| Election Name: | 2024 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election |
| Country: | Greater Manchester |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2023 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2023 |
| Next Election: | 2026 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election |
| Next Year: | 2026 |
| Majority Seats: | 31 |
| Election Date: | 2 May 2024 |
| Party1: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Leader1: | Nick Peel |
| Last Election1: | 26 seats, 40.4% |
| Seats Before1: | 27 |
| Seats1: | 9 |
| Seats After1: | 26 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Popular Vote1: | 24,475 |
| Percentage1: | 33.7% |
| Swing1: | 6.7% |
| Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Leader2: | Martyn Cox |
| Last Election2: | 17 seats, 32.7% |
| Seats Before2: | 15 |
| Seats2: | 3 |
| Seats After2: | 15 |
| Popular Vote2: | 14,124 |
| Percentage2: | 19.5% |
| Swing2: | 13.2% |
| Party3: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Leader3: | Roger Hayes |
| Last Election3: | 6 seat, 9.8% |
| Seats Before3: | 7 |
| Seats3: | 2 |
| Seats After3: | 6 |
| Seat Change3: | 1 |
| Popular Vote3: | 5,388 |
| Percentage3: | 7.4% |
| Swing3: | 2.4% |
| Party4: | Horwich and Blackrod First |
| Leader4: | David Grant |
| Last Election4: | 6 seats, 4.8% |
| Seats Before4: | 6 |
| Seats4: | 3 |
| Seats After4: | 6 |
| Popular Vote4: | 5,370 |
| Percentage4: | 7.4% |
| Swing4: | 2.6% |
| Party5: | Farnworth and Kearsley First |
| Leader5: | Paul Sanders |
| Last Election5: | 2 seats, 1.6% |
| Seats Before5: | 3 |
| Seats5: | 2 |
| Seats After5: | 5 |
| Seat Change5: | 2 |
| Popular Vote5: | 2,900 |
| Percentage5: | 4.0% |
| Swing5: | 2.4% |
| Party6: | Green Party of England and Wales |
| Last Election6: | 0 seats, 1.8% |
| Seats Before6: | 0 |
| Seats6: | 1 |
| Seats After6: | 1 |
| Seat Change6: | 1 |
| Popular Vote6: | 6,493 |
| Percentage6: | 8.9% |
| Swing6: | 7.1% |
| Party7: | Independent politician |
| Last Election7: | 0 seats, 0.9% |
| Seats Before7: | 2 |
| Seats7: | 1 |
| Seats After7: | 1 |
| Seat Change7: | 1 |
| Popular Vote7: | 3,964 |
| Percentage7: | 5.5% |
| Swing7: | 4.6% |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| Before Party: | No overall control |
| After Party: | No overall control |
The 2024 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2024. The election took place alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom. The council remained under no overall control and continued to be run by a Labour minority administration.
In December 2022, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England made The Bolton (Electoral Changes) Order 2022, which officially abolished all 20 existing wards and established 20 new wards with new boundaries. All 60 wards were contested at the 2023 elections. The elected councillor who received the least number of votes in each ward at the previous election will have their seat up in this election.[1]
The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year.[2] [3] The election will take place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards being represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term.
All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Bolton 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.
| After 2023 election | Before 2024 election | After 2024 election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | Party | Seats | |||
| 26 | 27 | 26 | ||||||
| 17 | 15 | 15 | ||||||
| 6 | 7 | 6 | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| 2 | 3 | 5 | ||||||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
| 0 | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
Changes 2023–2024:
Following the election the council remained under no overall control.[12] Labour made a net loss of one seat from their pre-election position, but remained the largest party and continued to form a minority administration after the election.[13]
The results for each ward were as follows, with sitting councillors standing for re-election marked with an asterisk.[14]