The dust has barely begun to settle on the Makerfield by-election which saw Andy Burnham stomp to a resounding victory and yet the wheels of democracy keep on turning. With a Greater Manchester Mayoral Election now looming, North West Bylines takes a look at the candidates vying for the position, who they are and what they stand for.
The election will take place on 30 July 2026. This article will lay out each candidate so that the people of Greater Manchester can make an informed decision not only as to who they feel represents them best but also which of the candidates has the community’s best interests at heart and will be most suitable to achieve what they stand for, what experience they have and how they have proven themselves in the past, to be entrusted with a job as important as mayor of Greater Manchester.
Eligible to vote in this election are British citizens, qualifying Commonwealth citizens or citizens of the Republic of Ireland, EU citizens with Settled Status, resident Irish citizens and resident ‘qualifying’ Commonwealth citizens. Everyone needs to be registered to vote and live in the Greater Manchester area.
What you need you know about the mayoral election
So why is the election taking place in the first place? Josh Simons stepped down as Makerfield MP paving the way for Burnham to run and make his return to parliament. As Burnham has won the recent by-election this means that he was automatically disqualified as Mayor (an MP is not allowed to also be Police and Crime Commissioner, which in Greater Manchester is part of the mayoral role) The election is set for 30 July 2026 and the deadline to register to vote is midnight on 14 July. More information on how to register to vote as well as what happens on the day can be found here at GM Elects.
The Greater Manchester Mayor is responsible for managing a budget of over £3bn, and is also Police and Crime Commissioner and is responsible for the overall governance, strategic and financial management of the Fire Service. A position where one individual has a lot of responsibility, and one decision can have far-reaching consequences. So the person elected for the job needs to have the local knowledge but also the experience to make the decisions that are right for the area.
Supplementary voting
How the mayor is elected may be significantly different to the last election in 2024. Since 2022 the first-past-the-post (FTPT) system has been used however the government has passed legislation that looks set to re-introduce supplementary voting. Supplementary voting was used when elected mayors were first introduced in the early 2000s, however this system was changed under the previous Conservative government to the FTPT system that is used at General Elections.
So what is supplementary voting? Supplementary voting was used from the early 2000s until 2022 and allowed a person to vote for their favoured candidate and a second candidate, thus ensuring that the winning candidate was elected under a majority vote and not by a minority of the people. In April 2026 the English Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill received Royal Assent and the change in voting systems came into force on June 18 after passing through Parliament. With these new changes this looks to be the most unpredictable Mayoral race for some significant time.
Who are the candidates standing to be mayor?
All the major parties are fielding candidates to become the new Mayor of Greater Manchester. On top of that several smaller parties have also nominated candidates. First was George Galloway of the Workers Party, who put a post on X on 19 June that he would be standing in the mayoral election. The next to enter the race was the Green Party who announced their candidate, Geraldine Coggins, on 20 June. This was followed by Restore Britain who, via a Facebook post by Rupert Lowe on 22 June, announced Marlon Scott West. Labour announced their candidate on 23 June, Bev Craig was chosen as their candidate. The Conservative party announced their candidate, Phil Eckersley, on 28 June. The Reform UK candidate was announced as Sian Astley on 29 June. The last candidate to be announced was Marcus Jonathan Farmer, and Independent candidate.
George Galloway did not stand in spite of announcing he would.
An election booklet with all relevant information availabe to the election officer was posted on a website and through voters doors. Manifesto points for the Independent candidate were missing.
The candidates in the order their nomination was announced:
Geraldine Coggins – Green Party
Looking to build on their resounding success at the recent Gorton & Denton by-election, the Green Party have nominated Trafford councillor, Geraldine Coggins as their candidate. Coggins has represented Trafford since 2018. Originally from Ireland she has made Manchester her home and has vowed to choose “people and planet over profits”, telling supporters that this was a two horse race between the Greens and Reform UK. At a launch event she said:
“Like Gorton and Denton, this is an election that we can win, and like Gorton and Denton, this is going to be a straight race between the Green Party with our message of joy and hope and the toxic divisive politics of Reform.”
Since becoming a councillor Coggins has a track record of “tackling the cost-of-living crisis”, championing green spaces and standing against austerity.
Geraldine Coggin’s priorities for Greater Manchester can also be found in her election booklet.
Relevant political experience: Councillor for Trafford since 2018
Local resident? Yes
Manifesto points of Geraldine Coggins and the Green Party.
Marlon Scott West – Restore Britain
Rumours had been circulating about Marlon Scott West for several days before Rupert Lowe took to Facebook to confirm that Mr West is standing as the candidate for Restore Britain. Both The Manchester Mill and Manchester Evening News had suggested that he would be put forward to stand, both doing so on 19 June. Marlon West is an activist and campaigner and is the only candidate not to be a councillor or have a political background. Mr West is a former advanced nurse practitioner for mental health services for the NHS. He is the father of Scarlett West and has spent two years raising awareness and campaigning against child sexual exploitation. Recently he had been out and about on the streets campaigning for Rebecca Shepherd in the Makerfield by-election.
On 17 June Mr West was suspended by the Nursing and Midwifery Council for social media posts he made. Restore Britain stands by him.
