2024 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election

← 2023 2 May 2024 2026 →
20 out of 60 seats to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council 31 seats needed for a majority
Leader Nick Peel Martyn Cox Roger Hayes Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats Leader's seat Tonge with the Haulgh Heaton, Lostock and Chew Moor Smithills Last election 26 seats, 40.4% 17 seats, 32.7% 6 seat, 9.8% Current seats 28 15 7 Seats needed 3 16 24   Leader David Grant Paul Sanders None Party Horwich and Blackrod First Farnworth and Kearsley First Independent Leader's seat Horwich South and Blackrod Farnworth South Last election 6 seats, 4.8% 2 seats, 1.6% 0 seats, 0.0% Current seats 5 3 1 Seats needed 26 28 30   Leader None Party One Kearsley Last election 3 seats, 2.0% Current seats 0 Seats needed 31
Incumbent Leader Nick Peel Labour Party No overall control

The 2024 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election will take place on 2 May 2024. One third of councillors (20 out of 60) are to be elected. The election will take place alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom.

Background

The Local Government Act 1972 created a two-tier system of metropolitan counties and districts covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands, and West Yorkshire starting in 1974. Bolton was a district of the Greater Manchester metropolitan county.^[1] The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the metropolitan counties, with metropolitan districts taking on most of their powers as metropolitan boroughs. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority was created in 2011 and began electing the mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017, which was given strategic powers covering a region coterminous with the former Greater Manchester metropolitan county.^[2]

In December 2022, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England made The Bolton (Electoral Changes) Order 2022, which officially abolished all 20 existing wards and established 20 new wards with new boundaries. All 60 wards were contested at the 2023 elections. The elected councillor who received the least number of votes in each ward at the previous election will have their seat up in this election.^[3]

Electoral process

The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year.^[4][5] The election will take place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards being represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Bolton aged 18 or over will be entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations will take place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters will be able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election.

Previous council composition

Changes:

• 4 May 2023: Derek Bullock (Conservative) was re-elected at the 2023 elections as a Conservative after being selected by the local Conservative Association, but has sat as an independent after being expelled by the national Conservative Party in April 2023 due to racist comments.^[6]
• 2 October 2023: Paul Heslop (One Kearsley) resigns; by-election scheduled for 16 November 2023.^[7]
• 2 October 2023: Bernadette Eckersley-Fallon (Conservative) resigns; by-election scheduled for 16 November 2023.^[8]
• 3 October 2023: Debbie Newall and Melanie Livsey (One Kearsley) join the Labour Party, marking the dissolution of their former party.^[9]
• 16 November 2023: Tracey Wilkinson wins Kearsley by-election; Farnworth and Kearsley First gain seat from One Kearsley.^[10]
• 16 November 2023: Deirdre McGeown wins Westhoughton North and Hunger Hill by-election; Liberal Democrats gain seat from the Conservatives.^[11]
• 14 March 2024: Craig Rotheram (Horwich and Blackrod First) resigns; by-election scheduled for 2 May 2024.^[12]

Candidates & Results

^[13]

Astley Bridge

Bradshaw

Breightmet

Bromley Cross

Farnworth North

Farnworth South

Great Lever

Halliwell

Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor

^[14]===Horwich North ===

Horwich South & Blackrod

Hulton

Kearsley

Little Lever & Darcy Lever

Queens Park & Central

Rumworth

Smithills

Tonge With The Haulgh

Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill

Westhoughton South