# Politics in Manchester

The City of Manchester forms part of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, which had its county council abolished (along with the other metropolitan counties) in 1986. Manchester consists of several districts, but these districts do not represent a tier of government (though the names are used as political wards).

## Political history

Manchester has long been associated with radical politics, including the Peterloo Massacre in 1819; the formation of the Anti-Corn Law League in 1839, as well as being the birthplace to some of the most influential works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels.
Manchester currently sits on the left of the political spectrum, as shown by the make up of its City Council. The north of the city is considered a Labour stronghold , while the southern suburbs tend to be more hospitable to other parties. The last Conservative MP lost his seat in 1987.

## Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council is the local authority for the metropolitan borough of Manchester. The borough is divided into 32 wards, which elect a total of 96 councillors, three for each ward. Currently, the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Richard Leese. The opposition is formed by the Liberal Democrats and led by former Manchester MP John Leech.
| Party | Party | Seats |
| Party | Party | 4 January 2025 |
| | Labour | 87 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 4 |
| | Green | 3 |
| | Workers Party | 1 |
| | Independent | 1 |

### Districts in the City of Manchester

* Ancoats
* Ardwick
* Baguley
* Benchill
* Beswick
* Blackley
* Bradford
* Burnage
* Brooklands
* Cheetham
* Chorlton-cum-Hardy
* Clayton
* Crumpsall
* Didsbury
* Fallowfield
* Gaythorn
* Gorton
* Harpurhey
* Hulme
* Levenshulme
* Longsight
* Miles Platting
* Moss Side
* Moston
* Newton Heath
* Northenden
* Openshaw
* Rusholme
* Sharston
* Whalley Range
* Withington
* Woodhouse Park
* Wythenshawe

### Parishes

There is only one civil parish in the metropolitan borough, Ringway, which was added in 1974. The entire area of the pre-1974 county borough is an unparished area.

### North West Regional Assembly

Whilst not a directly elected body, the North West Regional Assembly was responsible for promoting the economic, environmental, and social well-being of the North West England region. It was made up of representatives from councils across the region, business organizations, public sector agencies, education and training bodies, trade unions and co-operatives and the voluntary and community sector. Regional assemblies were abolished in 2010.

## UK Parliament

There are five UK Parliamentary constituencies that cover the City of Manchester, each of which elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons in London. These constituencies and their current MPs are:
* Manchester Central – Lucy Powell MP (Labour)
* Blackley and Middleton South (also covers part of Rochdale) – Graham Stringer MP (Labour)
* Manchester Rusholme– Afzal Khan MP (Labour)
* Manchester Withington – Jeff Smith MP (Labour)
* Wythenshawe and Sale East (also covers part of Trafford) – Mike Kane MP (Labour)

## European Parliament

North West England, as a single EU constituency, elected 8 representatives to the European Parliament. At the time of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) for the North West were:
| Constituency | Member of the European Parliament | National political party | European political party | European Parliament group | Year first elected | Website | Parliamentary profile |
| North West England | Jane Brophy | Liberal Democrats | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party | Renew Europe | 2019 | Website | Profile |
| North West England | David Bull | Brexit Party | None | Non-Inscrits | 2019 | Website | Profile |
| North West England | Chris Davies | Liberal Democrats | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party | Renew Europe | 1999 | | Profile |
| North West England | Gina Dowding | Green Party of England and Wales | European Green Party | The Greens - European Free Alliance | 2019 | | Profile |
| North West England | Claire Fox | Brexit Party | None | Non-Inscrits | 2019 | | Profile |
| North West England | Theresa Griffin | Labour Party | Party of European Socialists | Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats | 2014 | Website | Profile |
| North West England | Henrik Overgaard-Nielsen | Brexit Party | None | Non-Inscrits | 2019 | | Profile |
| North West England | Julie Ward | Labour Party | Party of European Socialists | Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats | 2014 | Website | Profile |

### Notes

* ^ 1: Defeated in 2014, re-elected in 2019.

## Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county which surrounds the City of Manchester. Including the City of Manchester, Greater Manchester is made up of ten metropolitan boroughs, with each borough having its own council. The ten boroughs are shown in the following map.
| Number | Borough | Number | Borough |
| 1 | City of Manchester | 6 | Metropolitan Borough of Bury |
| 2 | Metropolitan Borough of Stockport | 7 | Metropolitan Borough of Bolton |
| 3 | Metropolitan Borough of Tameside | 8 | Metropolitan Borough of Wigan |
| 4 | Metropolitan Borough of Oldham | 9 | City of Salford |
| 5 | Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale | 10 | Metropolitan Borough of Trafford |
The larger towns in the Greater Manchester county include Altrincham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bolton, Bury, Cheadle, Droylsden, Hyde, Middleton, Oldham, Rochdale, Sale, Stalybridge, Stockport, Stretford and Wigan.
Since 2017, there has been an elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, who sits on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and has power over areas including planning, housing, transport, policing, waste management and skills.
List of Mayors
Mayors of Greater Manchester :
| Name | Name | Portrait | Term of office | Term of office | Elected | Political party | Previous and concurrent occupations |
| | Tony Lloyd Interim Mayor | | 29 May 2015 | 8 May 2017 | — | Labour | MP for Stretford (1983–1997) MP for Manchester Central (1997–2012) Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner (2012–2017) |
| | Andy Burnham | | 8 May 2017 | Incumbent | 2017 2021 2024 | Labour and Co-operative | MP for Leigh (2001–2017) Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2007–2008) Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2008–2009) Secretary of State for Health (2009–2010) |

### County-wide functions

Greater Manchester County Council was the top-tier local government body from 1974 to its abolition in 1986. The county still arranges some amenities and services on a county-wide basis. Greater Manchester Police and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service offer law enforcement and fire protection, while public transport is the responsibility of Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). These are overseen by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, established in 2011.

## Law enforcement

The City of Manchester is policed by the Greater Manchester Police, who have their headquarters at Chester House in Trafford. The main police station in central Manchester is at Bootle Street, near to Albert Square. There are other stations in Salford, Hulme, Collyhurst, Withington, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, and Longsight. Manchester's railways are policed by the nationwide British Transport Police.
Manchester had its own police force until 1974, when its force and the lower divisions of Lancashire Constabulary merged to form the Greater Manchester Police. Each of the ten metropolitan boroughs of Greater Manchester has a Division within the county force.