Manchester City Council is the local authority for the city of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England. Manchester has had an elected local authority since 1838, which has been reformed several times. Since 1974 the council has been a metropolitan borough council. It provides the majority of local government services in the city. The council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority since 2011.
The council has been under Labour majority control since 1971. It is based at Manchester Town Hall.
History
Manchester had been governed as a borough in the 13th and 14th centuries, but its borough status was not supported by a royal charter. An inquiry in 1359 ruled that it was only a market town, not a borough. It was then governed by manorial courts and the parish vestry until the 18th century.
In 1792 a body of improvement commissioners known as the was established to provide services in the rapidly growing town. In 1838 the town was incorporated as a municipal borough, after which it was governed by a town council body formally called the 'Mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Manchester', but mostly known as the . The police commissioners were disbanded in 1843 and their functions passed to the corporation.
Manchester was granted city status in 1853, only the second such grant since the Reformation. After that the corporation was also known as the city council. When elected county councils were established in 1889, Manchester was considered large enough for its existing council to provide county-level services, and so it became a county borough, independent from the new Lancashire County Council, whilst remaining part of the geographical county of Lancashire. In 1885, Bradford, Harpurhey, Rusholme and parts of Moss Side and Withington townships became part of the City of Manchester. In 1889, the city became a county borough, as did many larger Lancashire towns, and therefore not governed by Lancashire County Council. Between 1890 and 1933, more areas were added to the city, including former villages such as Burnage, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Didsbury, Fallowfield, Levenshulme, Longsight, and Withington. In 1931, the civil parishes of Baguley, Northenden and Northen Etchells from the south of the River Mersey were added. In 1974, by way of the Local Government Act 1972, the City of Manchester became a metropolitan district of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. That year, Ringway, the village where Manchester Airport is located, was added to the city. The mayor was granted the title of lord mayor in 1893. Reprinted by Manchester Education Committee (1962).
Henry Price (1867–1944) was appointed as the first City Architect of Manchester in 1902. He was succeeded in 1932 by George Noel Hill (1893–1985).
The county borough was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, being replaced by a metropolitan district of Manchester, covering the area of the old county borough plus the parish of Ringway. The new district was one of ten metropolitan districts within the new metropolitan county of Greater Manchester. Manchester's borough and city statuses and its lord mayoralty passed to the new district and its council.
In 1980, Manchester was the first council to declare itself a nuclear-free zone. In 1984 it formed an equal opportunities unit as part of its opposition to Section 28.Citations:
From 1974 until 1986 the council was a lower-tier authority, with upper-tier functions provided by the Greater Manchester County Council. The county council was abolished in 1986 and its functions passed to Greater Manchester's ten borough councils, including Manchester City Council, with some services provided through joint committees.
Since 2011 the council has been a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which has been led by the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. The combined authority provides strategic leadership and co-ordination for certain functions across Greater Manchester, notably regarding transport and town planning, but Manchester City Council continues to be responsible for most local government functions.
Governance Manchester City Council provides metropolitan borough services. Some strategic functions in the area are provided by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority; the leader of the city council sits on the combined authority as Manchester's representative. There is one civil parish in the city at Ringway, with a parish council; the rest of the city is unparished.
Political control The council has been under Labour majority control since 1971.
Borough Corporation PartyPeriod 1838–1886 1886–1908 1908–1919 1919–1921 1921–1926 1926–1932 1932–1934 1934–1946 1946–1947 1947–1949 1949–1952 1952–1953 1953–1967 1967–1971 1971–1974
Metropolitan Borough
Since the 1974 reforms, Labour has always held a majority of the seats on the council. (Put "Manchester" in search box to see specific results.)
PartyPeriod 1974–present
Leadership The role of Lord Mayor of Manchester is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1945 have been:
County Borough Councillor Party From To George Titt 2 Nov 1945 8 Nov 1946 Tom Nally 8 Nov 1946 May 1949 William Jackson May 1949 1953 Tom Nally 1953 20 Dec 1956 Bob Thomas 1957 May 1962 Maurice Pariser May 1962 Oct 1965 Bob Thomas 3 Nov 1965 May 1967 Robert Rodgers May 1967 May 1970 Arnold Fieldhouse May 1970 May 1971 Bob Thomas May 1971 Jun 1973 Joe Dean Jun 1973 31 Mar 1974
Metropolitan Borough Councillor Party From To Joe Dean 1 Apr 1974 21 May 1974 Norman Morris 21 May 1974 May 1982 Bill Egerton May 1982 May 1984 Graham Stringer May 1984 May 1996 Richard Leese May 1996 1 Dec 2021 Bev Craig 1 Dec 2021 3 Aug 2026Garry Bridges 3 Sep 2026
Composition Following the May 2026 election, and subsequent by-elections and changes up to September 2026, the composition of the council was:
The next election is due in May 2027.
