2024 Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 2024 Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council elections were held on 2 May 2024 alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom and the 2024 Greater Manchester mayoral election. One third of the 63 seats were contested, with each successful candidate elected to serve a four-year term of office expiring in 2028.

Following the election the Labour Party retained control of the authority, increasing their share of the Council's seats; the Party gaining two seats from the Conservative Party in Broadheath ward and Manor ward.

Turnout during the election saw 41% of the electorate using their vote; representing the highest voter turnout of a local authority area in Greater Manchester.

Background
The Local Government Act 1972 created a two-tier system of metropolitan counties and districts covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands, and West Yorkshire starting in 1974. Trafford was a district of the Greater Manchester metropolitan county. The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the metropolitan counties, with metropolitan districts taking on most of their powers as metropolitan boroughs. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority was created in 2011 and began electing the mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017, which was given strategic powers covering a region coterminous with the former Greater Manchester metropolitan county.

In June 2022, the Local Government Boundary Commission for England made The Trafford (Electoral Changes) Order 2022, which officially abolished all 21 existing wards and established 21 new wards with new boundaries. All 63 Council seats were contested at the 2023 elections. The elected councillor who received the least number of votes in each ward at the 2023 election had their seat contested in this election.

Electoral process
The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year. The election will take place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards being represented by three councillors, with one elected in each election year to serve a four-year term.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Trafford aged 18 or over will be entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different local authorities, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations took place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, with voters able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election.