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Greater Manchester's council elections in 2026

Ian ShoesmithNorth West
News imageEPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock Small black and white dog strains on the lead outside a polling station, which has a large sign outside.EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
People - and maybe their dogs - will head to the polls on 7 May across Greater Manchester's 10 boroughs

People living in all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester will head to the polls later this year.

Council elections will take place on Thursday 7 May in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan.

One-third of the seats on each council will be up for grabs.

The 10 local authorities work closely with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which is chaired the region's mayor, Andy Burnham.

How do I register to vote?

The deadline to register to vote in May's council elections is Monday 20 April.

Applications for a postal vote or a postal-proxy vote have to be received by 17:00 BST on the following day.

The deadline to submit your application to vote by proxy is 17:00 on Tuesday 28 April.

You can follow the online link to register.

How can I cast my ballot?

If you want to vote in person, your local polling station will be open from 07:00 to 22:00.

As long as you are in the queue by 22:00 you will be able to exercise your democratic right.

You can find your local polling station here.

Will I need to take ID with me when going to vote?

If you want to vote in person, your local polling station will be open from 07:00 to 22:00.

As long as you are in the queue by 22:00 you will be able to exercise your democratic right.

You can find your local polling station here.

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