LGA called in to support negotiations

An independent body has reportedly been called in to help negotiations at Oldham Council, where no political group appears to want to take control, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands. 

The borough has been left with a power vacuum after the local Labour group confirmed they would be ‘stepping down’ from leading the Local Authority after a crushing defeat at the local elections. Reform UK, who are not the second largest group on the council after quintupling their numbers on May 7, has ruled out forming a coalition. 

But with no group possessing more than a third of the council – and a total of 31 needed to take control – that leaves the council with no leader to take over at the first council meeting on May 20. 

Now the Liberal  Democrats, one of the smaller opposition groups on the council, has requested the Local Government Authority to intervene. 
Liberal Democrat group leader Sam Al-Hamdani said: “While Reform were the clear winner on the night, they still only have just over 25 per cent of the councillors in Oldham.

“The only two groups who would be able to form a majority by working together would be Reform and Labour, but both immediately pledged not to talk to each other.

“People did not vote for councillors to simply bunker down and refuse to engage. Oldham has problems, and the only way forward is to front up and find a way to try and start fixing them. We’re not going to hide away from our responsibilities, and we want to find a way to work with other to ensure they do the same.”

He added it was ‘standard practice’ for the largest group to form an administration.

“Labour are ignoring that. Then it would go to the next largest group – Reform. If neither of them are prepared to something to make it happen, they are making it impossible to get a stable council.”

The LGA confirmed they are often called in to help negotiations when a council is in no overall control, but said they could not comment on specific cases. 

Oldham Council and council leader coun Shah did not respond to a request for comment. 

The stalemate came after Labour lost eight of its councillors at the local election two weeks ago. Council leader coun Arooj Shah said her group ‘now have to respect what the electorate have said and have to step back’. 

She added: “Residents have been led to believe by Reform that Oldham is broken. If that’s the case, it’s up to them now to step up and provide that alternative that they promised people on the doorsteps.”  

Local MP Jim McMahon added in an ITV interview: “In Oldham [Reform] are the second largest party, and they have a responsibility given they were the triumphant party at the local elections to form an administration, and make attempts to form a coalition and they are refusing to enter into talks with any other party. Why? Because opposition is easier than governing in the end.”

Local Reform leader Lewis Quigg has said the group is ‘holding firm’ on its commitment to ‘no coalitions and no secret agreements’, adding that most groups had ‘made up their minds not to work with Reform before the election’. 

In a public statement, he said: “We have been clear since day one that the backroom deals had to end. 

“The maths is clearly not in Reforms favour. We aren’t going behind the public’s back or doing backroom deals. It is what got the Council into this mess. We have 16 Councillors, and 44 are effectively against Reform UK. We will hold firm and act accordingly.” 

Meanwhile, smaller groups at the council are exploring the alternatives. Even if the remaining groups formed a coalition – comprising The Oldham Group, with ten members, the Lib Dems with six, Conservatives with four, and six independents – they would still be five short of an overall majority. 

Lib Dem coun Mark Kenyon commented: “Labour say they don’t want to do it and Reform have previously ruled out coalitions. So on Monday Sam Al-Hamdani – Lib Dem and me along with other opposition councillors from the Conservatives and the Oldham Group met with council officers to figure out what happens if the two largest groups (Labour and Reform) fail to put together an administration.

“Council services will still continue so if you have any issues do get in touch.  Nothing’s decided, no one has a workable majority on their own, so the ball is very much up in the air.”