Trafford’s Labour-led council is set for a shake up next week. With just over a week to go until Trafford heads to the polls, with a third of the council’s seats up for grabs again, here’s a run-down of the big names, familiar faces and hotly-contested seats to look out for on Thursday May 5.
Currently, the council has 40 Labour councillors, 16 Conservative councillors, three Liberal Democrat councillors and three Green councillors.
Back at the last local elections in May 2021, a third of Trafford council positions were being contested. On a bad day for Labour nationally, Trafford bucked the trend as ‘the only good news story for the party’ in the country, gaining four seats.
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The party retained overall control of the council, holding all of its seats and winning a few more to boot, stealing them from the Conservatives.
The Tories gained one seat in Village ward. The Liberal Democrats kept all of their seats, with ex-MEP Jane Brophy being re-elected.
The Greens held on to their Altrincham seat with former group leader Geraldine Coggins and came ever closer to gaining a seat in Tory-strong hold Hale Central.
In just a week’s time, the borough, like the rest of Greater Manchester, is going back to the polls with a third of seats on the line again.
The Greens, alongside Labour and the Lib Dems, are hoping they’ll be able to challenge the Conservatives in Hale Central and Hale Barns once again this year.
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Hale Central was created as a ward in 2004 and has been Conservative since its inception.
The Liberal Democrats and Greens came second and third respectively at the 2019 local election there, with just 43 votes between them.
But in 2021, the Greens came within touching distance of gaining the Tory stronghold, with their candidate Jane Leicester narrowly missing out.
Hale Barns ward, which has been Conservative since time immemorial – will also be one to watch. Incumbent Dylan Butt, the council’s shadow executive member for leisure, is hoping to retain his seat but will face a challenge from the other three major parties, including former Greater Manchester mayoral candidate Simon Lepori, who is standing for the Lib Dems.
And across all of the four major parties in Trafford, heavy-hitters are up to fight for their seats this year.
For the Conservatives, group leader Nathan Evans is hoping to be re-elected in Timperley and the Greens group leader, Daniel Jerrome, is fighting for his seat again in Altrincham.
And for Labour, executive member for leisure Liz Patel will be hoping to be re-elected in Sale Moor, executive member for communities Graham Whitham is standing again in Davyhulme West, executive member for health Jane Slater is fighting for her seat in Stretford, head of the licensing committee David Jarman is hoping to be re-elected in Longford and the head of scrutiny committee David Acton is up again for his Gorse Hill seat (which he has held since 1988).
For a full list of candidates standing in this year’s election, by ward, please click here.
This year’s elections will be held on Thursday May 5 2022.
