2024 Salford City Council election

2024 Salford City Council election

←  2023 2 May 2024 2026 →
21 of 60 seats on Salford City Council 31 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	26% 2.20%
First party Second party   Leader Paul Dennett Robin Garrido Party Labour Conservative Last election 18 seats (57.3%) 3 seats (23.5%) Seats before 49 8 Seats after 50 7 Seat change 1 1   Third party Fourth party   Leader Paul Heilbron Party Liberal Democrats Independent Last election 0 seats (8.2%) Seats before 1 2 [a] Seats after 2 1 Seat change 1 1
Map of the results
Council control before election Labour Council control after election Labour

The 2024 Salford City Council elections took place on 2 May 2024 alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom. Twenty-one seats on Salford City Council were up for election; one in each ward, and one additional seat in Ordsall to fill a casual vacancy.

The Labour Party retained control of the council. ^[2] The incumbent Labour mayor, Paul Dennett, was also re-elected to the post of Mayor of Salford at the mayoral election held on the same day.

Background

In the most recent council election in 2022, Labour won 15 seats, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats winning two seats each and an independent politician winning one. ^[3]

As the Local Government Boundary Commission for England produced new boundaries for Salford ahead of the 2021 election, meaning that all councillors were elected before returning to electing by thirds, candidates up for re-election in 2024 are those who came first in each ward in 2021.

Changes since last election

In November 2023 Liberal Democrats councillor Alex Warren (Quays ward) resigned after he took up a politically restricted role. ^[4] A by-election was held on 11 January 2024 which was won by Paul Heilbron for the Lib Dems. ^[5]

During the 2023 local elections, Chris Twells, the Liberal Democrat councillor for Ordsall since 2022, sought to simultaneously become a councillor in Cotswold District Council, standing in the Tetbury with Upton ward. ^[6] He subsequently won both seats, with the Cotswold one being an upset victory in a previously safe Conservative seat. ^[7] Twells resigned his Ordsall seat on March 15, 2024. The seat was therefore vacant and a by-election was held on the same day as the 2024 local elections. ^[8]

Electoral process

The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year. ^{[9] [10]} The election took place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards generally being represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Salford aged 18 or over were entitled to vote in the election. People who lived at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, were entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations took place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters were able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election.

Results summary

Labour retained its majority on the council, making a net gain of one seat. ^[11]

Election result

2024 Salford City Council election
Party		This election			Full council			This election
		Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Labour	18	1	85.7	32	50	83.3	30,566	58.3	+1.0
	Conservative	2	1	9.5	5	7	11.7	10,837	20.7	−2.8
	Liberal Democrats	1	0	4.8	1	2	3.3	2,952	5.6	−2.6
	Green	0	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	6,555	12.5	+3.9
	Independent	0	0	0.0	1	1	1.7	642	1.2	+0.3
	Reform UK	0	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	321	0.6	+0.5
	Women's Equality	0	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	240	0.5	+0.3
	TUSC	0	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	198	0.4	+0.2
	Communist	0	0	0.0	0	0	0.0	77	0.1	N/A

Ward results

Salford City Council released the list of candidates in early April. ^{[12] [13]}

Asterisks denote incumbent councillors seeking re-election.

Source: ^[14]

Barton and Winton Ward

Barton and Winton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jacqui Fahy	1,633	61.6	−6.5
	Green	Jack Smith	386	14.6	+3.2
	Conservative	Janet Meades-Smith	375	14.2	+0.2
	Liberal Democrats	Antony Duke	228	8.6	+2.7
Rejected ballots			28	1.1
Majority			1247	47.1
Turnout			2650	24.7
Registered electors			10,729
	Labour hold		Swing

Blackfriars & Trinity

Blackfriars and Trinity

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jane Hamilton*	1,433	60.5	+0.5
	Green	David Jones	587	24.8	−1.9
	Conservative	Craig Walsh	164	6.9	−1.9
	Liberal Democrats	Stuart Oxbrow	139	5.9	+3.3
Rejected ballots			47	2.0
Majority			846	35.7
Turnout			2370	25.1
Registered electors			9,439
	Labour hold		Swing

Boothstown & Ellenbrook

Boothstown and Ellenbrook

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bob Clarke*	2,339	61.4	+5.6
	Labour	Darren Matthews	1092	28.7	−3.1
	Green	Diana Battersby	263	6.9	+1.5
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Chisnall	82	2.2	−4.4
Rejected ballots			33	0.9
Majority			1247	32.7
Turnout			3809	39.3
Registered electors			9,705
	Conservative hold		Swing

