New Manchester council Labour leader Garry Bridges confirmed 2026

Key Points

• Councillor Garry Bridges has been voted to lead Manchester City Council’s Labour Group in place of the recently-elected Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig.
• There were three contenders to the position of the council leader: Garry Bridges, Cllr Thomas Robinson (who was an executive member for adult social care and health) and Cllr Munaver Rasul (Baguley ward).
• Bridges is an Old Moat ward councillor who was the deputy leader before Craig and has been leading the council on an interim basis since she left.
• On 3 September 2026, he is scheduled to be confirmed as the council leader managing the £1 billion budget and waste collection and social care services.
• Group secretary Cllr Pat Karney said that it was a “friendly and orderly” contest and Bridges “will be a worthy successor to the great Labour leaders we have had,” according to Manchester Evening News.
• Immediate tasks for the new leader will be the by-election for the Burnage seat on 10 September 2026 and other electoral challenges after the Labour party suffered losses to the Greens and others in May local elections.
• The Labour still maintains majority in Manchester City Council holding 63 seats; the rest of councillors are 21 Green Party,

Manchester Council (Manchester Mirror) September 02, 2026 – Garry Bridges has been elected leader of Manchester City Council’s Labour group, succeeding Bev Craig following her election as Greater Manchester mayor, and is set to be formally appointed council leader on 3 September 2026.

Who is the new Manchester council leader?

Councillor Garry Bridges, who represents the Old Moat ward in south Manchester, previously served as deputy leader under Bev Craig and stepped in as interim leader after Craig left the town hall to take up the Greater Manchester mayoralty. As reported by William Eichler of LocalGov, Bridges “has been elected leader of Manchester City Council’s Labour group, filling the vacancy left by Bev Craig after her election as Greater Manchester mayor,” and is due to be formally confirmed as council leader the following day.

The BBC’s Local Democracy Reporting Service noted that Bridges now assumes responsibility for overseeing a city with a £1 billion council budget and a wide array of services, from waste collection to social care, during a period of significant transformation marked by regeneration schemes delivering new housing and jobs.

How was the Labour group leadership contest decided?

The leadership selection took place at a Labour group meeting on Tuesday, 1 September 2026, when Manchester’s 63 Labour councillors convened to hear pitches from the three candidates. As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Garry Bridges competed against Councillor Thomas Robinson, the executive member for adult social care and health, and Councillor Munaver Rasul, a councillor from Baguley.

During the meeting, each candidate presented their vision for Manchester and responded to questions from Labour councillors before a vote was held. Bridges emerged as the group’s new leader, securing the support needed to lead the Labour group and, by extension, the council.

What did senior Labour figures say about the result?

Group secretary Cllr Pat Karney praised the outcome and the conduct of the contest. As reported by William Eichler of LocalGov, Karney told the Manchester Evening News that Bridges “will be a worthy successor to the great Labour leaders we have had.” Karney added that the process had been “friendly and orderly,” emphasising that Manchester seeks to “minimise town-hall drama” and focus on services for residents.

The Manchester Evening News also reported that Bridges had been serving as interim council leader since Craig’s departure, underlining continuity in leadership at the town hall during the transition.

What challenges face the new council leader?

Bridges takes on the role at a politically sensitive moment. As highlighted by the Manchester Evening News and ITV News Granada, an immediate test is the Burnage by-election scheduled for 10 September 2026, contesting the former seat of Bev Craig in a ward that leaned towards the Green Party in May’s local elections.

Broader electoral dynamics also loom. Reporting for the BBC, the Local Democracy Reporting Service noted that next year’s local elections may pose challenges for Manchester Labour after the group lost ground to both the Greens and other parties in May. The council’s political composition remains Labour-dominated, with 63 seats, while the opposition includes 21 Green Party members, seven from Reform UK, and four Liberal Democrats.

On the policy front, Bridges will steer a £1 billion budget across essential services while major regeneration initiatives advance, bringing new homes and employment opportunities to the city, according to multiple outlets.

When will Garry Bridges be formally confirmed as council leader?

Bridges is due to be formally appointed as Manchester City Council leader on 3 September 2026, following his election as Labour group leader on 1 September. Until that formal confirmation, he continues to act in the capacity of interim leader, having already stepped into the role after Craig’s move to the Greater Manchester mayoralty.

Background to the leadership vacancy

The leadership vacancy arose after Bev Craig, who had led Manchester City Council, was elected Greater Manchester mayor in a by-election held on 30 July 2026. That mayoral contest was triggered when Andy Burnham resigned as Greater Manchester mayor after winning the Makerfield parliamentary seat in June 2026 and subsequently becoming Prime Minister. Craig, then leader of Manchester City Council, stood as Labour’s candidate and won the mayoral by-election, defeating Sian Astley of Reform UK, while the Green Party’s Geraldine Coggins was eliminated in the first round.

Craig’s election as Greater Manchester mayor created a vacancy at the head of Manchester City Council, prompting the Labour group to select a new leader. Bridges, as deputy leader, served as interim leader during the transition before winning the group’s leadership vote.

What could this mean for Manchester residents and local politics?

This development is likely to stabilise leadership at Manchester City Council after a period of high-profile political change, with Bridges providing continuity given his prior role as deputy and interim leader. For residents, the immediate focus will be on how the new leader manages service delivery across a £1 billion budget while navigating regeneration projects that affect housing, jobs, and local infrastructure.

Politically, the outcome may influence Labour’s positioning ahead of the Burnage by-election and the 2027 local elections, particularly in wards where the Greens and Reform UK have made gains. If Bridges maintains a service-focused approach and delivers visible progress on regeneration and cost-of-living pressures, it could help Labour consolidate support; conversely, any missteps in a tight fiscal environment could be exploited by opposition parties.