# 2024 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2024 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on Thursday 2 May 2024, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 60 members of Oldham Council in Greater Manchester were elected. The election resulted in Labour losing overall control of the council, with a net loss of 4 seats. Despite this, Labour maintains the largest share of seats, with 27 of the 60 councillors, and managed to form a minority administration after the election.
The local Labour Party leader, Arooj Shah, denied that the conflict in Gaza was a major reason for Labour's loss, saying that "we've asked for an immediate ceasefire right from the start". Despite Shah's claim, The Guardian reported that Labour's stance on the conflict could sway many Muslim voters. This could explain Labour's poor performance in Oldham, where a quarter of the population identify as Muslim, compared to just 6.5% nationally.
Following the election, the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and some of the other councillors attempted to remove the Labour leader and administration from office. They failed to do so by one vote, after two independents voted with Labour and three others abstained. Labour therefore continued to run the council, but as a minority administration.

## Background

The Labour Party have governed Oldham for most of its history. They held a majority on the council from its creation in 1973 to 1994, when they lost control against the national trend. They regained a majority the following year, but lost control to the Liberal Democrats in 2000. Labour regained control in 2003, before losing their majority in 2006. Labour again won a majority in 2011, and have formed majority administrations since then, albeit with reduced margins.
The 2023 election was the first election on the current ward boundaries; as a result, all seats were up for election. Labour won 32 seats with 46.5% of the vote, the Liberal Democrats won 10 with 17.7%, the Conservatives won 11 with 17.6%, the Failsworth Independent Party won 3 with 2.1%, and independents won 4 with 14.3%. The 2024 election was for seats held by councillors elected by the smallest number of votes in each ward; Labour held 12 seats, the Liberal Democrats held 4, the Conservatives held 3, and the Failsworth Independent Party held 1.

## Previous council composition

| After 2023 election | After 2023 election | After 2023 election | Before 2024 election | Before 2024 election | Before 2024 election | After 2024 election | After 2024 election | After 2024 election |
| Party | Party | Seats | Party | Party | Seats | Party | Party | Seats |
| | Labour | 32 | | Labour | 31 | | Labour | 27 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 10 | | Liberal Democrats | 10 | | Liberal Democrats | 9 |
| | Conservative | 11 | | Conservative | 8 | | Conservative | 8 |
| | Failsworth Independent Party | 3 | | Failsworth Independent Party | 3 | | Failsworth Independent Party | 2 |
| | Independent | 4 | | Independent | 8 | | Independent | 14 |
Changes 2023–2024:
* November 2023: Kamran Ghafoor, Muhammad Irfan, and Abdul Wahid suspended from Conservatives
* January 2024: Aftab Hussain (independent) joins Labour
* April 2024: Shoab Akhtar and Nyla Ibrahim leave Labour to sit as independents

## Results

2024 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council election :
| Party | Party | This election | This election | This election | Full council | Full council | Full council | This election | This election | This election |
| Party | Party | Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− |
| | Labour | 7 | 5 | 35.0 | 20 | 27 | 45.0 | 17,178 | 29.1 | –17.4 |
| | Independent | 8 | 8 | 40.0 | 6 | 14 | 23.3 | 22,698 | 38.4 | +24.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 3 | 1 | 15.0 | 6 | 9 | 15.0 | 8,401 | 14.2 | –3.5 |
| | Conservative | 2 | 1 | 10.0 | 6 | 8 | 13.3 | 7,731 | 13.1 | –4.5 |
| | Failsworth Independent Party | 0 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 3.3 | 1,005 | 1.7 | –0.4 |
| | Green | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1,024 | 1.7 | N/A |
| | Reform UK | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 639 | 1.1 | N/A |
| | Northern Heart | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 212 | 0.4 | –0.8 |
| | National Housing Party | 0 | | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 173 | 0.3 | +0.2 |

## Ward results

An asterisk denotes an incumbent councillor seeking re-election.

