Reform UK › 2026
Reform UK in 2026
Polling day: 7 May 2026. 136 councils held elections.
Summary
- Contested in 136 of 136 councils; ran for 5,031 seats.
- Won 1,454 seats (28.9% of seats up) on 23.7% of the vote.
- Net change vs each council's last appearance in this dataset: +1,239 seats across 83 councils up, 0 councils down, 15 flat, 38 new to the window.
- Council-control change: 25 gained, 0 lost.
Same votes, different counting rule
Compare the seats Reform UK actually won under FPTP with a proportional re-count of the same council-level votes. Positive means seats unfairly awarded by FPTP; negative means seats the party was denied by FPTP.
Where Reform UK led, as of 2026
Councils where Reform UK was the largest single party in the most recent composition snapshot at or before 2026. Greens ring councils gained at this election; reds ring those lost. Click any hex to drill in.
As of 2026
38 councils led
+25 gained this cycle
Grey hexes are councils where another party led, or where we don't have a snapshot for that year.
Council-control changes
Councils where the largest party in the running composition changed at this election. How a flip is defined →
Gained (25)
- Wakefield from Labour Party
- South Tyneside from Labour Party
- Havering from Other
- Sunderland from Labour Party
- Essex from Conservative Party
- Walsall from Conservative Party
- St. Helens from Labour Party
- Suffolk from Conservative Party
- Calderdale from Labour Party
- Thurrock from Labour Party
- Barnsley from Labour Party
- Sandwell from Labour Party
- Gateshead from Labour Party
- East Sussex from Conservative Party
- Bradford from Labour Party
- Norfolk from Conservative Party
- Newcastle-under-Lyme from Conservative Party
- Kirklees from Labour Party
- Isle of Wight from Other
- Birmingham from Labour Party
- Nuneaton and Bedworth from Labour Party
- Rochford from Other
- North East Lincolnshire from Conservative Party
- Cannock Chase from Labour Party
- Havant from Conservative Party
Where the seats came from
Per-council net seat change vs each council's prior appearance in our dataset (typically that council's previous all-out election or its last by-thirds slice). "Debut" rows are councils whose first cycle in our window is 2026 — usually the result of a boundary reorganisation or being a county outside our 2021 LEH coverage.
Seats gained (83 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wakefield | 58 | 0 (2024) | +58 | 44.4% | 92.1% |
| Sunderland | 58 | 0 (2024) | +58 | 41.3% | 77.3% |
| Essex | 53 | 0 (2021) | +53 | 37.4% | 68.8% |
| Thurrock | 45 | 0 (2023) | +45 | 51.5% | 91.8% |
| Barnsley | 42 | 0 (2024) | +42 | 42.0% | 66.7% |
| South Tyneside | 41 | 0 (2024) | +41 | 39.9% | 75.9% |
| Sandwell | 41 | 0 (2024) | +41 | 36.3% | 56.9% |
| Walsall | 40 | 0 (2024) | +40 | 37.3% | 66.7% |
| Norfolk | 40 | 0 (2021) | +40 | 31.2% | 47.6% |
| Havering | 39 | 0 (2022) | +39 | 37.8% | 70.9% |
| Gateshead | 38 | 0 (2024) | +38 | 37.0% | 57.6% |
| Calderdale | 34 | 0 (2021) | +34 | 36.2% | 63.0% |
| Kirklees | 29 | 0 (2024) | +29 | 30.0% | 42.0% |
| Bradford | 29 | 0 (2024) | +29 | 22.6% | 33.3% |
| Wigan | 24 | 0 (2024) | +24 | 46.3% | 96.0% |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 24 | 0 (2022) | +24 | 24.2% | 30.8% |
