Two Altrincham councillors in the running to be Greater Manchester mayor

Two Trafford councillors from the Altrincham area are among the candidates standing in next month's Greater Manchester mayoral by-election.

Green councillor Geraldine Coggins, who represents Altrincham ward, and Conservative councillor Phil Eckersley, who represents neighbouring Bowdon ward, have both been named as their parties' candidates to succeed Andy Burnham as mayor.

Voters across all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs go to the polls on Thursday 30th July.

Coggins has represented Altrincham ward since 2018, when she became Trafford's first Green councillor, and currently leads the Green group on the council.

A former academic with a PhD in philosophy, she was unveiled as the Green candidate at a launch event in Manchester.

Our chat with Geradline Coggins when she stood for election at the 2024 general election

She has framed the contest as a direct fight between the Greens and Reform UK, pledging to prioritise "people and planet over profits" and saying she wants to improve transport and housing across the region.

Eckersley sits for Bowdon ward and serves as deputy leader of the Conservative group on Trafford Council, with a shadow portfolio covering health and care.

A local businessman, he founded the Wigan-based firm Bridgewater Home Care in 2010 and built it into a care provider employing more than 100 staff across the region. He has also previously served as president of the Wigan division of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

On his selection, Eckersley said he was "honoured", adding that too many decisions in Greater Manchester are made with the city centre in mind "with the outer boroughs getting left behind".

The contest was triggered when Andy Burnham, mayor since the role was created in 2017, won the Makerfield parliamentary by-election on 18 June.

The deadline to register to vote is 14 July, and nominations close on 3 July.

Candidates confirmed so far, in alphabetical order by surname: