Labour and Reform team up to stop administration votes

The two largest groups on Oldham Council – Reform and Labour – have been slammed by the Liberal Democrat group, after they worked together to block two new approaches to get an administration for Oldham at Wednesday’s Oldham Council meeting.

One approach was to change voting rules, to allow all candidates for the leadership to be put forward at the same time, with the one with the most votes taking control of the Council – forcing a positive outcome.

The second was to take a completely different approach – to share leadership of the Council across all groups, with decisions delegated to a politically balanced cabinet.

Both proposals were voted down by the Labour and Reform groups acting together.

Liberal Democrat group leader Sam Al-Hamdani said: “It has been laid out to all councillors the impact that not having a leadership will have, and the potential for it to cost the borough millions, and have real life impacts on people who need support. 

“For both groups – Labour and Reform together – to deny the Council the opportunity to vote on alternatives is shameful. All councillors have been told that we have to be making genuine attempts to form an administration, and those two groups won’t even entertain them.

Council officers had stated that they would start the legal procedure to call in the commissioners should this meeting fail to appoint an administration.

Councillor Al-Hamdani added: “Labour voted down six of the seven options on the table – they were only interested in themselves. Reform did exactly the same. That’s not a negotiation – that’s an ultimatum. 

“I cannot see how that is the action of anyone making a genuine effort to form an administration. They must take responsibility for their actions.”