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7 May 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 out of 75 seats to Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council 38 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2026 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 75 members of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester will be elected.
| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| Labour | 64 | Labour | 62 | ||
| Ind. Network | 4 [a] | Ind. Network | 3 [a] | ||
| Reform | 0 | Reform | 2 | ||
| Conservative | 1 | Conservative | 1 | ||
| Independent | 6 [b] | Independent | 7 [b] | ||
Changes 2024–2026:
Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council was created in 1974. Labour have formed majority administrations for the entirety of its existence. [8] The Conservatives formed the principal opposition until 1982, when they were overtaken by the SDP–Liberal Alliance. [9] From 2003 to 2008 the Community Action Party were the second largest party, before being overtaken by the Conservatives. [10] More recently, independents and the Independent Network have served as the principal opposition to Labour. Two independent groups exist; the Community Independent Alliance (consisting of the Independent Network and two independents) and Independents Together (consisting of four councillors elected as independents). The 2024 election saw Labour remain on 64 seats, losing one seat to an independent but gaining one from the Conservatives. [11]
The 2023 election used a new set of ward boundaries. As such, this election will be for councillors elected with the second highest number of votes in each of the 57 three-member wards. [12] Labour will be defending 22 seats, independents will be defending 1, the Conservatives will be defending 1, and the Independent Network will be defending 1.
| 2026 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Labour | 41 | |||||||||
| Independent | 5 | |||||||||
| Ind. Network | 2 | |||||||||
| Reform | 1 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 1 | |||||||||
| Green | 0 | |||||||||
| Liberal Democrats | 0 | |||||||||
| Ward | Incumbent councillor | Party | Re-standing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abram | Eunice Smethurst | Labour | ||
| Ashton-in-Makerfield South | Jenny Bullen | Labour | ||
| Aspull, New Springs & Whelley | Ronald Conway | Labour | ||
| Astley | Paula Wakefield | Labour | ||
| Atherton North | Jamie Hodgkinson | Ind. Network | ||
| Atherton South & Lilford | Debra Wailes | Labour | ||
| Bryn with Ashton-in-Makerfield North | Sylvia Wilkinson | Independent | ||
| Douglas | Pat Draper | Independent | ||
| Golborne & Lowton West | Gena Merrett | Labour | ||
| Hindley | Jim Churton | Labour | ||
| Hindley Green | John Vickers | Labour | ||
| Ince | David Molyneux | Labour | ||
| Leigh Central & Higher Folds | Shelley Guest | Labour | ||
| Leigh South | Barbara Caren | Labour | ||
| Leigh West | Samantha Brown | Labour | ||
| Lowton East | Garry Lloyd | Labour | ||
| Orrell | Jim Nicholson | Labour | ||
| Pemberton | Paul Prescott | Labour | ||
| Shevington with Lower Ground & Moor | Michael Crosby | Labour | ||
| Standish with Langtree | Terry Mugan | Labour | ||
| Tydesley & Mosley Common | Jess Eastoe | Labour | ||
| Wigan Central | Lee Moffitt [c] | Reform | ||
| Wigan West | David Wood | Labour | ||
| Winstanley | Marie Morgan | Labour | ||
| Worsley Mesnes | Helen O'Neill | Labour | ||
