The 2026 Salford City Council election took 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 were elected.

Council composition

After 2024 election Before 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 50 Labour 45
Conservative 7 Conservative 7
Liberal Democrats 2 Liberal Democrats 2
Your Party N/A Your Party 1
Independent 1 Independent 2
Reform 0 Reform 1
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[c][5]
  • November 2025: Roseanna Wain (Labour) resigns – seat left vacant until 2026 election[d][6]
  • December 2025: John Warmisham (Independent) joins Your Party[7]
  • February 2026: David Lancaster (Labour) dies – by-election held April 2026[d][9]
  • March 2026: Lewis Nelson (Labour) resigns – by-election to be held after 2026 election[10]
  • April 2026: Michael Felse (Reform) gains by-election from Labour[11]

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.[12][13] 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.[14] 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).[15] 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 3 Decrease 13 14.3 31 34 56.7 19,617 27.8 -30.5
  Reform 13 Increase 13 61.9 1 14 23.3 24,290 34.4 +33.8
  Conservative 1 Decrease 1 4.8 5 6 10.0 6,868 9.7 -11.0
  Green 3 Increase 3 14.3 0 3 5.0 14,134 20.0 +7.5
  Liberal Democrats 0 Decrease 1 0.0 1 1 1.7 3,924 5.6 ±0.0
  Independent 1 Steady 4.8 0 1 1.7 1,565 2.2 +1.0
  Advance UK 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 101 0.1 N/A
  Your Party 0 Decrease 1 0.0 0 0 0.0 66 0.1 N/A
  TUSC 0 Steady 0.0 0 0 0.0 32 0.1 -0.3

Incumbents

Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing
Barton & Winton John Mullen Labour Yes
Blackfriars & Trinity Roseanna Wain[e] Labour No
Boothstown & Ellenbrook Les Turner Conservative No
Broughton John Merry Labour Yes
Cadishead & Lower Irlam Yolande Ghola Labour No
Claremont Neil Reynolds Labour Yes
Eccles Nathaniel Tetteh Labour Yes
Higher Irlam & Peel Green Mishal Saeed Labour Yes
Kersal & Broughton Park Andrew Walters Independent Yes
Little Hulton Teresa Pepper Labour Yes
Ordsall Brandan Keville Labour Yes
Pendlebury & Clifton Chioma Mgbeokwere Labour Yes
Pendleton & Charlestown John Warmisham[f] Your Party Yes[g]
Quays Paul Hellbron Liberal Democrats Yes
Swinton & Wardley Gina Reynolds Labour No
Swinton Park Stuart Dickman Labour No
Walkden North Jack Youd Labour Yes
Walkden South Irfan Syed Labour Yes
Weaste & Seedley Alexis Sharma Labour Yes
Worsley & Westwood Park Adam Kealey Conservative No

Ward results

Barton and Winton

Barton and Winton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Mullen* 1,348 37.2 −24.4
Reform Yvonne Earnshaw 1,306 36.0 N/A
Green Babak Sharples 586 16.2 +1.6
Conservative Holly Muldoon 184 5.1 −9.1
Liberal Democrats Antony Duke 135 3.7 −4.9
Independent Kirsty Downie 65 1.79 N/A
Majority 42 1.2 −45.9
Rejected ballots 10 0.28 -0.50
Turnout 3,634 33.4 +8.7
Registered electors 10,890
Labour hold

Blackfriars and Trinity

Blackfriars and Trinity
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green David Jones 1,611 52.6 +27.8
Labour Darren Matthews 563 18.4 −42.1
Liberal Democrats Brian Westley 451 14.7 +8.8
Reform Christopher Roscoe 295 9.6 N/A
Conservative Craig Russel Walsh 141 4.6 −2.3
Majority 1,048 34.2 N/A
Rejected ballots 6 0.2 -1.8
Turnout 3,061 28.8 −3.7
Registered electors 10,634
Green gain from Labour Swing Increase36.0

