The 2023 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council elections took place on 4 May 2023 alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. Due to boundary changes all 75 seats on Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council were contested.
Labour retained its majority on the council.
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. Wigan 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 creation in 1974, the council has continuously been under the control of the Labour Party.
In December 2022 the Local Government Boundary Commission for England made The Wigan (Electoral Changes) Order 2022, which officially abolished the existing 25 wards and created 25 new wards with different boundaries. Because of this change, all 75 seats on the council, three per ward, are to be contested.
Electoral process The election took place using the plurality block voting system, a form of first-past-the-post voting, with each ward being represented by three councillors. The candidate with the most votes in each ward will serve a four year term ending in 2027, the second-placed candidate will serve a three year term anding in 2026 and the third-placed candidate will serve a one year term ending in 2024.
All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Wigan aged 18 or over were entitled to vote in the election. People who lived at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, were entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations took place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day. Residents had until Monday 17 April to register to vote, and voters were able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes until 18 April and 25 April, respectively.
As a result of the Elections Act 2022 electors were required to present photographic identification to polling staff in order to cast their vote.
Overview After 2022 election Before 2023 election After 2023 election Party Seats Party Seats Party Seats 61 61 64 7 7 2 4 4 4 3 3 5
+Number of Candidates fielded per partyPartyNumber of CandidatesLabour Party75Conservative Party38Independents25Liberal Democrats18Leigh and Atherton Independents10Reform UK3UKIP2Green Party1Heritage Party1Standish Independents1TUSC1Wigan Independents1
Results summary
Vote share % changes are with respect to the 2022 election results.
Ward results Incumbent councillors seeking re-election in their ward are marked with an asterisk (*). Turnout percentage changes are all relative to the 2022 turnouts for the respective wards. Abram
Ashton-in-Makerfield South
Aspull, New Springs & Whelley
Astley
Atherton North
Atherton South & Lilford
Bryn with Ashton-in-Makerfield North
Douglas
Golborne & Lowton West
Hindley
Hindley Green
Ince
Leigh Central & Higher Folds
Leigh South
Leigh West
Lowton East
Orrell
Pemberton
Shevington with Lower Ground & Moor
Standish with Langtree
Tyldesley & Mosley Common
Wigan Central
Wigan West
Winstanley
Worsley Mesnes
References