Manchester Evening News: Polls close in Greater Manchester boroughs at 10pm

Polling stations closed at 10pm on Thursday, May 7 across all 10 Greater Manchester borough councils, bringing voting to a close in the 2026 local elections, manchester evening news reports. Counts then moved into overnight sessions and Friday declarations.

Wigan was first due to declare from 2.30am, followed by Bolton, Tameside and Salford from 3am. Oldham and Stockport were due from 5am, with Manchester due at 12.30pm, Rochdale at 2pm, Trafford at 4pm and Bury at 4.30pm.

Greater Manchester councils

The elections covered Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Manchester, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan. That meant every borough council in Greater Manchester was part of the overnight count and Friday declaration schedule.

Across England, more than 5,000 council seats were up for grabs in 136 local authorities on election day, and mayoral elections took place in six areas. In Greater Manchester, the staggered declaration times meant results were expected to arrive over many hours rather than at once.

Friday declaration times

The timetable left Wigan as the first result expected in the region and Bury as the last, with several councils due in the early morning before Manchester, Rochdale, Trafford and Bury later in the day. For readers following a single borough, the practical step was to watch the scheduled declaration window rather than expect a unified count.

By Friday afternoon, the Greater Manchester picture would be assembled borough by borough, with the final declaration due from Bury at 4.30pm.