Labour looks set to control nine out of 10 councils in Greater Manchester following a grim night for the Conservatives. Cracks in the Red Wall could be patched up if the results of the local elections in places such as Bolton, Heywood, Middleton, Leigh and Wigan are replicated at the next General Election.
Only Stockport, where the Lib Dems came within a whisker of taking overall control after wiping out the Tories, held out against Labour's dominance. And a tumultuous period of local politics in Oldham shows no signs of slowing down as the borough searches for its fourth leader in the last three years following the shock, narrow defeat of Amanda Chadderton.
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In Bolton the Conservatives lost seven seats and their position as the largest party. Labour are now firmly in the driving seat there and will look to the independents to form a ruling coalition.
And there was controversy in Salford where Ordsall's Lib Dem councillor Chris Twells resigned after also being elected to a seat more than 150 years miles away in the Cotswolds.
Here's the local election headlines from across Greater Manchester...
Bolton: New leader on cards with Labour now biggest party
There was drama in Bolton overnight as the Conservatives lost seven seats and their position as the largest party in the borough. Going into the election no party was in overall control of the council - and that remains the case.
But Labour are now firmly in the driving seat and taking five wards means they have 26 out of the 60 seats. Following the result Bolton's Labour leader Nick Peel staked his claim to become the next boss of the council.
"I will say to the independent parties and Lib Dems that the public of Bolton profoundly rejected the Tories," he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. "Please don’t prop up a lame duck Tory administration that has now been rejected. If they do that then yes I do expect to form an administration."
Conservative leader Martyn Cox blamed the result on independent members. He said: "We were aware of this during the campaign and failed to get our message across that it was the independents who were propping up a Conservative council."
Bury: Labour increase majority
Labour increased its majority on a comfortable night for the ruling party in Bury. Taking seats from the Tories and the Lib Dems, means Labour now controls 31 of the borough's 50 wards.
The biggest surprise came in the traditional Conservative stronghold of Pilkington Park, where Labour's Michael Rubinstein ousted Bury's former Tory leader Nick Jones. The result was greeted with deafening cheers from those wearing red rosettes at the count at the Castle Leisure Centre.
Council leader Eamonn O’Brien said he was 'very pleased' with Labour's performance. "It was a great set of results for us," he said. "We targeted in the right places and there were even a few where we just about fell short that were always going to be a stretch, but maybe show there are some prospects for next time.
"Whilst it wasn't a complete wipe out for the Conservatives, the results do show a very strong performance for Labour and lots of support for us right across the borough."
Manchester: Greens make gains... but Labour still rule the roost
Manchester's ruling Labour group is still the largest in the country, despite losing seats to the Lib Dems and Greens. For the first time in years the city has a ward with no Labour members as Woodhouse Park went entirely Green.
The Lib Dems gained two more members, beating Labour in Ancoats and Beswick and Didsbury West, with Chris Northwood becoming the city's first openly transgender councillor. But Labour still has a whopping 88 members on the council, meaning the city is likely to remain red for the foreseeable future.
Counil leader Bev Craig said: "Often people joke that Manchester is Labour dominated, but we live in a democracy. No Labour leader can expect to hold all the seats, all the time.
"It's always sad to see a colleague go, but the Labour group is buoyant. We've had a good result and we're committed to working with colleagues across Greater Manchester and the country to get a Labour government."
Oldham: Leadership merry-go-round as third chief in three years ousted
Labour narrowly kept overall control of Oldham council following a nail-biting election battle but saw their third leader in three years ousted by an independent. It was the first all-out election in the borough for nearly two decades where all 60 seats went to the ballot box, and Friday’s count proved to be tense for all parties.
In total Labour managed to secure 32 seats, but their majority has been slashed from five to just two, meaning the borough teeters on the verge of no overall control. And leader Amanda Chadderton, who took up the reins just last May, was narrowly defeated in Royton South after coming 21 votes short of third place.
It means the borough will now be looking for its fourth council leader since 2018, following the oustings of previous leaders Sean Fielding in 2021 and Arooj Shah last year.
Rochdale: Indies take a beating as Labour strengthens grip
Rochdale remains firmly Labour as the ruling party increased its majority by taking seats from both the independents and the Tories. Victory for the party was rubber-stamped when leader Neil Emmott easily saw off a push from the Middleton Independents Party (MIP).
It means Labour has 46 seats, taking two from MIP, which now has just two councillors; and one from the Tories, who are left with nine. The Lib Dems held onto the one seat they were fighting, leaving them with three councillors.
Coun Emmott, who only just saw off his MIP rival by 150 votes at last year's all-out elections, cruised to victory this time around in West Middleton, polling 1,120 votes, more than all his rivals put together. Labour also ousted the MIP in two wards, taking East and North Middleton from the independents, and also taking Littleborough Lakeside from the Conservatives.
Coun Emmott told the Manchester Evening News: "I'm very pleased we got two seats from MIP. They were quite successful last year because they were shiny and new, but I think after 12 months they were kind of baked in.
