2026 United Kingdom local elections
← 2025
7 May 2026
2027 →
  • 5,066 council seats in England[4]
  • 136 unitary, metropolitan, county, district and London councils in England[5]
  • 6 directly elected mayors in England
  • 2 council by-elections in Wales[4]
Declared
96.32%
as of 9 May 2026, 00:58 BST[a]
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Nigel Farage Keir Starmer Ed Davey
Party Reform UK Labour Liberal Democrats
Leader since 3 June 2024 4 April 2020 27 August 2020
Seats before 986 seats
78 up for election		 5,830 seats
2,196 up for election		 3,180 seats
663 up for election
Projected vote share[b] 26%
Decrease 4 pp		 17%
Decrease 3 pp		 16%
Decrease 1 pp
Councillors[3] 1,444 997 834
Councils[3] 14 28 15
Councillors ± Increase 1,442 Decrease 1,406 Increase 151
Councils ± Increase 14 Decrease 35 Increase 1
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Kemi Badenoch Zack Polanski
Party Conservative Green
Leader since 2 November 2024 2 September 2025
Seats before 4,180 seats
1,134 up for election		 914 seats
170 up for election
Projected vote share[b] 17%
Increase 2 pp		 18%
Increase 7 pp
Councillors[3] 773 515
Councils[3] 9 4
Councillors ± Decrease 557 Increase 374
Councils ± Decrease 6 Increase 4
  Results pending
  No overall control   Labour   Conservative
  Liberal Democrats   Reform UK   Green

Local elections in the United Kingdom were held on 7 May 2026 for 5,066 English councillors[4] for 136 English local authorities[5] (all 32 London borough councils, 32 metropolitan boroughs, 18 unitary authorities, 6 county councils, 48 district councils) and six directly elected mayors in England. Most of these seats in England were last up for election in 2022. Some of these elections were postponed from 2025.[6][7]

No local elections were held in the rest of the United Kingdom, other than two by-elections in Wales. The 2026 Scottish Parliament election and 2026 Senedd election were held the same day.

Background

See also: Upcoming structural changes to local government in England
Post-1998 ceremonial counties of England by year of restructuring
  •   2009
  •   2019–2023
  •   Upcoming (2027–2028)

The English Devolution White Paper on 16 December 2024 set out the Labour government's plans for local government reorganisation, involving the remaining two-tier counties of England being abolished with elections to new unitary authorities. Some of the elections scheduled for May 2025 were delayed by a year in order to allow reorganisation to take place.[6][8] At least 13 of the 21 county councils asked the government to delay their elections.[9] On 5 February 2025, the government announced that elections to nine councils (seven county councils and two unitary authorities) would not take place in 2025 to allow restructuring to take place, with elections to reformed or newly created replacement authorities taking place in 2026.[7]

By November 2025, it had been announced that Surrey County Council and the districts included in it would be replaced by new unitary authorities, but the government said that other initially-scheduled 2025 elections would take place in the existing local government structure unless there was "strong justification otherwise", with the process of creating new unitary authorities delayed.[10][11] Four new combined authority mayoral elections — Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton — were delayed to 2028, having been originally scheduled for 2026.[12]

In December 2025, the Labour government invited 63 councils to raise capacity concerns with ongoing local government reorganisation and request a postponement of their 2026 local elections, after also postponing 6 combined authority mayoral elections that were scheduled to occur on the same day. This move prompted criticism from the Electoral Commission, which questioned the credibility of the reasoning given and said that it caused "unprecedented" uncertainty. The Commission stated that "There is a clear conflict of interest in asking existing Councils to decide how long it will be before they are answerable to voters". Opposition parties also criticised the decision, accusing Labour of denying people the right to vote.[13] By February 2026, the government confirmed that 30 of the 63 council elections had been postponed.[14][15][16] However, following a legal challenge by Reform UK, which had made major gains in the previous local elections, the government withdrew on 16 February 2026 its plans to delay elections, after receiving legal advice that the delay could be unlawful; all scheduled elections for 2026, along with the delayed elections from 2025, were now to take place.[17]

This is the second set of local elections during the premiership of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and it occurred during a time of Reform UK and the Greens rising sharply in opinion polls. It is the first set of local elections to take place after Zack Polanski became leader of the Green Party.[18]

Campaigns

Aggregate seats contested by party[4]
Party Seats
Labour
4,900 / 5,066 (97%)
Reform UK
4,821 / 5,066 (95%)
Conservative
4,770 / 5,066 (94%)
Green
4,505 / 5,066 (89%)
Liberal Democrats
3,949 / 5,066 (78%)
TUSC
286 / 5,066 (6%)
Workers
69 / 5,066 (1%)
SDP
48 / 5,066 (0.9%)
Your Party
20 / 5,066 (0.4%)

In England, Labour were defending more than 2,500 seats, the Conservatives over 1,300 and the Liberal Democrats just under 700.[19]

Over 25,000 candidates were nominated to stand in the elections. Reform UK, Labour, the Conservatives and the Green party all stood candidates in over 95% of wards, while the Liberal Democrats had candidates in 86%. The only other party with candidates in more than 2% of wards was the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, with 9%.[20]

Labour

On 20 March 2026, General Secretary of Unite Sharon Graham said in a speech to refuse workers at a protest near a waste depot in Tyseley, Birmingham that Labour would be "decimated" in the upcoming local elections and should "hang their heads in shame" over its handling of the Birmingham bin strike.[21]

