Councillors told to ‘get their big pants on’ ahead of crucial meeting

Councillors in Oldham have been told to ‘get their big pants on and grow up’ ahead of a crunch meeting that could decide what happens next for services thousands rely on. Some have even called for an election just two weeks after thousands cast their votes.

Despite Reform being the big winner in this year’s local elections on May 7 gaining 13 seats, Oldham Council will remain in no overall control because only a third of seats were up for grabs this time around.  Labour has been left with 18 councillors after losing eight seats, Reform with 16, and 26 elected members between the other parties and different independent groups.

Another set of elections are due in 2027 which could see Reform gain more seats but the balance of power until then has left the council in a political stalemate. Council leader Coun Arooj Shah said Labour ‘now have to respect what the electorate have said and have to step back’.

However Reform leader Coun Lewis Quigg has also said his group is ‘holding firm’ on its commitment to ‘no coalitions and no secret agreements’. The situation has led the borough’s Liberal Democrats to ask the Local Government Association, a national organisation representing councils, to intervene.

The issue will come to a head on May 20 as all councillors are expected to gather to choose the next leader of the local authority. Even if all the small parties banded together, they still would not have enough for a majority.

Out of the streets across Oldham, people are unsure what should happen next. Despite the recent losses, some still wanted Labour to remain in charge while one woman called for power sharing between the different parties.

There were also called for change. One Reform voter said: “Something has got to change. Sticking with the same people, nothing is changing. Give these new people a chance.”

Others felt councillors should come around the table and ‘need to stop all this and start thinking about the community working for Oldham’. One woman, who voted Reform, said: “If they can’t come to a deal, they are very immature. They need to get their big pants on and grow up.”

However Robert Street said: “Labour have been in Oldham for a good while and they seem to have done a good job. They are reasonable.

“Somebody has got to make decisions but whatever they suggest, somebody else will oppose it. I suppose they will have to come to an agreement.”

Several Reform voters supported the local party’s position, even if there was little trust in any of the parties. Pat, from Oldham, called for another election or referendum with every seat up for grabs if no agreement can be reached.

He added: “If there was a full election, Reform would have the majority and that would tell you something.

“I think Reform has got the initiative. They know they have got the initiative. They are just biding their time. In the meantime there is a bit of chaos and instability.”

In Alexandra Park, Phil Slater said: “It seems like Labour have abdicated responsibility because they know the big ships are coming into the harbour and do not want to deal with them.”

Farzana Mhar added: “It’s a crying shame that nobody wants to take over. The fact is I have worked in Oldham for seven years and I saw the niceness and the beauty and the fabulousness of what it has to offer.

“You need to give people a voice and to have some stake in their own local government. This is the most amazing place on earth. It’s very poor, it’s one of the poorest but it has the potential.”

However Joan Friend, from Shaw, said she understood why Labour were stepping back, adding: “With the amount of cuts they have had, I think they have done a good job. Maybe the pressure is just too much now.

“The pressure of what Reform is trying to do. I just feel I wished I lived somewhere else. They can’t fight any longer. There comes a time when your resources are finished and you can’t do it any longer.

 

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