Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Mohon Ali, Chauhan, Harrison, Pinder, Ruthven, Sheldon and Williamson.

To order that the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 20th May 2026 (adjourned to 15^th June 2026 and 1^st July 2026) be approved and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting of the Council, held on 20^th May 2026 (adjourned to 15^th June 2026 and 1^st July 2026), be approved and signed by the Mayor, as a correct record.

Councillor Ghafoor declared a pecuniary interest in agenda item 17 (Motion 2 – Managing HMO Proliferation and Prioritising Oldham Residents) and he left the room during the consideration and the determination of this Motion.

There was no urgent business for this meeting of Council to consider.

a.    Major Incident at Dovestones Reservoir

The Mayor asked that Council took time to reflect on the major incident that continued to affect communities around the Dovestones areas and across parts of the wider Peak District and Greater Manchester area.

The Mayor expressed concern at the images of the fire burning across the Borough’s precious moorland landscape, adding that what is being witnessed is damage to a place that holds a special place in the hearts of many Oldham residents – a place where families walk, where people find peace and connection with nature, and where unique habitats support wildlife that is part of a shared natural heritage.

Council’s thoughts are first and foremost are with those communities closest to the incident, many of whom have experienced understandable anxiety and disruption over recent days. We recognise concerns about air quality, access restrictions and the uncertainty that comes with an incident of this scale.

Council also extends its sincere thanks to the incredible emergency responders and partner agencies who continue to work tirelessly in very challenging circumstances. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service, police colleagues, local authority teams, mountain rescue volunteers, public health professionals, the coastguard, helicopter crews and many others have demonstrated extraordinary dedication and professionalism.

There were currently two significant fires burning in the wider area and that considerable efforts were being made to ensure they did not merge. The response remained ongoing and was likely to continue for several days yet given the ongoing weather conditions.

b.    Former Councillor Jack Hulme

The Mayor referred to the recent death of former Councillor Jack Hulme who represented the Council’s Chadderton North Ward on behalf of the Conservative Party. Accordingly, the Mayor Councillor Byrne and Councillors Quigg, Brownridge and Barnes paid their individual condolences and tribute.

Council held a minute’s silence in memory of former Councillor Hulme.

There are no petitions for this meeting of the Council to consider.

There were no petitions for this meeting of the Council to consider.

There is not a Youth Council Motion for this meeting of the Council to consider.

There was no Youth Council business for this meeting of the Council to consider.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.4.4h, Council is requested to proceed to the next item of business.

As the Council had, thus far, failed to either elect a Leader or form an administration there was no Cabinet in place to reply to the public questions that had been received. Therefore, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.4.4h, the meeting assented that Council moved to the next item of business on the agenda.  

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.4.4h, Council is requested to proceed to the next item of business.

As the Council had, thus far, failed to either elect a Leader or form an administration there was no Cabinet in place to reply to questions from non-executive members. Therefore, in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 12.4.4h, the meeting assented that Council moved to the next item of business on the agenda.  

Council received a report of the Assistant Director of Governance which advised that, in accordance with the provisions in the Council’s constitution, the appointment of the vice-chair of the Council (Deputy Mayor) was a Council function.

The Council was required therefore, to appoint a Deputy Mayor for the municipal year 2026/2027 and to receive nominations for the position.

Councillor Ball MOVED and Councillor Wilkinson SECONDED the appointment of Councillor Wilkinson as Deputy Mayor of the Borough and Vice Chair of Council, for the remainder of the 2026/27 Municipal Year.

Councillor Kenyon addressed Council on this nomination.

On being put to the vote, the nomination was LOST.

Councillor Ghafoor MOVED and Councillor Kouser SECONDED that the Council suspends Council Procedure Rule 13.4, to allow for further nominations, for the position of Deputy Mayor 2026/27, to be made during the meeting.

On being put to the vote, the Motion to suspend Council Procedure Rule 13.4, for this item of business, was LOST.

RESOLVED:

That consideration of this item be adjourned.

To appoint a Leader of the Council, in accordance with provisions of the Local Government Act 2000 as amended.

Council considered a report of the Assistant Director of Governance which asked that consideration be given to a report regarding the appointment of the Leader of the Council, in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 2000 as amended.

AMENDMENT 1

Councillor Quigg MOVED and Councillor Ball SECONDED AMENDMENT 1:

“That Councillor Quigg be appointed Leader of the Council and the Reform UK Group form a minority administration.”

On being put to the vote AMENDMENT 1 was LOST.

AMENDMENT 2

Councillor Shah MOVED and Councillor Taylor SECONDED AMENDMENT 2:

“That Councillor Arooj Shah be appointed as Leader of the Council and the Labour Group to form a minority administration.”

