Moving the goalposts is no way to start new Council year

A proposal to move the meeting of Annual Council at short notice, making it difficult or impossible for working members of the Council to attend, has been objected to by the Liberal Democrats.

New group leader Sam Al-Hamdani objected to the proposal, saying that it showed a lack of foresight, and would exclude many councillors who aren’t career politicians. 

Councillor Al-Hamdani said: “While the specifics of the election were clearly extremely unpredictable, I don’t think anyone in Oldham could see anything other than a hung council. Why it took until after the election for people to think that time would be needed to try and reset things really does astound me. 

“Many councillors – including those in my group – are not career politicians, but people with day jobs such as teachers, where taking time off at short notice isn’t straightforward. This is a critically important meeting, and it should not be beyond the wit of man to make it straightforward for everyone to be there.”

The Council has already been in no overall control for two years, with a Labour-led administration propped up by a group of independents who have now split their allegiances. With Labour having plummeted in the polls in the meantime, it should have been clear that the Council would need time for negotiations to happen.

Councillor Al-Hamdani added: “Oldham Council needs to reset, to start planning ahead, engaging with people properly, and get the basics right. Chopping and changing at short notice is more of the same. They must do better.