2026 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council election

2026 English local government election From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2026 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 51 members of Bury Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester will be elected. The election in Moorside has been postponed following the death of the Reform UK candidate.[2]

Quick facts 17 out of 51 seats to Bury Metropolitan Borough Council 26 seats needed for a majority, Leader ...
2026 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council election
← 2024
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
2027 →
17 out of 51 seats to Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
26 seats needed for a majority
  Blank Blank Blank
Leader Eamonn O'Brien Mike Smith Shahbaz Arif
Party Labour Radcliffe First Conservative
Leader's seat St Mary's Radcliffe West Bury West
Last election 32 seats, 45.4% 8 seats, 7.8% 10 seats, 25.9%
Current seats 32[1] 8 5
  Blank Blank Blank
Leader Russell Bernstein
Party Together for Bury Reform Independent
Leader's seat Pilkington Park
Last election Did not exist 0 seats, 1.0% 1 seats, 0.4%
Current seats 4 1 1
Results by ward (excluding the delayed poll in Moorside)
Incumbent Leader

Eamonn O'Brien
Labour


Close

Council composition

More information After 2024 election, Before 2026 election ...
After 2024 election Before 2026 election
Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 32 Labour 32
Radcliffe First 8 Radcliffe First 7
Conservative 10 Conservative 5
Together for Bury N/A Together for Bury 3
Reform 0 Reform 3
Independent 1 Independent 1
Close

Changes 2024–2026:

  • June 2025: Russell Bernstein (Conservative, Pilkington Park), Jo Lancaster (Conservative, Radcliffe North & Ainsworth), Luis McBriar (Conservative, Tottington), and Dene Vernon (Conservative, Bury West) leave party to sit as independents[3]
  • October 2025: Jack Rydeheard (Conservative) joins Reform[4]
  • December 2025: Together for Bury formed – Russell Bernstein (Independent), Jo Lancaster (Independent), Luis McBriar (Independent), and Dene Vernon (Independent) join party[5]
  • February 2026:
    • Luis James McBriar (Together for Bury) resigns – by-election held April 2026[6]
    • Glyn Marsden (Radcliffe First) joins Reform[7]
  • April 2026: George Martin (Reform) gains by-election from Conservatives[8]

Summary

Background

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council was created in 1974. The Conservatives controlled the council until 1986, when Labour formed their first majority on the council.[9] Following a period of no overall control beginning in 2006, the Conservatives formed a majority in 2008, but this was lost at the next election.[10] Labour retook majority control in 2011 and have formed majority administrations since. Labour expanded their majority in 2024 by gaining one seat from the Conservatives.[11]

Following the 2024 election, the Conservative group faced internal difficulties. Conservative group leader Russell Bernstein was deselected and faced disciplinary measures by the party.[3] Bernstein and three other councillors left the party to form Together for Bury, which was registered in December 2025.[5]

A new set of ward boundaries was used for the 2022 election. This election will be for the councillors elected with the highest number of votes in each of the seventeen three-member wards.[12] Labour are defending nine seats, the Conservatives are defending four, Radcliffe First are defending three, and independents are defending one.

Election result

More information Party, This election ...
2026 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour 23
  Radcliffe First 5
  Conservative 3
  Together for Bury 3
  Reform 0
  Independent 0
  Green 0
  Liberal Democrats 0
  Bury Independents 0
  Communist 0
  English Democrat 0
  Workers Party 0
Close

Incumbents

More information Ward, Incumbent councillor ...
Ward Incumbent councillor Party Re-standing
Besses Noel Bayley Labour Yes
Bury East Ayesha Arif Labour Yes
Bury West Jackie Harris Conservative Yes
Elton Jack Rydeheard[a] Reform Yes
Holyrood Elliot Moss Labour No
Moorside Sandra Walmsley Labour Yes
'No'rth MaNor Roger Brown Conservative Yes
Pilkington Park Russell Bernstein[b] Together for Bury Yes
Radcliffe East Carol Birchmore Radcliffe First Yes
Radcliffe North & Ainsworth Donald Berry Radcliffe First Yes
Radcliffe West Glyn Marsden[c] Reform Yes
Ramsbottom Clare Cummins Labour No
Redvales Nikki Frith Labour Yes
Sedgley Richard Gold Labour Yes
St Mary's Eamonn O'Brien Labour Yes
Tottington Yvonne Wright Independent Yes
Unsworth Joan Grimshaw Labour No
Close

