Council profile
Oldham
Metropolitan borough · North West · 60 seats in 20 wards · A third of seats elected in three years out of four · Next election 6 May 2027
No party has overall control of Oldham Council. The council has 60 councillors in 20 wards. Seats by party: Labour 18, Other 17, Reform 13, Lib Dem 6, Conservative 4. The next election is on 6 May 2027.
Control
Seats by party
Vote share at the 7 May 2026 election (20 seats, all wards)
ShareSeats won
Reform37.2%13
Labour20.7%3
Other17.9%3
Lib Dem10.9%1
Green9.4%0
Conservative3.9%0
Next election
6 May 2027
20 of 60 seats up, elected by thirds
Largest party
Labour 18
13 short of the 31 needed for a majority
Voted Leave in 2016
61%
GB 52%
Wards
Who holds each ward
LabourLib DemReformIndependentOther
Under 5 pts5 to 1010 to 20Over 20No contest data
Winning margin at the last election, in points.
Coloured by the party holding most of the ward's seats today; where seats are split evenly, by the party with the higher share at the last election.
All 20 wards
Councillors and last results
Select a ward for its full results, candidates and last by-election.
| Ward and councillors | Last election |
|---|---|
| Alexandra Shabir Hussain, Zaheer Ali, Zahid Chauhan | 7 May 2026 The Oldham Group Party 42.9% lead 15.6 pts |
| Chadderton Central Mohon Ali, Nazrul Islam, Elaine Taylor | 7 May 2026 Labour 31.8% lead 5.2 pts |
| Chadderton North Eddie Moores, Barbara Brownridge, Jon Ford | 7 May 2026 Reform 52.9% lead 29.1 pts |
| Chadderton South Holly Harrison, Graham Shuttleworth, Rob Jackson | 7 May 2026 Reform 48.4% lead 29.7 pts |
| Coldhurst Mohammed Mohib Abu Taleb, Montaz Azad, Abdul Jabbar | 7 May 2026 Independent 41.5% lead 9.2 pts |
| Crompton Peter Hanlon, Diane Williamson, Dave Murphy | 7 May 2026 Reform 47.3% lead 19.7 pts |
| Failsworth East Brian Hobin, Andrew Brooks, Ken Rustidge | 7 May 2026 Reform 58.8% lead 45.2 pts |
| Failsworth West Sandra Ball, Mark Ruthven, Vacant | 7 May 2026 Reform 55.9% lead 38.5 pts |
| Hollinwood Naseem Aslam, Kamran Ghafoor, Robert Barnes | 7 May 2026 Reform 39.9% lead 16.4 pts |
| Medlock Vale Umar Nasheen, Sajed Hussain, Junaid Hussain | 7 May 2026 Labour 34.9% lead 8.1 pts |
| Royton North Paul Robinson, Vacant, Dave Arnott | 7 May 2026 Reform 59.0% lead 45.2 pts |
| Royton South Tony Pinder, Jade Hughes, Maggie Hurley | 7 May 2026 Reform 55.1% lead 36.6 pts |
| Saddleworth North Pam Byrne, Ioan Williams, Garth Harkness | 7 May 2026 Reform 40.8% lead 10.8 pts |
| Saddleworth South Max Woodvine, Graham Sheldon, Helen Bishop | 7 May 2026 Lib Dem 35.0% lead 2 votes |
| Saddleworth West & Lees Mark Kenyon, Sam Al-Hamdani, Peter Klonowski | 7 May 2026 Reform 44.1% lead 4.2 pts |
| Shaw Lisa Navesey, Marc Hince, Steve Eyre | 7 May 2026 Reform 44.4% lead 17.1 pts |
| St James' Gary Tarbuck, Josh Charters, Beth Sharp | 7 May 2026 Reform 60.8% lead 42.7 pts |
| St Mary's Sonny Arstan, Aisha Kouser, Arooj Shah | 7 May 2026 The Oldham Group Party 53.0% lead 22.6 pts |
| Waterhead Nadeem Iqbal, Paul Taylor, Naveed Chowhan | 7 May 2026 Reform 34.4% lead 11.3 pts |
| Werneth Nyla Ibrahim, Shoab Akhtar, Fida Hussain | 7 May 2026 Labour 35.5% lead 3.0 pts |
Alexandra
Shabir Hussain The Oldham Group PartyZaheer Ali The Oldham Group PartyZahid Chauhan Labour
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shabir Hussain Elected | The Oldham Group Party | 1,552 | 42.9% |
| Shaid Mushtaq | Labour | 989 | 27.3% |
| Susan Brown | Reform | 689 | 19.0% |
| Andrea Chaverra Valencia | Green | 228 | 6.3% |
| Martin Alexander Dinoff | Lib Dem | 85 | 2.3% |
| Carol Hardie | Independent | 46 | 1.3% |
| Anne Taylor | Northern Heart | 29 | 0.8% |
Chadderton Central
Elaine Taylor LabourMohon Ali LabourNazrul Islam Labour
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nazrul Islam Elected | Labour | 1,215 | 31.8% |
