← Oldham (all cycles) · 7 May 2026 cohort

Oldham 2026

Local elections held 7 May 2026.

20 ward races

20 seats

13 elected below the proportional quota

65.0% of seats below quota

How to read this page

Each race below shows the share of valid ballots the marginal elected candidate actually won, and compares it to the proportional quota: the share they'd need to clinch the seat under any proportional voting method (1 seats + 1). For a 1-seat ward the quota is 50%; for 2 seats, 33.3%; for 3 seats, 25%.

Where the actual winning share fell below the quota, we show the signed gap as points below quota (a negative number) — the editorial indictment. Above-quota results clear the bar and pass without comment. The voting method is the subject of every observation here. Named candidates appear as the public election record requires; the cause being audited is the voting method, not the individuals. See the methodology page for derivations.

If votes were counted by party

Across the 20 wards in this cycle, parties received the vote totals below. The proportional column shows what each party would have won if the 20 seats had been shared out in proportion to votes received (how, with caveats). The Δ column is the actual seat count minus the proportional seat count — positive numbers are parties First-Past-the-Post over-represented; negative are parties it under-represented.

Party	Votes	Vote %	Seats won	% of seats	Proportional seats	Proportional %	Δ
Reform UK	29,416	37.2%	13	65.0%	8	40.0%	+5
Labour Party	16,389	20.7%	3	15.0%	5	25.0%	-2
Liberal Democrats	8,582	10.9%	1	5.0%	2	10.0%	-1
Green Party	7,414	9.4%	0	0.0%	2	10.0%	-2
The Oldham Group Party	7,008	8.9%	2	10.0%	2	10.0%	0
Independent	4,819	6.1%	1	5.0%	1	5.0%	0
Conservative Party	3,117	3.9%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0
Workers Party - Oldham Group	1,602	2.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0
Failsworth Independent Party	635	0.8%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0
National Housing Party United Kingdom	58	0.1%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0
Northern Heart	29	0.0%	0	0.0%	0	0.0%	0
Total	79,069	100.0%	20	100.0%	20	100.0%	0

Vote share vs seats won

The top bar is each party's share of votes cast in this council. Below, one square per seat, coloured by the party that won it — first the actual First-Past-the-Post result, then what a proportional method would have produced from the same vote totals. Divergence between the bar and the actual grid is the indictment of the method.

Vote share

Actual seats

Proportional seats

Council composition: what this election replaced

Two opencouncildata snapshots: the council immediately after the 2026 election (current) and immediately before it (2025). Only ~⅓ of seats were contested in 2026 — most of the bench is unchanged, and the cycle's effect on the overall composition is what shifts.

Current (2026)

Previous (2025)

Wards in this council

Sorted with the largest gap below the quota first. Click any ward to jump to its full result.

Chadderton Central · 1 seat · won at 31.8% · −18.2 pts below quota
Waterhead · 1 seat · won at 34.4% · −15.6 pts below quota
Medlock Vale · 1 seat · won at 34.9% · −15.1 pts below quota
Saddleworth South · 1 seat · won at 35.0% · −15.0 pts below quota
Werneth · 1 seat · won at 35.5% · −14.5 pts below quota
Hollinwood · 1 seat · won at 39.9% · −10.1 pts below quota
Saddleworth North · 1 seat · won at 40.8% · −9.2 pts below quota
Coldhurst · 1 seat · won at 41.5% · −8.5 pts below quota
Alexandra · 1 seat · won at 42.9% · −7.1 pts below quota
Saddleworth West and Lees · 1 seat · won at 44.1% · −5.9 pts below quota
Shaw · 1 seat · won at 44.4% · −5.6 pts below quota
Crompton · 1 seat · won at 47.3% · −2.7 pts below quota
Chadderton South · 1 seat · won at 48.4% · −1.6 pts below quota
Chadderton North · 1 seat · won at 52.9% · above quota
St Mary's · 1 seat · won at 53.0% · above quota
Royton South · 1 seat · won at 55.1% · above quota
Failsworth West · 1 seat · won at 55.9% · above quota
Failsworth East · 1 seat · won at 58.8% · above quota
Royton North · 1 seat · won at 59.0% · above quota
St James' · 1 seat · won at 60.8% · above quota

