Overview
- Two months after the May 7 local elections, Oldham and Kirklees are the only English councils that still have not elected a leader following the wider shift to no overall control.
- Repeated leadership ballots have collapsed in both councils with attempts failing on May 20 and May 28 and further votes breaking down on June 15 and July 1, leaving council chambers deadlocked.
- The seat arithmetic driving the impasse is tight: Oldham needs 31 seats for a majority with Labour on 18, Reform UK 16, and independents 16, while Kirklees needs 35 with Reform on 29, independents 14 and Greens 12.
- Council officers are handling day-to-day work but there are growing worries about the ability to set next year’s budget and long-term plans and a government spokesperson has warned Whitehall will step in if legal decision-making is blocked.
- The standoffs reflect a broader change across England where 64 councils are now without single-party majorities and the rise of Reform UK, the Greens and many independents is making traditional coalition deals harder and more unpredictable.