### Alexandra

Alexandra :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Zaheer Ali | 1,494 | 50.5 | N/A |
| | Labour | Ghazala Rana | 903 | 30.5 | −29.2 |
| | Independent | Carol Hardie | 157 | 5.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Martin Dinoff | 135 | 4.6 | −6.6 |
| | Northern Heart | Anne Taylor | 94 | 3.2 | −7.1 |
| | Green | Andrea Chaverra Valencia | 93 | 3.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Md Nazrul Chowdhury | 84 | 2.8 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,960 | 38.99 | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Chadderton Central

Chadderton Central :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Elaine Taylor* | 954 | 33.6 | −19.7 |
| | Conservative | Mohammed Razon | 935 | 33.0 | +6.7 |
| | Independent | Lisa Roddy | 243 | 8.6 | N/A |
| | Independent | Irfat Shajahan | 221 | 7.8 | N/A |
| | Independent | Peter Brown | 213 | 7.5 | N/A |
| | Green | Daniel Clayton | 165 | 5.8 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malik Abdul | 81 | 2.9 | −2.7 |
| | Northern Heart | Rob Vance | 25 | 0.9 | −7.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,837 | 35.76 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Chadderton North

Chadderton North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Eddie Moores* | 1,383 | 48.9 | +2.3 |
| | Conservative | Moudud Ahmed | 824 | 29.2 | −8.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Dominic Cadman | 401 | 14.2 | +2.0 |
| | Independent | Mohammed Alam | 218 | 7.7 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,826 | 33.81 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Chadderton South

Chadderton South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Holly Harrison* | 1,127 | 45.3 | −9.9 |
| | Conservative | Karl Bardsley | 597 | 24.0 | +7.0 |
| | Reform UK | Andy Clare | 359 | 14.4 | N/A |
| | Independent | Mohammed Ali | 272 | 10.9 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Michael Scholes | 132 | 5.3 | −6.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,487 | 28.1 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Coldhurst

Coldhurst :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Montaz Azad | 2,304 | 54.7 | +12.9 |
| | Labour | Ruji Surjan* | 1,329 | 31.5 | −14.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rachel Pendlebury | 193 | 4.6 | −1.1 |
| | Independent | Mustafa Mustak | 139 | 3.3 | +0.5 |
| | Green | Sheraz Gondal | 136 | 3.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Muhammed Dara | 113 | 2.7 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,214 | 43.49 | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Crompton

Crompton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Diane Williamson* | 1,180 | 44.0 | +0.2 |
| | Independent | Lee Navesey | 895 | 33.4 | +3.8 |
| | Labour | David Barker | 431 | 16.1 | −3.6 |
| | Conservative | Michele Stockton | 173 | 6.5 | −6.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,679 | 34.41 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Failsworth East

Failsworth East :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Ken Rustidge | 731 | 33.1 | −10.3 |
| | Failsworth Independent Party | Lucia Rea* | 712 | 32.2 | −12.1 |
| | Independent | Catherine Charnock | 620 | 28.1 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Foysal Chowdhury | 104 | 4.7 | −7.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Barbara Beeley | 42 | 1.9 | −9.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,209 | 28.07 | |
| | Labour Co-op gain from Failsworth Independent Party | Labour Co-op gain from Failsworth Independent Party | Swing | | |

### Failsworth West

Failsworth West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Mark Wilkinson | 1,104 | 47.9 | +13.2 |
| | Labour Co-op | Kyle Phythian | 774 | 33.6 | −5.8 |
| | Failsworth Independent Party | Jane Cashinella-Vaughan | 293 | 12.7 | −6.2 |
| | Conservative | Md Mostakim Chaudhary | 70 | 3.0 | −5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Lynne Thompson | 37 | 1.6 | −3.3 |
| | Independent | Majid Khan | 26 | 1.1 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,304 | 29.46 | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Hollinwood

Hollinwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Naseem Aslam | 846 | 33.4 | −4.2 |
| | Independent | Muhammad Irfan* | 812 | 32.1 | −6.3 |
| | National Housing Party | John Lawrence | 173 | 6.8 | −1.4 |
| | Conservative | Muhammed Alom | 172 | 6.8 | −31.6 |
| | Independent | Ewan Edge | 146 | 5.8 | N/A |
| | Independent | Ian Whitehead | 139 | 5.5 | −3.3 |
| | Green | Jason Bromley | 132 | 5.2 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Blackmore | 113 | 4.5 | −3.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,533 | 29.37 | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | | |

