One week after polling finished, the identity of Oxford City Council’s next leader remains unclear.

The May 7 vote covered all 24 electoral wards, with half the seats being contested. No political group secured a clear majority. The composition of the incoming council stays in flux as talks are anticipated to continue through the weekend.

Labour remains the biggest faction on the council but now commands 20 seats instead of the 21 they previously held while governing as a minority. The party saw a net decline of one seat, dropping two while gaining one in a different ward.

Among those leaving the council is former leader Alex Hollingsworth, who is partnered with interim leader Susan Brown.

These ongoing discussions could result in Labour either maintaining its minority administration or entering a coalition arrangement, possibly involving the Greens, who were marking what they described as a historic outcome.

The Green Party secured the largest share of votes in Oxford’s elections and won 13 seats, adding four to their previous count—their best-ever presence on the council.

The Liberal Democrats held onto their current seats without any additions in this poll and had investigated the possibility of a shared administration with the Greens. Those discussions have now ceased.

Councillor Chris Jarvis, previously the head of the Green group and now serving as its deputy, excluded cooperation with the Independent Oxford Alliance due to differences on issues including transport.

Earlier, IOA leader Councillor David Henwood indicated his group remained willing to collaborate with either the Greens or Labour. He noted that the Greens had made clear they would not enter a partnership with the IOA, but that their own proposal remained valid, as they all bore the duty of providing the services that Oxford’s residents were legally entitled to receive.

Negotiations are still underway.

According to the proposed timeline for local government restructuring, should Oxfordshire move forward with creating one, two, or three new authorities—a decision expected by July this year—shadow authority elections would occur in 2027.

The new authority or authorities would commence operations by April 2028.

This means whichever group gains control of the present council may hold power for under a year.

The local election outcomes have also carried national importance, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer confronting a leadership challenge after Labour endured substantial losses throughout the country.