Manchester Liberal Democrats celebrate a fantastic set of local election results this year, securing two more councillors and doubling our representation on Manchester City Council. This achievement was made possible thanks to the dedication and hard work of our candidates and campaign teams, members and supporters, and residents who put their trust in us to deliver.
We would like to express our gratitude to all of our candidates and teams for their incredible work and congratulate Councillor Richard Kilpatrick, who rejoins Councillor John Leech for Didsbury West after a two-year absence, and Councillor Chris Northwood, who secured a 355 vote majority to join Councillor Alan Good in Ancoats & Beswick, an incredible result after narrowly losing by 98 votes in 2022.In his victory speech, Cllr Kilpatrick thanked Lib Dem colleagues for their support during the election campaign. He said:
"For me, this is a local victory. This is a victory for someone who comes from the community, who works hard for the community and even after we lost this seat and I lost my seat back in 2021, I don't give up – the Liberal Democrats do not give up.
"We will continue to fight hard across Manchester. We've made two incredible gains today and we will be an opposition party here in Manchester.
"I want to thank all the voters in Didsbury West who consistently believe that this city is desperate for opposition, that this city and Didsbury itself deserves local representation and a hard working local team."
Cllr Kilpatrick
Speaking to Manchester Evening News after her win, Cllr Northwood expressed feeling 'overwhelmed' and 'honoured'. She praised the communities of Ancoats & Beswick, describing them as 'loving' and 'caring', and seeking representatives who care about their locality. She said:
"Manchester's a very metropolitan and diverse city. I think at the moment given the wider trans discourse can be quite hostile towards us, it's great that I'm able to stand up and say here I'm a whole person, I'm not just a trans woman."
"I care about my community and everything like that. That's something I'm able to do, but also reflect who I am as well as a new and more diverse voice on the council."
Cllr Northwood
Nationally, the Liberal Democrats also achieved gains from the Tories primarily in many areas across the country, indicating that people are starting to recognize the party's positive message. This is a proud moment for Liberal Democrats everywhere, and everyone who campaigned and supported us should be proud of what they have achieved.
Manchester Liberal Democrats would like to thank everyone who supported and placed their trust in our candidates and the local party to deliver a better and fair deal for residents across Manchester.
The final make up of Manchester council after the 2023 local elections is:
Labour: 88 (-3)
Greens: 4 (+1)
Lib Dems: 4 (+2)
Election results - Manchester City Council local elections 2023
The M.E.N.'s Ethan Davies sits down with new councillor Chris Northwood on how she came to be a history-maker.
