2026 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election

2026 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election

←  2024 7 May 2026 (2026-05-07) 2027 →
21 out of 63 seats to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council 32 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Mark Roberts Christine Carrigan Gary Lawson Party Liberal Democrats Labour Green Leader's seat Bredbury Green and Romiley Brinnington and Stockport Central Reddish South Last election 31 seats, 34.2% 22 seats, 31.7% 3 seats, 10.9% Seats before 30 19 3   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Anna Charles-Jones Matt Wynne Party Heald Green Ratepayers Community Association Conservative Leader's seat Heald Green Edgeley Last election 3 seats, 2.2% 3 seats, 2.2% 0 seats, 16.7% Seats before 3 3 1
Leader of the Council before election Mark Roberts Liberal Democrats Leader of the Council after election TBD

The 2026 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 63 members of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester will be elected.

Background

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council was created in 1974. The Conservatives saw early success, controlling the council as a majority from its creation until 1983. ^[1] 1988 saw the what was then the SLD become the largest party; since then council control has been contested between the Liberal Democrats and Labour. ^[2] The Liberal Democrats formed their first majority administration in 1999 after a decade of no overall control, which lasted until 2011. The first Labour-led administration was formed in 2016 as a minority. ^[3] The Liberal Democrats again became the largest group in 2021, but it was not until 2022 that they formed a minority administration. ^{[4] [5]}

A new set of ward boundaries was used for the 2023 election. As such, this election will be for the councillors elected with the second highest number of votes in each of the 21 three-member wards. ^[6] The Liberal Democrats will be defending 11 seats, Labour will be defending 7, and the Greens, Heald Green Ratepayers, and Edgeley Community Association will be defending 1 each.

Council composition

After 2024 election			Before 2026 election
Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Liberal Democrats	31		Liberal Democrats	30
	Labour	22		Labour	19
	Community Association	3 [a]		Community Association	3 [a]
	Green	3		Green	3
	Heald Green Ratepayers	3		Heald Green Ratepayers	3
	Conservative	0		Conservative	1
	Independent	1		Independent	4

Changes 2024–2026:

• August 2024: Aron Thornley (Independent) joins Labour ^[8]
• September 2024: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrats), Ian Powney (Liberal Democrats), and Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrats) resign – by-elections held October 2024 ^{[9] [10]}
• October 2024: Rachel Bresnahan (Liberal Democrats) and Huma Khan (Liberal Democrats) hold by-elections, ^{[11] [12]} and Peter Crossen (Conservative) gains by-election from Liberal Democrats ^[13]
• February 2025: Holly McCormack (Labour) and David Sedgwick (Labour) suspended from party ^{[a] [14]}
• September 2025: Joe Barratt (Labour) and Rosemary Barratt (Labour) leave party to sit as independents ^{[b] [15]}

References

1. Sit as part of the Stockport Community Group. ^[7]
2. Sit as part of the Bredbury and Woodley Independents group.

1. "BBC News - Election 2011 - England council elections - Stockport". BBC News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
2. "Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
3. Scapens, Alex (6 May 2016). "Who won in Stockport?: Labour hail 'new political era' as they become biggest party and oust council leader Sue Derbyshire". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
4. Statham, Nick (20 May 2021). "Labour remain in charge of Stockport council after crunch town hall vote". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
5. "Liberal Democrats lead Stockport Council after crunch vote". 19 May 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
6. The Stockport (Electoral Changes) Order 2022.
7. Carey, Declan (23 September 2025). "Political group announces major expansion in Stockport saying people are 'desperate for something different'". Stockport Nub News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
8. Carey, Declan (30 August 2024). "'He stood under a false flag... do the decent thing and resign'". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
9. Carey, Declan (10 September 2024). "Stockport MPs quit as councillors sparking two by-elections". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
10. Carey, Declan (24 September 2024). "Councillor resigns on 'health grounds' sparking THIRD by-election". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
11. "Local Elections Archive Project — Cheadle West and Gatley Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
12. "Local Elections Archive Project — Bredbury Green and Romiley Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk.
13. "Local Elections Archive Project — Bramhall South and Woodford Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk.
14. Lythgoe, George; Carey, Declan (11 February 2025). "The 11 councillors suspended amid the Labour WhatsApp scandal". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
15. Reporter, Declan Carey-Local Democracy (24 September 2025). "Stockport Labour councillors quit party, saying Keir Starmer is 'sleepwalking country to Reform government'". Stockport Nub News. Retrieved 4 January 2026.