2026 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election

2026 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2026 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 63 members of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester will be elected.

Council composition

2026 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election

After 2024 election	Before 2026 election
Party	Seats	Party	Seats
	Liberal Democrats	31		Liberal Democrats	30
	Labour	22		Labour	19
	Community Association	3		Community Association	3
	Green	3		Green	3
	Heald Green Ratepayers	3		Heald Green Ratepayers	3
	Conservative	0		Conservative	1
	Independent	1		Independent	4

• August 2024: Aron Thornley (Independent) joins Labour • September 2024: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrats), Ian Powney (Liberal Democrats), and Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrats) resign – by-elections held October 2024 • October 2024: Rachel Bresnahan (Liberal Democrats) and Huma Khan (Liberal Democrats) hold by-elections, and Peter Crossen (Conservative) gains by-election from Liberal Democrats • February 2025: Holly McCormack (Labour) and David Sedgwick (Labour) suspended from party • September 2025: Joe Barratt (Labour) and Rosemary Barratt (Labour) leave party to sit as independents

Summary

Background

Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council was created in 1974. The Conservatives saw early success, controlling the council as a majority from its creation until (/wiki/1983StockportMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection). (/wiki/1988StockportMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection) saw the what was then the SLD become the largest party; since then council control has been contested between the Liberal Democrats and Labour. The Liberal Democrats formed their first majority administration in (/wiki/1999StockportMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection?action=edit&redlink=1) after a decade of no overall control, which lasted until (/wiki/2011StockportMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection). The first Labour-led administration was formed in (/wiki/2016StockportMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection) as a minority. The Liberal Democrats again became the largest group in (/wiki/2021StockportMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection), but it was not until (/wiki/2022StockportMetropolitanBoroughCouncilelection) that they formed a minority administration.

A new set of ward boundaries was used for the 2023 election. As such, this election will be for the councillors elected with the second highest number of votes in each of the 21 three-member wards. The Liberal Democrats will be defending 11 seats, Labour will be defending 7, and the Greens, Heald Green Ratepayers, and Edgeley Community Association will be defending 1 each.

Election result

2026 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election
Party	This election	Full council	This election
Seats	Net	Seats %	Other	Total	Total %	Votes	Votes %	+/−
	Liberal Democrats				20
	Labour				12
	Independent				3
	Green				2
	Heald Green Ratepayers				2
	Community Association				2
	Conservative				1
	Reform				0

Incumbent

2026 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election

<table><thead><tr><th>Ward</th><th>Incumbent councillor</th><th>Party</th><th>Re-standing</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Bramhall North</td><td>Suzanne Wyatt</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bramhall South & Woodford</td><td>Dallas Jones</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bredbury & Woodley</td><td>Sue Thorpe</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Btedbury Green & Romily</td><td>Angie Clark</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Brinnington & Stockport Central</td><td>Kerry Waters</td><td></td><td>Labour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cheadle East & Cheadle Hulme North</td><td>Jilly Julian</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cheadle Hulme South</td><td>Helen Foster-Grime</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cheadle West & Gatley</td><td>Ian Hunter</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Davenport & Cale Green</td><td>Wendy Wild</td><td></td><td>Labour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Edgeley</td><td>Leah Taylor</td><td></td><td>Community Association</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Hazel Grove</td><td>Wendy Meikle</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Heald Green</td><td>Anna Charles-Jones</td><td></td><td>Ratepayers</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Heatons North</td><td>John Taylor</td><td></td><td>Labour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Heatons South</td><td>Dean Fitzpatrick</td><td></td><td>Labour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Manor</td><td>Sue Glithero</td><td></td><td>Labour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Marple North</td><td>Geoff Abell</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Marple South & High Lane</td><td>Aron Thornley</td><td></td><td>Labour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Norbury & Woodsmoor</td><td>Dominic Hardwick</td><td></td><td>Liberal Democrats</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Offerton</td><td>Helen Hibbert</td><td></td><td>Labour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Reddish North</td><td>Holly McCormack</td><td></td><td>Independent</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Reddish South</td><td>Gary Lawson</td><td></td><td>Green</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>