Elections to Manchester City Council were held on Thursday, 2 May 1996. One third of the council was up for election, with each successful candidate to serve a four-year term of office, expiring in 2000. There were also two vacancies being contested; one in Blackley and the other in Woodhouse Park. The Labour Party retained overall control of the Council.[1]
After the election, the composition of the council was as follows:
| Party | Seats | +/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84 | +1 | |||
| 15 | +1 | |||
| 0 | -2 | |||
| Labour hold | ||||