Marlon West’s priorities for Greater Manchester can also be found in his election booklet.
Relevant political experience: None
Local resident? Yes
Manifesto points of Marlon Scott and Restore Britain
Bev Craig – Labour Party
Labour named Bev Craig as their candidate on 23 June. Cllr Craig is the councillor for Burnage and also leader of Manchester City Council as well as Deputy Mayor for Economy, Business and Inclusive Growth. According to a press release Craig has “promised to set out a bold vision to build on the progress made over the last decade and deliver the next chapter for the region”. As the city’s first female and LGBT leader she is a fierce advocate for equal rights.
Originally from Belfast, she moved to Manchester at the age of 18 and has gone on record saying that the area changed her life.
Officially announcing her running she said:
“I will work every day for us to make sure everyone shares in the success Greater Manchester is building – making sure there’s more money in people’s pockets, pride in every town centre with a New High Streets Fund, a new generation of council and affordable homes and an expanded Bee Network that freezes fares and that works for all of us.”
One of the promises she made at the start of her campaign, is to “extend the hugely successful ‘Our pass’ Scheme, giving free bus travel on the Bee network to every 11-18 year old in the city-region.“
Bev Craig’s priorities for Greater Manchester can also be found in her election booklet.
Relevant political experience: University graduate in political studies and management; councillor for Burnage since 2011 and leader of Manchester City Council since 2021.
Local resident? Yes
Manifesto points of Bev Craig and the Labour Party
Richard Kilpatrick – Liberal Democrats
Richard is deeply embedded in the Greater Manchester community, having lived and worked in the area for over 10 years, as well as serving as a Councillor in Didsbury West since 2018 where he currently lives. Formerly in teaching, Richard has more recently spent time campaigning for closer ties between the UK and EU to reverse the huge damage caused by Brexit. He has also tirelessly campaigned for unpaid carers and investment in social care, having been a carer for his own mum, who had Alzheimer’s.
Richard has an outstanding track record of delivery, including opening emergency spaces for victims of flooding and holding the Council accountable on how they spend public money.
Richard and the Liberal Democrats have called for an immediate package to help households across Greater Manchester who are struggling with the cost of living crisis through an essential energy guarantee slashing the amount people pay for energy bills. Richard also wants to see more investment in social care, more affordable public transport and to improve community policing.
Richard Kilpatrick’s priorities for Greater Manchester can also be found in his election booklet.
Relevant political experience: eight years as councillor for Didsbury West and he has been candidate in parliamentary and mayoral elections before, always for the Liberal Democrats.
Local resident? Yes
Manifesto points of Richard Kilpatrick and the Liberal Democrats
Phil Eckersley – Conservatives
The Conservative party announced their candidate on Sunday 28 June. Their choice is Philip Michael Eckersley, a businessman who founded Bridgewater Home Care in 2010 in Wigan and currently serves as councillor for the Bowdon ward on Trafford Council.
Phil Eckersley has been director of several companies in the North West and has been president of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce ,Wigan division.
Phil’s statement:
“I am honoured to have been selected… Greater Manchester is my home, and it’s a region with enormous potential, but too often decisions are made with a focus on Manchester city centre – with the outer boroughs getting left behind.”
Phil Eckersley’s priorities for Greater Manchester can also be found in his election booklet.
Relevant political experience: Former president of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce Wigan, since 2023 Bowden Ward, Trafford councillor for the Conservative Party. Phil stood as a UKIP party candidate in three different elections in the past before joining the Conservatives.
Local resident? Yes
Manifesto points of Phil Eckersley and the Conservative Party
Sian Astley – Reform UK
The last of the main political parties to enter the race was Reform who announced on 29 June Sian Astley, councillor for Baguley and leader of the Reform UK group on Manchester City Council as their candidate. Elected as a councillor in May 2026 with a majority of 423 she has promised to “improve communities and the lives of working people”.
Aside from being a councillor she also runs a design and property business and describes herself, on her LinkedIN profile as: “Renovation & Interiors Specialist, Residential Landlord, TV Presenter & Events Host. Airbnb SuperHost.”
She caused controversy when on a Facebook post, three days before the May elections, she suggested that the official Reform Policy of housing migrants in places that voted for the Green Party was “democratic” and if it was up to her she would ensure that Green voters amongst others had to house what she called “illegal migrants” she has also caused controversy for a perceived anti-trans stance in which she reposted a talkRadioTV video on Facebook and stated “A Health Secretary who doesn’t understand basic biology”.
Sian Astley’s priorities for Greater Manchester can also be found in her election booklet.
Relevant political experience: Councillor for Baguley since May 2026 and leader of the Reform UK group on Manchester City Council
Local Resident? Yes
Manifesto points of Sian Astley and Reform UK
Marcus Jonathan Farmer – Independent
He has been Independent candidate for different positions six times since 2016, but was never elected. His website with a planned manifesto is not up and running yet, and the YouTube channel dedicated to his campaign does not have any videos yet.
His election statement is “restoring the middle ground is the main policy”.
Sadly no election address was available for Mr Farmer so GM Electoral Officer could not approach him to create a booklet with priorities.
Relevant political experience: none
Local Resident? Uncertain
