2024 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2024 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2024. The election took place alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom. The council remained under no overall control and continued to be run by a Labour minority administration.

2024 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election

← 2023 2 May 2024 2026 →

20 out of 60 seats to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
31 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
  Blank Blank Blank
Leader Nick Peel Martyn Cox Roger Hayes
Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats
Last election 26 seats, 40.4% 17 seats, 32.7% 6 seat, 9.8%
Seats before 27 15 7
Seats won 9 3 2
Seats after 26 15 6
Seat change Decrease 1 Steady Decrease 1
Popular vote 24,475 14,124 5,388
Percentage 33.7% 19.5% 7.4%
Swing Decrease 6.7% Decrease 13.2% Decrease 2.4%

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
  Blank Blank Blank
Leader David Grant Paul Sanders
Party Horwich and Blackrod First Farnworth and Kearsley First Green
Last election 6 seats, 4.8% 2 seats, 1.6% 0 seats, 1.8%
Seats before 6[a] 3 0
Seats won 3 2 1
Seats after 6 5 1
Seat change Steady Increase 2 Increase 1
Popular vote 5,370 2,900 6,493
Percentage 7.4% 4.0% 8.9%
Swing Increase 2.6% Increase 2.4% Increase 7.1%

  Seventh party
  Blank
Party Independent
Last election 0 seats, 0.9%
Seats before 2
Seats won 1
Seats after 1
Seat change Decrease1
Popular vote 3,964
Percentage 5.5%
Swing Increase 4.6%

Winner of each seat at the 2024 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election

Leader before election

Nick Peel
Labour Party
No overall control

Leader after election

Nick Peel
Labour Party
No overall control

Background

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Result of the most recent council election in 2023

In December 2022, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England made The Bolton (Electoral Changes) Order 2022, which officially abolished all 20 existing wards and established 20 new wards with new boundaries. All 60 wards were contested at the 2023 elections. The elected councillor who received the least number of votes in each ward at the previous election will have their seat up in this election.[1]

Electoral process

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The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year.[2][3] The election will take place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards being represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Bolton aged 18 or over will be entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations will take place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters will be able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election.

Previous council composition

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After 2023 election Before 2024 election After 2024 election
Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats
Labour 26 Labour 27 Labour 26
Conservative 17 Conservative 15 Conservative 15
Liberal Democrats 6 Liberal Democrats 7 Liberal Democrats 6
Horwich and Blackrod First 6 Horwich and Blackrod First 6[a] Horwich and Blackrod First 6
Farnworth and Kearsley First 2 Farnworth and Kearsley First 3 Farnworth and Kearsley First 5
Green 0 Green 0 Green 1
Independent 0 Independent 2 Independent 1
One Kearsley 3 One Kearsley 0 One Kearsley 0

Changes 2023–2024:

  • 4 May 2023: Derek Bullock (Conservative) was re-elected at the 2023 elections as a Conservative after being selected by the local Conservative Association, but has sat as an independent after being expelled by the national Conservative Party in April 2023 due to racist comments.[4]
  • 2 October 2023: Paul Heslop (One Kearsley) resigns; by-election scheduled for 16 November 2023.[5]
  • 2 October 2023: Bernadette Eckersley-Fallon (Conservative) resigns; by-election scheduled for 16 November 2023.[6]
  • 3 October 2023: Debbie Newall and Melanie Livsey (One Kearsley) join the Labour Party, marking the dissolution of their former party.[7]
  • 16 November 2023: Tracey Wilkinson wins Kearsley by-election; Farnworth and Kearsley First gain seat from One Kearsley.[8]
  • 16 November 2023: Deirdre McGeown wins Westhoughton North and Hunger Hill by-election; Liberal Democrats gain seat from the Conservatives.[9]
  • 14 March 2024: Craig Rotheram (Horwich and Blackrod First) resigns; by-election scheduled for 2 May 2024.[10]
  • April 2024: Amjid (Jack) Khan (Rumworth) expelled from Labour for seeking to stand as an MP for other parties.[11]

Summary

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Following the election the council remained under no overall control.[12] Labour made a net loss of one seat from their pre-election position, but remained the largest party and continued to form a minority administration after the election.[13]

