Reform UK councillors say they will call for all 60 seats on Oldham Council to be contested in all-out elections, as the authority continues without a leader or cabinet.

The group says it will put forward a motion at the forthcoming extraordinary full council meeting, following a Section 5 report from the council's monitoring officer.

Oldham Council has been without political leadership since the May 2026 local elections, with four full council meetings having failed to elect a leader, according to Reform UK.

The party says it won 13 of the 20 seats contested in May and received the highest share of the popular vote. It now has 16 councillors and is the second-largest group on the council, behind Labour with 18 seats.

Reform UK says it will use the extraordinary meeting to call for all-out elections across the council's 60 seats. The party said the meeting is required following a Section 5 report from the monitoring officer, which it says confirmed the authority cannot continue operating without a leader or cabinet.

Reform UK also claims council officers have had to rely on emergency powers while the political deadlock continues.

Councillor Lewis Quigg, leader of the Reform UK group on Oldham Council, said: "The people of Oldham spoke clearly in May. Reform won the most votes. Yet, for over three months, this Council has been rudderless because other parties refuse to accept the result or work constructively.

"Endless bickering, failed coalitions and grandstanding have left Oldham in paralysis. The Section 5 notice confirms what everyone already knows: this situation is unsustainable.

"Enough is enough. At the next Full Council meeting, we will put a simple motion: call all-out elections for every seat on Oldham Council so the public can decide, once and for all, who should run this borough.

"No more backroom deals. No more minority administrations propped up by shifting alliances. Put up or shut up. Face the voters or step aside and let democracy work."

Reform UK claims a full election would resolve the hung council and provide a new mandate.

The party also says the continuing situation risks government intervention and commissioners being imposed, although no supporting information about any proposed government intervention was supplied with the release.

Reform UK says its motion will ask councillors to support all-out elections across the borough.