Why are there no elections in Oldham in 2025?

Voters across the country are heading to the polls - but not in Oldham. Here's why.

Voters across the country will be heading to the polls on May 1.

Stiff competition is expected at all levels of politics - with voters choosing councillors, mayors, and an MP in just over a week’s time.

But there won’t be any elections in Oldham in 2025.

That’s after 2024 saw the borough’s voters turning out for a triple whammy of polls - with the local, Greater Manchester mayoral and general elections in quick succession of each other.

The general election, which took place on July 4 last year was the third poll Oldham voted in.

Labour won big that evening across the UK and formed a government for the first time since 2010, with Keir Starmer as Prime Minister.

In Oldham, Labour kept both its seats - despite losing a portion of their vote shares to Independents and Reform UK.

The vote followed Oldham’s local elections in May, when the borough’s Labour council lost their overall majority for the first time in more than decade. Labour councillors saw a fierce threat from independents, who largely stood on an anti-Labour pro-Palestine slate in response to the national Labour party’s stance on the conflict in Gaza at the time.

The change in the political makeup of the council resulted in a serious tussle for leadership between the Labour Group and a loose coalition of independents - which even included a case of ‘council espionage’ during negotiations.

Andy Burnham was also re-elected as Greater Manchester Mayor last year.

However, that high political drama won’t make a return in 2025, because there are no elections taking place in Oldham this year.

That’s because MPs are elected on terms of no more than five years, and the government has not called an early election after less than a year in office. There also has not been a death, resignation, criminal conviction, recall petition, or bankruptcy of any of the city’s six MPs, which would trigger a by-election to replace them.

Similarly, Andy Burnham serves a four-year-long term, so he is not due up for re-election until May 2028.

Council elections are a bit more complicated, though. Oldham is divided into 20 wards, with three councillors elected in each ward.

Councillors are elected on staggered terms, so there is an election in three years out of every four. The remaining year is called a ‘fallow year’, when no elections take place.

So, after a bumper democratic year in 2025, that’s why Oldham has no elections in 2025.

But the authority has confirmed when the next poll will be. It said: “There are no elections scheduled for 2025 - the next election is due to take place on May 7, 2026.

“2025 is a fallow year for Oldham Council, as councillors are elected for a four year period and there are three councillors per ward, this means every four years no elections take place at a local level in Oldham.”

Oldham’s election office recently moved from the Civic Centre to the council’s new offices in the Spindles Shopping Centre. You can still register to vote in a fallow year.