Ward results

Besses

More information Party, Candidate ...
Besses
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Noel Bayley* 1,130 34.9
Reform Elizabeth Melanie Clark 1,028 31.8
Green Tom Gray 567 17.5
Conservative Pat Grant 246 7.6
Bury Independents Martyn John West 213 6.6
English Democrat Stephen Morris 50 1.5
Turnout 3,234 40
Rejected ballots 8
Labour hold Swing
Close

Bury East

More information Party, Candidate ...
Bury East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ayesha Arif 1,051 33.8 −3.6
Reform Nick Haslam 916 29.5 +18.2
Green Maisie Cunningham 509 16.4 new
Workers Party Bilal Zahoor 439 14.1 −1.7
Conservative Hasan Rahman 193 6.2 −6.4
Majority 135 4.3
Turnout 3,108 35
Labour hold Swing
Close

Bury West

More information Party, Candidate ...
Bury West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform David Anthony Joseph Hill 1,449 34.7
Conservative Jackie Harris* 1,306 31.3
Labour Helen Jane Varnom 685 16.4
Green Elle Riley 530 12.7
Together for Bury Carol Anne Bernstein 204 4.9
Turnout 50
Rejected ballots 12
Reform gain from Conservative Swing
Close

Elton

More information Party, Candidate ...
Elton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jack Bernard Rydeheard* 1,619 40.7
Labour James Ferguson 1,103 27.8
Green Gary Joseph Kirkley 485 12.2
Conservative Mazhar Aslam 469 11.8
Bury Independents Michael Hankey 298 7.5
Turnout 45
Rejected ballots 22
Reform gain from Conservative Swing
Close

Holyrood

More information Party, Candidate ...
Holyrood
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Adnan Chaudhry 1,485 36.8
Reform David Silbiger 1,090 27.0
Green Peter Curati 1,011 25.1
Conservative Ray Grant 353 8.8
English Democrat Valerie Morris 95 2.4
Turnout 48
Rejected ballots 0
Labour hold Swing
Close

Moorside

The election for this ward was cancelled on 15 April 2026 following the death of Victor Hagan. A new election will be held before 11 June 2026.[13]

More information Party, Candidate ...
Moorside
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Bury Independents Jill Budgen
Reform Victor Hagan
Conservative Jihyun Park
Green Conor William Craig Priestley
Labour Sandra Walmsley
Workers Party Aamer Yasin
Close

North Manor

More information Party, Candidate ...
North Manor
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Julie Anne Southworth 1,563 35.4 −10.1
Reform Mike Hankins 1308 29.6 new
Conservative Roger Charles Arthur Brown 1182 26.7 −17.8
Green Charlie Allen 370 8.4 +1.9
Majority 257 5.8
Turnout 4,425 55
Labour gain from Conservative Swing
Close

Pilkington Park

More information Party, Candidate ...
Pilkington Park
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Shadman Zaman 1,345 34.3
Labour John Joseph Mallon 987 25.2
Conservative Peter John Freeman 703 18.0
Green John Fitzpatrick 525 13.4
Together for Bury Russell Stewart Bernstein 342 8.7
Communist Dan Ross 14 0.4
Turnout 53
Rejected ballots 14
Reform gain from Together for Bury Swing
Close