"I'm very pleased we did as well as we did."
Salford: Double trouble for councillor toasting victory 150 miles away
Labour has been in charge in Salford since 1973, and there was no change to normal order of things as the party took all 18 seats it was defending to retain its huge majority. But the night wasn't without drama as Lib Dem Chris Twells, who represents Ordsall, sparked controversy after also being elected to a seat more than 150 years miles in the Cotswolds District Council.
Coun Twells stood as a 'paper candidate', and last month Salford Lib Dem leader Alex Warren described the controversy about his candidacy was 'much ado about nothing' adding: "He will not win". But he did win — securing 267 votes in Tetbury with Upton ward poll beating out Conservative Peter Coleman.
On Friday afternoon Coun Twells announced he would be resigning his Salford seat - meaning there'll be by-election pretty soon. Salford was also one of the few places where the Tories could claim they'd had a good night, holding all three seats they were defending while increasing their majorities.
Salford Conservative leader Robin Garrido said: "We have proved that if we fight on local issues we can have success. We are not interested in the national policies, we are interested in doing what we can to make life better for the people of Salford."
And history was also made following Emma Cammell's victory in Blackfriars and Trinity ward, as it became the first all-female ward in the city's history.
Stockport: Lib Dems come within a whisker of taking control - as Tories wiped out
The Conservatives have no representation on Stockport council for first time since it was formed in 1973 following an astonishing fall from grace. And the Lib Dems came within a whisker of taking overall control after cleaning up in both Bramhall wards and the newly-formed Norbury and Woodsmoor.
They finished the day with 30 seats, just two shy of what was needed to form a majority on the 63-seat authority. The Lib Dems have run the town hall as a minority administration since wresting back the reins from Labour last year.
But, in borough’s first 'all out' elections since 2004, a strong Labour performance in Offerton ultimately denied the Lib Dems the ultimate prize. However it seems almost certain they will run the town hall for a further 12 months, with former MP Mark Hunter odds on to continue as council leader.
He said: "I'm very pleased, I think when we walked in this morning we were optimistic because of the way results had gone overnight - it had been a good night for the Lib Dems up and down the country and I was pleased to see that reflected in Stockport."
Tameside: Draw the short straw
It came down to the drawing of lots in one ward in Tameside as two candidates in Hyde Godley found themselves tied on 1,139 votes apiece. It meant Andrea Colbourne (Con) and David McAllister (Lab) had to draw straws to decide who took the seat — and the incumbent Tory won.
It was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise disappointing night for the Tories. Labour gained four seats overall, taking the party to 51 out of a total 57.
The Conservatives lost two, so are now on six, with the Greens and Independents both losing their solitary presence. Conservative Phil Chadwick called the result 'heartbreaking'. “It wasn’t what we were expecting,” he said.
"We didn’t get that feeling on the door. It was quite positive. To actually see the result tonight, it's a bit heartbreaking.
"I think in general you’re going to find local and national issues are going to intertwine, but what people forget is that it's local issues."
Trafford: Greens in the pink
Three Green Party candidates, including a plumber dressed in a striking pink suit, gave the Conservatives a bloody nose at the local elections in Trafford. Hannah Spencer stood out a mile on the stage as the results for the Hale ward were announced at Lancashire’s Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
She unseated sitting Conservative councillor Daniel Chalkin. In the end, Labour upped their majority on the council by one and now have 41 councillors, led by Tom Ross.
The Conservatives have been reduced from 13 to 10, which, according to one party insider, was regarded as a ‘good result’ in the light of the outcome elsewhere in the country.
The Greens held on to the stronghold of Altrincham to up their councillor-count from four to six. The Liberal Democrats increased their number by one to five.
Wigan: Labour still in the driving seat - but there was one shock
There was an all-out election in Wigan. And it saw Labour maintain control of the council as the Conservatives lost a handful of seats.
But there was one shock in the Labour safe seat of Ince, where Independent Coun Maureen O'Bern triumphed. The newcomer rubbed shoulders with town hall leader Coun David Molyneux and Coun Janice Sharratt on the winners' stage.
The ex-Wigan council librarian said she felt 'vindicated' after a year-long campaign saw her sail to victory with 1,106 votes, 141 more than leader Coun Molyneux. Council leader David Molyneux said: "Obviously, all-out elections can become a bit of a lottery and can throw up some strange results and we've also seen a total collapse of the Tory vote across the borough with many of those votes going to the independent candidates.
"We've seen Labour increase its number of councillors across the borough at the expense of the Tories, which is in line with the national picture."
Greater Manchester local election results 2023
Here are all the local election results where you live in Greater Manchester:
- Manchester: Full local election results
- Bolton: Full local elections results
- Bury: Full local election results
- Stockport: Full local election results
- Trafford: Full local election results
- Oldham: Full local election results
- Salford: Full local election results
- Rochdale: Full local election results
- Tameside: Full local election results
- Wigan: Full local election results
