The election results delivered a council split in thirds (at least), with no party or grouping able to form a working administration. Meeting after meeting failed to resolve the impasse.
News that political group leaders in Oldham have temporarily put aside their differences to take collective responsibility for supporting the council to discharge its responsibilities is welcome. I hope it reflects an acceptance that most people in the borough want their interests to be placed above personal or political differences.
There will continue to be legitimate differences, and any arrangement should allow those differences to be expressed freely, but with responsibility.
Aside from the vital services the council delivers, including to some of the most vulnerable residents in the borough, it is also the employer of around 2,500 workers who need the organisation to be stable, lawful and able to conduct its business.
This isn’t a coalition, and it isn’t even an administration. No councillor will hold executive power, but it does formalise cross-party accountability and oversight of important decisions needed to keep the council and its business going.
And so, while these efforts might not address the obvious and unprecedented risk of not having an appointed leader and cabinet, particularly statutory roles such as a lead member for children’s services, they do show that it is at least possible to reach some consensus. I hope that consensus can be built upon.
I wish the council and its councillors, across all parties, the best in the weeks and months that follow.
Jim McMahon OBE MP 