Race results

Chadderton Central · single-seat

Marginal winner 31.8% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −18.2 pts Valid ballots 3,815

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Nazrul Islam	Labour Party	1,215	31.8%	−18.2 pts	Elected
2	Alexander David William Lomas	Reform UK	1,015	26.6%	—
3	Mohammed Razon	Independent	892	23.4%	—
4	Suleman Hussain	Green Party	456	12.0%	—
5	Katie Helen Gloster	Liberal Democrats	149	3.9%	—
6	Iryna Kantorova	Conservative Party	88	2.3%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,815 · EC ward code local.oldham.chadderton-central.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Waterhead · single-seat

Marginal winner 34.4% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −15.6 pts Valid ballots 4,239

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Paul Taylor	Reform UK	1,459	34.4%	−15.6 pts	Elected
2	Mir Ajawat	The Oldham Group Party	980	23.1%	—
3	Ali Aqeel Salamat	Labour Party	954	22.5%	—
4	Andrew Peter Sinclair	Green Party	394	9.3%	—
5	Alison Caroline Bishop	Liberal Democrats	266	6.3%	—
6	Stuart Allsopp	Independent	132	3.1%	—
7	Majid Khan	Independent	54	1.3%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 4,239 · EC ward code local.oldham.waterhead.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Medlock Vale · single-seat

Marginal winner 34.9% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −15.1 pts Valid ballots 3,673

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Junaid Hussain	Labour Party	1,283	34.9%	−15.1 pts	Elected
2	Victor Flowers	Reform UK	983	26.8%	—
3	Sharoon Zaman	The Oldham Group Party	777	21.2%	—
4	Cameron Lee Gates	Green Party	432	11.8%	—
5	Shona Farnworth	Liberal Democrats	198	5.4%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,673 · EC ward code local.oldham.medlock-vale.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Saddleworth South · single-seat

Marginal winner 35.0% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −15.0 pts Valid ballots 4,549

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Helen Louise Bishop	Liberal Democrats	1,594	35.0%	−15.0 pts	Elected
2	Christopher John McManus	Reform UK	1,592	35.0%	—
3	Archie Ross Duncan	Labour Party	602	13.2%	—
4	David Hartington	Conservative Party	417	9.2%	—
5	George Simon Atkinson	Green Party	344	7.6%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 4,549 · EC ward code local.oldham.saddleworth-south.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Werneth · single-seat

Marginal winner 35.5% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −14.5 pts Valid ballots 4,927

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Fida Hussain	Labour Party	1,748	35.5%	−14.5 pts	Elected
2	Rangzib Nazir	Workers Party - Oldham Group	1,602	32.5%	—
3	Mohammed Imran Ali	Independent	864	17.5%	—
4	Mycul Trelore	Green Party	364	7.4%	—
5	Stuart Illingworth	Reform UK	247	5.0%	—
6	Rachel Pendlebury	Liberal Democrats	102	2.1%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 4,927 · EC ward code local.oldham.werneth.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Hollinwood · single-seat

Marginal winner 39.9% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −10.1 pts Valid ballots 3,691

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Robert Barnes	Reform UK	1,472	39.9%	−10.1 pts	Elected
2	Saniya Abid	Labour Party	866	23.5%	—
3	Abdul Wahid	The Oldham Group Party	772	20.9%	—
4	Callum Holt	Green Party	359	9.7%	—
5	Elizabeth Adamson	Liberal Democrats	164	4.4%	—
6	John Lawrence	National Housing Party United Kingdom	58	1.6%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,691 · EC ward code local.oldham.hollinwood.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Saddleworth North · single-seat

Marginal winner 40.8% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −9.2 pts Valid ballots 4,291

