Elections to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 6 May 2010, on the same day as the General Election which led to a much higher turnout than in recent years. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.
20 seats were contested with 13 being won by the Labour Party, 6 by the Conservatives and 1 by the Liberal Democrats.
In the Smithills ward, the Lib Dems held the seat but defeated the sitting Councillor, R Silvester, who had previously moved from the Lib Dems to the Labour Party.
After the election, the total composition of the council was:
Prior to the election the composition of the council was:
| 28 | 23 | 9 | |
| Labour | Conservative | Lib Dems |
After the election the composition of the council was:
| 30 | 22 | 8 | |
| Labour | Conservative | Lib Dems |