the council’s leadership into uncertainty. 

The election promised a ‘volatile’ result from the start, with skirmishes breaking out at polling stations across the borough during the day. A councillor’s car windscreen was smashed up outside The Loom, where the count was taking place. 

Many wards across Oldham saw votes split across up to seven candidates, with strong showings by local independent factions such as The Oldham Group. Some candidates won by extremely close margains – one by just two votes. This year also saw one of Oldham’s highest local election turnout in recent years, with more than 46 per cent of residents casting their ballots.

Reform UK ultimately saw the biggest success by the end of the night, gaining 13 councillors. The shift has propelled them from one of the smallest political groups on the council to the second largest – with a total of 16 representatives. 

Speaking about their success, Oldham Reform group leader Lewis Quigg said: “Tonight’s an indication of a people’s revolt by the silent majority who’ve come out and voted for a clear, decisive message to say they are fed up with the establishment, and the way this council has been run for the last 15 years by Labour. 

“There’s vast areas of this town that have long been forgotten who’ve made their voices heard: they are no longer willing to be forgotten.” 

Coun Quigg (pictured right) added the group intended to try to ‘remove coun Arooj Shah from power’ during a council meeting on May 20. 

Reform’s wins have shaken the already rocky foundations of the Labour administration who currently run the council. The group lost their overall majority at the 2024 elections in large part due to a collapse of the Pro-Palestine Muslim vote in Labour strongholds around the town centre. 

They have since run the council with the support of four independents. But after losing a further nine councillors to Reform, independents, and the Oldham Group during the election this year, their tenure in leadership could be at an end. During the count, one member described the group’s general demeanor ‘like the walking dead with red rosettes’. 

While another senior Labour source said: “It’s a total Reform wipeout. It’s devastating. And the worst part is even though we’re still the biggest group, we probably won’t be able to hold on to an administration.”

The loss means the group will be competing with Reform and other groups in the coming weeks to try to secure alliances for a working majority. Alternatively, the council will have to work ‘more closely’ together, bridging the fragmented political divide in the chamber.

Responding to the results, the Labour council leader Arooj Shah (pictured) said: “I feel a bit devastated because we’ve lost some really hard-working councillors tonight. The results weren’t a reflection of them individually. 

“I think Reform has played a huge role in dividing this borough. I think there are lots of sensible people in Oldham who will wake up today and feel devastated by the results. [Reform] has thrived on division in Oldham, and Oldham is a divided place.

“We’re a united group. What’s at stake for us is quite scary – but we are still the largest group on the council – only just. But we don’t command the majority to lead the administration and I’m just hoping people put the borough first. All political groups in Oldham have something to really reflect on this weekend.”

The Oldham Group also gained two councillors, while the Liberal Democrats lost three, and the Conservatives lost two. The new political makeup of the council is now: Labour (18); Reform (16); Oldham Group (10); Lib Dems (6); Conservatives (4);  Independents (3); Royton Independents (2); Failsworth Independents (1). 

While political dramas unfolded inside The Loom, Oldham’s brand new event space taking over as the count venue from the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the borough’s toxic politics also played out beyond. Throughout the day, disorder was reported at several polling stations across the borough, including allegations of attempts to intimidate voters and ‘shouting matches’ between candidates on the street. 

A GMP spokesperson said: “We are aware of concerns regarding disorder outside polling stations in areas of Oldham last night. Police attended several areas throughout the Oldham borough to provide reassurance, however no arrests have been made at this stage.”
While the count took place, Oldham Group leader coun Kamran Ghafoor’s black Ferrari was smashed up on Union Street in what the group described as a ‘targeted attack’. 

A GMP spokesperson said: “We were called to reports of a car having been vandalised on Union Street, Oldham last night. Officers attended and enquiries are ongoing. No arrests have been made at this stage.”

Greens candidates also reported seeing ‘swastikas’ drawn on ballot papers instead of crosses.

The nine-hour long count was further complicated by a council misprint on 16 voting cards in Waterhead. An apparent ‘printing error’ meant poll cards were handed to voters listing candidates from Shaw – a ward three miles away from Waterhead. The options even included a Conservative candidate, despite the fact there were no tories standing in Waterhead. All of the falsely printed ballots had to be treated as invalid. 

Ultimately, Reform UK won the seat by a sizable margin – but that didn’t stop candidates bickering over the invalidated ballots at 6am. 
Councillors have already warned that the fallout from the election is likely to be ‘messy’ at best and ‘complete chaos’ at worst, as the splintered political groups scramble to the negotiation table in the coming weeks.