Manchester City Council 2023 local election results & analysis
This year, one council seat in each ward (except for one with two seats) was up for election at Manchester City Council. Here's a rundown of the results and what they could mean for the borough, both locally and in a potential GE.
Usually, council elections run on a four year cycle, with three councillors representing each ward. For three years out of the four, one councillor will run for re-election, with councillors’ terms lasting four years and staggered at one-year intervals. In the fourth year there is no election.
Labour’s dominance over the council chamber was reduced a little more this time, with three new opposition councillors elected. 2021 and 2022 saw the appointment of two new Green councillors and one Lib Dem, plus one defection to the Greens from Labour.
Now there are an additional two Lib Dem councillors, including the return of Cllr Richard Kilpatrick in Didsbury West after being voted out in 2021, and one more Green councillor in Woodhouse Park, making that ward entirely Green. This changes the make-up of the full council to 88 Labour, 4 Green and 4 Lib Dem. It’s still a huge majority for the Labour Party, but there are signs that Manchester’s not entirely content with the status quo.
Considering the overall numbers of voters for each party, we can see the flaws in the First Past The Post system. If the vote share was distributed evenly across all 33 seats in this election, there would have been 22 Labour, 5 Green, 4 Lib Dem and 2 Conservative councillors elected. But the actual result is 30 Labour, 1 Green and 2 Lib Dem.
The current voting regime favours Labour and disadvantages other parties – but the Greens and Conservatives are particularly worse off. The Lib Dems acquired two councillors with 12% of the total Manchester vote, but the Greens only got one councillor on a higher vote share of 14%. The Conservatives earned 7% of the overall vote, yet gained not a single councillor. Their highest polling in any single ward was 17% in Baguley, still massively overshadowed by the 68% Labour vote, but not insubstantial.
The reason is that Conservative and Green voters are more evenly spread across all wards (albeit with a higher proportion of Greens than Tories). Lib Dem voters are currently concentrated in a few wards where they’re able to constitute a high enough majority to narrowly beat second-placed Labour. Labour, however, has very large majorities in at least half of the wards, shown in the characteristic ‘Pacman’-shaped slice of the pie chart (see below).
Much has been made of the performance of the Green and Labour parties in this election, and what it means for parliamentary seats in a general election. Labour’s vote remains high in Manchester, so no change there. Manchester Central, Blackley & Broughton, Gorton, Withington, and Wythenshawe & Sale East (the parliamentary seats that overlap with Manchester City Council’s domain) are all predicted to remain under Labour control in the next GE.
The Green Party did very well all over England, increasing their total number of ward representatives to 547 councillors on 167 councils. There are hopes that the party could gain an additional MP, with Bristol West and Waveney Valley in their sights, but it’s unlikely that they will harm Labour’s chances in any of the Manchester constituencies.
But no matter the performance of any political party, the largest voter bloc was those who didn’t vote at all. With turnout figures in the 20-40% range, your vote really could count — as long as you use it.
Results by ward
All wards except Ardwick were electing one councillor, with the other two ward councillors having time still to run on their term in office. Ardwick had two seats contested, due to the retirement of Cllr Bernard Priest in March this year, before the end of his elected term.
Candidate names highlighted in bold denote winners, sitting councillors have an asterisk (*) next to their name.
