Are there any local elections in Greater Manchester this year?

May 1 will be a big polling day in many areas of England

Voters in Greater Manchester were busy last year, with elections for councillors, the mayor, and MPs all taking place.

And there are more elections on May 1 across England, where the same types of politicians will be decided.

However, Greater Manchester is set to miss out on most of the democratic action in 2025. Some 27 MPs were chosen last year, but none in the area have lost their seat since last July’s general election, meaning there won’t be a Parliamentary by-election.

The only MPs’ by-election in the country will take place in Cheshire, for the Runcorn and Helsby seat, previously held by Labour until MP Mike Amesbury resigned after pleading guilty to assault.

Meanwhile, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was re-elected last year on a four-year-long term. He is not due for another poll until May 2028.

Most local elections come in the form of council elections, with hundreds of seats up for grabs in Greater Manchester alone. But none of the city-region's 10 councils have elections scheduled this year.

Usually, council wards are represented by three councillors, elected on staggered terms. That means there is an election in three years out of every four, and the remaining year is called a ‘fallow year’, when no elections take place.

So, after a bumper democratic year in 2025, that’s why Greater Manchester has no full council elections scheduled in 2025.

But there is one contest going on at the start of May: A council by-election in Rochdale.

It was triggered after Coun Elsie Blundell resigned her Balderstone and Kirkholt seat as she was elected as a Labour MP in the general election last summer.

A statement from the authority confirmed: “The next by-election to elect a councillor for the Balderstone and Kirkholt ward will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2025. This seat has become vacant due to the resignation of Councillor Elsie Blundell.”

Seven candidates are in the running for Greater Manchester’s only election this May. They are:

• Leanne Greenwood (Labour)
• Billy Howarth (Independent)
• Chariss Laura Peacock (Liberal Democrats)
• Laura Pugh (Workers Party of Britain)
• Mudassar Razzaq (Conservative)
• Martyn David Savin (Green)
• Jordan Tarrant-Short (Reform)

Polls will be open in Balderstone and Kirkholt from 7am to 10pm on May 1.