2026 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council election

Main article: Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council elections
2026 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council election
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
19 out of 57 seats to Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
29 seats needed for a majority
 
Leader Eleanor Wills
Party Labour Independent
Last election 48 seats, 52.1% 2 seats, 8.0%
Current seats 39[a][1] 10[b]
 
Leader Doreen Dickinson
Party Conservative Reform UK
Last election 7 seats, 20.3% Did not stand
Current seats 7 1
Incumbent Leader

Eleanor Wills
Labour



The 2026 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 57 members of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester will be elected.

Council composition

After 2024 election Before 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 48 Labour 38
Conservative 7 Conservative 7
Reform UK 0 Reform UK 1
Independent 2 Independent 10
Vacant N/A Vacant 1

Changes 2024–2026:

  • February 2025:
    • Jacqueline North (Labour) resigns – by-election held April 2025[2]
    • Ged Cooney, Allison Gwynne, George Jones, Charlotte Martin, Jack Naylor, George Newton, Claire Reid, Vincent Ricci, Denise Ward, and Brenda Warrington (Labour) suspended from party[3][4]
  • April 2025:
    • Allan Hopwood (Reform) gains by-election from Labour[5]
    • Gary Ferguson (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[6]
  • August 2025: Allison Gwynne, George Jones, Claire Reid, Denise Ward, and Brenda Warrington (Independent) readmitted to Labour[c][8]
  • October 2025: Ann Holland (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[9]
  • November 2025:
    • Claire Reid (Labour) resigns – seat left vacant until 2026 election[10]
    • Barrie Holland (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent[11]

Summary

Background

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council was created in 1974. Aside from a brief period from 1976 to 1980, Labour have formed majority administrations.[12] Each election has since 1980 has returned a Labour administration holding over 70% of the seats with the Conservatives forming the principal opposition for all but three elections.[13] The 2024 election saw Labour lose 2 seats to independents and 1 seat to the Conservatives, but retain their majority.

Over the course of the 2024 to 2026 term, Labour fell to its lowest number of councillors in over 50 years. 10 Labour councillors were suspended during an investigation into offensive messages shared to a WhatsApp group, of which Andrew Gwynne MP was also a part.[3] 5 of these were reinstated on the conclusion of the investigation, but a further 5 seats were lost through defections or resignations.

The 2023 election used a new set of ward boundaries. As such, this election will be for councillors elected with the second highest number of votes in each of the 57 three-member wards.[14] Labour will be defending 17 and the Conservatives will be defending 2.

Election result

2026 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour 23
  Independent 8
  Conservative 5
  Reform UK 1
  Green 0
  Liberal Democrats 0

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing
Ashton Hurst Dan Costello Conservative
Ashton St Michael's Bill Fairfoull Labour
Ashton Waterloo Dave Howarth Labour
Audenshaw Nick Axford Labour
Denton North East Denise Ward Labour
Denton South Claire Reid[d] Labour No
Denton West Branda Warrington Labour
Droylsden East Susan Quinn Labour
Droylsden West Ann Holland[e] Independent
Dukinfield John Taylor Labour
Dukinfield Stalybridge David Sweeton Labour
Hyde Godley Betty Affleck Labour
Hyde Newton Peter Robinson Labour
Hyde Werneth Shibley Alam Labour
Longdendale Gary Ferguson[f] Independent
Mossley Tafheen Sharif Labour
St Peter's Warren Bray Labour
Stalybridge North Adrian Pearce Labour
Stalybridge South Liam Billington Conservative

References

  1. ^ Includes the vacant seat in Denton South last held by Labour.
  2. ^ Of the 10 Independents before the election, 2 sat in the Independent Group and 8 were non-aligned.
  3. ^ Vincent Ricci was also readmitted but resigned from the party.[7]
  4. ^ Resigned from seat in November 2025. Seat left vacant until the 2026 election.
  5. ^ Originally elected as Labour, but left the party to sit as an Independent in October 2025.
  6. ^ Originally elected as Labour, but left the party to sit as an Independent in April 2025.
  1. ^ "Tameside Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  2. ^ Carter, Gary (24 February 2025). "Tameside councillor announces shock resignation". Tameside Correspondent. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b Lythgoe, George; Carey, Declan (11 February 2025). "The 11 councillors suspended amid the Labour WhatsApp scandal". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  4. ^ Carter, Gemma (15 February 2025). "Former Tameside Council leader suspended amid 'leaks' accusation". Tameside Correspondent. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Longdendale Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  6. ^ Carter, Gary (1 April 2025). "Tameside Labour councillor quits party in protest at welfare cuts". Tameside Correspondent. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  7. ^ Carter, Gary (21 August 2025). "Tameside councillor quits Labour after being 'thrown under the bus'". Tameside Correspondent. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  8. ^ Boothroyd, David. "The Addled Byelections". Localcouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  9. ^ Lythgoe, George (8 October 2025). "'I'm too left wing for them' says Labour politician of 50 years after quitting". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Notice of Vacancy - Denton South Ward" (PDF). Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  11. ^ Carter, Gary (20 November 2025). "Droylsden councillor 'quits' Labour amid disillusionment at party and Angela Rayner MP". Tameside Correspondent. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  12. ^ "BBC News - Election 2011 - England council elections - Tameside". BBC News. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  14. ^ The Tameside (Electoral Changes) Order 2022.
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