Greater Manchester voters head to polls in mayoral election

Polling stations opened across Greater Manchester from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 2 May 2024 as voters in Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan chose the region’s next mayor. Residents could vote in person, by post or by proxy, and polling staff were reminding people to bring photo ID and check their poll card for the correct station.

The mayoral contest ran alongside local elections across the region, with a Salford City Mayor election held only in Salford. The Greater Manchester mayoralty carries unusual weight in English local government: the Institute for Government has said the office covers transport, housing, police and fire services, and has become one of the most powerful elected positions in England.

The 2024 contest was a by-election triggered after Andy Burnham returned to parliamentary politics and could no longer remain as mayor. Burnham stood for Labour and the Co-operative Party, with Laura Evans representing the Conservatives, Dan Barker for Reform UK, Jake Austin for the Liberal Democrats and Nick Buckley as an Independent. Greater Manchester uses the supplementary vote system, giving voters a first and second preference in the mayoral race.

The final count returned Burnham to office. Greater Manchester Elects recorded 420,749 valid votes for Burnham, far ahead of Nick Buckley on 50,304, Dan Barker on 49,532, Jake Austin on 28,195 and Laura Evans on 27,320. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority and local council result pages listed Burnham as elected on 2 May 2024, and BBC results coverage also identified him as Labour’s winner.

The scale of Burnham’s margin underlined the strength of the office as a regional political platform, with the mayoral race drawing far more support than the challengers combined. Rochdale Borough Council says the next scheduled Greater Manchester mayoral election is Thursday 30 July 2026, keeping the post on a four-year cycle that now stands as a fixture in the region’s political calendar.