Radcliffe East

More information Party, Candidate ...
Radcliffe East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Radcliffe First Carol Ann Birchmore 1,293 45.8
Reform Oscar David Kelly 799 28.3
Labour Sally McGill 325 11.5
Green Mark Alexander Carrigan 309 11.0
Conservative Azhar Ismaeel Mehboob 95 3.4
Turnout 35
Rejected ballots 3
Radcliffe First hold Swing
Close

Radcliffe North and Ainsworth

More information Party, Candidate ...
Radcliffe North & Ainsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Paul Davies 1,371 35.8
Radcliffe First Donald Berry 1,360 35.5
Labour Andrew McAnulty 424 11.1
Conservative Phil Smith 362 9.4
Green Lilly Beards 307 8.0
Communist Eddy Redmund 8 0.2
Turnout 42
Rejected ballots 7
Reform gain from Radcliffe First Swing
Close

Radcliffe West

More information Party, Candidate ...
Radcliffe West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Radcliffe First Judi Sheppard 1,058 37.2
Reform Glyn Stuart Marsden 888 31.2
Labour Josh Harcup 436 15.3
Green Reece Bowey 305 10.7
Conservative Keith Worthington 156 5.5
Turnout 35
Rejected ballots 9
Radcliffe First hold Swing
Close

Ramsbottom

More information Party, Candidate ...
Ramsbottom
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charlotte Louise Hunt 1,634 36.3
Reform Zach Jacob Campbell-Robinson 1,318 29.3
Conservative Ann Schofield 600 13.3
Green Alex Mays 507 11.3
Independent Jonathan Moss 323 7.2
Liberal Democrats Martyn Bristow 119 2.6
Turnout 50
Rejected ballots 8
Labour hold Swing
Close

Redvales

More information Party, Candidate ...
Redvales
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Workers Party Shabaz Imtiaz Shamim 1,029 29.5
Labour Nikki Frith 788 22.6
Reform Tony Davies 771 22.1
Green Usma Khan 445 12.8
Bury Independents Alice Sugden 232 6.6
Conservative Geoff Baron 224 6.4
Turnout 41
Rejected ballots 14
Workers Party gain from Labour Swing
Close

Sedgley

More information Party, Candidate ...
Sedgley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Richard Gold 1,139 33.1
Conservative Avi Schwartz 844 24.5
Reform Dacey Rose Prentice 796 23.1
Green Rachel Carys Webster 666 19.3
Turnout 40
Rejected ballots 14
Labour hold Swing
Close

St Mary's

More information Party, Candidate ...
St Marys
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Eamonn O’Brien 1,884 45.6
Reform Luke James Broadfoot 998 24.1
Green Max Wyatt Sampson 838 20.3
Conservative Ann Buckley 415 10.0
Turnout 48
Rejected ballots 23
Labour hold Swing
Close

Tottington

More information Party, Candidate ...
Tottington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Yvonne Susan Wright 1,566 40.8
Reform Liz Cronshaw 1,099 28.7
Conservative Andrew Paul Luxton 528 13.8
Labour Drew Keanu Bell 360 9.4
Green Chloe King 232 6.1
Together for Bury Greg Keeley 49 1.3
Turnout 50
Rejected ballots 0
Independent hold Swing
Close

Unsworth

More information Party, Candidate ...
Unsworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Reform Jerome Samuel Magnus Roith 1,340 34.1
Labour Katherine Thorpe 1,018 25.9
Bury Independents Steve Middleton 702 17.9
Conservative Samantha Davies 418 10.6
Green Max Blackwell Pickup 398 10.1
Workers Party Mehwish Nasir 43 1.1
Communist 11 0.3
Turnout 47
Rejected ballots 6
Reform gain from Labour Swing
Close

Notes

  1. [a]
    Originally elected as a Conservative, but defected to Reform in October 2025.
  2. [b]
    Originally elected as a Conservative, but subsequently left the party to sit as an Independent in June 2025. In December 2025, he co-founded a new party, Together for Bury.
  3. [c]
    Originally elected as Radcliffe First, but later defected to Reform.

References

Related Articles

Wikiwand AI