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	loan Williams	Reform UK	1,752	40.8%	−9.2 pts	Elected
2	Michael Robert Thomas Powell	Liberal Democrats	1,289	30.0%	—
3	Luke Bywater	Conservative Party	488	11.4%	—
4	Samuel Jacob Hollis	Labour Party	432	10.1%	—
5	Chris Fielding	Green Party	330	7.7%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 4,291 · EC ward code local.oldham.saddleworth-north.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Coldhurst · single-seat

Marginal winner 41.5% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −8.5 pts Valid ballots 4,561

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Mohammed Mohib Abu Taleb	Independent	1,892	41.5%	−8.5 pts	Elected
2	Abdul Malik	Labour Party	1,471	32.3%	—
3	Elaine Whittingham	Reform UK	473	10.4%	—
4	Tayba Nazir	Green Party	464	10.2%	—
5	Mohammed Ali	Independent	133	2.9%	—
6	Keith Pendlebury	Liberal Democrats	128	2.8%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 4,561 · EC ward code local.oldham.coldhurst.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Alexandra · single-seat

Marginal winner 42.9% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −7.1 pts Valid ballots 3,618

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Shabir Hussain	The Oldham Group Party	1,552	42.9%	−7.1 pts	Elected
2	Shaid Mushtaq	Labour Party	989	27.3%	—
3	Susan Brown	Reform UK	689	19.0%	—
4	Andrea Chaverra Valencia	Green Party	228	6.3%	—
5	Martin Alexander Dinoff	Liberal Democrats	85	2.3%	—
6	Carol Hardie	Independent	46	1.3%	—
7	Anne Taylor	Northern Heart	29	0.8%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,618 · EC ward code local.oldham.alexandra.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Saddleworth West and Lees · single-seat

Marginal winner 44.1% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −5.9 pts Valid ballots 4,104

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Peter Klonowski	Reform UK	1,808	44.1%	−5.9 pts	Elected
2	Alicia Claire Marland	Liberal Democrats	1,636	39.9%	—
3	Dave Barter	Labour Party	279	6.8%	—
4	Joe Bardsley	Green Party	238	5.8%	—
5	Lisa Hartington	Conservative Party	143	3.5%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 4,104 · EC ward code local.oldham.saddleworth-west-lees.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Shaw · single-seat

Marginal winner 44.4% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −5.6 pts Valid ballots 3,504

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Steve Eyre	Reform UK	1,555	44.4%	−5.6 pts	Elected
2	Tom Penketh	Liberal Democrats	955	27.3%	—
3	Hamid Ali	Labour Party	336	9.6%	—
4	Ben Jack Ingham	Green Party	253	7.2%	—
5	Sarah Howarth	Independent	177	5.1%	—
6	Lee Navesey	Independent	175	5.0%	—
7	Adi Kohli	Conservative Party	53	1.5%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,504 · EC ward code local.oldham.shaw.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Crompton · single-seat

Marginal winner 47.3% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −2.7 pts Valid ballots 3,750

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Peter Hanlon	Reform UK	1,773	47.3%	−2.7 pts	Elected
2	Hazel Gloster	Liberal Democrats	1,036	27.6%	—
3	Chris Mills	Green Party	250	6.7%	—
4	Alicia Dunne	Independent	232	6.2%	—
5	Latif Choudhary	Labour Party	227	6.1%	—
6	Darren Lord	Conservative Party	153	4.1%	—
7	Shaun Michael Duffy	Independent	79	2.1%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,750 · EC ward code local.oldham.crompton.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Chadderton South · single-seat

Marginal winner 48.4% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota −1.6 pts Valid ballots 3,791

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Rob Jackson	Reform UK	1,833	48.4%	−1.6 pts	Elected
2	Kyle Phythian	Labour Party	709	18.7%	—
3	Stephanie Anne Beverley	Green Party	539	14.2%	—
4	Muhammad Irfan	The Oldham Group Party	351	9.3%	—
5	Stephen Davenport	Conservative Party	256	6.8%	—
6	Brian Witt	Liberal Democrats	103	2.7%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,791 · EC ward code local.oldham.chadderton-south.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Chadderton North · single-seat

Marginal winner 52.9% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota +2.9 pts Valid ballots 3,983

