What the local election results say about Labour, according to our local leaders

Labour lost seats in both of Greater Manchester's cities at the local elections. In Salford, the ruling group was 'disappointed' after losing three seats despite retaining a strong majority at the council where they still have 49 councillors.

Meanwhile in Manchester, the largest Labour group in the country still holds 92 out of 96 seats – although the Greens gained a councillor in Wythenshawe. Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, there were mixed results for the party which retained eight boroughs while Stockport council remains in no overall control.

Speaking after the results, the leaders of the two cities in Greater Manchester were asked what these local elections say about the Labour Party nationally. Manchester council leader Bev Craig, who took over from Sir Richard Leese in December when he ended his 25-year reign of the town hall, said that the Labour Party nationally now has a more positive image than it had previously.

READ MORE: Local elections 2022: What's happened in UK so far as Tories suffer heavy losses in London

She said: "Not everybody agrees with it – some people may wish it was a radical party like they saw under Jeremy Corbyn. But the vast majority of people that I've spoken to want competency and want safety and we've lived in such turbulent and difficult times that people just want a grown up to sensibly steer the ship.

"For some of the real dangers and issues - from recovering from the pandemic to the cost of living crisis with rising inflation and the war of Ukraine - we need some serious policies with serious answers, not just for today and tomorrow. But that's what people are starting to see for the Labour Party and I think the Labour Party is now on a journey to get itself ready for the next