Ancoats & Beswick
Lib Dem GAIN
Turnout 25.8%
- Sarah Ajiboye – Conservative – 94
- Jacob Sebastian Buffett – Green – 250
- Peter Clifford – Independent – 9
- Mohammed Majid Dar * – Labour – 1208
- Chris Joanne Northwood – Liberal Democrats – 1543
Ardwick
Labour HOLD
Turnout 23%
- Amna Saad Omar Abdullatif * – Labour – 2033
- Abigail Bowden – Liberal Democrats – 215
- Norman Lewis – Liberal Democrats – 184
- George Joshua Morris – Green – 342
- Abdigafar Mohamed Muse – Labour – 1705
- Princetta Monica Nicol – Conservative – 247
- Haider Ali Raja – Conservative – 133
- Niall Wright – Green – 272
Baguley
Labour HOLD
Turnout 19.4%
- Luke Berry – Conservative – 377
- Phil Brickwell – Labour & Co-operative – 1509
- Phil Manktelow – Liberal Democrats – 106
- Jake Welsh – Green – 214
Brooklands
Labour HOLD
Turnout 24.5%
- Grace Buczkowska – Green – 274
- Dylan Anthony Evans – Reform UK – 168
- Glynn Evans – Labour * – 1777
- Stephen James McHugh – Conservative – 324
- Mark Saunders – Liberal Democrats – 133
Burnage
Labour HOLD
Turnout 27.7%
- Azra Gulshan Ali * – Labour – 2376
- John Cameron – Liberal Democrats – 497
- Md Shahed Hossain – Conservative – 199
- Dick Venes – Green – 506
Charlestown
Labour HOLD
Turnout 20.5%
- Basil Curley * – Labour – 1769
- Paul Dominick Hodges – Green – 332
- Arbab Muhammad Khan – Conservative – 278
- Mohamed Belal Sabbagh – Liberal Democrats – 71
Cheetham
Labour HOLD
Turnout 24.5%
- Iftikhar Butt Ahmed – Conservative – 291
- Shazia Butt * – Labour – 2605
- Ben Dundas – Green – 202
- Roderick George Donald Morrison – Liberal Democrats – 128
Chorlton
Labour HOLD
Turnout 42%
- Mathew Henry Benham * – Labour – 2901
- Keith Berry – Conservative – 180
- Rhona Brown – Liberal Democrats – 308
- Michael Theo Elston – Independent – 77
- Anne Vivienne Power – Green – 850
Chorlton Park
Labour HOLD
Turnout 35.6%
- Amaan Hashmi – Liberal Democrats – 434
- Dave Rawson * – Labour – 3065
- Andrew Tang – Conservative – 228
- Richard Miles Stubbs Walton – Green – 810
Clayton & Openshaw
Labour HOLD
Turnout 20.4%
- Sean Michael McHale * – Labour – 2008
- Billie Nagle – Green – 198
- Ramzi Swaray-Kella – Conservative – 204
- Maria Theresa Turner – Liberal Democrats – 202
Crumpsall
Labour HOLD
Turnout 25.6%
- Richard Mark Clayton – Liberal Democrats – 163
- Samantha Days – Women’s Equality Party – 96
- Alison Jane Hawdale – Green – 170
- Fatima Arabab Khan – Conservative – 316
- Fiaz Riasat * – Labour – 2220
Deansgate
Labour HOLD
Turnout 21.2%
- Joe Lynch – Liberal Democrats – 253
- Anthony John McCaul – Labour – 1050
- Chris Perriam – Green – 370
- Paul Wan – Conservative – 163
Didsbury East
Labour HOLD
Turnout 42.4%
- Bryn Coombe – Liberal Democrats – 1560
- Anne Elizabeth Guy – Green – 484
- Anjenarra Huque – Conservative – 160
- Paula Jane Matsikidze – Independent – 48
- James Martin Wilson * – Labour & Co-operative – 2450
Didsbury West
Lib Dem GAIN
Turnout 42.9%
- Wendy Madeleine Andrew – Social Democratic Party – 26
- Leslie Bell – Labour – 2047
- Martin Cartwright – Conservative – 153
- Richard Kilpatrick – Liberal Democrats – 2260
- James Young – Green – 592
Fallowfield
Labour HOLD
Turnout 18.4%
- Jade Mary Doswell * – Labour – 1290
- Sabreena Zareen Hossain – Conservative – 134
- Charlie Horatio O’Brien – Green – 216
- Lynne Williams – Liberal Democrats – 108
Gorton & Abbey Hey
Labour HOLD
Turnout 22.1%
- Mokammel Alam – Conservative – 228
- Afia Begum Kamal * – Labour – 1906
- Jackie Pearcey – Liberal Democrats – 531
