Stockport will be a key battleground in the UK’s local elections as residents go to the polls with a third of the council seats up for grabs.
One seat in each of the local authority’s 21 wards will be contested through a first-past-the-post voting system this Thursday.
The council is currently run by a Liberal Democrat minority administration, after they won 30 seats in the full election in 2023, with a vote share of 38% – although councillor Aron Thornley resigned the Lib Dem whip soon after and now sits as an independent.
Labour is the second biggest party in Stockport, winning 24 seats from 32% of the vote in last year’s election.
The remaining nine seats were split evenly between the Green Party, Edgeley Community Association and independent candidates in 2023.
Despite receiving 16% of the vote, the Conservative Party did not win a single Stockport council seat.
Turnout in 2023 was 35%, three percentage points higher than the national average.
With 63 seats on the council, a party would need to have a total of 32 elected candidates to gain a majority and take overall control of Stockport.
So the Lib Dems could gain overall control if they gain three additional seats – or Labour could if they won an extra eight.
And of the 21 seats up for re-election, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats hold nine each.
The remaining three are split evenly between the Edgeley Community Association, an independent and the Green Party.
If you need any help when you go to the polling station on 2 May, just ask your polling station staff. Find out more about support on our website: https://t.co/b4Fn1ohQ4e #YourVoteMatters pic.twitter.com/lGrTIn5R2m
— Stockport Council (@StockportMBC) April 29, 2024
Many independent candidates in Stockport have been affiliated to the Heald Green and Long Lane Ratepayers’ Association.
This organisation was founded in 1927 and exists exclusively in the Heald Green ward of Stockport to watch over the interests of its residents.
Although they are not a formal political party, they have an unbroken tradition of electing their own Ratepayers’ councillors since 1929.
With a total of 21 seats up for election, Stockport is a key battleground in the local elections in the Northwest, as the major parties seek to take control of the local authority.
Polling stations will be open from 7am until 10pm on Thursday and residents are required to show an accepted form of photo identification to be able to cast their vote.
Feature image credit: Red Dot