On 30 March 2026, Keir Starmer launched Labour's local election campaign at City of Wolverhampton College, West Midlands. According to ITV, Wolverhampton is one of Labour's safest councils in the region and Keir Starmer denied Birmingham was a "lost cause".[22] The BBC said Labour is going into the elections with consistently low poll ratings.[23]

Conservatives

On 19 March 2026, Kemi Badenoch launched the Conservative campaign for the local elections at an event at Sinfonia Smith Square in Westminster, London.[24][25]

On 6 May 2026, Kemi Badenoch declined to rule out local pacts with Reform in an interview with Sky News, suggesting she would be "happy" to see Conservative and Reform councillors collaborating to deliver right wing policies at a local level. On 7 May 2026, she rowed back on this in an interview with the The Sun, saying "We're not doing deals with Reform. I don't want to see us helping Reform... they're not serious."[26]

Liberal Democrats

On 24 March 2026, Ed Davey launched the Liberal Democrat campaign for the local elections at an event in Lovelace Lodge, in East Horsley, Surrey.[27][28]

Reform UK

On 1 January 2026, Nigel Farage announced he wanted to go "double or quits" by planning to spend more than £5 million over the next four months in the run-up to the local elections, saying he wanted to spend "every single penny in the bank account" on a mass direct mail and social media campaign. He called this year's set of local elections the "single most important event" before the next general election. In August 2025, Reform UK received a £9 million donation from Christopher Harborne, a British–Thai billionaire businessman.[29]

On 10 March 2026, Farage launched Reform's local election campaign at a live-streamed event with 1,500 supporters at GG's restaurant, in Newport, Isle of Wight. This was the first in a planned nationwide series of rallies.[30]

Green Party

Following the election of Zack Polanski as Green Party leader, the party rose sharply in popularity polls.[31][32]

The Green Party launched its local elections campaign on 9 April 2026.[33] The party wants to build and maintain council housing and social homes, pointing to Green-led councils in Lewes and Mid Suffolk, which have built hundreds of new council homes in recent years.[33][34] It also wants to put pressure on the Labour Party to introduce rent controls and abolish the leasehold system, "freeing five million people from the financial burden of service charges".[34]

Your Party

On 2 April, Your Party announced it would endorse 250 candidates for the local elections, a majority of which would be independent candidates and community groups aligned with the party's platform rather than Your Party candidates. The party said it would target its efforts towards urban areas with large Muslim populations where support for Labour has weakened, such as Tower Hamlets, Newham, Redbridge, and Bradford.[35] 20 candidates in 17 wards are standing under the Your Party name.[4]

Restore Britain

On 1 April 2026, Rupert Lowe announced Restore Britain would not stand candidates for the local elections except in the Great Yarmouth area of the 2026 Norfolk County Council election,[36] stating the election would serve as a testing ground for future Restore Britain candidacies. The party's local affiliate, Great Yarmouth First, swept all nine council seats they were contesting, and also won the Caister South by-election on the Great Yarmouth Borough Council.[37] Lowe posted on X that this was "a very special day" and that "history" had been made.[37]

Results

Overview

With 131 out of 136 councils being declared, Reform UK has taken 1,443 seats, an increase of 1,441 seats, while Labour took 959 seats, a decrease of 1,395 seats.[38] The Conservatives took 773 seats, a decrease of 555 seats, while Liberal Democrats and Green Party gained, with them increasing their seats by 151 and 370 respectively.[38] Independents won 191 seats, up 19 seats from the last election.[38]

Labour lost control of 35 councils, Reform UK gained 14 councils, Conservatives lost 6 councils, Liberal Democrats gained 1 council, Green gained 4 councils, and 22 councils switched to being in a state of no overall control by a political party.[38]

London boroughs

Main article: 2026 London local elections

Elections for all councillors in all thirty-two London boroughs have been held in 2026 in line with their normal election schedule. The previous elections to London borough councils were held in 2022, which saw Labour win its second-best result in any London election and the Conservatives return their lowest-ever number of councillors in the capital.