| Alexander David William Lomas | Reform | 1,015 | 26.6% |
| Mohammed Razon | Independent | 892 | 23.4% |
| Suleman Hussain | Green | 456 | 12.0% |
| Katie Helen Gloster | Lib Dem | 149 | 3.9% |
| Iryna Kantorova | Conservative | 88 | 2.3% |
Chadderton North
Barbara Brownridge LabourEddie Moores LabourJon Ford Reform
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jon Ford Elected | Reform | 2,107 | 52.9% |
| Colin McLaren | Labour | 948 | 23.8% |
| Paul Alexander Singleton | Green | 502 | 12.6% |
| Darren Lyon | Conservative | 285 | 7.2% |
| Prem Raghvani | Lib Dem | 141 | 3.5% |
Chadderton South
Graham Shuttleworth LabourHolly Harrison LabourRob Jackson Reform
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Jackson Elected | Reform | 1,833 | 48.4% |
| Kyle Phythian | Labour | 709 | 18.7% |
| Stephanie Anne Beverley | Green | 539 | 14.2% |
| Muhammad Irfan | The Oldham Group Party | 351 | 9.3% |
| Stephen Eric Davenport | Conservative | 256 | 6.8% |
| Brian Witt | Lib Dem | 103 | 2.7% |
Coldhurst
Abdul Jabbar LabourMohammed Mohib Abu Taleb IndependentMontaz Azad The Oldham Group Party
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammed Mohib Abu Taleb Elected | Independent | 1,892 | 41.5% |
| Abdul Malik | Labour | 1,471 | 32.3% |
| Elaine Whittingham | Reform | 473 | 10.4% |
| Tayba Nazir | Green | 464 | 10.2% |
| Mohammed Ali | Independent | 133 | 2.9% |
| Keith Pendlebury | Lib Dem | 128 | 2.8% |
Crompton
Dave Murphy Lib DemDiane Williamson Lib DemPeter Hanlon Reform
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Hanlon Elected | Reform | 1,773 | 47.3% |
| Hazel Gloster | Lib Dem | 1,036 | 27.6% |
| Chris Mills | Green | 250 | 6.7% |
| Alicia Dunne | Independent | 232 | 6.2% |
| Latif Choudhary | Labour | 227 | 6.1% |
| Darren Lord | Conservative | 153 | 4.1% |
| Shaun Michael Duffy | Independent | 79 | 2.1% |
Failsworth East
Andrew Brooks ReformBrian Hobin Failsworth Independent PartyKen Rustidge Labour
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Barry Brooks Elected | Reform | 2,050 | 58.8% |
| Chris Goodwin | Labour | 474 | 13.6% |
| Neil Hindle | Failsworth Independent Party | 430 | 12.3% |
| Laurraine Demelchor | Green | 369 | 10.6% |
| Jane Louise Dronsfield | Conservative | 101 | 2.9% |
| Barbara Ann Beeley | Lib Dem | 60 | 1.7% |
Failsworth West
Mark Ruthven ReformSandra Ball ReformVacant Vacant
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Christopher Ruthven Elected | Reform | 1,878 | 55.9% |
| Pete Davis | Labour | 584 | 17.4% |
| Andrew Kevin Jones | Green | 507 | 15.1% |
| Natalie Parren | Failsworth Independent Party | 205 | 6.1% |
| Roger Blackmore | Lib Dem | 95 | 2.8% |
| Bernard Akin | Conservative | 88 | 2.6% |
Hollinwood
Kamran Ghafoor The Oldham Group PartyNaseem Aslam LabourRobert Barnes Reform
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Barnes Elected | Reform | 1,472 | 39.9% |
| Saniya Abid | Labour | 866 | 23.5% |
| Abdul Wahid | The Oldham Group Party | 772 | 20.9% |
| Callum Holt | Green | 359 | 9.7% |
| Elizabeth Adamson | Lib Dem | 164 | 4.4% |
| John Lawrence | National Housing Party United Kingdom | 58 | 1.6% |
Medlock Vale
Junaid Hussain LabourSajed Hussain LabourUmar Nasheen Labour
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junaid Hussain Elected | Labour | 1,283 | 34.9% |
| Victor Flowers | Reform | 983 | 26.8% |
| Sharoon Zaman | The Oldham Group Party | 777 | 21.2% |
| Cameron Lee Gates | Green | 432 | 11.8% |
| Shona Farnworth | Lib Dem | 198 | 5.4% |
Royton North
Dave Arnott ConservativePaul Robinson ReformVacant Vacant
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Robinson Elected | Reform | 2,502 | 59.0% |
| Clint Phythian | Labour | 586 | 13.8% |
| Christine Adams | Conservative | 569 | 13.4% |
| Emily Walker | Green | 412 | 9.7% |
| Lewis Farnworth | Lib Dem | 169 | 4.0% |
