Skip to content

Greater Manchester's council elections in 2026

Ian ShoesmithNorth West
EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Small black and white dog strains on the lead outside a polling station, which has a large sign outside.EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
People - and maybe their dogs - will head to the polls on 7 May across Greater Manchester's 10 boroughs

People living in all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester will head to the polls later this year.

Council elections will take place on Thursday 7 May in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.

One-third of the seats on each council will be up for grabs.

The 10 local authorities work closely with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which is chaired the region's mayor, Andy Burnham.

What are the elections in Greater Manchester taking place?

The elections are to vote for councillors on borough or city councils which are responsible for local services including care for the elderly and disabled, rubbish collection and recycling, housing, education and road maintenance.

Why do they matter?

These elections can affect decisions which the council makes in the future. The parties and candidates often hold different positions on policy issues and priorities.

Depending on the political make up of a council after 7 May, and especially if one particular party has a majority, it will influence the direction of the council and the approach it takes when deciding how public money is spent.

What's the current political make-up of the councils?

Bolton is currently under no overall control but is run by a Labour minority administration. It has 60 councillors and the current make-up of the council is:

  • Labour - 25
  • Conservative - 15
  • Liberal Democrats - 6
  • Farnworth and Kearsley First - 5
  • Communities First - 4
  • Horwich and Blackrod First Independents - 3
  • Green - 1
  • Independent - 1

Bury is run by Labour. It has 51 councillors made up of:

  • Labour - 32
  • Radcliffe First - 7
  • Conservative - 5
  • Together For Bury - 3
  • Reform UK - 2
  • Independent - 1
  • Vacancy - 1

Manchester is run by Labour. It has 96 councillors which is made up of:

  • Labour - 86
  • Liberal Democrats - 4
  • Green - 3
  • Independent - 2
  • Workers Party of Britain - 1

Oldham is run by a Labour minority administration. It has 60 councillors which comprises of the following:

  • Labour - 27
  • Liberal Democrats - 9
  • Oldham Group 9
  • Conservative - 6
  • Reform UK - 3
  • Failsworth Independent Party - 2
  • Royton Independents - 2
  • The Independent Group - 2

Rochdale is run by Labour. There are 60 councillors which are made up of:

  • Labour - 43
  • Conservative - 8
  • Liberal Democrats - 3
  • Middleton Independents - 2
  • Reform UK - 2
  • Workers Party of Britain - 2

Salford is controlled by Labour. It has 60 councillors which are made up of:

  • Labour - 46
  • Conservative - 7
  • Liberal Democrat - 2
  • Independent - 1
  • Independent Democratic Socialist -1
  • Your Party – 1
  • Vacant - 2
  • Salford also has an elected mayor, Labour's Paul Dennett, who is effectively the council leader

Stockport has no overall majority but is run by a Liberal Democrats minority administration. It has 63 councillors as follows:

  • Liberal Democrats - 30
  • Labour - 19
  • Stockport Community Group - 5
  • Green - 3
  • Independent Ratepayers - 3
  • Bredbury and Woodley Independents - 2
  • Conservative -1

Tameside is run by Labour. It has 57 councillors as follows:

  • Labour - 38
  • Independent - 10
  • Conservative - 7
  • Reform UK - 1
  • Vacancy - 1

Trafford is is run by Labour. It has 63 councillors made up of:

  • Labour - 41
  • Conservative - 10
  • Liberal Democrats - 7
  • Green - 5

Wigan is run by Labour. It has 75 councillors comprised of:

  • Labour - 62
  • Independent - 7
  • Independent Network - 3
  • Reform UK - 2
  • Conservative - 1

How do I register to vote?

The deadline to register to vote in May's council elections is Monday 20 April.

Applications for a postal vote or a postal-proxy vote have to be received by 17:00 BST on the following day.

The deadline to submit your application to vote by proxy is 17:00 on Tuesday 28 April.

You can follow the online link to register.

How can I cast my ballot?

If you want to vote in person, your local polling station will be open from 07:00 to 22:00.

As long as you are in the queue by 22:00 you will be able to exercise your democratic right.

You can find your local polling station here.

Will I need to take ID with me when going to vote?

If you want to vote in person, your local polling station will be open from 07:00 to 22:00.

As long as you are in the queue by 22:00 you will be able to exercise your democratic right.

You can find your local polling station here.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.