Council Seats Council control before election Election details Council control after election
Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration
Barking and Dagenham 51 47 1 0 3 0 0 Labour Details 38
Decrease 9		 0
Decrease 1		 0
Steady		 4
Increase 1		 9
Increase 9		 0
Steady		 Labour
Barnet 63 40 19 0 1 1 1 Labour Details 31
Decrease 9		 31
Increase 12		 0
Steady		 1
Steady		 0
Decrease 2		 0
Decrease 1		 No overall control
Bexley 45 12 30 0 0 0 3 Conservative Details 7
Decrease 3		 29
Decrease 4		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 7
Increase 7		 0
Steady		 Conservative
Brent 57 42 6 3 5 0 1 Labour Details 26
Decrease 15		 11
Increase 6		 11
Increase 8		 9
Increase 4		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 3		 No overall control
Bromley 58 11 33 5 0 3 5 Conservative Details 8
Decrease 4		 35
Decrease 1		 6
Increase 1		 0
Steady		 6
Increase 6		 3
Decrease 2		 Conservative
Camden 55 45 3 6 1 0 0 Labour Details 30
Decrease 14		 3
Steady		 10
Increase 4		 11
Increase 10		 0
Steady		 1
Steady		 Labour
Croydon 70 34 33[c] 1 2 0 0 No overall control
(Conservative minority)		 Details
Ealing 70 59 4 7 0 0 1 Labour Details 46
Decrease 13		 5
Steady		 13
Increase 7		 5
Increase 5		 0
Steady		 1
Increase 1		 Labour
Enfield 63 35 25 0 0 0 3 Labour Details 27
Decrease 8		 31
Increase 6		 0
Steady		 5
Increase 5		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 3		 No overall control
Greenwich 55 47 4 0 2 0 2 Labour Details 35
Decrease 12		 6
Increase 2		 0
Steady		 13
Increase 11		 1
Increase 1		 0
Decrease 2		 Labour
Hackney 57 44 6 0 4 0 3 Labour Details 9
Decrease 35		 6
Steady		 0
Steady		 42
Increase 38		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 3		 Green
Hammersmith and Fulham 50 36 10 0 2 0 1 Labour Details 38
Increase 1		 12
Increase 2		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 2		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 1		 Labour
Haringey 57 43 0 7 2 0 5 Labour Details 20
Decrease 23		 0
Steady		 8
Increase 1		 28
Increase 26		 0
Steady		 1
Decrease 4		 No overall control
Harrow 55 23 31 0 0 0 1 Conservative Details 12
Decrease 11		 42
Increase 11		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 1
Steady		 Conservative
Havering 55 8 16 0 0 1 30 No overall control
(HRA minority)		 Details 2
Decrease 6		 0
Decrease 16		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 39
Increase 38		 14
Decrease 16		 Reform
Hillingdon 53 16 30 0 1 0 5 Conservative Details 16
Steady		 30
Increase 1		 0
Steady		 1
Steady		 4
Increase 4		 2
Decrease 5		 Conservative
Hounslow 62 45 10 0 1 0 6 Labour Details 32
Decrease 13		 17
Increase 7		 1
Increase 1		 3
Increase 2		 8
Increase 8		 1
Decrease 5		 Labour
Islington 51 44 0 0 3 0 4 Labour Details 32
Decrease 12		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 19
Increase 16		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 4		 Labour
Kensington and Chelsea 50 7 36 2 1 0 4 Conservative Details 13
Increase 6		 34
Decrease 2		 3
Increase 1		 0
Decrease 1		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 4		 Conservative
Kingston upon Thames 48 0 2 42 0 0 4 Liberal Democrats Details 0
Steady		 2
Steady		 44
Increase 2		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 2
Decrease 2		 Liberal Democrats
Lambeth 63 55 0 4 4 0 1 Labour Details
Lewisham 54 50 0 0 4 0 0 Labour Details
Merton 57 30 7 16 0 0 3 Labour Details 32
Increase 2		 4
Decrease 3		 19
Increase 2		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 2
Decrease 1		 Labour
Newham 66 56 0 0 3 0 7 Labour Details 26
Decrease 30		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 16
Increase 13		 0
Steady		 24
Increase 17		 No overall control
Redbridge 63 54 5 0 0 0 4 Labour Details 43
Decrease 11		 5
Steady		 0
Steady		 5
Increase 5		 1
Increase 1		 9
Increase 5		 Labour
Richmond upon Thames 54 0 0 49 5 0 0 Liberal Democrats Details 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 54
Increase 5		 0
Decrease 5		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 Liberal Democrats
Southwark 63 45 0 11 4 0 3 Labour Details 29
Decrease 23		 0
Steady		 12
Increase 1		 22
Increase 22		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 No overall control
Sutton 55 2 21 29 0 0 3 Liberal Democrats Details 1
Decrease 1		 0
Decrease 20		 51
Increase 23		 0
Steady		 2
Increase 2		 1
Decrease 4		 Liberal Democrats
Tower Hamlets 45 16 1 0 1 0 27 Aspire Details
Waltham Forest 60 45 12 0 0 1 2 Labour Details 15
Decrease 29		 14
Increase 4		 0
Steady		 31
Increase 31		 0
Decrease 3		 0
Decrease 3		 Green
Wandsworth 58 34 21 0 0 1 2 Labour Details 28
Decrease 6		 29
Increase 8		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 1		 1
Decrease 1		 No overall control
Westminster 54 28 24 0 0 2 0 Labour Details 22
Decrease 6		 32
Increase 8		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 2		 0
Steady		 Conservative
All 32 councils 1,817 1,046 386 181 47 13 136

Metropolitan boroughs

There are thirty-six metropolitan boroughs, which are single-tier local authorities. Thirty-two of them have an election in 2026 (Doncaster, Liverpool, Wirral and Rotherham do not). Of these, Birmingham City Council and St Helens Council hold their elections on a four-year cycle from 2022, so are due to hold an election in 2026. In 2025 Barnsley Council held a public consultation regarding the permanent adoption of the whole council election cycle, which has since been confirmed.[39] Barnsley is going to hold its elections on a four-year cycle starting from 2026.

The remaining twenty-nine councils generally elect a third of their councillors every year for three years with no election in each fourth year, on the same timetable which includes elections in 2026. Thirteen of these metropolitan borough councils have all of their councillors up for election in 2026 rather than the usual one-third, following ward boundary changes from their LGBCE electoral review. All thirteen will likely be reverting to thirds in 2027, 2028 and 2030.

