Election Name: | 2024 Rochdale Council election |
Country: | Greater Manchester |
Type: | parliamentary |
Ongoing: | no |
Previous Election: | 2023 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council election |
Previous Year: | 2023 |
Next Election: | 2026 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council election |
Next Year: | 2026 |
Majority Seats: | 31 |
Election Date: | 2 May 2024 |
Party1: | Labour Party (UK) |
Last Election1: | 16 seats, 56.5% |
Seats Before1: | 46 |
Seats1: | 14 |
Seats After1: | 44 |
Seat Change1: | 2 |
Popular Vote1: | 22,717 |
Percentage1: | 42.1% |
Swing1: | 9.1% |
Leader2: | John Taylor |
Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
Last Election2: | 3 seats, 19.6% |
Seats Before2: | 9 |
Seats2: | 3 |
Seats After2: | 9 |
Popular Vote2: | 10,003 |
Percentage2: | 18.5% |
Swing2: | 3.6% |
Leader3: | Andy Kelly |
Party3: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
Last Election3: | 1 seat, 11.9% |
Seats Before3: | 3 |
Seats3: | 1 |
Seats After3: | 3 |
Popular Vote3: | 6,345 |
Percentage3: | 11.8% |
Swing3: | 0.3% |
Party4: | Workers Party of Britain |
Last Election4: | N/A |
Seats Before4: | 0 |
Seats4: | 2 |
Seats After4: | 2 |
Seat Change4: | 2 |
Popular Vote4: | 7,234 |
Percentage4: | 13.4% |
Swing4: | N/A |
Leader5: | Lee Wolf |
Party5: | Middleton Independents Party |
Last Election5: | 0 seats, 5.0% |
Seats Before5: | 2 |
Seats5: | 0 |
Seats After5: | 2 |
Popular Vote5: | 3,971 |
Percentage5: | 7.4% |
Swing5: | 0.8% |
Posttitle: | Leader after election |
Before Party: | Labour Party (UK) |
After Party: | Labour Party (UK) |
The 2024 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council elections took place on 2 May 2024 alongside the 2024 Greater Manchester mayoral election and other local elections across the United Kingdom. One third of seats (20) on Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council were contested.[1] The council remained under Labour majority control.
The council has had an overall Labour majority since 2011. In the previous election in 2023, Labour won 16 seats with 56.5% of the vote gaining three councillors, the Conservatives won three seats with 19.6% of the vote losing one councillor, the Liberal Democrats won 1 seat with 11.9% of the vote, and the Middleton Independents Party won no seats from 5% of the vote losing two councillors.[2]
On 19 February 2024, Farooq Ahmed, a Liberal Democrat candidate for Central Ward, was suspended by the party after being photographed campaigning with George Galloway in the 2024 Rochdale by-election.[3]
The council generally elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year.[4] [5] The election will be conducted using the first-past-the-post voting system, with each ward electing one councillor.
All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Rochdale 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.
Labour lost two seats to the Workers Party of Britain, but retained its overall majority on the council.[6]