Election result

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2024 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election
Party This election Full council This election
Seats Net Seats % Other Total Total % Votes Votes % +/−
  Labour 9   1 42.9 17 26 44.1 24,475 33.7 –6.7
  Conservative 3   14.3 12 15 25.4 14,124 19.5 –13.2
  Liberal Democrats 2   1 9.5 4 6 10.2 5,388 7.4 –2.4
  Horwich and Blackrod First 3   14.3 3 6 10.2 5,370 7.4 +2.6
  Farnworth and Kearsley First 2   2 9.5 2 4 6.8 2,900 4.0 +2.4
  Green 1   1 4.8 0 1 1.7 6,493 8.9 +7.1
  Independent 1   1 4.8 0 1 1.7 3,964 5.5 +4.6
  Reform UK & Bolton For Change 0   0.0 0 0 0.0 8,020 11.0 +6.1
  Workers Party 0   0.0 0 0 0.0 1,388 1.9 N/A
  Westhoughton First 0   0.0 0 0 0.0 385 0.5 +0.1
  UKIP 0   0.0 0 0 0.0 98 0.1 N/A

Ward results

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The results for each ward were as follows, with sitting councillors standing for re-election marked with an asterisk.[14]

Astley Bridge

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Astley Bridge
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Toby Hewitt 1,560 38.0 –6.5
Labour Co-op Kate Taylor* 1,559 38.0 +2.7
Green Mark Devereux 555 13.5 +4.4
Reform UK & BFC Mike Armstrong 433 10.5 +5.0
Majority 1 0.0 N/A
Turnout 4,107
Conservative gain from Labour Co-op Swing  4.6

Bradshaw

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Bradshaw
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Jackie Schofield 1,436 40.3 +5.4
Conservative Ciaran Tully 1,388 39.0 –8.2
Reform UK & BFC Sandra Harris 433 12.2 +4.1
Green Matthew Miller 177 5.0 N/A
Liberal Democrats Becky Forrest 125 3.5 –6.4
Majority 48 1.3 N/A
Turnout 3,559
Labour Co-op gain from Conservative Swing  6.8

Breightmet

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Breightmet
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Robert Morrisey* 1,293 42.4 +1.1
Conservative Becky Campbell 1,130 37.1 –5.3
Reform UK & BFC Georgia Lloyd 425 13.9 +2.1
Green Wendy Shepherd 139 4.6 N/A
Liberal Democrats Derek Gradwell 60 2.0 –2.6
Majority 163 5.3 N/A
Turnout 3,047
Labour Co-op hold Swing  3.2

Bromley Cross

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Bromley Cross
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nadim Muslim* 1,763 46.3 –1.6
Labour Ian Brown 1,359 35.7 +5.5
Reform UK & BFC Amy Hare 368 9.7 +1.2
Green Lee Harrison 204 5.4 –3.2
Liberal Democrats Peter Priest 113 3.0 –1.8
Majority 404 10.6
Turnout 3,807
Conservative hold Swing  3.6

Farnworth North

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Farnworth North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Susan Haworth* 908 32.8 –19.4
Farnworth and Kearsley First Mark Bailey 700 25.3 N/A
Conservative Mazhar Iqbal 520 18.8 +0.3
Reform UK & BFC Dylan Evans 298 10.8 –6.2
Green Philip Kochitty 273 9.9 +2.0
Liberal Democrats Jennifer Tonge 71 2.6 –1.7
Majority 208 7.5 N/A
Turnout 2,770
Labour hold

Farnworth South

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Farnworth South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Farnworth and Kearsley First Paula Connor-Bennett 975 43.1 +0.4
Labour Champak Mistry* 752 33.2 +0.7
Reform UK & BFC Julie Pattison 292 12.9 –0.8
Conservative Carol Forshaw 105 4.6 –1.6
Green Jordan Greenhalgh 105 4.6 N/A
Liberal Democrats Andrew Tonge 35 1.5 –3.4
Majority 223 9.9 N/A
Turnout 2,264
Farnworth and Kearsley First gain from Labour Swing  0.2

Great Lever

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Great Lever
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Karen Hon* 1,521 48.4 –4.5
Green Mahboob Alom 1,009 32.1 +26.0
Reform UK & BFC Tracey Earp 355 11.3 +7.6
Conservative Kalim Muslim 259 8.2 –26.5
Majority 512 16.3 N/A
Turnout 3,144
Labour hold Swing  15.3

