An Oldham Council review has revealed that 89 councillors were paid incorrectly, with the total overpayment amounting to £107,111. The errors, caused by staff mistakes in administering allowances, meant 76 members received too much money while 13 were underpaid.

The largest overpayment to a single councillor was £8,461. In total, 38 members were incorrectly paid at least £1,000 more than their entitlement. For four councillors, the overpayment exceeded £5,000, though all these cases have now been settled.

A report presented to the council's audit committee stated the issues "arose from systemic weaknesses" and that responsibility for the scheme "rests entirely with officers". Members had no further involvement once the allowance scheme was approved.

Key causes included no proper record-keeping and incorrect allowance rates. The council said a series of actions have since been implemented to prevent recurrence, including clearer payment date rules, improved audit trails, and independent verification of rates.

Of the 45 current councillors affected, 41 have had their cases concluded. This means their debts have been repaid or a repayment plan is in place. Four cases remain in progress.

The report named four former councillors, Javid Iqbal, Mohammed Alyas, Neil Hindle, and Norman Briggs, who had been overpaid a combined total of over £3,000 and had not responded to the council by July 23. The authority said it will "shortly begin recovery proceedings" for these individuals, giving them 15 days to agree a repayment plan before further action is taken.

Alex Bougatef, director of legal services, told the committee: "It is good that the issues have been rectified, and this matter is now being resolved. While this was not an error by members, ultimately there is a duty to the public purse, and the council must seek to remedy the financial position."

A council spokesperson added: "We said from the outset that this issue would be dealt with openly, fairly and transparently. As seen in the latest audit report, progress has been made, with the vast majority of councillors engaging constructively and agreeing repayment arrangements where required."