North West local elections 2023 results

All of the results are in for the 32 local authorities that held elections yesterday in the North West.

From the overnight counts, Bolton Council was the most interesting result, with Labour taking over as the party with the most seats. There is still no overall majority in the council.

The evening’s surprise result was in Oldham, where Oldham Council Leader Cllr Amanda Chadderton lost her seat. She is the third leader to be unseated in Oldham during an election, following the same path as Arooj Shah and Sean Fielding.

Chadderton came in fourth in her ward, Royton South. The highest number of votes in that ward went to independent candidate Maggie Hurley.

But it was not all bad news for former leaders of Oldham Council. Fielding, who lost his seat in 2021, had his own victory on Friday, claiming a seat in Bolton Council.

• READ MORE: A Northern perspective – what we know so far about the local elections
• READ MORE: Local races to watch, key themes, and more

You’ll find a summary of the North West local election results below. This story will be updated with results as they come in.

Cheshire

Cheshire East

Labour gained six seats in Cheshire East to the detriment of the Conservative Party, independents, and the Liberal Democrats which lost one, three, and two seats, respectively. There is no overall majority control in the council. The new council makeup is 33 Conservative, 31 Labour, 11 independent, five Residents ‘Association, and two Liberal Democrat.

Cheshire West and Chester

Labour gained an overall majority in Cheshire West & Chester, claiming four new seats. Conservatives lost five seats, while Liberal Democrats one. The Green Party and independents gained one each. The new council makeup is 39 Labour, 23 Conservative, five independent, two Green, and one Liberal Democrat.

Cumbria

Westmorland and Furness Council

Labour retained its Old Barrow and Hindpool ward seat, the subject of a by-election after the death of former Barrow Council Leader Ann Thomson in January. Dave Cassidy has taken over Thomson’s seat. Liberal Democrats are still in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 36 Liberal Democrat, 15 Labour, 11 Conservative, two independent, and one Green.

Greater Manchester

Bolton

Labour is now the party with the most seats at Bolton, growing the number of councillors by five. Among those elected include former Oldham Leader Sean Fielding, who claimed the Breightmet ward seat. Fielding, who works for BECG, is a contributor to Place North West’s Insight column, writing about politics.

The Conservatives lost seven seats in Bolton and UK Independence Party lost its only councillor in the borough. Independents gained three seats in Bolton, growing their numbers to 11. The votes were split between three groups, with Horwich & Blackrod First Independents taking the majority as it tripled its numbers at the council, going from two councillors to six. The other two groups, Farnworth & Kearsley First Party and One Kearsley took two and three seats, respectively.

The new council makeup is 26 Labour, 17 Conservative, 11 independents, and six Liberal Democrat.

Bury

Bury gained two seats at the cost of the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, who lost one seat each. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 31 Labour, 11 Conservative, and nine independent.

Manchester

Labour lost two seats in Manchester compared to the previous election. These seats were picked up by the Liberal Democrats and the Greens.

However, in reality, Labour lost three seats. This is because Greg Stanton, the councillor for Didsbury West, was elected as a Liberal Democrat but resigned from the party in 2020 and joined Labour. He did not run for re-election, and the Didsbury West seat has now been claimed by Liberal Democrat Richard Kilpatrick.

Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 88 Labour, four Liberal Democrat, and four Green.

Oldham

Oldham Council Leader Cllr Amanda Chadderton was the third leader in a row to lose her seat in an election, suffering the same fate as Arooj Shah in 2022 and Sean Fielding the year before. Still, Labour retained a slight overall majority – despite losing three seats. These were picked up by the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and independents. The new council makeup is 32 Labour, 11 Conservative, 10 Liberal Democrat, and seven independent.

Rochdale

Labour gained three seats in Rochdale, one from the Conservative Party and two from independents. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 46 Labour, nine Conservative, three Liberal Democrat, and two independents.

Salford City

There were no changes in Salford, with Labour retaining its 18 seats and the Conservatives keeping the three that it had up for election. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 49 Labour, eight Conservative, two Liberal Democrat, and one independent.

Stockport

Stockport continues to be a council with no overall majority. Conservatives lost all five seats they held in the borough. Liberal Democrats picked up one of these seats, as did the Greens. Independents claimed the remaining three. The new council makeup is 30 Liberal Democrat, 24 Labour, six independent, and three Green.

Tameside

Labour picked up three seats at Tameside at the expense of the Conservative Party, which lost two seats, and the Green Party, which lost its only councillor. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 51 Labour and six Conservative.

Trafford

The Green Party picked up two seats in Trafford, while the Conservatives lost two. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 41 Labour, 10 Conservative, six Green, and six Liberal Democrat.