Boothstown and Ellenbrook

Boothstown and Ellenbrook
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jan Barrington 1,616 34.6 −26.8
Reform Terry Mather 1,486 31.8 N/A
Labour Muhammad Kashif 699 15.0 −13.7
Green Paige Dawson 587 12.6 +5.7
Liberal Democrats Graham Bates 279 6.0 +3.8
Majority 130 2.8 −29.9
Rejected ballots 7 0.2 -0.7
Turnout 4,674 48.3 +9.0
Registered electors 9,679
Conservative hold

Broughton

Broughton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Merry 803 32.7 −36.4
Reform Gary Bardsley 797 32.5 N/A
Green Kathleen Allen 570 23.2 +10.2
Conservative Patience Assam 156 6.4 −3.8
Liberal Democrats Ben Thomas 87 3.5 −2.3
Independent Hugh Caffrey 40 1.6 N/A
Majority 6 0.2 −55.9
Rejected ballots 14 0.6 -1.3
Turnout 2,467 24.4 +3.5
Registered electors 10,095
Labour hold

Cadishead and Lower Irlam

Cadishead and Lower Irlam (2 seats due to by-election)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform James Hart 1,626 49.5 N/A
Reform Leighton Medley 1,494 44.6 N/A
Labour Bill McLaughlin 1,281 39.0 −30.1
Labour Ceewhy Ochoga 847 25.8 −43.3
Green Alex Gravener 410 12.5 −0.5
Green Matty Wilson 362 11.0 −2.0
Conservative Skye Ainscough 247 7.5 −2.7
Conservative Jonathan Thomason 212 6.5 −3.7
Liberal Democrats Ninad Vivek Oak 115 3.5 −2.3
Rejected ballots 16 0.5 -1.0
Turnout ~3,535 37.5 +11.0
Registered electors 9,434
Reform gain from Labour
Reform gain from Labour

Claremont

Claremont
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Christopher Bates 1,497 37.9 N/A
Labour Neil Reynolds 1,262 32.0 −34.5
Green Frederick Seed 732 18.6 +3.3
Conservative Janet West 234 5.9 −2.3
Liberal Democrats Ian McKinlay 209 5.3 −3.2
Rejected ballots 8 0.2 -1.2
Turnout 3,942 40.0 +9.7
Registered electors 9,853
Reform gain from Labour

Eccles

Eccles
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Nathaniel Tetteh 1,663 38.7 −23.7
Reform Denis Adshead 1,207 28.1 N/A
Green Sara Laing 875 20.3 +6.2
Conservative Janet Reygan 338 7.9 −8.7
Liberal Democrats Daniel Wells 186 4.3 N/A
TUSC Sally Griffiths 32 0.7 −5.1
Rejected ballots 8 0.2 -0.9
Turnout 4,309 38.5 +7.8
Registered electors 11,099
Labour hold

Higher Irlam and Peel Green

Higher Irlam and Peel Green
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Christopher Evans 1,403 46.1 N/A
Labour Mishal Saeed 938 30.8 −36.0
Green Andrew Parkinson 495 16.2 +1.2
Conservative Akiva Kline 192 6.3 −10.0
Majority 465 15.3 −30.5
Rejected ballots 14 0.5 -1.3
Turnout 3,042 31.5 +6.7
Registered electors 9,669
Reform gain from Labour

Kersal and Broughton Park

Kersal and Broughton Park
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Andrew Walters* 1,016 33.5 N/A
Reform Simon Fan 731 24.1 N/A
Labour Declan Murphy 454 15.0 −17.9
Conservative Adam Carney 454 15.0 −39.5
Green Hormoz Ahmadzadeh 381 12.6 +4.8
Majority 285 9.4 N/A
Rejected ballots 13 0.4 -0.9
Turnout 3,049 31.5 +6.6
Registered electors 9,670
Independent hold

