Council Elections

[OneTealShaker]

The first declared seats going to Reform.

Reform +2
Labour -1

Buckle up people.

Yeah because after years of under funding by the Tories, Labour have given councils far more money to fix roads, got SFA to do with Reform councils.

The Labour government is providing £7.3 billion for highway maintenance over four years, doubling previous funding levels to fix potholes across England. As of early 2026, this includes a £1.6 billion investment, with £500 million earmarked specifically for repairing an additional one million potholes annually. 1, 2, 3]
Key Details of the Funding & Requirements:
Performance-Based Funding: Councils must publish annual reports on pothole repairs to receive the full amount; those who fail to show progress could have up to 25-33% of their funding withheld.

@KillerWail ”For every 100,000 fewer immigrants per year, we lose £7 billion.”

Surely that depends on the quality of the immigrants.

What are you talking about?

It’s horrendous! Voter turnout there was 38%, which is apparently higher than normal, as there seems to be a view that it doesn’t matter who is in power, towns like St Helens get left behind and there’s nothing to lose (!) by giving Reform a chance. At least going into the next General Election, people in the area will now have some experience of Reform to judge them on…

Just as an added point, I’ve seen quite a lot of people say that they’ll vote Reform at local election and Restore (Rupert Lowe’s party) at the General Election; just another factor to think about in how voting patterns might be different in 2029. Really worrying! I just hope that the left and centre can unite in some way to stop this.

I wish I knew what would help. People are so fed up and feel disenfranchised but it’s so frustrating seeing that it’s predominantly those really struggling now who want to vote for a party that is predominantly targeting policy to benefit the wealthy. Some of my relatives plan to vote reform. Majority of them get in work benefits & one has a child with significant disabilities. I was saying at a recent family event that I really sympathise with how they feel but were they aware of the policies where they Reform want to raise personal allowance and 40% threshold & fund it by reducing benefits. Their response is basically that people shouldn’t get something for nothing. In their minds they are deserving benefit claimants and not who is meant when any party talks about cutting benefits and getting people back to work. The irony is if reform did enact their various policies we’d be ok. I work for a huge multinational that already provides private health insurance for the whole family so less impact if NHS services decrease, we’d pay about £500 a month tax less between us if they made the planned tax changes so also have that to funnel to insurances etc. They’d be a lot less ok as they’d get either no more money with personal allowance gains being offset by benefit cuts or would lose money and then they’d likely have to find funds to pay more towards access to medical care.
The issue is people are not voting based on policy or even absolute belief in Reform in most cases but rather based on the hope that maybe something/someone new will make things better. I don’t know how you counter that without Labour making life better for people now so they see some good in them

They should make one of those on what Labour said versus what Labour did.

"Growth, Growth, Growth" anybody?

My county got split into two new unitary authorities and both have got comfortable Lib Dem majorities now so I suppose that’s some small consolation for us. The Lib Dem’s seem to have had a good night but of course no one is talking about it - probably why Ed Davey has to do all those daft stunts as it’s the only way the party can get media attention.

Yet the long held Labour council in Birmingham bankrupted itself and left rubbish uncollected and overflowing in the streets for months

This - 100%.

Absolutely! I would find it hard to ever trust Labour again. Starmer has u-turned on so many things, which is why pre-election manifestos are an absolute farce. With him it's definitely a case of when they show you who they are, believe them!

Portsmouth was a massive win for them, I honestly thought it would go Reform so that was brilliant!

The poster asked what could be done to tempt Reform voters to vote for any other party and I answered - commit to net zero immigration. Then your reply is "reasons, reasons, reasons". Don't then and people will continue to vote reform.

The problems I think that net zero immigration would contribute to solving are easing the ever increasing pressure on our housing and the resulting homelessness crisis, easing the integration/rate of change upset, less people standing in court after sexually harassing women telling us that they didn't realise their behaviour was unacceptable/that Britain was so strict. Less families mourning someone that has been randomly killed by someone that doesn't give a shit about the value of life I.e. Rhiannon Whyte/ Wayne Broadhurst and others.

They’ve had a fair bit of air time on Times Radio which has been covering it all over the last two days. I’m ready to hear more about their policies but they mostly swung from talking about reaction to Trump to local issues. Ed Davey could do with some top line takes on what he’d do.

I don’t mind him, he’s been good at calling out Starmer.

@Americasfavouritefightingfrenchman It’s tragic so many people turning to Reform are the ones whose lives will be most badly affected by Reform policies. They just don’t seem to realise. It’s like Brexit: it was areas (like Cornwall) that got huge amounts of EU support, which voted to no longer receive it. And are now worse off as a result.

Even since major figures in recent Conservatives governments (Jenrick, Braverman etc) have joined Reform, people still don’t seem to realise they’ll be getting more of the very Conservative policies that have already so badly affected their lives. So sad.

US economy, which according to you is going from strength to strength, but in fact is in shambles. You accused me of using Chat GPT so I included some links which show the same data.

Yes, Portsmouth was a real surprise. Winchester and Eastleigh are obvious LibDem strongholds, but Pompey was a shock. I’m a bit disappointed they didn’t take Hants but it seems to have gone to NOC. I wonder whether the Tory’s who have the largest number of seats will choose a coalition with LibDems or Reform?

It is going from strength to strength.

Only a person with a real Trump derangement syndrome would say this.
Just because you say so, it doesn’t make it true.

• Inflation is up,
• unemployment is up despite of getting rid of the illegals who were “stealing the jobs”
• energy and fuel prices are skyrocketing
• stocks and shares markets have been destabilised multiple times since January 2025.

If your beloved idiot was just screwing the lives of the people who voted for him, I wouldn’t have minded as they got what they deserved.

Unfortunately he is blowing up the whole world. Millions of people living on other continents are affected day to day by this moron.

I agree. Especially about being white (and add to that probably English, maybe British).

I don't think you have to be white to vote for them but I think the country will be less safe for anyone not white if Reform gain power.

Sounds good for the rich older white men though!

Agree and this is why, whether people like or not, those of us who are aware of Reforms horrible policies and obviously self serving policies look at those who vote reform who are not super rich as misguided or stupid

Still going from strength to strength.

Deranged.
Do you get you news from Trump’s Truth Social?
How is rising of inflation, prices, and unemployment a sign of going from strength to strength? Please explain.

There is no point debating with some people confirmation bias is strong in many Trump followers

Any Reform councillors resigned yet?

Tbf, ALL political parties lie and don’t do what they’ve said they’re going to do. This current government is the perfect example.
Why are one party’s lies better/worse than another’s?