Manchester local election 2022: when will votes be counted and when will we get results?

The 2022 local elections are underway, and residents in Manchester will be heading to the polls throuhgout the day.

This election is the chance to have a say on who you want to represent you on your local city/county council and to choose who you want to run local services.

The election will see seats on councils across England be contested, including across councils in Greater Manchester.

Ahead of election day, here’s all you need to know about when Manchester City and Salford City Councils will declare results, information on where the counts will take place and the easiest ways to keep track of the results as they come in.

When is the 2022 local election?

This year’s local elections take place on Thursday, 5 May. Polling stations in all wards in the Greater Manchester regions will be open for people to cast their vote between 7am and 10pm.

Below is the information on where the votes will be counted in both Manchester City Council and each of the three council areas, and when results are expected to be announced.

Manchester City Council

Counting for seats on Manchester City Council is set to take place on Friday, 6 May.

Counting will take place at Manchester Central and, although no precise time can be given, results are expected to be announced at around midday.

This is based on past experience of election counts, according to the council.

Salford City Council

Votes in the Salford City Council election are due to be counted overnight following the closure of the polls at 10pm on 5 May.

It is expected that results will be declared in the early hours of Friday, 6 May.

The count will be carried out by volunteers at AJ Bell Stadium, 1 Stadium Way, Eccles, M30 7EY.

Where else is there an election taking place on 5 May?

Away from Manchester City and Salford City Council’s elections are also taking place in the following council areas on 5 May:

• Bury Council
• Bolton Council
• Oldham Council
• Rochdale Borough Council
• Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council 
• Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
• Trafford Council
• Wigan Council

How do I vote in person?

The deadline to register to vote in this election was 14 April, therefore if you are not currently registered you will be unable to vote on 5 May.

For those who are registered and have decided they will vote in the upcoming election in person, you will receive a polling card sent to your home.

This card will explain to you on which day you can go to vote as well as the address of your polling station.

Once you have arrived at your polling station (these are normally public buildings, such as schools, leisure centres, community halls) you will be given a ballot paper.

On the paper there will be a list of candidates for which you can cast your vote.

Once you have filled in the paper, you will be asked to fold it over and place it in a ballot box.