Oldham’s new leader is set to be decided tonight by Labour group members following a bruising local election.
The party narrowly retained control of the town hall following last Thursday’s all-out election contest – the first for nearly 20 years – but their majority was reduced from five down to two, leaving them with 32 councillors.
And Labour lost yet another leader at the ballot box - Amanda Chadderton who came in an unsuccessful fourth place in Royton South ward. It is the third ousting of leader in as many years.
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A new leader is set to be voted in by the Labour group at their annual general meeting on Tuesday night (May 9) through a secret ballot.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands it will come down to a two-horse race between former leader Arooj Shah and Peter Davis.
Coun Shah had been running the local authority as leader from May 2021, the first Muslim woman to do so in the north, but lost her seat in Chadderton South in the local elections last year.
However, she was elected back to the chamber in St Mary’s this time round with a huge 2,743 votes, coming first place in the ward. This means she won’t be up for election again until 2027.
The other main contender for the leadership, Coun Davis is also making a comeback to the council chamber after losing his seat in 2022 to the Failsworth Independent Party.
He successfully won his seat back for Labour in Failsworth West in this year’s contest, polling second place with 929 votes. He will be safe from re-election until 2026.
Next year’s normal local election – with one third of councillors going to the polls – is likely to be at the forefront of members’ minds when deciding a new leader.
Especially as 12 Labour councillors who placed third in their wards will face re-election.
And the pressure is on as if the party loses just two seats Oldham council would go into no-overall-control for the first time since 2011.
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