On being put to the vote AMENDMENT 2 was LOST.

AMENDMENT 3

Councillor Ghafoor MOVED and Councillor Kouser SECONDED AMENDMENT 3:

“That Councillor Sam Al-Hamdani be appointed as Leader of the Council.”

On being put to the vote AMENDMENT 3 was LOST.

AMENDMENT 4

Councillor Ghafoor MOVED and Councillor Kouser SECONDED AMENDMENT 4:

“That Councillor Mark Kenyon be appointed as Leader of the Council.”

On being put to the vote AMENDMENT 4 was LOST.

AMENDMENT 5

Councillor Al-Hamdani MOVED and Councillor Woodvine SECONDED AMENDMENT 5:

“That Councillor Kamran Ghafoor be appointed as Leader of the Council.”

On being put to the vote AMENDMENT 5 was LOST.

AMENDMENT 6

Councillor Ghafoor MOVED and Councillor Kouser SECONDED that the Council suspends Council Procedure Rules 16.1 and 16.7.1, for this item of business, to allow for alternate ways of electing a Leader of the Council.

On being put to the vote, the Motion to suspend Council Procedure Rules 16.1 and 16.7.1, was LOST.

AMENDMENT 7

Councillor Ghafoor MOVED and Councillor Kouser SECONDED that the Council suspends Council Procedure Rule 13.1, for this item of business, to allow for ADDITIONAL nominations for the position of Leader of the Council to be made.

Councillors Quigg, Kenyon, Shah, Barnes and Woodvine addressed Council in relation to this matter.

On being put to the vote, the Motion to suspend Council Procedure Rule 13.1, was LOST.

Councillor Kenyon MOVED and Councillor Al-Hamdani SECONDED that Council Procedure Rule 19 be suspended allowing Council to ‘resolve itself into Committee’, to allow the Chief Executive to answer a question as to when the Director of Legal Services will be issuing the ‘Section 5 Notice?’ on being put to the vote, the Motion was LOST.

RESOLVED:

That consideration of this item be adjourned.

Report to follow.

RESOLVED:

That consideration of this item be adjourned.

Report to follow

RESOLVED:

That consideration of this item be adjourned.

To appoint to committees of the Council in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and to consider some committees that are not allocated strictly in accordance with proportionality under the Act. Council appointed to Committees and Sub-Committees on 15^th June 2026, therefore consideration s to be given to the appointment of Chairs, Vice Chairs, District Leads and Deputy District Leads.

RESOLVED:

That consideration of this item be adjourned.

To appoint Councillors to serve on Outside Bodies in 2026/27 (Council appointed to certain Outside Bodies on 15^th June 2026 – Council is requested to appoint to the remaining Outside Bodies)

Appendices to follow

Council was reminded that they had considered and approved appointments to certain Outside Bodies, in 2026/27, on 1^st July 2026.

However, as the Council had still to appoint a Leader, Deputy Leader, an Administration and a formal Opposition, it was suggested that the remainder of the Outside Body appointments for 2026/27 be deferred.

RESOLVED:

That, further to the appointments made on 1^st July 2026, consideration of the remaining Outside Body appointments for 2026/27, be adjourned.

To update on actions from previous Council meetings.

Council received a report of the Assistant Director of Governance which updated members on actions taken following the meeting of the Council held on 25^th March 2026 and also on any updated responses from meetings held in the previous 12 months.

RESOLVED:

That the actions regarding motions and issues from the meeting of the Council held on 25^th March 2026, be noted and confirmed.

(time limit 30 minutes)

Motion 1: A new Start for Oldham Borough

To be Moved by Councillor Harkness

To be Seconded by Councillor Al-Hamdani

This Council believes that:

Residents of Oldham Borough want their Council to change to reflect the priorities of the people. 

They want their Council to get the basics right, with a laser-focus on improving the performance and effectiveness of frontline services including drain clearance, road repairs and park and green space maintenance.  

Residents want their Council to tackle environmental crimes like littering, dog-fouling, fly-tipping and graffiti. 

It is also time to deliver fair funding to all districts and communities in Oldham Borough and not just keep pouring capital investment into Oldham Town Centre. 

This Council resolves:
The administration will commit to presenting an emergency mini budget, to Council before the end of July 2026, in line with 12.6 of the Council Procedure rules of the Constitution, outlining how funding will be rebalanced to address the priorities set out in this motion, specifically getting the basics right, tackling environmental crime and delivering fair district funding.  

