Leadership vacuum leaves Oldham Council operating under emergency powers
Oldham has been without an agreed political leadership for around three months, leaving council officers to run essential services using emergency powers while elected members remain locked in a stand-off.
At the end of July the council's chief legal officer, Alex Bougatef, formally concluded the authority was acting unlawfully by continuing without someone in charge, issuing what is known as a Section 5 report. That report starts a statutory process that could, if no solution is found, lead to government-appointed commissioners taking over elements of the council's running.
The deadlock follows local elections in May, where gains by the Reform party left the council with no party in overall control and no group holding even a third of the seats. Because Oldham elects councillors by thirds, not every seat was contested this year, and the balance of power remains finely poised.
- Officers are using emergency powers to keep services running while political leadership is unresolved.
- A Section 5 report from the council’s legal chief has set in motion a process that could see outside commissioners appointed.
- If commissioners arrive they would be paid for at public expense — the figure cited is at least £1,200 a day.
Some in the town have said they would rather accept "the devil they don't know" than continue in the current churn of accusations and failed talks. Parties within the council are trading blame over why negotiations have not produced a lasting administration, with controversies from earlier coalitions also making compromise harder.
"The financial risks for the council should commissioners ultimately be sent to Oldham are significant."
The option of commissioners is normally associated with councils that are failing financially or unable to deliver statutory services. Local sources say it would be unusual — perhaps unprecedented — for Whitehall to send in commissioners purely because of a prolonged political dispute rather than because of insolvency or service collapse.
One major political response reported from the Reform group is that their leader, Councillor Lewis Quigg, has indicated readiness to table a motion which could trigger a new round of elections for a fresh set of councillors. That approach, supporters argue, would return the decision to voters rather than to appointed officials.
| Key dates | Event |
|---|---|
| May (2026) | Local elections leave no party with a majority or a third of seats |
| End of July (2026) | Council’s chief legal officer issues Section 5 report declaring council acting unlawfully |
| 20 August (2026) | Planned meeting where a decision is expected on next steps |
The scale of the impasse is not merely political: council officers have been operating without the usual mandate from elected leaders and are using emergency arrangements to make decisions that would normally be taken by councillors. That raises questions about local accountability and scrutiny while the standoff continues.
There is also a financial angle. The daily cost of commissioners has been put at a minimum of £1,200, which would be an added strain on the council's budget if ministers decide to intervene. Critics warn such an imposition would remove local choice and could be costly for taxpayers.
Others argue the political shape of the council could change next May when another third of seats are contested, offering a route out of the impasse via the ballot box rather than through central government action. But that would mean providing local services under emergency arrangements for many months yet.
For residents, the immediate questions are practical: will bin collections, care services, housing and other council functions continue reliably while the political dispute rumbles on? Officers say they will keep services running, but the longer the leadership gap persists the harder it may be to plan and deliver on longer-term projects or to respond to unforeseen pressures.
The coming days will be critical. The meeting on 20 August is being watched closely by councillors, council officers and residents who want clarity on who is accountable for running the town. If talks fail and ministers are provoked into using commissioners, Oldham could be run, in part, by officials appointed from outside the borough — and that would carry both a democratic and a financial price.