### Medlock Vale

Medlock Vale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Umar Nasheen* | 1,374 | 44.9 | −18.6 |
| | Independent | Shamas Altaf | 987 | 32.3 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Shona Farnworth | 300 | 9.8 | −0.2 |
| | Independent | Muhammad Yasir | 226 | 7.4 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Akhtar Hussain | 172 | 5.6 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,059 | 35.68 | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Royton North

Royton North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Lewis Quigg* | 1,458 | 50.3 | +8.4 |
| | Labour | Clint Phythian | 1,037 | 35.8 | −1.3 |
| | Green | Miranda Meadowcroft | 231 | 8.0 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jeffrey Garner | 174 | 6.0 | ±0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,900 | 34.2 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Royton South

Royton South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Jade Hughes | 1,200 | 50.4 | +14.3 |
| | Labour | Steven Bashforth* | 877 | 36.8 | −3.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tom Penketh | 155 | 6.5 | −2.1 |
| | Green | Jim Stidworthy | 151 | 6.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,383 | 31.44 | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Saddleworth North

Saddleworth North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Garth Harkness* | 1,279 | 41.7 | +6.8 |
| | Labour | Hannah Roberts | 779 | 25.4 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative | Stuart Pyefinch | 630 | 20.6 | −4.9 |
| | Independent | Christopher Marshall | 376 | 12.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,064 | 39.72 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Saddleworth South

Saddleworth South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Max Woodvine* | 1,107 | 31.7 | −4.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Amy Wrigley | 821 | 23.5 | −8.0 |
| | Labour Co-op | Dominic Wall | 809 | 23.1 | −3.4 |
| | Independent | Paul Errock | 642 | 18.4 | N/A |
| | Green | Fesl Reza-Khan | 116 | 3.3 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,495 | 41.6 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Saddleworth West and Lees

Saddleworth West and Lees :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Kenyon* | 1,603 | 55.5 | +3.9 |
| | Independent | Paul Shilton | 675 | 23.4 | +0.5 |
| | Labour | Dave Barter | 468 | 16.2 | +0.7 |
| | Conservative | Mujibur Rahman | 141 | 4.9 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,887 | 35.08 | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Shaw

Shaw :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Lisa Navesey | 1,011 | 42.1 | +4.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Hazel Gloster* | 961 | 40.0 | +1.0 |
| | Labour | Stephen Hewitt | 356 | 14.8 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative | Md Yahhia Qurashi | 76 | 3.2 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,404 | 32.66 | |
| | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Independent gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |

### St James'

St James' :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour Co-op | Josh Charters* | 757 | 36.3 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative | Christopher McManus | 628 | 30.1 | −2.9 |
| | Independent | Amoy Lindo | 554 | 26.5 | +2.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Roger Hindle | 149 | 7.1 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,088 | 26.35 | |
| | Labour Co-op hold | Labour Co-op hold | Swing | | |

### St Mary's

St Mary's :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Aisha Kouser | 2,769 | 66.7 | +27.7 |
| | Labour | Ali Aqeel Salamat* | 1,367 | 32.9 | −12.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mohammed Hussain | 120 | 2.9 | −2.0 |
| | Conservative | Khaled Ahmed | 104 | 2.5 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,152 | 48.20 | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Waterhead

Waterhead :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Naveed Chowhan | 1,221 | 38.9 | N/A |
| | Labour Co-op | Ros Birch* | 876 | 27.9 | −17.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joe Beeston | 298 | 9.5 | −4.9 |
| | Reform UK | Jack Davies | 280 | 8.9 | N/A |
| | Independent | Stuart Allsopp | 201 | 6.4 | −6.2 |
| | Conservative | Ruhid Chowdhury | 168 | 5.4 | −25.6 |
| | Northern Heart | Paul Taylor | 93 | 3.0 | −9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,137 | 35.31 | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Werneth

Werneth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Nyla Ibrahim* | 2,362 | 55.8 | +0.6 |
| | Independent | Amjad Ali | 1,471 | 34.7 | N/A |
| | Liberal Democrats | Hamza Uddin | 227 | 5.4 | −29.0 |
| | Conservative | Mohammed Miah | 175 | 4.1 | −5.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,235 | 45.62 | |
| | Independent gain from Labour | Independent gain from Labour | Swing | | |