William Eichler 21 August 2026

Oldham Council refers itself to MHCLG after failed leadership vote

Oldham Council refers itself to MHCLG after failed leadership vote image
© SevenMaps / Shutterstock.com.

Oldham Council is to write to the Secretary of State after councillors again failed to elect a leader at an extraordinary meeting of Full Council, the authority has confirmed.

A council spokesperson said the Monitoring Officer would formally advise the Government of the situation but stressed that services continue to operate as normal and arrangements remain in place for the council to meet its statutory duties.

The council has been without a leader or cabinet since May's local elections, in which Labour lost seats and Reform UK made significant gains, leaving no party with a majority.

Repeated attempts to form an administration have failed, with the Monitoring Officer warning in a Section 5 report last month that the impasse had put the council in breach of its statutory duties.

The authority said it would now await further correspondence from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), amid speculation that Government-appointed commissioners could be sent in if the deadlock continues.

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