Trafford council seats were up for election in 21 wards on Thursday, May 7, 2026, with one councillor chosen in each ward. The vote covered 21 out of 63 seats on Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council and came while Labour held 41 seats before polling day.
Polls closed at 10pm on Thursday, and the count took place on Friday, May 8, 2026. Results for the Trafford local elections were due from 4pm that day, giving voters a first look at how control of the council might shift.
21 Trafford wards
The seats were contested in Altrincham, Ashton upon Mersey, Bowdon, Broadheath, Brooklands, Bucklow-St Martins, Davyhulme, Flixton, Gorse Hill & Cornbrook, Hale, Hale Barns & Timperley South, Longford, Lostock & Barton, Manor, Old Trafford, Sale Central, Sale Moor, Stretford & Humphrey Park, Timperley Central, Timperley North and Urmston. Trafford elections take place three out of every four years, with a third of councillors elected each time.
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council is responsible for education, social care, highways, planning and recycling. That puts the result in direct line with the services residents use most often, from school oversight to roads and waste collection, while the ballot also formed part of a wider election day with more than 5,000 council seats across 136 local authorities in England and mayoral elections in six areas.
Labour's 41-seat hold
Before the vote, Labour controlled Trafford Metropolitan Borough with 41 seats. The election offered a chance to test whether that position would hold across the 21 wards, with the count and first results due on Friday afternoon after polls closed the night before.
