Oldham council agrees to share power after months of deadlock

Image source, LDRS Image caption, Councillors had repeatedly failed to elect a leader despite months of negotiations

A council which has been without a leader since May this year has agreed to a temporary power-sharing arrangement, following months of political deadlock.

Oldham Council has been unable to form an administration after no political group secured enough support in local elections to assume control of the authority.

Senior officers had warned the continued impasse threatened the council's ability to function, with the council relying on emergency powers - a situation chief executive Shelley Kipling had described as "precarious and unprecedented".

Under the plan, responsibilities that would normally fall to the council leader and cabinet will be shared between the authority's four largest groups.

At a full council meeting on Wednesday, councillors approved the temporary governance arrangement, designed to allow the authority to function while negotiations over council leadership continue.