A Saddleworth councillor is proposing a plan he hopes will finally break the deadlock over who leads Oldham Council.

Councillors will try again on Thursday, August 20 to choose a leader, after three previous attempts failed. If they cannot agree, Government commissioners would be called in, effectively taking responsibility out of councillors' hands.

Mark Kenyon, who represents Saddleworth West and Lees, has put forward a "Concord Council" plan that would share executive power across all political groups and councillors.

The deliberately temporary scheme would remain in place until a stable administration can be formed, or until after the 2027 local elections.

Under the plan, Councillor Diane Williamson would be nominated as leader. A lottery would be used to allocate cabinet positions, which Kenyon said would stop the leader using appointments to pressure councillors into conforming.

Key decisions would then be considered by cross-party committees, with every political group represented and voting strength reflecting the number of councillors they have elected.

Kenyon said: "There are parts of the plan that are sure to startle some people, but the idea of a lottery is not a million miles away from flipping a coin to resolve dead heats in elections for MPs and councillors.

"At its heart, though, this is about putting power in the hands of all 60 councillors rather than forcing them to pick one Leader and one political group to have it all.

"It's better for everyone to put our differences aside and focus on what we do agree on and what we can achieve together.

"We can turn this stalemate into a strength, giving every councillor a voice and putting the good people who live and work in our borough ahead of party politics."