Little Hulton

Little Hulton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Lewis Croden 1,121 43.4 N/A
Labour Teresa Pepper 837 32.4 −36.2
Green Mike Ashdown 334 12.9 −0.4
Conservative Anne Fasan 185 7.2 −9.5
Liberal Democrats Stuart Oxbrow 103 4.0 N/A
Majority 284 11.2 N/A
Rejected ballots 6 0.2 -1.3
Turnout 2,586 27.5 +8.9
Registered electors 9,410
Reform gain from Labour

Ordsall

Ordsall
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Martyn Stockley 1,125 40.1 +22.5
Labour Brendan Keville* 772 27.5 −23.3
Reform Craig Barclay 428 15.3 N/A
Liberal Democrats John Grant 332 11.8 −3.3
Conservative Charlie Ng 147 5.2 −3.9
Majority 353 12.6 N/A
Rejected ballots 7 0.3 -1.2
Turnout 2,804 28.2 +4.3
Registered electors 9,943
Green gain from Labour Swing Increase22.9

Pendlebury and Clifton

Pendlebury and Clifton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Natalie Rowland 1,627 49.7 N/A
Labour Chichi Mgbeokwere 755 23.1 −37.1
Green Andrew Nadin 456 13.9 −0.9
Conservative Angela Grant 268 8.2 −15.0
Liberal Democrats Susan Lewis 168 5.1 N/A
Majority 872 26.6 N/A
Rejected ballots 6 0.2 -0.7
Turnout 3,280 36.3 +11.6
Registered electors 9,043
Reform gain from Labour

Pendleton and Charlestown

Pendleton and Charlestown
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Daryl Stone-Shaw 963 32.7 N/A
Labour Co-op Andrew Behan 807 27.4 −35.5
Green Matthew Callaghan 725 24.6 +11.8
Conservative Ayotunde Ajibola 254 8.6 −6.6
Liberal Democrats Kenneth Thompson 143 4.9 −2.4
Independent Jacob Allen 54 1.8 N/A
Majority 156 5.3 N/A
Rejected ballots 13 0.4 -1.4
Turnout 2,959 28.8 +6.7
Registered electors 10,281
Reform gain from Your Party

Quays

Quays
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Andrea O’Brien 1,062 42.4 +27.0
Liberal Democrats Paul Heilbron 874 34.9 −4.2
Labour Daniel Harold 294 11.7 −25.5
Reform Owen Hammond 170 6.8 N/A
Conservative Gary Slawther 103 4.1 −3.8
Majority 188 7.5 N/A
Rejected ballots 6 0.2 -0.3
Turnout 2,509 25.4 +1.2
Registered electors 9,889
Green gain from Liberal Democrats Swing Increase15.6

Swinton and Wardley

Swinton and Wardley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Peter Jones 1,543 42.0 N/A
Labour Liz McCoy 980 26.6 −38.2
Green Anton Strong 627 17.0 +8.2
Conservative Andy Spratt 258 7.0 −6.6
Liberal Democrats Colin Seeney 156 4.2 N/A
Independent Joe O’Neill 114 3.1 −8.7
Majority 563 15.4 N/A
Rejected ballots 10 0.3 -0.7
Turnout 3,688 39.0 +9.4
Registered electors 9,457
Reform gain from Labour

Swinton Park

Swinton Park
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Monika Puchalska 1,450 38.5 N/A
Labour Karl Robson 1,160 30.8 −28.7
Green Farzam Barghian 570 15.1 +4.0
Conservative Andrew Wong 333 8.8 −11.1
Liberal Democrats John McLellan 252 6.7 −1.5
Majority 290 7.7 N/A
Rejected ballots 11 0.3 -1.1
Turnout 3,776 39.5 +9.9
Registered electors 9,571
Reform gain from Labour

