The2024 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on Thursday 2 May 2024, alongsideother local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 60 members ofOldham Council inGreater 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".[1] Despite Shah's claim,The Guardian reported that Labour's stance on the conflict could sway many Muslim voters.[2] This could explain Labour's poor performance in Oldham, where a quarter of the population identify as Muslim,[3] compared to just 6.5% nationally.[4]
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.[5]
TheLabour Party have governed Oldham for most of its history. They held a majority on the council from its creation in 1973 to1994, when they lost control against the national trend.[6] They regained a majoritythe following year, but lost control to theLiberal Democrats in2000. Labour regained control in2003, before losing their majority in2006.[6] Labour again won a majority in2011, and have formed majority administrations since then, albeit with reduced margins.
The2023 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%, theConservatives won 11 with 17.6%, theFailsworth Independent Party won 3 with 2.1%, andindependents won 4 with 14.3%. The 2024 election was for seats held by councillors elected by the smallest number of votes in each ward;[7] Labour held 12 seats, the Liberal Democrats held 4, the Conservatives held 3, and the Failsworth Independent Party held 1.[8]
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