Oldham Council is facing an unprecedented political deadlock. Since the May 2026 elections, councillors have repeatedly failed to elect a Leader or form an administration. At the latest extraordinary meeting on 20 August 2026, seven different proposals failed to secure the necessary support, and the Council’s Monitoring Officer is now formally notifying the Secretary of State. The Council has already acknowledged that the absence of a Leader creates serious legal, governance and decision-making concerns, while Government intervention and the possibility of commissioners becoming involved in the running of the authority are now being considered.

We believe the people of Oldham should not have to wait indefinitely for further political negotiations, nor should they have decisions about the future governance of their Council effectively imposed upon them without first being given the opportunity to have their say. Where elected councillors have been unable to resolve the political deadlock, the democratic solution should be to return the decision to the electorate.

We therefore call for an early all-out election of all 60 councillors of Oldham Council. Oldham currently operates an electoral system in which councillors are elected by thirds, meaning that the next scheduled elections will not give residents the opportunity to determine the entire political composition of the Council at one election. An all-out election would allow every resident across all of Oldham’s wards to have an equal opportunity to decide who should represent them and would provide the Council with a fresh democratic mandate.

We recognise that an early all-out election would involve financial and administrative costs, and there is no guarantee that the resulting election would produce a single-party administration or eliminate political division. However, those risks must be balanced against the potentially greater risks of allowing the current situation to continue: prolonged uncertainty over leadership, continuing concerns about effective governance and accountability, disruption to decision-making, potential additional financial costs, and the possibility of increased Government involvement or the appointment of commissioners.

The existing legal framework provides mechanisms for changing local electoral arrangements, but an early all-out election in these circumstances may require specific statutory, regulatory or Parliamentary steps. We therefore call upon the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to urgently examine the lawful powers available and to take all necessary and lawful steps to facilitate an early all-out election of all 60 Oldham councillors, including making or seeking any necessary statutory, regulatory or legislative provision where existing arrangements do not permit such an election to take place.

This petition is not supporting any political party, candidate or political outcome. It is not predicting the result of an election. It is making a simple democratic argument: when elected representatives cannot resolve a fundamental political deadlock, the people who elected them should be given the opportunity to decide the future composition of their Council.

The residents of Oldham should not be forced to choose between continued political paralysis and increased Government intervention without having the opportunity to settle the matter democratically. We therefore ask the Secretary of State to give serious and urgent consideration to an early all-out election so that the people of Oldham can have their say.