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Jon Ford	Reform UK	2,107	52.9%	+2.9 pts	Elected
2	Colin McLaren	Labour Party	948	23.8%	—
3	Paul Alexander Singleton	Green Party	502	12.6%	—
4	Darren Lyon	Conservative Party	285	7.2%	—
5	Prem Raghvani	Liberal Democrats	141	3.5%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,983 · EC ward code local.oldham.chadderton-north.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

St Mary's · single-seat

Marginal winner 53.0% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota +3.0 pts Valid ballots 4,818

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Sonny Shah Arstan	The Oldham Group Party	2,554	53.0%	+3.0 pts	Elected
2	Aftab Hussain	Labour Party	1,465	30.4%	—
3	Ivan Burnley-Davies	Reform UK	368	7.6%	—
4	Lina Maria Valencia	Green Party	321	6.7%	—
5	Joe Gloster	Liberal Democrats	110	2.3%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 4,818 · EC ward code local.oldham.st-marys.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Royton South · single-seat

Marginal winner 55.1% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota +5.1 pts Valid ballots 3,489

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Tony Pinder	Reform UK	1,922	55.1%	+5.1 pts	Elected
2	Kathryn Jane England	Labour Party	645	18.5%	—
3	Miranda Meadowcroft	Green Party	368	10.5%	—
4	William Hingston	Conservative Party	267	7.7%	—
5	Lynne Christine Thompson	Liberal Democrats	144	4.1%	—
6	Anthony Prince	Independent	143	4.1%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,489 · EC ward code local.oldham.royton-south.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Failsworth West · single-seat

Marginal winner 55.9% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota +5.9 pts Valid ballots 3,357

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Mark Christopher Ruthven	Reform UK	1,878	55.9%	+5.9 pts	Elected
2	Peter Davis	Labour Party	584	17.4%	—
3	Andrew Kevin Jones	Green Party	507	15.1%	—
4	Natalie Parren	Failsworth Independent Party	205	6.1%	—
5	Roger Blackmore	Liberal Democrats	95	2.8%	—
6	Bernard Akin	Conservative Party	88	2.6%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,357 · EC ward code local.oldham.failsworth-west.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Failsworth East · single-seat

Marginal winner 58.8% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota +8.8 pts Valid ballots 3,484

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Andrew Barry Brooks	Reform UK	2,050	58.8%	+8.8 pts	Elected
2	Chris Goodwin	Labour Party	474	13.6%	—
3	Neil Hindle	Failsworth Independent Party	430	12.3%	—
4	Laurraine Demelchor	Green Party	369	10.6%	—
5	Jane Louise Dronsfield	Conservative Party	101	2.9%	—
6	Barbara Ann Beeley	Liberal Democrats	60	1.7%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,484 · EC ward code local.oldham.failsworth-east.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

Royton North · single-seat

Marginal winner 59.0% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota +9.0 pts Valid ballots 4,238

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Paul Robinson	Reform UK	2,502	59.0%	+9.0 pts	Elected
2	Clint Phythian	Labour Party	586	13.8%	—
3	Christine Adams	Conservative Party	569	13.4%	—
4	Emily Walker	Green Party	412	9.7%	—
5	Lewis Farnworth	Liberal Democrats	169	4.0%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 4,238 · EC ward code local.oldham.royton-north.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index

St James' · single-seat

Marginal winner 60.8% Proportional quota 50.0% Below quota +10.8 pts Valid ballots 3,187

Rank	Candidate	Party	Votes	Share	Below quota	Elected
1	Gary Tarbuck	Reform UK	1,938	60.8%	+10.8 pts	Elected
2	Angela Carol Cosgrove	Labour Party	576	18.1%	—
3	Amir Jhandad	Green Party	284	8.9%	—
4	Tom Noble	Conservative Party	209	6.6%	—
5	Roger Hindle	Liberal Democrats	158	5.0%	—
6	Maqsood Hussain	The Oldham Group Party	22	0.7%	—

Electorate 0 · Ballots cast 3,187 · EC ward code local.oldham.st-james.2026-05-07 · Back to ward index