| West Sussex | 23 | 0 (2021) | +23 | 28.4% | 32.9% |
| Birmingham | 23 | 0 (2022) | +23 | 19.5% | 22.8% |
| Dudley | 22 | 0 (2024) | +22 | 41.9% | 88.0% |
| East Sussex | 22 | 0 (2021) | +22 | 29.4% | 44.0% |
| Coventry | 20 | 0 (2023) | +20 | 29.4% | 37.0% |
| Hampshire | 20 | 0 (2021) | +20 | 27.0% | 25.6% |
| Tameside | 18 | 0 (2022) | +18 | 41.9% | 94.7% |
| Solihull | 17 | 0 (2021) | +17 | 31.5% | 33.3% |
| Halton | 16 | 0 (2024) | +16 | 41.4% | 84.2% |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 15 | 0 (2021) | +15 | 43.3% | 78.9% |
| Plymouth | 14 | 0 (2024) | +14 | 37.2% | 73.7% |
| Swindon | 14 | 0 (2024) | +14 | 26.5% | 24.6% |
| Cannock Chase | 13 | 0 (2024) | +13 | 53.6% | 100.0% |
| Rochford | 13 | 0 (2023) | +13 | 40.8% | 86.7% |
| Oldham | 13 | 0 (2024) | +13 | 37.2% | 65.0% |
| Rochdale | 13 | 0 (2024) | +13 | 35.0% | 65.0% |
| Salford | 13 | 0 (2024) | +13 | 34.7% | 61.9% |
| Hartlepool | 12 | 0 (2024) | +12 | 49.7% | 100.0% |
| Wolverhampton | 12 | 0 (2023) | +12 | 34.2% | 57.1% |
| Sheffield | 12 | 0 (2024) | +12 | 26.4% | 40.0% |
| Basildon | 11 | 0 (2024) | +11 | 40.8% | 78.6% |
| Epping Forest | 11 | 0 (2024) | +11 | 40.7% | 61.1% |
| Kingston upon Hull | 10 | 0 (2024) | +10 | 35.7% | 52.6% |
| Crawley | 10 | 0 (2023) | +10 | 33.4% | 76.9% |
| Ipswich | 10 | 0 (2024) | +10 | 31.7% | 62.5% |
| North Tyneside | 10 | 0 (2024) | +10 | 31.1% | 50.0% |
| Huntingdonshire | 10 | 0 (2022) | +10 | 27.2% | 19.2% |
| Tamworth | 9 | 0 (2024) | +9 | 51.8% | 100.0% |
| Stevenage | 9 | 0 (2024) | +9 | 35.2% | 64.3% |
| Gosport | 9 | 0 (2024) | +9 | 34.3% | 64.3% |
| Bolton | 9 | 0 (2024) | +9 | 32.6% | 45.0% |
| Milton Keynes | 9 | 0 (2024) | +9 | 24.4% | 15.0% |
| Hyndburn | 8 | 0 (2024) | +8 | 41.9% | 72.7% |
| Redditch | 8 | 0 (2022) | +8 | 39.2% | 88.9% |
| Southend-on-Sea | 8 | 0 (2022) | +8 | 31.3% | 47.1% |
| Southampton | 8 | 0 (2024) | +8 | 25.7% | 47.1% |
| Leeds | 8 | 0 (2024) | +8 | 23.3% | 22.2% |
| Havant | 9 | 2 (2024) | +7 | 41.6% | 75.0% |
| Brentwood | 7 | 0 (2024) | +7 | 37.0% | 50.0% |
| Bexley | 7 | 0 (2022) | +7 | 32.3% | 15.6% |
| West Lancashire | 7 | 0 (2024) | +7 | 32.0% | 46.7% |
| Manchester | 7 | 0 (2023) | +7 | 16.6% | 21.9% |
| Rushmoor | 6 | 0 (2024) | +6 | 31.3% | 42.9% |
| Cherwell | 6 | 0 (2021) | +6 | 26.1% | 33.3% |
| Hastings | 6 | 0 (2024) | +6 | 25.5% | 35.3% |
| Bromley | 6 | 0 (2022) | +6 | 20.6% | 10.3% |
| Bury | 5 | 0 (2024) | +5 | 30.4% | 31.3% |
| Portsmouth | 5 | 0 (2024) | +5 | 29.7% | 35.7% |
| Colchester | 5 | 0 (2024) | +5 | 29.3% | 29.4% |
| Preston | 5 | 0 (2024) | +5 | 27.3% | 31.3% |
| Worthing | 5 | 0 (2023) | +5 | 26.9% | 38.5% |
| Sefton | 5 | 0 (2024) | +5 | 26.7% | 7.6% |
| Knowsley | 4 | 0 (2024) | +4 | 30.8% | 25.0% |
| Lincoln | 4 | 0 (2024) | +4 | 30.5% | 36.4% |
| Peterborough | 4 | 0 (2024) | +4 | 27.2% | 22.2% |
| Rugby | 3 | 0 (2024) | +3 | 28.3% | 20.0% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 3 | 0 (2024) | +3 | 27.4% | 17.6% |
| Stockport | 2 | 0 (2024) | +2 | 24.9% | 9.5% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 2 | 0 (2024) | +2 | 24.8% | 10.5% |
| Exeter | 2 | 0 (2023) | +2 | 22.3% | 14.3% |
| Norwich | 2 | 0 (2024) | +2 | 20.7% | 14.3% |
| Trafford | 2 | 0 (2024) | +2 | 19.0% | 9.5% |