Royton South
Jade Hughes IndependentMaggie Hurley IndependentTony Pinder Reform
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Pinder Elected | Reform | 1,922 | 55.1% |
| Kathryn Jane England | Labour | 645 | 18.5% |
| Miranda Meadowcroft | Green | 368 | 10.5% |
| William Hingston | Conservative | 267 | 7.7% |
| Lynne Christine Thompson | Lib Dem | 144 | 4.1% |
| Anthony Prince | Independent | 143 | 4.1% |
Saddleworth North
Garth Harkness Lib DemIoan Williams ReformPam Byrne Conservative
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| loan Williams Elected | Reform | 1,752 | 40.8% |
| Michael Robert Thomas Powell | Lib Dem | 1,289 | 30.0% |
| Luke Bywater | Conservative | 488 | 11.4% |
| Samuel Jacob Hollis | Labour | 432 | 10.1% |
| Chris Fielding | Green | 330 | 7.7% |
Saddleworth South
Graham Sheldon The Oldham Group PartyHelen Bishop Lib DemMax Woodvine Conservative
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helen Louise Bishop Elected | Lib Dem | 1,594 | 35.0% |
| Christopher John McManus | Reform | 1,592 | 35.0% |
| Archie Ross Duncan | Labour | 602 | 13.2% |
| David Hartington | Conservative | 417 | 9.2% |
| George Simon Atkinson | Green | 344 | 7.6% |
Saddleworth West & Lees
Mark Kenyon Lib DemPeter Klonowski ReformSam Al-Hamdani Lib Dem
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Klonowski Elected | Reform | 1,808 | 44.1% |
| Alicia Claire Marland | Lib Dem | 1,636 | 39.9% |
| Dave Barter | Labour | 279 | 6.8% |
| Joe Bardsley | Green | 238 | 5.8% |
| Lisa Hartington | Conservative | 143 | 3.5% |
Shaw
Lisa Navesey IndependentMarc Hince IndependentSteve Eyre Reform
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Eyre Elected | Reform | 1,555 | 44.4% |
| Tom Penketh | Lib Dem | 955 | 27.3% |
| Hamid Ali | Labour | 336 | 9.6% |
| Ben Jack Ingham | Green | 253 | 7.2% |
| Sarah Howarth | Independent | 177 | 5.1% |
| Lee Navesey | Independent | 175 | 5.0% |
| Adi Kohli | Conservative | 53 | 1.5% |
St James'
Beth Sharp ConservativeGary Tarbuck IndependentJosh Charters Labour
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Tarbuck Elected | Reform | 1,938 | 60.8% |
| Angela Carol Cosgrove | Labour | 576 | 18.1% |
| Amir Jhandad | Green | 284 | 8.9% |
| Tom Noble | Conservative | 209 | 6.6% |
| Roger Hindle | Lib Dem | 158 | 5.0% |
| Maqsood Hussain | The Oldham Group Party | 22 | 0.7% |
St Mary's
Aisha Kouser The Oldham Group PartyArooj Shah LabourSonny Arstan The Oldham Group Party
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonny Shah Arstan Elected | The Oldham Group Party | 2,554 | 53.0% |
| Aftab Hussain | Labour | 1,465 | 30.4% |
| Ivan Burnley-Davies | Reform | 368 | 7.6% |
| Lina Maria Valencia | Green | 321 | 6.7% |
| Joe Gloster | Lib Dem | 110 | 2.3% |
Waterhead
Nadeem Iqbal LabourNaveed Chowhan The Oldham Group PartyPaul Taylor Reform
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Taylor Elected | Reform | 1,459 | 34.4% |
| Mir Ajawat | The Oldham Group Party | 980 | 23.1% |
| Ali Aqeel Salamat | Labour | 954 | 22.5% |
| Andrew Peter Sinclair | Green | 394 | 9.3% |
| Alison Caroline Bishop | Lib Dem | 266 | 6.3% |
| Stuart Allsopp | Independent | 132 | 3.1% |
| Majid Khan | Independent | 54 | 1.3% |
Werneth
Fida Hussain LabourNyla Ibrahim The Oldham Group PartyShoab Akhtar The Oldham Group Party
Last scheduled election, 7 May 2026
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fida Hussain Elected | Labour | 1,748 | 35.5% |
| Rangzib Nazir | Workers Party - Oldham Group | 1,602 | 32.5% |
| Mohammed Imran Ali | Independent | 864 | 17.5% |
| Mycul Trelore | Green | 364 | 7.4% |
| Stuart Illingworth | Reform | 247 | 5.0% |
| Rachel Pendlebury | Lib Dem | 102 | 2.1% |
Councillors
Changed party since the election
1 councillor now sit for a different party from the one they were elected for.