Motion 2: Managing HMO Proliferation and Prioritising Oldham Residents

To be Moved by Councillor Ford

To be Seconded by Councillor Jackson

This Council notes with serious concern that:

1. Many Oldham residents increasingly feel unsafe, unheard, and overlooked in their own communities as a result of national policies which have intensified pressures through asylum/migrant dispersal and associated housing demand. Residents—particularly women and girls—have expressed growing concern about safety and community cohesion.
2. The Victoria Hotel in Chadderton continues to operate as asylum/migrant accommodation. Residents remain deeply concerned about the scale and nature of its use, coupled with a persistent lack of transparency from the Home Office regarding occupants, management arrangements, and associated impacts on the local area.
3. Oldham is experiencing a sharp and accelerating rise in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), driven by low property values which attract speculative investment. These properties are increasingly used to house high-density occupancies, including migrant dispersal populations, placing unsustainable pressure on infrastructure, waste services, parking, and neighbourhood stability.
4. Oldham is already one of the most deprived boroughs in England, with approximately 37% of neighbourhoods falling within the top 10% most deprived nationally. This significantly limits the borough’s capacity to absorb additional pressures without consequences for existing residents and services.
5. The national Asylum Dispersal Scheme continues to allocate placements to areas like Oldham without sufficient regard for deprivation levels, infrastructure capacity, or the cumulative effect on local communities, and against a backdrop of continued high levels of small boat arrivals.

This Council believes that:

1. It is wholly unacceptable for central Government to treat towns such as Oldham as convenient default locations for asylum accommodation and associated housing pressures, without proper regard for local impact or consent.
2. The unchecked growth of HMOs, combined with the pressures of dispersal accommodation, is undermining community cohesion and placing intolerable strain on already stretched services.
3. The dispersal of predominantly fighting age men from high-risk countries, without proper checks or security, fuels legitimate public concern  ...  view the full agenda text for item 17.

Motion 1: A new Start for Oldham Borough

To be Moved by Councillor Harkness

To be Seconded by Councillor Al-Hamdani

This Council believes that:

Residents of Oldham Borough want their Council to change to reflect the priorities of the people. 

They want their Council to get the basics right, with a laser-focus on improving the performance and effectiveness of frontline services including drain clearance, road repairs and park and green space maintenance.  

Residents want their Council to tackle environmental crimes like littering, dog-fouling, fly-tipping and graffiti. 

It is also time to deliver fair funding to all districts and communities in Oldham Borough and not just keep pouring capital investment into Oldham Town Centre. 

This Council resolves:
The administration will commit to presenting an emergency mini budget, to Council before the end of July 2026, in line with 12.6 of the Council Procedure rules of the Constitution, outlining how funding will be rebalanced to address the priorities set out in this motion, specifically getting the basics right, tackling environmental crime and delivering fair district funding.  

RESOLVED:

That consideration of this Motion be adjourned, pending the appointment of a Leader of the Council and a Cabinet.

Motion 2: Managing HMO Proliferation and Prioritising Oldham Residents

Councillor Ford Moved and Councillor Jackson Seconded the following Motion:

This Council notes with serious concern that:

1. Many Oldham residents increasingly feel unsafe, unheard, and overlooked in their own communities as a result of national policies which have intensified pressures through asylum/migrant dispersal and associated housing demand. Residents—particularly women and girls—have expressed growing concern about safety and community cohesion.
2. The Victoria Hotel in Chadderton continues to operate as asylum/migrant accommodation. Residents remain deeply concerned about the scale and nature of its use, coupled with a persistent lack of transparency from the Home Office regarding occupants, management arrangements, and associated impacts on the local area.
3. Oldham is experiencing a sharp and accelerating rise in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), driven by low property values which attract speculative investment. These properties are increasingly used to house high-density occupancies, including migrant dispersal populations, placing unsustainable pressure on infrastructure, waste services, parking, and neighbourhood stability.
4. Oldham is already one of the most deprived boroughs in England, with approximately 37% of neighbourhoods falling within the top 10% most deprived nationally. This significantly limits the borough’s capacity to absorb additional pressures without consequences for existing residents and services.
5. The national Asylum Dispersal Scheme continues to allocate placements to areas like Oldham without sufficient regard for deprivation levels, infrastructure capacity, or the cumulative effect on local communities, and against a backdrop of continued high levels of small boat arrivals.

This Council believes that:

1. It is wholly unacceptable for central Government to treat towns such as Oldham as convenient default locations for asylum accommodation and associated housing pressures, without proper regard for local impact or consent.
2. The unchecked growth of HMOs, combined with the pressures of dispersal accommodation, is undermining community cohesion and placing intolerable strain on already stretched services.
3. The dispersal of predominantly fighting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.