2026 Salford City Council election
7 May 2026
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20 out of 60 seats to Salford City Council 31 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Salford City Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 60 members of Salford City Council in Greater Manchester will be elected.
Council composition
| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| Labour | 50 | Labour | 46 | ||
| Conservative | 7 | Conservative | 7 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | Liberal Democrats | 2 | ||
| Your Party | N/A | Your Party | 1 | ||
| Independent | 1 | Independent | 2 | ||
| Vacant | N/A | Vacant | 2 | ||
Changes 2024–2026:
- September 2024: Sharmina August (Labour) resigns – by-election held October 2024[2]
- October 2024: Lisa Muir (Labour) wins by-election[3]
- March 2025: John Warmisham (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[4]
- May 2025: Bill Hinds (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[b][5]
- November 2025: Roseanna Wain (Labour) resigns – seat left vacant until 2026 election[6]
- December 2025: John Warmisham (Independent) joins Your Party[7]
- February 2026: David Lancaster (Labour) dies – seat left vacant until 2026 election[8]
Background
Salford City Council was created in 1974. The city has always voted strongly for Labour. The party has governed in majority since the creation of the council, and has held at least 60% of the council's seats for the entirety of the 21st century.[9][10] The Conservatives have formed the principal opposition since 2008; prior to this, the Liberal Democrats formed the principal opposition from 1996 to 2004, and held an equal number of seats as the Conservatives from 2004 to 2008.
The 2024 election saw Labour increase their majority despite losing a seat to the Liberal Democrats, by taking one seat from the Conservatives and one from an independent.[11] The 20 seats up for election in 2026 were last contested in 2022. In that election, Labour won 15 seats (down 3), the Conservatives won 2 (up 1), the Liberal Democrats won 2 (up 1), and independents won 1 (up 1).[12] The vacant seat in Blackfriars and Trinity was last held by Labour.
Summary
Election result
| 2026 Salford City Council election | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Labour | 33 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 5 | |||||||||
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | |||||||||
| Independent | 1 | |||||||||
| Your Party | 0 | |||||||||
| Reform UK | 0 | |||||||||
| Green | 0 | |||||||||
Incumbents
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barton & Winton | John Mullen | Labour | ||
| Blackfriars & Trinity | Roseanna Wain[c] | Labour | No | |
| Boothstown & Ellenbrook | Les Turner | Conservative | ||
| Broughton | John Merry | Labour | ||
| Cadishead & Lower Irlam | Yolande Ghola | Labour | ||
| Claremont | Neil Reynolds | Labour | ||
| Eccles | Nathaniel Tetteh | Labour | ||
| Higher Irlam & Peel Green | Mishal Saeed | Labour | ||
| Kersal & Broughton Park | Andrew Walters | Independent | ||
| Little Hulton | Teresa Pepper | Labour | ||
| Ordsall | Brandan Keville | Labour | ||
| Pendlebury & Clifton | Chioma Mgbeokwere | Labour | ||
| Pendleton & Charlestown | John Warmisham[d] | Your Party | ||
| Quays | Paul Hellbron | Liberal Democrats | ||
| Swinton & Wardley | Gina Reynolds | Labour | ||
| Swinton Park | Stuart Dickman | Labour | ||
| Walkden North | Jack Youd | Labour | ||
| Walkden South | Irfan Syed | Labour | ||
| Weaste & Seedley | Alexis Sharma | Labour | ||
| Worsley & Westwood Park | Adam Kealey | Conservative | ||
References
- ^ Including the vacant seat in Blackfriars & Trinity last held by Labour.
- ^ Part of the Independent Democratic Socialist group.
- ^ Resigned in November 2025. Seat left vacant until the 2026 election.
- ^ Originally elected as Labour, but left the party to sit as an Independent in March 2025. He joined Your Party in December 2025.
- ^ "Salford Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ^ Carey, Declan (5 September 2024). "Labour councillor quits months after winning huge majority". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Eccles Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ Mulligan, Alfie (24 March 2025). "Veteran Salford councillor resigns from the Labour Party". Salford Now. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ Keeling, Neal (10 May 2025). "Another high-profile resignation from Labour party by Salford councillor". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ Carey, Declan (12 November 2025). "Labour councillor steps down - with seat to stay vacant until May". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ Mckeon-Devaney, India (2 December 2025). "Veteran Salford councillor joins Your Party". Salford Now. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ Carey, Declan; Keeling, Neal (18 February 2026). "England's longest serving councillor dies after 60 years in office". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ^ "Salford City Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
- ^ "BBC News - Election 2011 - England council elections - Salford". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ "Labour retains Salford City Council". BBC News. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
- ^ "Salford result - Local Elections 2022". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.