Elections for all councillors

Council Seats Council control before election Election details Council control after election
Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration
Barnsley 63 46 1 12 0 0 3 Labour Details 11
Decrease 35		 0
Decrease 1		 6
Decrease 6		 0
Steady		 41
Increase 41		 5
Increase 2		 Reform
Birmingham 101 51 21 13 2 0 12 Labour Details 16
Decrease 35		 16
Decrease 5		 12
Decrease 1		 19
Increase 17		 22
Increase 22		 13
Increase 1		 No overall control
Bradford 90 46 13 4 10 0 16 Labour Details
Calderdale 54 26 8 6 3 3 3 Labour Details
Coventry 54 39 10 0 2 2 1 Labour Details
Gateshead 66 46 0 18 0 0 2 Labour Details 12

Decrease 34

 0

Steady

 13

Decrease 5

 3

Increase 3

 38

Increase 38

 0

Decrease 2

 Reform
Kirklees 69 23 16 9 4 0 16 No overall control (Labour minority) Details
Newcastle upon Tyne 78 34 1 22 4 0 15 No overall control (Labour minority) Details 2
Decrease 32		 0
Decrease 1		 25
Increase 3		 24
Increase 20		 24
Increase 24		 3
Decrease 12		 No overall control
Sandwell 72 60 4 0 2 0 5 Labour Details 28

Decrease 32

 0

Steady

 0

Steady

 2

Steady

 41

Increase 41

 1

Decrease 4

 Reform
Sefton 66 51 3 9 1 1 1 Labour Details
Solihull 51 1 27 8 8 4 3 Conservative Details
South Tyneside 54 27 0 0 9 0 18 Labour Details 1

Decrease 26

 0

Steady

 0

Steady

 10

Increase 1

 41

Increase 41

 2

Decrease 16

 Reform
St Helens 48 28 2 3 4 3 6 Labour Details 2

Decrease 26

 1

Decrease 1

 3

Steady

 0

Decrease 4

 34

Increase 31

 6

Steady

 Reform
Sunderland 75 48 9 12 1 0 4 Labour Details 5

Decrease 43

 0

Decrease 9

 12

Steady

 0

Decrease 1

 58

Increase 58

 0

Decrease 4

 Reform
Wakefield 63 48 1 2 1 2 9 Labour Details 1

Decrease 47

 1

Steady

 2

Steady

 1

Steady

 58

Increase 56

 0

Decrease 9

 Reform
Walsall 60 11 29 0 0 0 20 Conservative Details
16 councils 1,064

Elections for one third of councillors

Council Seats Council control before election Election details Council control after election
up of Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration
Bolton 20 60 25 15 6 0 1 13 No overall control (Labour minority) Details 20
Decrease 5		 11
Decrease 4		 5
Decrease 1		 3
Increase 3		 10
Increase 9		 11
Decrease 2		 No overall control
Bury 17 51 32 5 0 0 3 11 Labour Details
Dudley 25 72 23 33 5 0 3 7 No overall control (Conservative minority) Details 15
Decrease 13		 27
Decrease 7		 4
Decrease 1		 0
Steady		 23
Increase 22		 3
Decrease1		 No overall control
Knowsley 15 45 30 0 3 7 0 4 Labour Details
Leeds 33 99 56 13 6 6 2 12 Labour Details
Manchester 32 96 87 0 4 4 0 1 Labour Details 63
Decrease 24		 0
Steady		 4
Steady		 20
Increase 16		 8
Increase 8		 1
Steady		 Labour
North Tyneside 20 60 50 8 0 0 1 1 Labour Details
Oldham 20 60 26 6 9 0 3 16 No overall control (Labour minority) Details
Rochdale 20 60 43 8 3 0 2 4 Labour Details
Salford 21 60 45 7 2 0 1 3 Labour Details
Sheffield 28 84 34 0 27 14 1 6 No overall control (Labour minority) Details
Stockport 21 63 19 1 30 3 0 10 No overall control (Lib Dem minority) Details 32
Increase 2		 Liberal Democrats
Tameside 19 57 38 7 0 0 1 10 Labour Details
Trafford 21 63 41 10 7 5 0 0 Labour Details
Wigan 25 75 62 1 0 0 2 10 Labour Details 42
Decrease 22		 0
Decrease 1		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 26
Increase 24		 9
Decrease 1		 Labour
Wolverhampton 20 60 44 11 0 0 2 2 Labour Details
16 councils 355 1,065

Unitary authorities

Most of these unitary authorities elect councillors in thirds, with councillors elected in 2022 up for reelection in 2026. Swindon and Milton Keynes elect councillors by thirds, but have all seats up in 2026 due to new ward boundaries. Thurrock and Isle of Wight both have all-up elections delayed from 2025. East Surrey and West Surrey are both newly-created councils with all councillors to be elected.

