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7 May 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
32 of 96 seats on Manchester City Council 49 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Manchester City Council election will be held on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom. One third of councillors (32) on Manchester City Council will be elected.
In the previous election in 2024, Labour won 30 of the 33 seats up for election with 53% of the vote, the Green Party won 1 seat with 17% of the vote, the Liberal Democrats won 1 seat with 10% of the vote and the Workers Party won 1 seat with 5% of the vote.
Candidates up for re-election in 2026 are those who were elected in 2022.
In September 2024, a by-election was held in Baguley following the resignation of Labour Councillor Phil Brickell due to his election as MP for Bolton West. This election was won by Labour's Munaver Rasul. [1]
Muqaddasah Bano was suspended from the Labour Party in July 2025 following complaints from members. [2]
In September 2025, a by-election was held in Woodhouse Park following the resignation of Green Councillor Anastasia Wiest. This election was won by Zoe Marlow of the Green Party. [3]
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. [4] Councillors are elected via first-past-the-post voting, with each ward represented by three councillors, one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term.
All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Manchester aged 18 or over will be entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations will take place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters are able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election.
