Oldham to vote on axing 20 councillors from borough

Wednesday, 9 April 2025 19:59

By Charlotte Hall

An Oldham Conservative group member has called on the council to axe a third of its members.

Councillors will take a vote on a proposal to remove twenty of Oldham’s sixty ward representatives at full council tonight (April 9).

Councillor Lewis Quigg, who announced his suggestion online, wrote: “It’s time for the turkeys to vote for Christmas.

“I am tabling an amendment to our motion on Wednesday to AXE 20 councillors. It is clear that we have too many and they aren’t up to the bloody job.”

But council bosses argue the move would not be possible and called the amendment ‘performative nonsense’.

The proposal was put forward as an amendment to a Conservative motion to switch the council to a committee system, which would give smaller opposition groups more of a voice in the decision making of the council. The council currently operates under the leader and cabinet model, where the most dominant political group takes up decision-making roles that are held to account by opposition-led scrutiny committees.

Coun Quigg’s amendment requested a formal review of ‘the number of councillors needed, with a focus of reducing members’. It estimated the reduction of 20 councillors would save the local authority £220,000 a year.

If the reduction were approved, it would likely see each of Oldham’s 20 wards represented by two instead of three councillors.

But commenting online, many residents pointed out it was ‘highly unlikely’ that councillors would vote to ‘axe’ themselves, with one questioning coun Quigg: “Having said that, is that including your job?”

To which the Royton councillor responded: “If necessary then yes”.

Responding to the proposal, which was seconded by St James’ councillor Beth Sharp, Oldham boss Arooj Shah said: “Cllrs Quigg and Sharp know full well that this isn’t something the council can just decide to do. It requires the independent Local Government Boundary Commission for England to conduct a formal review and decide the number of councillors needs altering.

“Given the arrangements from the last review only came into place in 2023 I don’t think the commission would even entertain this performative nonsense.”