Elections for all councillors

Council Seats Council control before election Election details Council control after election
Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration
East Surrey 72 New council, formerly 5 districts of Surrey
Details
District Administration
Elmbridge No overall control
Epsom and Ewell Residents Association
Mole Valley Liberal Democrats
Reigate and Banstead No overall control
Tandridge No overall control
Details 0 10 40 8 5 9 Liberal Democrats
Isle of Wight 39 1 13 4 2 2 17 No overall control[d] Details 1
Steady		 2
Decrease 11		 4
Steady		 2
Steady		 19
Increase 17		 11
Decrease 6		 No overall control
Milton Keynes 60 30 9 18 0 0 0 Labour Details 19
Decrease 11		 12
Increase 3		 20
Increase 2		 0
Steady		 9
Increase 9		 0
Steady		 No overall control
Swindon 57 34 16 1 4 0 2 Labour Details 19
Decrease 15		 23
Increase 7		 1
Steady		 0
Decrease 4		 14
Increase 14		 0
Decrease 2		 No overall control
Thurrock 49 26 11 0 0 4 8 Labour Details 2
Decrease 24		 2
Decrease 9		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 45
Increase 41		 0
Decrease 8		 Reform
West Surrey 90 New council, formerly 6 districts of Surrey
Details
District Administration
Guildford Liberal Democrats
Runnymede No overall control
Spelthorne No overall control
Surrey Heath Liberal Democrats
Waverley No overall control
Woking Liberal Democrats
Details 0 20 56 0 9 5 Liberal Democrats
6 councils 367

Elections for one third of councillors

Council Seats Council control before election Election details Council control after election
up of Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration
Blackburn with Darwen 17 51 27 9 0 0 0 15 Labour Details
Halton 18 54 44 0 3 0 1 4 Labour Details 29
Decrease 15		 0
Steady		 3
Steady		 0
Steady		 16
Increase 15		 4
Steady		 Labour
Hartlepool 12 36 22 5 0 0 3 6 Labour Details 15
Decrease 7		 1
Decrease 4		 3
Steady		 0
Steady		 15
Increase 12		 5
Decrease 1		 No overall control
Hull 19 57 23 0 29 0 0 5 Liberal Democrats Details 16
Decrease 7		 0
Steady		 26
Decrease 3		 0
Steady		 10
Increase 10		 5
Steady		 No overall control
North East Lincolnshire 14 42 15 18 3 0 1 5 No overall control (Conservative minority) Details 11
Decrease 4		 10
Decrease 9		 3
Steady		 0
Steady		 14
Increase 14		 4
Decrease 1		 No overall control
Peterborough 20 60 13 10 8 5 1 22 No overall control (Labour minority) Details
Plymouth 19 57 39 7 1 2 2 6 Labour Details
Portsmouth 14 42 9 4 18 0 10 1 No overall control (Lib Dem minority) Details 5
Decrease 4		 3
Decrease 1		 22
Increase 3		 0
Steady		 12
Increase 5		 1
Decrease 2		 Liberal Democrats
Reading 16 48 31 3 3 8 1 1 Labour Details 29
Decrease 3		 5
Increase 2		 3
Steady		 11
Increase 3		 0
Decrease 1		 0
Decrease 1		 Labour
Southampton 17 51 31 9 7 2 1 1 Labour Details 24
Decrease 7		 6
Decrease 3		 7
Steady		 6
Increase 4		 8
Increase 7		 0
Decrease 1		 No overall control
Southend-on-Sea 17 51 19 14 4 2 4 8 No overall control (Lab/ind./Lib Dem coalition) Details
Wokingham 18 54 5 19 27 1 0 1 Liberal Democrats Details
12 councils 201 603

Mayors

Local authorities

Council Mayor before Elected mayor Details
Croydon Jason Perry (Con) Jason Perry (Con) Details
Hackney Caroline Woodley (Labour Co-op) Zoë Garbett (Grn) Details
Lewisham Brenda Dacres (Labour Co-op) Liam Shrivastava (Grn) Details
Newham Rokhsana Fiaz (Labour Co-op) Forhad Hussain (Lab) Details
Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman (Aspire) Lutfur Rahman (Aspire) Details
Watford Peter Taylor (Lib Dem) Peter Taylor (Lib Dem) Details

County councils

All of these elections were delayed from 2025.

Council Seats Council control before election Election details Council control after election
Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration
East Sussex 50 5 22 11 6 2 4 No overall control Details 0
Decrease 5		 3
Decrease 19		 13
Increase 2		 11
Increase 5		 22
Increase 20		 1
Decrease 3		 No overall control
Essex[e] 78 6 49 6 1 1 10 Conservative Details 1
Decrease 5		 13
Decrease 37		 5
Decrease 2		 1
Steady		 53
Increase 52		 5
Decrease 5		 Reform
Hampshire 78 3 50 19 1 1 4 Conservative Details 1
Decrease 2		 27
Decrease 23		 26
Increase 7		 1
Steady		 20
Increase 19		 3
Decrease 1		 No overall control
Norfolk[e] 84 9 50 9 4 2 8 Conservative Details 1
Decrease 8		 7
Decrease 43		 13
Increase 4		 12
Increase 8		 39
Increase 37		 10
Increase 2		 No overall control
Suffolk[e] 70 2 38 18 2 2 17 Conservative Details 3
Increase 1		 9
Decrease 29		 2
Decrease 16		 13
Increase 11		 41
Increase 39		 2
Decrease 15		 Reform
West Sussex 70 8 38 10 2 4 7 Conservative Details 5
Decrease 3		 11
Decrease 27		 23
Increase 13		 7
Increase 5		 23
Increase 19		 1
Decrease 6		 No overall control
6 councils 430