| Fareham | 1 | 0 (2024) | +1 | 25.7% | 6.3% |
| West Oxfordshire | 1 | 0 (2024) | +1 | 20.3% | 6.3% |
| Cheltenham | 1 | 0 (2022) | +1 | 19.3% | 5.0% |
| Greenwich | 1 | 0 (2022) | +1 | 17.6% | 1.8% |
| Redbridge | 1 | 0 (2022) | +1 | 13.2% | 1.6% |
Seats lost (0 councils)
No councils where seat count fell vs prior cycle.
Debut councils (38)
| Council | Won | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk | 41 | 32.9% | 58.6% |
| St Helens | 34 | 39.7% | 73.9% |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 27 | 41.1% | 61.4% |
| Isle of Wight | 19 | 31.9% | 48.7% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 14 | 45.9% | 93.3% |
| Burnley | 11 | 43.1% | 73.3% |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 9 | 29.6% | 52.9% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 9 | 26.8% | 17.6% |
| West Surrey | 9 | 20.6% | 10.0% |
| Hounslow | 8 | 18.3% | 12.9% |
| Chorley | 7 | 35.9% | 50.0% |
| Adur | 6 | 29.3% | 42.9% |
| East Surrey | 5 | 21.5% | 6.9% |
| Pendle | 4 | 31.7% | 40.0% |
| Hillingdon | 4 | 19.2% | 7.8% |
| Broxbourne | 2 | 33.5% | 20.0% |
| Sutton | 2 | 20.1% | 3.6% |
| Croydon | 2 | 13.9% | 2.9% |
| Three Rivers | 0 | 21.7% | 0.0% |
| Wokingham | 0 | 18.6% | 0.0% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 0 | 17.3% | 0.0% |
| Barnet | 0 | 14.9% | 0.0% |
| Merton | 0 | 11.9% | 0.0% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 0 | 11.7% | 0.0% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 0 | 11.6% | 0.0% |
| Ealing | 0 | 10.8% | 0.0% |
| Westminster | 0 | 10.8% | 0.0% |
| Brent | 0 | 10.0% | 0.0% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 0 | 9.9% | 0.0% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 0 | 9.6% | 0.0% |
| Oxford | 0 | 9.2% | 0.0% |
| Cambridge | 0 | 9.2% | 0.0% |
| Camden | 0 | 7.5% | 0.0% |
| Wandsworth | 0 | 7.3% | 0.0% |
| Lewisham | 0 | 6.4% | 0.0% |
| Tower Hamlets | 0 | 5.9% | 0.0% |
| Haringey | 0 | 4.0% | 0.0% |
| Hackney | 0 | 2.6% | 0.0% |
No change (15)
- Eastleigh 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Hart 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Tunbridge Wells 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Harlow 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Watford 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Winchester 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Reading 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- St Albans 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Harrow 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Enfield 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Waltham Forest 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Islington 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Newham 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Southwark 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Lambeth 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
Net-change comparisons are versus each council's most recent appearance in our dataset (2021–2026). For all-out councils that's the previous all-out cycle (typically four years prior); for by-thirds councils it's last year's slice. Cross-cycle ward boundary changes can produce small artefacts — see methodology.