Reform UK Gains Seats, Labour Loses Seats in England Local Elections

Reform UK won all 12 seats contested in Hartlepool, defeating Labour in each and positioning the party to take control of the council with support from independents. Labour had held a slim majority and was defending six seats in the north-east England town.

Turnout reached 31.5 percent, slightly higher than the 28 percent recorded in the last comparable local election in 2024. In Halton, Cheshire, Reform UK gained 15 councillors while Labour held only two of the 17 seats it was defending. Reform secured more than 50 percent of the vote in some wards in an area where the party had won a parliamentary byelection by just six votes the previous year.

Labour nevertheless retained overall control of the council. Losses for Labour were also reported in Chorley in Lancashire, Wigan in Greater Manchester, Redditch, and Tamworth, with several councils shifting to no overall control. The Liberal Democrats took control of Stockport.

Labour had entered the elections expecting to lose up to 1,850 councillors across England, where more than 5,000 seats were contested across 136 councils. Senior figures had described the contest as tough even before polling day. Early counts showed the party retaining only about 12 percent of the seats it was defending in some initial tallies.

Jonathan Brash, Labour MP for Hartlepool, said: "It has been a terrible night for the Labour party. What I’ve seen here is extraordinarily good, hard-working Hartlepool people lose their seats...

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy acknowledged the elections had been difficult, citing public concern over the cost of living and a sense that the government needed to move faster. Lammy defended Starmer’s position by pointing to past prime ministers who suffered poor local election results yet went on to win general elections.

He cited Tony Blair’s experience after 1997 and David Cameron’s losses before 2015. The elections also encompassed votes for the Scottish Parliament and the newly expanded Welsh Senedd, which grew from 60 to 96 members under a more proportional system.

Results from those contests were not expected until later on Friday. Polls had suggested the Scottish National Party was on track for a fifth term while Labour faced heavy losses in Wales.

Reform UK built on gains made in 2025 local elections when it secured nearly 700 councillors and control of 10 authorities. The Green Party anticipated record results, with leader Zack Polanski forecasting gains against Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats alike in areas including London, Newcastle, Sussex and Wales.

Liberal Democrats reported knocking on three million doors during the campaign, double the previous year’s effort, as they targeted both former Conservative and Labour strongholds. Counting in Scotland and Wales began later than in England, with initial declarations in England shaping the overnight mood.

Hartlepool had been flagged as a key early test of Reform’s ability to convert polling strength into council seats. Further results from councils including Dudley in the Midlands and Oxford were expected to illustrate shifting voter fragmentation. The contests represent the largest electoral test for Starmer’s premiership since Labour’s landslide victory less than two years ago.

More than 5,000 council seats were at stake in England alongside the devolved parliamentary elections. The full national picture will emerge over the coming days as remaining counts conclude.