District councils

Elections for all councillors

Council Seats Election details Council control before election Council control after election
Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration
Huntingdonshire 52 Details 3 18 16 2 0 13 No overall control (Lib Dem/Lab/Grn/ind. coalition) 1
Decrease 2		 15
Decrease 3		 20
Increase 4		 2
Steady		 10
Increase 10		 4
Decrease 9		 No overall control
Newcastle-under-Lyme 44 Details 17 26 0 0 0 0 Conservative 2
Decrease 15		 15
Decrease 11		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 27
Increase 27		 0
Steady		 Reform
South Cambridgeshire 45 Details 0 9 34 0 0 1 Liberal Democrats 0
Steady		 2
Decrease 7		 43
Increase 11		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 1		 Liberal Democrats
3 councils 141

Elections for half of councillors

Council Seats Election details Council control before election Council control after election
up of Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration
Adur 14 29 Details 17 2 0 2 0 8 Labour 17
Steady		 0
Decrease 2		 0
Steady		 2
Steady		 6
Increase 6		 4
Decrease 4		 Labour
Cheltenham 20 40 Details 0 0 36 3 0 1 Liberal Democrats 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 35
Decrease 1		 3
Steady		 1
Increase 1		 1
Steady		 Liberal Democrats
Fareham 16 32 Details 1 24 6 0 0 1 Conservative 1
Steady		 22
Decrease 1		 7
Steady		 0
Steady		 1
Increase 1		 1
Steady		 Conservative
Gosport 14 28 Details 2 11 13 0 1 1 No overall control (Lib Dem minority) 0
Decrease 1		 11
Decrease 1		 6
Decrease 7		 0
Steady		 10
Increase 9		 1
Steady		 No overall control
Hastings 16 32 Details 8 5 0 12 0 6 No overall control (Green minority) 4
Decrease 5		 2
Decrease 3		 0
Steady		 19
Increase 7		 6
Increase 6		 1
Decrease 5		 Green
Nuneaton and Bedworth 19 38 Details 18 17 1 2 0 0 No overall control (Labour minority) 11
Decrease 7		 9
Decrease 8		 0
Decrease 1		 3
Increase 1		 15
Increase 15		 0
Steady		 No overall control
Oxford 24 48 Details 21 0 9 9 0 9 No overall control (Labour minority) 20
Decrease 1		 0
Steady		 9
Steady		 13
Increase 4		 0
Steady		 6
Decrease 3		 No overall control
7 councils 123 247

Elections for one third of councillors

Council Seats Election details Council control before election Council control after election
up of Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration Lab Con LD Grn Ref Other Administration
Basildon 14 42 Details 16 13 0 0 1 12 No overall control (Lab/ind. coalition) 12
Decrease 6		 12
Decrease 1		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 11
Increase 11		 7
Decrease 4		 No overall control
Basingstoke and Deane 18 54 Details 10 12 11 2 1 16 No overall control (Lib Dem/ind. coalition)
Brentwood 13 39 Details 3 16 16 0 1 2 No overall control (Lib Dem/Lab coalition) 2
Decrease 1		 12
Decrease 5		 16
Decrease 1		 0
Steady		 8
Increase 7		 1
Steady		 No overall control
Broxbourne 10 30 Details 3 25 0 0 2 0 Conservative 3
Steady		 24
Decrease 2		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 3
Increase 2		 0
Steady		 Conservative
Burnley 15 45 Details 13 7 7 5 2 11 No overall control (Burnley Ind./Lib Dem/Grn coalition)
Cambridge 14 42 Details 23 1 10 6 0 1 Labour
Cannock Chase 13 36 Details 18 11 0 5 1 1 Labour 10
Decrease 8		 8
Decrease 3		 0
Steady		 3
Decrease 2		 14
Increase 13		 1
Steady		 No overall control
Cherwell 16 48 Details 10 12 17 4 0 3 No overall control (Lib Dem/Grn/ind. minority coalition)
Chorley 14 42 Details 36 4 0 0 1 1 Labour 29
Decrease 8		 4
Steady		 0
Steady		 1
Increase 1		 7
Increase 7		 1
Steady		 Labour
Colchester 17 51 Details 14 19 14 3 0 1 No overall control (Lib Dem/Lab coalition) 12
Decrease 2		 18
Decrease 1		 12
Decrease 2		 3
Steady		 5
Increase 5		 1
Steady		 No overall control
Crawley 12 36 Details 25 9 0 0 1 0 Labour 21
Decrease 4		 4
Decrease 6		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 10
Increase 10		 0
Steady
Eastleigh 14 39 Details 0 1 34 0 0 3 Liberal Democrats 0
Steady		 1
Steady		 34
Steady		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 3
Steady		 Liberal Democrats
Epping Forest 18 54 Details 1 26 7 1 1 18 No overall control (Con minority)
Exeter 13 39 Details 22 2 4 6 2 2 Labour 17
Decrease 5		 1
Decrease 1		 5
Increase 1		 9
Increase 3		 4
Increase 2		 0
Steady		 No overall control
Harlow 11 33 Details 15 17 0 0 1 0 Conservative 10
Decrease 5		 22
Increase 5		 0
Steady		 0
Steady		 1
Steady		 0
Steady		 Conservative
Hart 11 33 Details 0 9 12 0 0 12 No overall control (CCH/Lib Dem coalition)
Havant 12 36 Details 9 8 5 6 5 3 No overall control (Lab/Lib Dem/Grn coalition)
Hyndburn 11 35 Details 22 12 0 1 0 0 Labour 17
Decrease 5		 8
Decrease 4		 0
Steady		 1
Steady		 8
Increase 8		 1
Increase 1		 No overall control
Ipswich 16 48 Details 38 7 3 0 0 0 Labour
Lincoln 11 33 Details 20 5 6 0 0 2 Labour 17
Decrease 3		 2
Decrease 3		 7
Increase 1		 1
Increase 1		 4
Increase 4		 2
Steady		 Labour
Norwich 13 39 Details 19 0 3 15 0 1 No overall control (Lab minority) Green
Pendle 10 33 Details 0 11 9 0 1 12 No overall control (Lib Dem/Ind coalition)
Preston 16 48 Details 26 5 14 0 1 2 Labour
Redditch 9 27 Details 18 5 0 1 0 3 Labour 13
Decrease 5		 4
Decrease 1		 0
Steady		 0
Decrease 1		 8
Increase 8		 2
Decrease 1		 No overall control
Rochford 15 39 Details 0 10 8 1 0 20 No overall control (Con/Rochford Residents/ind. coalition) 0
Steady		 7
Decrease 3		 5
Decrease 3		 0
Decrease 1		 13
Increase 13		 14
Decrease 6		 No overall control
Rugby 14 42 Details 15 16 10 0 0 0 No overall control (Lab minority)
Rushmoor 13 39 Details 16 14 3 1 0 4 No overall control (Lab minority)
St Albans 20 56 Details 2 4 43 3 0 2 Liberal Democrats
Stevenage 13 39 Details 29 1 6 0 2 0 Labour
Tamworth 10 30 Details 16 4 0 1 1 8 Labour 14
Decrease 2		 3
Decrease 1		 0
Steady		 1
Steady		 10
Increase 9		 1
Decrease 1		 No overall control
Three Rivers 13 39 Details 3 11 19 3 0 3 No overall control (Lib Dem minority) 2
Decrease 1		 14
Increase 3		 18
Decrease 1		 3
Steady		 0
Steady		 2
Decrease 1		 No overall control
Tunbridge Wells 13 39 Details 4 8 21 0 0 4 Liberal Democrats
Watford 12 36 Details 6 0 30 0 0 0 Liberal Democrats
Welwyn Hatfield 16 48 Details 17 11 15 2 0 2 No overall control (Lab/Lib Dem coalition)
West Lancashire 15 45 Details 21 14 0 0 0 10 No overall control (Lab minority)
West Oxfordshire 16 49 Details 10 13 21 4 1 0 No overall control (Lib Dem/Lab/Grn coalition)
Winchester 15 45 Details 0 8 32 4 0 1 Liberal Democrats
Worthing 13 37 Details 21 9 0 2 2 3 Labour
38 councils 516 1,545

