The 2022 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. One third of councillors—20 out of 60—were elected. The election took place alongside other local elections across the United Kingdom.
In the previous council election in 2021, the council remained under no overall control. The Conservatives continued running a minority administration with a confidence and supply arrangement with smaller parties, as they had done prior to the election. Labour formed the main opposition with nineteen seats to the Conservatives' twenty.
Background
The Local Government Act 1972 created a two-tier system of metropolitan counties and districts covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands, and West Yorkshire starting in 1974. Bolton was a district of the Greater Manchester metropolitan county. The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the metropolitan counties, with metropolitan districts taking on most of their powers as metropolitan boroughs. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority was created in 2011 and began electing the mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017, which was given strategic powers covering a region coterminous with the former Greater Manchester metropolitan county.
Since its formation, Bolton Council has variously been under Labour control, Conservative control and no overall control. Labour most recently regained its majority in the 2011 council election, which it held until the 2019 election. After the 2019 election, Labour held 23 seats, the Conservatives 20, the Liberal Democrats six, the local party Farnworth and Kearsley First five, the UK Independence Party three and the local party Horwich and Blackrod First two, alongside one independent councillor. The Conservatives formed a confidence and supply agreement with the Liberal Democrats, Farnworth and Kearsley First, Horwich and Blackrod First and the UK Independence Party, allowing them to form a minority administration. In the 2021 election, the Conservatives became the largest party with 20 seats, followed by Labour with 19. There were also seven independent councillors, five Liberal Democrats, five Farnworth and Kearsley First councillors, three Horwich and Blackrod First councillors and one UK Independence Party councillor. The Conservatives continued to run a minority administration with support from smaller parties. The Liberal Democrats had ended their working arrangement with the Conservatives in January 2021. Marie Brady, the leader of the Horwich and Blackrod First party, defected to the Conservative Party in March 2022 after the party's two other councillors voted against the Conservative budget.
The seats up for election in 2022 were last regularly contested in the 2018 election. Following that election, Labour held 31 seats, the Conservatives 19, Farnworth and Kearsley First, the Liberal Democrats and UKIP three each, and another councillor held the remaining seat. In 2022, Reform UK and the local party Bolton For Change fielded joint candidates under the description "Reform UK & Bolton for Change". The seats up for election in 2022 were last regularly contested in the 2018 election. In that election, the Conservatives won nine seats, Labour won eight, and the Liberal Democrats and Farnworth and Kearsley First won two each. Before the 2022 election, Reform UK and the newly formed local party Bolton For Change announced that they would work together, saying that cross-party working could give them a voice at both local and national level. They fielded joint candidates under the description "Reform UK & Bolton for Change". The arrangement continued in the 2023 and 2024 elections, when candidates again stood under the joint description.
Electoral process
The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third up for election every year for three years and no election in the fourth year. The election used first-past-the-post voting. Each ward was represented by three councillors, with one normally 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 were entitled to vote. People who lived at two addresses in different council areas, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, could be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Polling stations were open from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters could apply for postal or proxy votes in advance.
Campaign The Conservative councillor Adele Warren said that increases in the cost of living would affect the election, with people "frightened about turning their electricity or heating on". She said that the Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak "could have gone much, much further" with measures to help people.
Previous council composition
After 2021 election Before 2022 election Party Seats Party Seats 20 22 19 18 7 7 5 5 5 5 3 2 1 Little Lever & Darcy Lever First 1
Changes: June 2021: Diane Parkinson re-joins Conservatives July 2021: David Greenhalgh (Conservative) dies; by-election held October 2021 October 2021: Amy Cowen wins by-election for Conservatives February 2022: Shamim Abdullah leaves Labour to sit as an independent March 2022: Marie Brady leaves Horwich and Blackrod First for Conservatives March 2022: Sean Hornby leaves UKIP to form a new party, Little Lever and Darcy Lever First
Results summary
Ward results The statement of persons nominated was dated 5 April. The results were published by Bolton Council. Incumbent councillors are marked with an asterisk (*). Astley Bridge
Bradshaw
Breightmet
Bromley Cross
Changes relative to 2021 by-election, won by Amy Cowan after the death of David Greenhalgh
Crompton
Farnworth
Great Lever
Halliwell
Harper Green
Heaton & Lostock
Horwich & Blackrod
Horwich North East
Hulton
Kearsley
Little Lever & Darcy Lever
Rumworth
Smithills
Tonge with the Haulgh
Westhoughton North & Chew Moor
Westhoughton South
By-elections
Rumworth
The Rumworth by-election was triggered by the resignation of Labour councillor Ebrahim Adia due to career commitments.
References