Broughton

Broughton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maria Brabiner*	1,440	69.1	−0.9
	Green	David Henry	271	13.0	+2.8
	Conservative	Saqib Aftab	213	10.2	−4.1
	Liberal Democrats	Ben Web	120	5.8	+1.4
Rejected ballots			39	1.9
Majority			1169	56.1
Turnout			2083	20.9	+5.76
Registered electors			9,951
	Labour hold		Swing

Cadishead & Lower Irlam

Cadishead and Lower Irlam

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Lewis Nelson*	2,024	80.8	+7.4
	Conservative	Michael Richman	287	11.5	−8.4
	Green	Jane Ransley	156	6.2	+0.6
Rejected ballots			38	1.5
Majority			1737	69.3
Turnout			2505	26.5
Registered electors			9,437
	Labour hold		Swing

Claremont

Claremont

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Barbara Bentham*	1,991	66.5	+5.0
	Green	Christopher Seed	458	15.3	+3.2
	Liberal Democrats	Ian McKinlay	255	8.5	−2.2
	Conservative	Alima Husain	245	8.2	−7.0
Rejected ballots			43	1.4
Majority			1533	51.2
Turnout			2992	30.3
Registered electors			9,860
	Labour hold		Swing

Eccles

Eccles

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sharmina August*	2,121	62.4	−3.1
	Conservative	Paul Worcester	565	16.6	+1.0
	Green	Nicola Smith	479	14.1	+2.0
	TUSC	Sally Griffiths	198	5.8	+2.8
Rejected ballots			37	1.1
Majority			1556	45.8
Turnout			3400	30.7
Registered electors			11,069
	Labour hold		Swing

Higher Irlam & Peel Green

Higher Irlam and Peel Green

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tracy Kelly*	1,431	66.9	+1.6
	Conservative	Dorothy Chapman	349	16.3	−1.9
	Green	Nathan Ashmall	322	15.0	+5.2
Rejected ballots			38	1.8
Majority			1082	50.6
Turnout			2140	22.0
Registered electors			9,716
	Labour hold		Swing

Kersal & Broughton Park

Kersal & Broughton Park

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Arnie Saunders*	1,289	53.8	−4.4
	Labour	Muhammad Kashif	779	32.5	+5.5
	Green	Nel Scroggie	183	7.6	+2.7
	Liberal Democrats	Ben Thomas	115	4.8	+1.2
Rejected ballots			31	1.3
Majority			510	21.3
Turnout			2397	24.9
Registered electors			9,615
	Conservative hold		Swing

Little Hulton

Little Hulton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Davies	1,173	68.6	+0.6
	Conservative	Myrella Saunders	285	16.7	−3.0
	Green	Jane Wood	227	13.3	+6.8
Rejected ballots			25	1.5
Majority			888	51.9
Turnout			1710	18.6
Registered electors			9,203
	Labour hold		Swing

Ordsall

Ordsall (double vacancy)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tanya Burch*	1,292	58.3	+10.2
	Labour	Brendan Kerville	1,127	50.8	+2.7
	Green	Jack Owens	391	17.6	+7.5
	Green	Michael Scantlebury	361	16.3	+6.2
	Liberal Democrats	John Grant	335	15.1	−20.8
	Conservative	Charlie Ng	202	9.1	+3.7
	Conservative	Jay Talukdar	135	6.1	+0.7
Rejected ballots			21	0.9
Turnout			2217 [15]	23.9
Registered electors			9,285
	Labour hold
	Labour gain from Independent

Pendlebury & Clifton

Pendlebury & Clifton

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Su Matthews	1,341	60.2	+1.2
	Conservative	Angela Grant	517	23.2	−0.7
	Green	Kathleen Allen	330	14.8	+3.1
Rejected ballots			41	1.8
Majority			824	37.0
Turnout			2229	24.7
Registered electors			9,020
	Labour hold		Swing

Pendleton & Charlestown

Pendleton & Charlestown

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Michele Barnes*	1,367	62.9	−2.1
	Conservative	Adam Carney	330	15.2	+1.0
	Green	Adam Skyrme	278	12.8	+0.8
	Liberal Democrats	Kenneth Thompson	158	7.3	−0.2
Rejected ballots			39	1.8
Majority			1037	47.7
Turnout			2172	22.1
Registered electors			9,843
	Labour hold		Swing

Quays

Quays

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Jonathan Moore	794	39.1	+1.9
	Labour	Liz McCoy	756	37.2	−7.8
	Green	Andrea Romero O'Brien	312	15.4	+6.3
	Conservative	Derek Meades	161	7.9	−0.3
Rejected ballots			10	0.5	-0.1
Majority			38	1.9
Turnout			2033	24.2	+2.1
Registered electors			8,398
	Liberal Democrats gain from Labour		Swing