Analysis

Polling expert John Curtice said the results showed the fragmentation of "our politics" and that the projection was that Reform UK was ahead of the Green Party, Labour, Conservatives and the Lib Dems which each received similar levels of support. Curtice described the result as "bleak" for Labour and added that "none of the political parties have the support of a substantial section of the public".[40]

According to Sky News' 2026 National Equivalent Vote, Reform UK won 27% of the vote, with Conservatives coming in second place with 20%, while Labour won 15%, Greens with 14%, Liberal Democrats with 14%, and Independents with 10%; Sky News later suggested that these election results were "an improvement for the Tories compared with last year's local elections, while Reform have slid backwards slightly."[41] If these local election results were applied to the House of Commons, Reform UK would have 284 seats, Labour 110, Conservatives 96, Liberal Democrats 80, SNP 36, Plaid Cymru 13, Green 13, and others at 18.[41] The BBC's Projected National Vote, a similar projection, put party support on Reform 26%, Greens 18%, Labour 17%, Conservatives 17% and Liberal Democrats 16%.[2]

Reform UK performed significantly well in areas where the vote for Brexit was high; in areas where Brexit reached over 55% support, Reform UK won 47% of the vote, while they won 36% in areas between 45-55%, and 19% in areas where support for Brexit dipped below 45%.[41] In the case of the Conservatives, they lost the most support in areas that strongly supported them, losing 12% in areas that gave them 35% of the vote share.[41]

The Conservatives performed better than expected, even when suffering extensive losses in this election, leading to Kemi Badenoch claiming that the Conservatives are "coming back" and that they had "achieved great results."[42] Tony Travers, a local government expert at the London School of Economics, has said that the "Tories have done surprisingly well, hanging on to Bexley, winning back Westminster and becoming the biggest party in Wandsworth."[42] Political analyst Peter Kellner also noted that in last year's local election, the Conservatives "were defending 996 seats and lost 675, a loss rate of 68%," while this local election was only around 44%.[42] Yet, political commentor Henry Hill warned against these positive interpretations, saying that the "Conservatives are still going backwards... and its councillor base is being eviscerated."[42]

Opinion polls

Seat projections

Date(s)
conducted		 Pollster Client Sample
size		 Area Lab Con LD Grn Ref Others
April 2026 Britain Elects[43] n/a TBD England 616 754 741 1,087 1,689 183
April 2026 More in Common[44] n/a TBD England 458 507 990 1,096 1,515 448
Seats before 2,196 1,134 663 170 78 773

