Local Elections 

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Latest news on local elections, covering 2026 council results, ward seats, councillors, Labour, Reform UK, Conservative, Lib Dem and Green party performance.

Local elections across England took place on 7 May 2026, with over 4,850 council seats contested across 134 local authorities, including all 32 London boroughs. The same day saw devolved elections to the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales, making it one of the busiest electoral days of the parliamentary cycle. Around 25,000 candidates from 140 parties and independent groups stood across thousands of wards.

The 2026 cycle is being closely watched as a barometer of national sentiment. Labour, defending seats won in 2022 when it polled significantly higher, faces projected losses — particularly in northern metropolitan areas where Reform UK has surged into contention at local level for the first time. The Conservatives are squeezed between Reform in Leave-leaning areas and the Liberal Democrats across southern England, while the Greens, resurgent under leader Zack Polanski, are targeting councils including Hastings and challenging in several urban wards.

The elections were not without controversy. The government had sought to postpone polls in 30 areas undergoing local government reorganisation, drawing criticism from the Electoral Commission over conflicts of interest. Following a legal challenge by Reform UK, the government withdrew those plans in February 2026, restoring elections in all affected areas. Local government reorganisation — the replacement of two-tier county structures with new unitary authorities — remains a live issue shaping the political landscape.

Local elections have long served as a proxy for national mood between general elections, with turnout typically running at 30–40% of the electorate. Results from English county councils and metropolitan boroughs tend to declare on the Friday morning after polling day, drawing intense media scrutiny. Gains and losses in council control directly affect the delivery of local services — from housing and transport to social care and planning.

Councillors sit at the frontline of democratic life, making decisions on planning applications, local budgets, and public services that affect millions of residents. The 2026 elections also include votes for six local authority mayors in areas including several London boroughs and Watford. With regional mayors' powers increasingly tied to the make-up of constituent councils, the results carry implications beyond individual wards.

Our NewsNow local elections feed brings together the latest results, analysis, and reaction from across England, Scotland, and Wales as counting progresses, with comprehensive coverage of seat changes, council control shifts, and what the outcomes mean for national politics.