This by-election was called after Bev Craig, Labour's councillor for Burnage and leader of the council, resigned on being elected Mayor of Greater Manchester on 30 July 2026. The ward sits in the Gorton and Denton constituency, where the Greens won the parliamentary by-election in February 2026 on 41 per cent after Andrew Gwynne lost the Labour whip and later resigned; Labour finished third. Manchester elects by thirds: this seat was last contested in May 2024, when Labour won it with 54 per cent, while the ward's other seat went to the Greens in May 2026 on 46 per cent. Labour's candidate, Carl Austin-Behan, was a Burnage councillor from 2011 to 2018 and Lord Mayor of Manchester in 2016-17. Six candidates stood.
Every ward and councillor, who runs the council, and each by-election since May.
Manchester council page →| Party | Share |
|---|---|
| Labour | 42.1% |
| Green | 32.0% |
| Workers Party of Britain | 14.4% |
| Reform UK | 9.7% |
| Liberal Democrats | 1.0% |
| Conservative | 0.8% |
Turnout 24 per cent.
Manchester elects its councillors by thirds: a ward's seats are elected in separate years, so they can be held by different parties. This by-election is for one of Burnage's seats. A gain or hold goes by that seat - the party that last won it - not by which party won the ward's most recent contest, which is usually a different seat.
Reform UK, Workers Party of Britain, Conservative, Liberal Democrats: fewer than 5 wins in 100 each.
How often each candidate wins the seat across 10,000 simulations of this contest - chances of winning, not vote shares.
| Result | Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrats | Green | Reform UK | Independents and others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 2% | 29% | 3% | 46% | 17% | 3% |
| May 2024 | 5% | 54% | 5% | 19% | - | 17% |
| May 2023 | 6% | 66% | 14% | 14% | - | - |
Winning share of all votes cast in bold. Multi-member wards elect several councillors at once. Includes any county-division contest covering the same ground. The independents-and-others share includes Workers Party of Britain (2% in May 2026) and Workers Party of Britain (17% in May 2024).
Manchester is a metropolitan borough: it runs every local service, from schools to bins. Current control: Labour.
How every council in Britain stands →
Wards coloured by the party that last won them; the by-election ward is outlined. Hover a ward for its last result.
There is no county council above Manchester. Transport and some strategic functions sit with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
The ward is part of the Gorton and Denton constituency. Labour MP Andrew Gwynne won it at the 2024 general election with 51 per cent of the vote.