See also

  • 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election
  • 2026 Scottish Parliament election
  • 2026 Senedd election
  • Political make-up of local councils in the United Kingdom

Notes

  1. ^ Councils declared as reported by BBC News[1]
  2. ^ All vote shares are projected national vote shares calculated by the BBC.[2]
  3. ^ Led by a Conservative Mayor
  4. ^ no overall control (Alliance Group (independents + Green + Our Island) minority coalition)
  5. ^ a b c New electoral boundaries

References

  1. ^ "Local election results 2026 in England". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b Curtice, John (8 May 2026). "BBC projected national vote share puts Reform on 26%". BBC News. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  3. ^ a b "England Local election results 2026". BBC.
  4. ^ a b c d e Keeling, Peter (29 April 2026). "2026 local election data summary". Democracy Club. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Open Council Data UK – compositions councillors parties wards elections emails". Open Council Data.
  6. ^ a b "Some local elections could be delayed by up to a year, says Angela Rayner". Sky News. 16 December 2024. Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  7. ^ a b Whannel, Kate (5 February 2025). "Council shake-up sees elections delayed in nine areas". BBC News. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  8. ^ "Counties given 'extraordinary' deadline to cancel elections". Local Government Chronicle. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  9. ^ Mason, Rowena (10 January 2025). "Tory party accused of 'bottling' May elections as county councils seek delay". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  10. ^ "Suffolk County Council elections 'will go ahead in May 2026'". BBC News. 5 November 2025. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  11. ^ "Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) Timeline". LGIU. 28 August 2025. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
  12. ^ Maddox, David (3 December 2025). "Labour expected to postpone mayoral elections by two years amid continued Reform poll lead". The Independent.
  13. ^ Clarke, Jennifer (11 February 2026). "Which elections are taking place in England, Scotland and Wales on 7 May?". BBC News. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  14. ^ "Electoral Commission responds to potential election postponements". Electoral Commission. 19 December 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  15. ^ "The government's decision to delay mayoral elections cannot be justified on democratic or fairness grounds". Institute for Government. 5 December 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  16. ^ Morton, Becky (19 December 2025). "Watchdog hits out at potential local election delays". BBC News. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Government abandons plans to delay 30 council elections". BBC News. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  18. ^ Fitzpatrick, Kevin (16 February 2026). "Gorton and Denton by-election 'too close to call'". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Is there an election in my area?". BBC News. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  20. ^ "2026 local election data summary". Democracy Club. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  21. ^ Gohil, Neha (20 March 2026). "Labour will be decimated in May local elections, Unite leader says". The Guardian.
  22. ^ Howlett, Tom. "PM denies Birmingham is a 'lost cause' as he launches local election campaign in Wolverhampton". ITV News Central. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  23. ^ Whannel, Kate. "PM launches Labour's local election campaign with focus on cost of living". BBC News. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
  24. ^ Whannel, Kate (19 March 2026). "Tories only party with a plan, says Badenoch as she launches election campaign". BBC News. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  25. ^ "Kemi's plan to Get Britain Working Again". Chorley Conservative Association. 19 March 2026.
  26. ^ "May elections: Badenoch rows back on Reform pacts as millions cast their votes – as it happened". Guardian. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  27. ^ "BBC News - Liberal Democrats Launch Local Election Campaign". BBC. 24 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  28. ^ Wingate, Sophie (25 March 2026). "Ed Davey launches election campaign in Surrey and discusses 'dangerous' Greens". Surrey Live.
  29. ^ "Nigel Farage promises Reform UK spending blitz on May's local elections". PA News Agency. 1 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  30. ^ "Nigel Farage kicks off Reform's local election campaign". BBC News. 10 March 2026.
  31. ^ "Voting Intention Polls and Trends | Ipsos". www.ipsos.com. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  32. ^ "POLITICO Poll of Polls — British polls, trends and election news for the United Kingdom and Scotland". POLITICO. 15 February 2022. Archived from the original on 23 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  33. ^ a b "Zack Polanski launches Green Party local election campaign with affordable housing pledge". greenparty.org.uk. Green Party of England and Wales. 13 April 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  34. ^ a b McKiernan, Jennifer (9 April 2026). "Greens launch local election campaign with focus on housing". BBC News. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  35. ^ Adu, Aletha (2 April 2026). "Your Party to focus local election efforts on backing independent candidates". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
  36. ^ Hill, Dave (2 April 2026). "Barking & Dagenham: The great fragmenting Right show". OnLondon.co.uk. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  37. ^ a b "Great Yarmouth First celebrate clean sweep at elections". Great Yarmouth Mercury. 8 May 2026. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  38. ^ a b c d "Local election results 2026 in England". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  39. ^ [1] Full Council Report - Change to Election Cycle - Barnsley Council
  40. ^ "Election results 2026 live". BBC News. 9 May 2026. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  41. ^ a b c d Jennings, Will; Sky News Data & Forensics Team (8 May 2026). "Elections: Analysis in maps and charts, and find out the result from your seat". Sky News. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  42. ^ a b c d Topping, Alexandra (8 May 2026). "Badenoch claims Tories 'coming back' despite widespread losses in local elections". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  43. ^ Walker, Ben (28 April 2026). "Labour faces a local election wipeout in England". New Statesman. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  44. ^ "May 7 Briefing - A pre-election webinar by More in Common" (PDF). More in Common. Retrieved 21 April 2026.