Wigan

Labour gained five seats and independents gained one, all at the expense of the Conservative Party. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 64 Labour, nine independent, and two Conservative.

Lancashire

Blackburn with Darwen

Labour gained two seats, one from the Conservative Party and another from the Liberal Democrats during the election. The Conservatives held on to three seats. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 39 Labour and 12 Conservative.

Blackpool

Labour secured an overall majority in Blackpool after securing five seats at the expense of the Conservatives (down one) and independents (down four). The new council makeup is 28 Labour and 14 Conservative.

Burnley

Labour picked up two seats in the election, while the Conservative Party gained one councillor – the same result as the Greens. Liberal Democrats and UKIP both lost one seat, while the number of independents reduced by two. Labour is the party with the largest number of councillors, but there is no overall majority in Burnley. The new council makeup is 21 Labour, seven Conservative, seven Green, seven Liberal Democrat, and three independent.

Chorley

Labour gained five seats at the expense of the Conservative Party, which was only able to retain one of the council positions it had up for election. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 36 Labour and six Conservative.

Fylde

Conservatives maintained their majority in Fylde, despite losing one seat. Labour picked up two and Liberal Democrats claimed one, while the number of independents on the council was reduced by two. The new council makeup is 19 Conservative, 14 Independent, two Labour, and two Liberal Democrat.

Hyndburn

Conservatives picked up two seats at Hyndburn Council from Labour. Conservatives and Labour now have the same amount of councillors – 16. The new council makeup is 16 Labour, 16 Conservative, two Green, and one independent.

Lancaster City

It was a big night for the Green Party, which gained 10 seats in Lancaster City Council. Gains were also made by Liberal Democrats and Labour, which earned five and two additional seats, respectively. Conservatives lost seven seats, while independents lost 10. There continues to be no party majority in Lancaster City. The new council makeup is 24 Labour, 21 Green, seven Liberal Democrat, five Conservative, and four independent.

Pendle

Liberal Democrats picked up two seats in Pendle, while Labour gained one. All three of those posts were picked up from the Conservative Party. There is no overall majority at Pendle. The new council makeup is 14 Conservative, 11 Labour, seven Liberal Democrat, and one independent.

Preston

No parties made gains in Thursday’s election. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The council makeup continues to be 26 Labour, eight Conservative, and seven Liberal Democrat.

Ribble Valley

The Conservative Party lost its overall majority at Ribble Valley, losing 10 seats. Liberal Democrats also lost two seats, while Labour and Green picked up seven and two. Independents claimed three additional seats.

There is no overall majority at Ribble Valley. The new council makeup is 18 Conservative, eight Liberal Democrat, seven Labour, five independent, and two Green.

Rossendale

Labour gained three seats in the election, while the Conservatives lost an equal number. Independents also lost one seat while the Greens were successful in picking one up. The Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 22 Labour, nine Conservative, four independent, and one Green.

South Ribble

South Ribble went from having no overall majority to being red, with Labour claiming seven seats from the Conservatives during the election. The current council makeup is 29 Labour, 16 Conservative, and five Liberal Democrat.

West Lancashire

Labour gained an overall majority in West Lancashire, which previously had no overall majority. Labour picked up four seats at the expense of the Conservatives and independents, who both lost two seats. The new council makeup is 26 Labour, 15 Conservative, and one independent. There are three positions that are vacant, all in the ward of Rural South. This is due to the death of a candidate.

Wyre

Conservatives maintained control of Wyre Council, despite losing seven seats. UKIP also lost all three of the seats that it held. Labour gained seven and independents gained three. The new council makeup is 30 Conservative, 15 Labour, and three independent.

Liverpool City Region

Halton

Labour gained one seat during the election at the cost of the Conservative Party. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 49 Labour, three Liberal Democrat, and two Conservative.

Knowsley

The Green Party picked up two Labour seats in Knowsley. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 31 Labour, seven Green, four independent, and three Liberal Democrat.

Liverpool City

Labour lost nine seats, while the Green Party lost one in Thursday’s election. Liberal Democrats picked up six of the seats lost, while independents nabbed three. The remaining seat was won by the Liberal Party.

Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 61 Labour, 15 Liberal Democrat, three Green, three independent, and three Liberal Party.

Sefton

Labour gained three seats in the election, two from Independents and one from the Conservative Party. Labour remains in control of the council with an overall majority. The new council makeup is 51 Labour, eight Liberal Democrat, five Conservative, and two independent.

Wirral

The Green Party gained five votes and Labour gained two, all at the expense of the Conservative Party, which lost seven. There continues to be no overall majority party in Wirral. The new council makeup is 30 Labour, 17 Conservative, 13 Green, and six Liberal Democrat.