Walkden North

Walkden North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Miles Henderson 1,209 39.7 +24.9
Labour Jack Youd 953 31.3 −31.1
Green Adam Kenyon 427 14.0 +5.8
Independent Paul Whitelegg 276 9.1 N/A
Conservative Arlene Royle 181 5.9 −4.7
Majority 256 8.4 N/A
Rejected ballots 10 0.3 -0.3
Turnout 3,056 32.0 +9.5
Registered electors 9,539
Reform gain from Labour Swing Increase28.0

Walkden South

Walkden South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Ivan Voronov 1,422 35.9 N/A
Labour Irfan Syed 1,228 31.0 −20.9
Green Rachel Fitzsimmons 679 17.1 +9.2
Conservative Guy Muntu 518 13.1 −11.3
Advance UK Craig Birtwistle 101 2.5 N/A
Majority 194 4.9 N/A
Rejected ballots 16 0.4 -0.4
Turnout 3,964 42.7 +9.6
Registered electors 9,289
Reform gain from Labour

Weaste and Seedley

Weaste and Seedley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Paul Doyle 1,173 33.3 N/A
Green James Robertson 949 27.0 +14.7
Labour Alexis Shama 926 26.3 −33.6
Conservative Anne Broomhead 212 6.0 −4.2
Liberal Democrats Oliver Scott 192 5.5 +1.3
Your Party John Warmisham 66 1.9 N/A
Majority 247 7.0 N/A
Rejected ballots 13 0.4 -1.1
Turnout 3,531 31.7 +7.7
Registered electors 11,146
Reform gain from Labour

Worsley and Westwood Park

Worsley and Westwood Park
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Kaiden Morrison 1,342 35.0 N/A
Labour JP Atley 1,047 27.3 −21.3
Conservative Daniel Whitehouse 635 16.5 −21.0
Green Seema Rajpura 571 14.9 +7.2
Liberal Democrats James Blessing 242 6.3 +1.0
Majority 295 7.7 N/A
Rejected ballots 7 0.2 -0.6
Turnout 3,871 43.6 +7.8
Registered electors 8,880
Reform gain from Conservative

References

  1. ↑ Including the vacant seat in Blackfriars & Trinity last held by Labour.
  2. ↑ 1 Independent, 1 Your Party.
  3. ↑ Part of the Independent Democratic Socialist group.
  4. 1 2 Two electors in Barton and Winton requested the vacancy be filled before the regularly scheduled election.[8] This did not occur in Blackfriars and Trinity.
  5. ↑ Resigned in November 2025. Seat left vacant until the 2026 election.
  6. ↑ Originally elected as Labour, but left the party to sit as an Independent in March 2025. He joined Your Party in December 2025.
  7. ↑ Standing in Weaste & Seedley ward.
  1. ↑ "Salford Council Composition: Latest". opencouncildata.co.uk. Open Council Data UK. Archived from the original on 9 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  2. ↑ Carey, Declan (5 September 2024). "Labour councillor quits months after winning huge majority". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Eccles Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  4. ↑ Mulligan, Alfie (24 March 2025). "Veteran Salford councillor resigns from the Labour Party". Salford Now. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  5. ↑ Keeling, Neal (10 May 2025). "Another high-profile resignation from Labour party by Salford councillor". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Carey, Declan (12 November 2025). "Labour councillor steps down - with seat to stay vacant until May". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  7. ↑ Mckeon-Devaney, India (2 December 2025). "Veteran Salford councillor joins Your Party". Salford Now. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Hall, Charlotte (22 April 2026). "Early by-election called by Reform candidate slammed as 'unnecessary'". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ Boothroyd, David. "Scunthorpe steels itself for Reform". LocalCouncils.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  11. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Barton and Winton Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  12. ↑ "Salford City Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  13. ↑ "BBC News - Election 2011 - England council elections - Salford". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  14. ↑ "Labour retains Salford City Council". BBC News. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  15. ↑ "Salford result - Local Elections 2022". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Salford_City_Council_election