Salford City Council was created in 1974. The city has always voted strongly for
Labour. The party has governed in majority since the creation of the council, and has held at least 60% of the council's seats for the entirety of the 21st century. The
Conservatives have formed the principal opposition since
2008; prior to this, the
Liberal Democrats formed the principal opposition from
1996 to
2004, and held an equal number of seats as the Conservatives from 2004 to 2008. The
2024 election saw Labour increase their majority despite losing a seat to the Liberal Democrats, by taking one seat from the Conservatives and one from an independent. The 20 seats up for election in 2026 were last contested in
2022. In that election, Labour won 15 seats (down 3), the Conservatives won 2 (up 1), the Liberal Democrats won 2 (up 1), and independents won 1 (up 1). The vacant seat in Blackfriars and Trinity was last held by Labour. ==Summary==