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: +1,039 seats across 78 councils up, 1 councils down, 21 flat, 36 new to the window.
- Council-control change: 25 gained, 0 lost.
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)
- Cannock Chase from Labour Party
- Nuneaton & Bedworth from Labour Party
- Newcastle-under-Lyme from Conservative Party
- 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
- Kirklees from Labour Party
- Isle of Wight from Other
- Birmingham from Labour Party
- Rochford from Other
- North East Lincolnshire from Conservative 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 (78 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% |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| Birmingham | 23 | 0 (2022) | +23 | 19.5% | 22.8% |
| Dudley | 22 | 0 (2024) | +22 | 41.9% | 88.0% |
| Coventry | 20 | 0 (2023) | +20 | 29.4% | 37.0% |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 27 | 8 (2025) | +19 | 41.1% | 61.4% |
| 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% |
| Plymouth | 14 | 0 (2024) | +14 | 37.2% | 73.7% |
| Swindon | 14 | 0 (2024) | +14 | 26.5% | 24.6% |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| 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% |
| Burnley | 11 | 4 (2025) | +7 | 43.1% | 73.3% |
| Huntingdonshire | 10 | 3 (2025) | +7 | 27.2% | 19.2% |
| 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% |
| Manchester | 7 | 0 (2023) | +7 | 16.6% | 21.9% |
| Cannock Chase | 13 | 7 (2025) | +6 | 53.6% | 100.0% |
| Rushmoor | 6 | 0 (2024) | +6 | 31.3% | 42.9% |
| Cherwell | 6 | 0 (2025) | +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% |
| Worthing | 5 | 0 (2023) | +5 | 26.9% | 38.5% |
| Sefton | 5 | 0 (2024) | +5 | 26.7% | 7.6% |
| Tamworth | 9 | 5 (2025) | +4 | 51.8% | 100.0% |
| Stevenage | 9 | 5 (2025) | +4 | 35.2% | 64.3% |
| Chorley | 7 | 3 (2025) | +4 | 35.9% | 50.0% |
| Knowsley | 4 | 0 (2024) | +4 | 30.8% | 25.0% |
| Peterborough | 4 | 0 (2024) | +4 | 27.2% | 22.2% |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 15 | 12 (2025) | +3 | 43.3% | 78.9% |
| Hyndburn | 8 | 5 (2025) | +3 | 41.9% | 72.7% |
| Preston | 5 | 2 (2025) | +3 | 27.3% | 31.3% |
| West Lancashire | 7 | 5 (2025) | +2 | 32.0% | 46.7% |
| Pendle | 4 | 2 (2025) | +2 | 31.7% | 40.0% |
| Stockport | 2 | 0 (2024) | +2 | 24.9% | 9.5% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 2 | 0 (2024) | +2 | 24.8% | 10.5% |
| Norwich | 2 | 0 (2024) | +2 | 20.7% | 14.3% |
| Trafford | 2 | 0 (2024) | +2 | 19.0% | 9.5% |
| Rugby | 3 | 2 (2025) | +1 | 28.3% | 20.0% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 3 | 2 (2025) | +1 | 27.4% | 17.6% |
| Fareham | 1 | 0 (2024) | +1 | 25.7% | 6.3% |
| West Oxfordshire | 1 | 0 (2025) | +1 | 20.3% | 6.3% |
| Cheltenham | 1 | 0 (2025) | +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 (1 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exeter | 2 | 4 (2025) | -2 | 22.3% | 14.3% |
Debut councils (36)
| Council | Won | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex | 53 | 37.4% | 68.8% |
| Suffolk | 41 | 32.9% | 58.6% |
| Norfolk | 40 | 31.2% | 47.6% |
| St Helens | 34 | 39.7% | 73.9% |
| West Sussex | 23 | 28.4% | 32.9% |
| East Sussex | 22 | 29.4% | 44.0% |
| Hampshire | 20 | 27.1% | 25.6% |
| Isle of Wight | 19 | 31.9% | 48.7% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 14 | 45.9% | 93.3% |
| Kingston Upon Hull | 10 | 35.7% | 52.6% |
| 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% |
| Adur | 6 | 29.3% | 42.9% |
| East Surrey | 5 | 21.5% | 6.9% |
| City Of Lincoln | 4 | 30.5% | 36.4% |
| Hillingdon | 4 | 19.2% | 7.8% |
| Sutton | 2 | 20.1% | 3.6% |
| Croydon | 2 | 13.9% | 2.9% |
| Wokingham | 0 | 18.6% | 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% |
| 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 (21)
- Redditch 8 seats (unchanged from 2025)
- Broxbourne 2 seats (unchanged from 2025)
- Eastleigh 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Hart 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Three Rivers 0 seats (unchanged from 2025)
- Tunbridge Wells 0 seats (unchanged from 2025)
- Harlow 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Watford 0 seats (unchanged from 2025)
- South Cambridgeshire 0 seats (unchanged from 2025)
- Winchester 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Reading 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- St Albans 0 seats (unchanged from 2025)
- Harrow 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Enfield 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Oxford 0 seats (unchanged from 2025)
- Cambridge 0 seats (unchanged from 2025)
- 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.