Wakefield
Every election cycle we have data for, most recent first.
Cycles
- 2026 21 races · 63 seats 0.0% below quota
- 2024 21 races · 22 seats 18.2% below quota
- 2023 21 races · 21 seats 33.3% below quota
- 2022 21 races · 21 seats 28.6% below quota
- 2021 21 races · 22 seats 50.0% below quota
- 2019 21 races · 21 seats 81.0% below quota
- 2018 21 races · 21 seats 19.0% below quota
- 2016 21 races · 21 seats 52.4% below quota
Council composition as of 2026
63 councillors, by party. One square per seat. Source: opencouncildata annual snapshot — reflects the council at the end of 2026 (after that year's elections, by-elections and defections). Hover any seat for the party.
Most recent election (2026)
In 2026, 63 seats were up across 21 wards. The table below shows what each party actually won — alongside what they would have won if the 63 seats had been shared in proportion to votes received (how, with caveats). The Δ column is the actual seat count minus the proportional seat count — positive numbers are parties First-Past-the-Post over-represented; negative are parties it under-represented.
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats won | % of seats | Proportional seats | Proportional % | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK | 122,998 | 44.4% | 58 | 92.1% | 30 | 47.6% | +28 |
| Labour Party | 71,644 | 25.9% | 1 | 1.6% | 17 | 27.0% | -16 |
| Green Party | 35,922 | 13.0% | 1 | 1.6% | 8 | 12.7% | -7 |
| Conservative Party | 22,194 | 8.0% | 1 | 1.6% | 5 | 7.9% | -4 |
| Liberal Democrats | 11,616 | 4.2% | 2 | 3.2% | 2 | 3.2% | 0 |
| Independent | 5,107 | 1.8% | 0 | 0.0% | 1 | 1.6% | -1 |
| Unity Independents | 3,746 | 1.4% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Wakefield Independents | 2,761 | 1.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 299 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Yorkshire Party | 275 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Social Democratic Party | 211 | 0.1% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| British Democratic Party | 100 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Total | 276,873 | 100.0% | 63 | 100.0% | 63 | 100.0% | 0 |
Vote share vs seats won
The top bar is each party's share of votes cast in this council. Below, one square per seat, coloured by the party that won it — first the actual First-Past-the-Post result, then what a proportional method would have produced from the same vote totals. Divergence between the bar and the actual grid is the indictment of the method.
Full ward-by-ward results for 2026 →
Composition history
One row per opencouncildata annual snapshot — the council at the end of each year (after that year's elections, by-elections and defections). Newest first; hover any seat for the party.
Ward by ward
Each row is a ward, each column a cycle. Each cell shows the top-of-poll candidate's party (swatch) and their share of valid ballots. Wards are matched by name across cycles — boundary reviews can mean a ward of the same name is a slightly different area in a later cycle.
| Ward | 2016 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ackworth North Elmsall and Upton | 37% | 45% | 47% | 57% | ||||
| Ackworth, North Elmsall and Upton | 43% | 42% | 35% | 49% | ||||
| Airedale and Ferry Fryston | 82% | 76% | 45% | 53% | 61% | 49% | 51% | 57% |
| Altofts and Whitwood | 58% | 57% | 39% | 48% | 56% | 53% | 53% | 54% |
| Castleford Central and Glasshoughton | 69% | 61% | 43% | 62% | 65% | 62% | 64% | 50% |
| Crofton Ryhill and Walton | 45% | 48% | 59% | 58% | ||||
| Crofton, Ryhill and Walton | 49% | 54% | 49% | 50% | ||||
| Featherstone | 82% | 76% | 71% | 61% | 60% | 73% | 73% | 54% |
| Hemsworth | 45% | 55% | 50% | 44% | 62% | 56% | 61% | 50% |
| Horbury and South Ossett | 39% | 45% | 39% | 48% | 51% | 50% | 65% | 43% |
| Knottingley | 61% | 67% | 63% | 54% | 51% | 59% | 59% | |
| Knottingley and Ferrybridge | 45% | |||||||
| Normanton | 75% | 71% | 46% | 52% | 57% | 47% | 71% | 46% |
| Ossett | 27% | 51% | 43% | 54% | 43% | 45% | 50% | 49% |
| Pontefract North | 53% | 60% | 41% | 46% | 52% | 63% | 57% | 49% |
| Pontefract South | 47% | 52% | 46% | 45% | 54% | 50% | 58% | 45% |
| South Elmsall and South Kirkby | 84% | 55% | 76% | 61% | 61% | 80% | 73% | 60% |
| Stanley and Outwood East | 49% | 49% | 45% | 50% | 54% | 56% | 63% | 45% |
| Wakefield East | 67% | 65% | 57% | 46% | 70% | 52% | 54% | 31% |
| Wakefield North | 55% | 54% | 46% | 47% | 61% | 61% | 50% | 37% |
| Wakefield Rural | 44% | 54% | 44% | 59% | 47% | 38% | 41% | 46% |
| Wakefield South | 45% | 57% | 41% | 50% | 47% | 43% | 36% | 34% |
| Wakefield West | 49% | 52% | 48% | 49% | 56% | 64% | 53% | 47% |
| Wrenthorpe and Outwood West | 44% | 44% | 34% | 43% | 39% | 40% | 40% | 46% |