| Ward | Councillor | Elected as | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| St James' | Gary Tarbuck | Reform 2026 | Independent |
Next election
Seats up on 6 May 2027
20 of 60 seats are up. Seats held now, by party:
Labour 8 Other 4 Conservative 3 Lib Dem 2 Independent 2 Reform 1
| Ward | Councillor whose term ends |
|---|---|
| Alexandra | Zahid Chauhan Labour |
| Chadderton Central | Mohon Ali Labour |
| Chadderton North | Barbara Brownridge Labour |
| Chadderton South | Graham Shuttleworth Labour |
| Coldhurst | Abdul Jabbar Labour |
| Crompton | Dave Murphy Lib Dem |
| Failsworth East | Brian Hobin Failsworth Independent Party |
| Failsworth West | Sandra Ball Reform |
| Hollinwood | Kamran Ghafoor The Oldham Group Party |
| Medlock Vale | Sajed Hussain Labour |
| Royton North | Dave Arnott Conservative |
| Royton South | Maggie Hurley Independent |
| Saddleworth North | Pam Byrne Conservative |
| Saddleworth South | Graham Sheldon The Oldham Group Party |
| Saddleworth West & Lees | Sam Al-Hamdani Lib Dem |
| Shaw | Marc Hince Independent |
| St James' | Beth Sharp Conservative |
| St Mary's | Arooj Shah Labour |
| Waterhead | Nadeem Iqbal Labour |
| Werneth | Shoab Akhtar The Oldham Group Party |
Term end dates from Open Council Data.
By-elections
Every council by-election since 2021
1 by-election since July 2021, 0 of them gains.
| Date | Ward | Result | Winner's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 November 2022 | Hollinwood | Labour hold | 44.8% |
Parliament
Parliamentary constituencies
| Constituency | Share of council | 2024 winner | Projected now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton | 46% | Labour | Labour 35% |
| Oldham East and Saddleworth | 44% | Labour | Labour 41% |
| Manchester Central | 10% | Labour | Labour 40% |
Share of the council: the proportion of its census neighbourhoods (2021 LSOAs) in each seat. The projection is PollCheck's demographic model at current polling, not a forecast.
People
Who lives in Oldham
242,093 residents in 93,138 households
Voted Leave in 2016
61% 9 above GB
Degree or higher
25% 9 below GB
No qualifications
25% 7 above GB
Own their home
60% 1 below GB
Rent from a council or housing association
21% 4 above GB
Rent privately
18% 2 below GB
Aged 15 to 34
33% 2 above GB
Aged 65 and over
20% 2 below GB
GB figure. 2021 Census (Scotland: 2022): age as a share of residents aged 15 and over, qualifications of residents aged 16 and over, housing as a share of households. Leave: 2016 EU referendum, Electoral Commission results by counting area.
Similar
Councils most like this one
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Closest on the measures above: the 2016 Leave vote, age, qualifications and housing. Maps show which party holds each ward.
Sources
Sources and method
Seat totals and control: PollCheck council control tracker. Councillors: Open Council Data (CC BY-SA 4.0). Election results: Democracy Club (CC BY 4.0), with some vote counts from DCLEAPIL, Leman (2025) (CC BY-SA 4.0), and corrections checked against councils' official declarations. Ward boundaries: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Census: Office for National Statistics and National Records of Scotland.
Councillor lists and DCLEAPIL-derived vote counts on this page are available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
In wards electing more than one councillor, a party's share counts only its leading candidate (the Rallings and Thrasher method). Independents count individually. The lead is the gap between the top two parties' shares.