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2018, the council has comprised 96 councillors representing 32 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with a third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of office.
Wards The council wards are listed under their parliamentary constituency below:
Blackley and Middleton South Gorton and Denton Manchester Central This constituency also contains This constituency also contains This constituency also contains Manchester Rusholme Manchester Withington Wythenshawe and Sale East This constituency also contains
Councillors Each ward is represented by three councillors.
Parliamentary constituencyWardCouncillor PartyTerm of office Blackley andMiddleton Southconstituency Charlestown 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Crumpsall 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Harpurhey 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Higher Blackley 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Moston 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Gorton and Dentonconstituency Burnage 2023–27Vacant2026–28 2026–30 Gorton and Abbey Hey 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Levenshulme 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Longsight 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Manchester Centralconstituency Ancoats and Beswick 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Cheetham 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Clayton and Openshaw 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Deansgate 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Miles Platting and Newton Heath 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Piccadilly 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Manchester Rusholmeconstituency Ardwick 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Fallowfield 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Hulme 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Moss Side 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Rusholme 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Whalley Range 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Manchester Withingtonconstituency Chorlton 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Chorlton Park 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Didsbury East 2024–27 2024–28 2026–30 Didsbury West 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Old Moat 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Withington 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Wythenshawe andSale Eastconstituency Baguley 2024–27 2024–28 2026–30 Brooklands 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Northenden 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Sharston 2023–27 2024–28 2026–30 Woodhouse Park 2025–27 2024–28 2026–30
Elected as Worker's Party but joined Labour in July, 2026.
Elected as Labour but resigned from the party in the wake of the Labour leadership's stance on the Israeli invasion of Gaza in October, 2023. Joined the Green Party in April, 2026, after serving as an independent initially.
Elected during the 2024 election to fill a vacancy caused by the resignation of James Wilson, who was elected in 2023.
Premises
The council is based at Manchester Town Hall on Albert Square, completed in 1877, and the adjoining Town Hall Extension on the opposite side of Lloyd Street, which was completed in 1938 and is linked to the older building by first floor bridges. The main Town Hall has been under refurbishment since 2020, due to reopen in spring 2027. The council continues to operate from the Town Hall Extension.
Coat of arms
A coat of arms was granted to the Manchester Corporation in 1842, passing on to Manchester City Council when the borough of Manchester was granted the title of city in 1853. Reprinted by Manchester Education Committee (1962). The Shield: red (Gules) with three gold (Or) bands drawn diagonally across to the right-hand side. The Chief (the white (Argent) top segment): shows a ship at sea in full sail. This is a reference to the city's trading base. The Crest: On a multicoloured wreath stands a terrestrial globe, signifying Manchester's world trade, and covered by a swarm of flying bees. The bee was adopted in the 19th century as a symbol of industrial Manchester being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. The Supporters: On the left, a heraldic antelope with a chain attached to a gold (Or) collar, representing engineering industries, and hanging at the shoulder, the red rose of Lancashire, reflecting Manchester's historic position in Lancashire. On the right, a golden lion stands guardant (facing us), crowned with a red (Gules) castle (a reference to the Roman fort at Castlefield from which the city originated). The lion also wears the Red Rose of Lancashire. Motto: Concilio et Labore, loosely translated "By wisdom and effort" (or "By counsel and hard work").
In 1954, Manchester Corporation successfully took the Manchester Palace of Varieties to court for improperly using the corporation's arms in its internal decoration and its company seal. The case, Manchester Corporation v Manchester Palace of Varieties Ltd,Manchester Corporation v Manchester Palace of Varieties Ltd, P 133; 1 All ER 387 occasioned the first sitting of the High Court of Chivalry for two hundred years; it has not sat since.
In April 2013, Manchester City Council threatened to take legal action against The Manchester Gazette for its use of the city's coat of arms on its website. The news outlet claimed it had previously gained permission, and continued to use the arms for a further 8 months, despite receiving warnings of potential legal action. It ceased to use the arms later that year.
References
Further reading McKechnie, H. M. (ed.) (1915) Manchester in Nineteen Hundred and Fifteen. Manchester U. P.; "Undertakings of the City Council; Social Amelioration in Manchester; Elementary Education in Manchester; Secondary Schools in Manchester; The Evening School System of Manchester", by E. D. Simon, et al. Manchester City Council. "Concilio et Labore" Series. No. 1-11. (Each pamphlet describes part of the council's work, e.g. no. 4: the City Treasurer. Redford, Arthur (1939) The History of City Government in Manchester; Vol. 2 & 3: Borough and City; The Last Half Century. Simon, Ernest D. (1926) A City Council from Within. London: Longmans, Green Simon, Shena D. (1938) A Century of City Government: Manchester 1838–1938. London: G. Allen & Unwin Tomlinson, H. E. (1943) "The Heraldry of Manchester" in: Bulletin of the John Rylands Library; vol. XXVIII, pp. 207–27