Halliwell

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Halliwell
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Hanif Alli 1,523 45.1 +41.3
Labour Co-op Kevin Morris* 1,273 37.7 –9.0
Reform UK & BFC Norman Cryer 268 7.9 +3.0
Liberal Democrats Caroline Turner-Preece 178 5.3 +1.9
Conservative Kubbar Alom 132 3.9 –37.3
Majority 250 7.4 N/A
Turnout 3,374
Green gain from Labour Co-op Swing  25.2

Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor

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Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andy Morgan* 1,975 44.2 –2.1
Labour Co-op Bill Lovat 1,130 25.3 –0.7
Independent Gordon Campbell 497 11.1 –3.9
Green Jennifer Entwistle 358 8.0 N/A
Reform UK & BFC Graham McGreavy 319 7.1 +1.0
Liberal Democrats Paul Martin 192 4.3 –2.3
Majority 845 18.9 N/A
Turnout 4,471
Conservative hold Swing  0.7

Horwich North

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Horwich North (2 seats due to by-election)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Horwich and Blackrod First Victoria Rigby* 2,028 52.8 +11.4
Horwich and Blackrod First Charlotte Sears 1,835 47.8 +6.4
Labour Kevin McKeon 1,401 36.5 +4.7
Labour George Butler 1,117 29.1 –2.7
Conservative Michael Baines 385 10.0 –3.6
Conservative Hannah Wright 319 8.3 –5.3
Green Glenys Johnson 150 3.9 –1.3
Reform UK & BFC Taylor Jones 140 3.6 +0.2
Reform UK & BFC Stephen Tonge 128 3.3 –0.1
Liberal Democrats Matt Turner-Allen 126 3.3 –1.3
Liberal Democrats Scott Turner-Preece 48 1.3 –3.3
Turnout
Horwich and Blackrod First hold
Horwich and Blackrod First hold

Horwich South & Blackrod

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Horwich South & Blackrod
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Horwich and Blackrod First Samantha Williamson* 1,507 48.4 +5.0
Labour Michael Jarvis 878 28.2 +5.7
Conservative Paul Norris 404 13.0 –9.0
Reform UK & BFC Eddie Carr 138 4.4 +1.1
Green Helen Alker 109 3.5 –2.5
Liberal Democrats Liz Turner-Allen 77 2.5 –0.2
Majority 629 20.2 N/A
Turnout 3,113
Horwich and Blackrod First hold Swing  0.4

Hulton

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Hulton
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fazeelah Khan 1,213 29.9 –9.1
Conservative Shafi Patel 824 20.3 –17.8
Independent Derek Bullock* 786 19.4 N/A
Workers Party Sajid Pathan 546 13.4 N/A
Reform UK & BFC Rob Lowe 354 8.7 +0.6
Green Pete Hopkinson 231 5.7 –4.2
Liberal Democrats Linda Maher 108 2.7 –2.3
Majority 389 9.6 N/A
Turnout 4,062
Labour gain from Independent Swing  4.4

Kearsley

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Kearsley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Farnworth and Kearsley First Sylvia Crossley 1,225 49.9 +6.3
Labour Melanie Livesey* 853 34.8 +8.7
Reform UK & BFC Dale Gregory 149 6.1 –5.3
Conservative Glenys Ratcliffe 142 5.8 –11.3
Green Nadeem Jojo 52 2.1 N/A
Liberal Democrats Charles Cooper 32 1.3 –0.5
Majority 372 15.1 N/A
Turnout 2,453
Farnworth and Kearsley First gain from Labour Swing  1.2

Little Lever & Darcy Lever

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Little Lever & Darcy Lever
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Liam Barnard* 1,201 37.7 +9.6
Conservative Fred Khan 861 27.1 –8.3
Independent Sean Hornby 615 19.3 –0.1
Reform UK & BFC Brett Varnam 393 12.4 –1.4
Liberal Democrats Susan Martin 112 3.5 +0.2
Majority 340 10.6 N/A
Turnout 3,182
Labour hold Swing  9.0