- Natasha Turner Green – 274
Harpurhey
Labour HOLD
Turnout 18.8%
- Gareth Joseph Brown – Conservative – 307
- Sam Cook – Green – 216
- Celia Craske – Liberal Democrats – 140
- Patrick Charles Karney * – Labour – 1715
Higher Blackley
Labour HOLD
Turnout 20.4%
- Colin Gregory Jones – Conservative – 250
- Peter George Matthews – Liberal Democrats – 156
- Vicky Matthews – Green – 152
- Martin Power – Independent – 212
- Paula Mary Sadler * – Labour – 1498
Hulme
Labour HOLD
Turnout 22%
- Chris Ogden – Green – 501
- Bernadette Ryan – Liberal Democrats – 117
- Samuel Stephenson – Conservative – 158
- Annette Patricia Wright * – Labour – 1866
Levenshulme
Labour HOLD
Turnout 30.1%
- Patience Assam – Conservative – 108
- John Richard Bridges – Liberal Democrats – 265
- Amanda Gardner – Green – 762
- Alim Haider – Northern Heart Manchester – 34
- Jeremy Edward Hoad – Independent – 484
- Basat Mahmood Sheikh * – Labour – 2425
Longsight
Labour HOLD
Turnout 24.2%
- Kobe Ryan Bibbon – Liberal Democrats – 148
- Shahana Choudhury – Conservative – 259
- Bernard Joseph Ekbery – Green – 135
- Suzanne Elizabeth Richards * – Labour – 2663
Miles Platting & Newton Heath
Labour HOLD
Turnout 19.4%
- Derek Lee Brocklehurst – Conservative – 247
- John Flanagan * – Labour – 1872
- Jonathan Mbay Kazemb – Green – 238
- Charles William Turner – Liberal Democrats – 168
Moss Side
Labour HOLD
Turnout 24%
- Thirza Amina Asanga-Rae – Green – 707
- Michael Anthony Ciotkowski – Conservative – 179
- Robin Francis Grayson – Liberal Democrats – 128
- Mahadi Hussein Sharif Mahamed * – Labour – 2300
Moston
Labour HOLD
Turnout 22.3%
- Popoola Stephen Alabi – Conservative – 484
- Elizabeth Jennifer Bain – Liberal Democrats – 228
- Yasmine Dar * – Labour – 1859
- Diane Lilian Kosandiak – Green – 305
Northenden
Labour HOLD
Turnout 23%
- Sir Oink-A-Lot – The Official Monster Raving Loony Party – 57
- Sylvia June Buchan – Green – 389
- Richard William Alston Fletcher – Labour – 1591
- Jamie Hoyle – Conservative – 310
- Chris Rogers – Liberal Democrats – 158
Old Moat
Labour HOLD
Turnout 25.8%
- Laura Bannister – Green – 436
- Garry Paul Bridges * – Labour – 2096
- Jon Martin – Liberal Democrats – 192
- Ugo Nzeribe – Conservative – 109
Piccadilly
Labour HOLD
Turnout 22.4%
- Luke Robert Allan – Liberal Democrats – 127
- Malik Haris – Conservative – 100
- Scott Andrew Robinson – Green – 725
- Samuel Kaine Wheeler * – Labour – 958
- Jeffrey Wong – Reform UK – 45
Rusholme
Labour HOLD
Turnout 25.4%
- Ahmed Ali * – Labour – 2371
- Jason Peter McLeod – Conservative – 204
- Dennis Pirdzuns – Green – 249
- Greg Sammons – Liberal Democrats – 135
Sharston
Labour HOLD
Turnout 19.7%
- Brian Arthur Candeland – Green – 198
- Daniel Christopher Johnson – Conservative – 349
- Ellin Saunders – Liberal Democrats – 123
- Tim Whiston * – Labour – 1581
Whalley Range
Labour HOLD
Turnout 30.4%
- Seb Bate – Liberal Democrats – 132
- Laura Lee Ann Potter – Green – 765
- Angeliki Stogia * – Labour – 2379
- Praveen Tomar – Conservative – 173
Withington
Labour HOLD
Turnout 29.8%
- Becky Chambers* – Labour – 1673
- Sam Easterby-Smith – Green – 388
- April Preston – Liberal Democrats – 909
- Benjamin Harvey Spencer – Conservative – 108
Woodhouse Park
Green GAIN
Turnout 22.4%
- Anna Hablak – Liberal Democrats – 34
- Eric Houghton – Conservatives – 137
- Dave Marsh – Labour – 1106
- Anastasia Cynthia Wiest – Green – 1252
Feature Image: secretlondon123, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons