The end of last week saw voters heading to the ballots as they decide who will win the contest for more than 1,500 council seats across the country, as well as six mayoral elections.
It was Reform UK that caught the eye, as their candidates won 677 seats, as well as two mayoral victories. Former Conservative MP Andrea Jenkyns became the party’s first mayor, then being followed by Luke Campbell who became the very fist Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire. The 677 seats that were won saw Reform taking control of 10 councils – six of these being county councils.
The county councils that Reform took control of are:
- Derbyshire County Council
- Kent County Council
- Lancashire County Council
- Lincolnshire County Council
- Nottinghamshire County Council
- Staffordshire County Council
Three mayoral election victories also went the way of Labour, with Ros Jones, Karen Clark and Helen Godwin being elected in Doncaster, North Tyneside and West of England respectively. In terms of council seats, Labour remained the largest party nationwide as their 99 victories last week took their total to 6,132.
The Liberal Democrats were also able to increase their overall seat count, as they gained a further 163 seats and three additional councils.
In terms of unitary authorities, half of those that were up for grabs are now under no overall control, having previously been mainly controlled by the Conservatives. Of the eight that held elections last week, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Northumberland and Wiltshire are now under no overall control. Reform UK have gained control over County Durham, North Northamptonshire and West Northampton shire, whilst the Liberal Democrats took control of Shropshire Council.
The only significant victory for the Conservative Party came as Paul Bristow was elected as the Mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough – taking over from Labour Mayor Nik Johnson. Nationwide, the Conservatives won 317 seats, reducing their number by 676 to 4,358 seats.
Overall, the Labour Party still have the most councillors with 6,132, ahead of the Conservatives on 4,358. The Liberal Democrats sit with the third most, 3,179, ahead of Independents with just over 2,500. The Green Party and Reform UK now have 895 and 805 councillors respectively, with both parties boosting their numbers last week.
Image credit: iStock
