Tomorrow, voters across Greater Manchester will head to their local polling station to choose who will represent them at their local council.

The vote is an opportunity for people to have their say in local democracy – to put their trust in long-standing councillors, or demand change.

But there's a growing problem in the region – and across the country. Trust in politics is at an all time low in Greater Manchester.

An exclusive survey carried out by Sortition for the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed almost one in two people in the region don't trust the government, political parties, or their local MPs. And a third of people have low or no trust in their local council.

"There is a crisis of trust in our politics," said Dr Ryan Swift, Research Fellow at IPPR North.

"That fact is laid bare as we see trust in politicians at rock bottom levels across Greater Manchester. People still feel that politics is something that is done to them, not with them.

"All too often citizens are merely spectators as decisions are taken that shape their lives. This must change.

"More participatory approaches to decision-making and the creation of a permanent citizen's assembly in the region is a crucial first step if we are to rebuild political trust and make sure democracy works for all."

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The survey questioned more than 1,000 people across the 10 boroughs, asking them to rate their trust in different institutions on a scale of zero to 10. Overall, 12 per cent of respondents gave their local councils high scores between eight and 10 – but the picture also varied across the region.

Trafford had one of the highest levels of low trust, with 42pc of respondents rating their trust in the council between zero and two. This is followed by Oldham (41pc) and Wigan (33pc). The only local authority bucking the trend was Manchester, where only 16pc of people gave low trust scores, compared to 21pc who gave scores between eight to 10.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham also saw higher levels of trust – with around a quarter of people rating him eight to ten, and 20pc stating they had no or low confidence in him.

Trust in politics has waned both nationally and internationally for a plethora of reasons. In the UK, lowering standards of living, rising divisions between communities, and parliamentary standards have all contributed to the complex picture. But political expert Professor Robert Ford, believes the low trust in councils stems from a very specific problem.

"The local government crisis is a social care crisis," he explained. "Local councils these days are essentially a social care service with a few bin vans attached.

"That is a toxic model for trust in local government as an institution because there is a deep mismatch between what people think local government does and should do, and what it actually does.

"I'm not sure many people would realise that the overwhelming majority of the local budget goes on social care.

"If you're the local council, a lot of people will come to you and say why is this park shut, why is this youth centre shut, why are there potholes on my road that haven't been filled in?

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"And the answer every time is: decisions that have been made at Westminster.

"People don't understand that the things the local council is technically responsible for, it can't deliver because its budget is set at Westminster, its ability to raise council tax is set at Westminster, and most of all, its responsibilities on social care for the young and the old are set by statute in Westminster."

The problem is all the worse in areas with higher levels of deprivation, where the need for social services is higher, and so too is the need to tackle fly-tipping, low level crime, or provide youth services. This is the case in Trafford, Oldham, and Wigan.

But ahead of the local elections, Prof Ford has a word of warning for local political leaders.

"We're about to see a lot of support for essentially anti-system populist politics type parties, most notably Reform, but also Greens and strong independent groups," he said.

"Those groups are resonating because people feel the existing system is not delivering. If you're a mainstream politician who is worried about this shift towards populism, you need to remember these aren't voters behaving in an irrational temper tantrum way.

"They're saying: this system is not delivering, so we're trying to find a radical alternative. Who is responsible for that status quo? The Labour government since 2024, and the Conservative government since 2010. So, if you want to know who is responsible for the crisis in trust in local government, it's Boris Johnson, it's Rishi Sunak, it's Keir Starmer."

The councils with the highest percentages of low-trust scores were contacted for comment. Most did not respond.

But Tom Ross, leader of Trafford Council, said: "Residents want to see progress, and so do we. That means being honest about the challenges and delivering a credible plan — and that's exactly what Trafford Labour is doing.

"Despite huge pressure on council budgets and rising social care costs, we're delivering on this plan: revitalising our high streets, building new homes, upgrading leisure centres and protecting frontline services."