• Compared with 2023

Swinton & Wardley

Swinton & Wardley

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jim Dawson*	1,818	64.8	+1.2
	Conservative	Jackie Mountaine	381	13.6	−0.6
	Independent	Joseph O'Neill	331	11.8	+1.8
	Green	Liam Waite	246	8.8	+1.7
Rejected ballots			28	1.0
Majority			1437	51.2
Turnout			2804	29.6
Registered electors			9,473
	Labour hold		Swing

Swinton Park

Swinton Park

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Heather Fletcher*	1,671	59.5	−3.7
	Conservative	Glenn Croston	558	19.9	+1.6
	Green	Lisa Swarbrick	311	11.1	+2.5
	Liberal Democrats	John McLellan	230	8.2	−1.2
Rejected ballots			39	1.4
Majority			1113	39.6
Turnout			2809	29.6
Registered electors			9,507
	Labour hold		Swing

Walkden North

Walkden North

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Adrian Brocklehurst*	1,351	62.4	+6.9
	Reform UK	Craig Birtwistle	321	14.8	+11.8
	Conservative	Kausar George	230	10.6	±0.0
	Green	Frederick Battersby	177	8.2	+1.0
	Liberal Democrats	Scott Turner-Preece	73	3.4	−1.6
Rejected ballots			13	0.6
Majority			1030	47.6
Turnout			2165	22.5
Registered electors			9,614
	Labour hold		Swing

Walkden South

Walkden South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joshua Brooks*	1,575	51.9	−0.2
	Conservative	Christopher Bates	740	24.4	−5.4
	Independent	Paul Whitelegg	311	10.3	N/A
	Green	Tom Dylan	244	8.0	−2.2
	Liberal Democrats	Rowan Blessing	140	4.6	−2.4
Rejected ballots			24	0.8
Majority			835	27.5
Turnout			3034	33.1
Registered electors			9,178
	Labour hold		Swing

Weaste & Seedley

Weaste & Seedley

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Phil Cusak*	1,595	59.9	−5.9
	Green	Andrew Nadin	327	12.3	+4.5
	Conservative	Dan Whitehouse	271	10.2	−1.0
	Women's Equality	Carmen Wood-Hope	240	9.0	+4.0
	Liberal Democrats	Ninad Oak	112	4.2	−3.5
	Communist	Chris Neville	77	2.9	N/A
Rejected ballots			41	1.5
Majority			1268	47.6
Turnout			2663	24.0
Registered electors			11,090
	Labour hold		Swing

Worsley & Westwood Park

Worsley & Westwood Park

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James Prady	1,556	48.6	+8.2
	Conservative	Lewis Ormston	1201	37.5	−10.7
	Green	Sara Laing	246	7.7	+1.0
	Liberal Democrats	James Blessing	171	5.3	+1.0
Rejected ballots			26	0.8
Majority			355	11.1
Turnout			3200	35.8
Registered electors			8,952
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing

Changes 2024-2026

By-elections

Eccles

Eccles by-election: 31 October 2024

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Lisa Muir	951	51.2	–11.2
	Conservative	Daniel Whitehouse	426	23.0	+6.4
	Green	Sara Lang	261	14.1	±0.0
	Liberal Democrats	Ian McKinley	142	7.7	N/A
	TUSC	Sally Griffiths	76	4.1	–1.7
Majority			525	28.2	–17.6
Turnout			1,888	16.5	–14.2
Registered electors			11,470
	Labour hold		Swing	8.8

References

1. Including one vacant seat last held by Chris Twells who been elected as a Liberal Democrat but then left the party and sat as an independent until his resignation in March 2024. ^[1]

1. Morgan, William (27 January 2024). "Greater Manchester councillor reveals when he will finally resign his seat after moving to village 160 miles away". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
2. "Labour retains Salford City Council". BBC News. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
3. "Salford result - Local Elections 2022". BBC News . Retrieved 20 January 2023.
4. "Salford Quay's only Lib Dem councillor quits for new role". BBC News . 25 November 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
5. Carey, Declan (12 January 2024). "What Salford's newest Lib Dem councillor plans to do for city after key by-election win". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
6. "Cotswolds election candidate is already a councillor 153 miles away in Greater Manchester". Gloucestershire Live . 14 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
7. "Salford councillor who won second seat 160 miles away says he will resign". The Guardian . 5 May 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
8. "King Charles III's republican Cotswold councillor reveals date he'll quit other council he sits on 160 miles away in Greater Manchester". Gloucestershire Live . 23 January 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
9. "Local government structure and elections". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
10. "Election Timetable in England" (PDF).
11. Carey, Declan (2 May 2024). "Salford council local election 2024 results in full". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
12. "Statement of persons nominated: Local elections•Salford City Council". Salford City Council . Retrieved 17 April 2024.
13. Carey, Declan (8 April 2024). "Salford council local elections 2024 candidates list in full". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
14. "Election results".
15. Calculated value