Queens Park & Central

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Queens Park & Central
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Linda Thomas* 1,256 43.7 –23.0
Workers Party Omar Shafiq 842 29.3 N/A
Reform UK & BFC Sandra Harvey 221 7.7 –1.0
Green Martin McLoughlin 220 7.6 N/A
Conservative Shahjahan Shah 168 5.8 –8.3
Liberal Democrats Rebekah Fairhurst 94 3.3 –3.2
Independent Don Abraham Halliwell 76 2.6 N/A
Majority 414 14.4 N/A
Turnout 2,877
Labour Co-op hold

Rumworth

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Rumworth
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Ayyub Patel 1,990 48.3 N/A
Labour Hanif Adia 1,244 30.2 –18.2
Green Alan Johnson 550 13.3 +6.0
Conservative Marcellus Mbah 153 3.7 –35.5
Reform UK & BFC Colin Speakman 139 3.4 +0.2
Liberal Democrats Gillian Wroe 48 1.2 –0.7
Majority 746 18.1 N/A
Turnout 4,124
Independent hold

Smithills

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Smithills
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Garry Veevers* 1,690 45.9 –4.9
Labour Sorie Sesay 859 23.3 –0.8
Green Vicki Attenborough 448 12.2 +4.7
Reform UK & BFC Helen Shaw 365 9.9 +4.6
Conservative Raymond Ndokwo 319 8.7 –3.7
Majority 831 22.6 N/A
Turnout 3,681
Liberal Democrats hold Swing  2.6

Tonge with the Haulgh

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Tonge with the Haulgh
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Co-op Emily Mort* 1,300 44.8 –3.7
Reform UK & BFC Trevor Jones 827 28.5 +11.7
Conservative Emma Meen 465 16.0 –8.7
Green Alexander McAllister 200 6.9 N/A
Liberal Democrats Frank Harasiwka 113 3.9 –2.3
Majority 473 16.3 N/A
Turnout 2,905
Labour Co-op hold Swing  7.7

Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill

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Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Deirdre McGeown* 1,137 33.8 +3.6
Conservative Colin Higson 842 25.1 –4.4
Labour Karen Millington 776 23.1 +2.9
Reform UK & BFC Jennifer Armstrong 314 9.3 +4.2
Westhoughton First Jill Reynolds 189 5.6 –4.8
Green Charlie Barrett 102 3.0 –1.6
Majority 295 8.7 N/A
Turnout 3,360
Liberal Democrats hold Swing  4.0

Westhoughton South

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Westhoughton South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John McHugh 1,146 35.2 +2.2
Liberal Democrats Neil Maher* 1,029 31.6 –0.8
Conservative Cathryn Norris 410 12.6 –5.5
Reform UK & BFC Dave Price 292 9.0 +2.4
Westhoughton First Jack Speight 196 6.0 –3.9
UKIP Richard Bates 98 3.0 N/A
Green Heather Rylance 88 2.7 N/A
Majority 117 3.6 N/A
Turnout 3,259
Labour gain from Liberal Democrats Swing  1.5

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Including one vacant seat at Horwich North last held by the party.

References

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  1. ^ "The Bolton (Electoral Changes) Order 2022". legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Local government structure and elections". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  3. ^ "Election Timetable in England" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Councillor expelled over alleged 'racist Facebook post' after Arena bombing". The Bolton News. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Party leader and founder announces surprise resignation". The Bolton News. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Second Bolton councillor resigns in the space of a day". The Bolton News. 2 October 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  7. ^ "Hyperlocal councillors quit party to join Labour amid turbulent week at Council". The Bolton News. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Return for two familiar faces in Bolton Council by-elections". The Bolton News. 17 November 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  9. ^ Gee, Chris (17 November 2023). "Bolton by elections see Lib Dems and Farnworth and Kearsley First gain a seat". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  10. ^ Gee, Chris (14 March 2024). "Councillor, 57, quits after early-onset Alzheimer's diagnosis". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  11. ^ Nadeem, Alima (12 April 2024). "Cllr Jack Khan to step down over Labour Party's 'Gaza stance'". Bolton News. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  12. ^ Harrigan, Joe (3 May 2024). "Bolton Council local elections 2024 results in full". Bolton News. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  13. ^ Gee, Chris (23 May 2024). "Labour to continue running Bolton council". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  14. ^ Council, Bolton (3 May 2024). "Local election results 2024". Bolton Council. Retrieved 3 May 2024.