Councils now run by Reform - end of the beginning or beginning of the end?

[boys3]

So after 1st May Local Elections Reform have outright control of ten top tier Councils, and are the largest, or close to the largest party, in a number of others.

How will they get on do we think? Suddenly having responsibility and accountability for real stuff.

Just for a bit of context the recent National Audit Office report on Local Government in England.
https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/local-government-financial-sustainability-2025/?nab=2

These are the Councils they won outright. Number of seats they won and total seats on each Council, plus a link to the more detailed results. Some of the Councils have really good info sets with clear summaries and maps showing who won where. Others are a bit more basic. These councils deliver services for some 8 million people

Derbyshire
42/64 Derbyshire Results

Doncaster

37/55 Doncaster Results

County Durham
65/98 Durham Results

Kent

57/81 Kent Results

Lancashire
53/84 Lancashire Resuts

Lincolnshire

44/70 Lincolnshire Results

North Northants
39/68 North Northants Results

2 seats pending as ward election postponed due to death of a candidate

Nottinghamshire
40/66 Nottinghamshire Results
2 seats pending as ward election postponed due to death of a candidate

Staffordshire
49/62 Staffordshire Results

West Northants
42/76 West Northants Results

There are then 4 Councils where they are the largest party but short of a majority. Will Cons, or others, support them in any of these to give control? Or will others, incl Cons, coalesce to prevent that? We'll soon find out. If anyone knows already post away!

Cornwall 28/87. Cons have 7 seats so even combined well short of a majority. Lib Dems won 26 seats. I think more likely that Lib Dems will get support from sufficient Independents (19), Green (3) and Lab (4) to form an adminstration.
Cornwall Results

Leicestershire 25/55, so 3 short. Cons have 15 seats. So could easily support a Reform led adminstration. Or would they join with Lib Dems (11), Lab (2), Green (1) and Indie (1) to create a coalition administration that keeps Reform out?
Leicestershire Results

Warwickshire 23/57 so 5 short, Cons then have 9 seats, so could support to provide a majority. Lib Dems 14, Greens 7, Lab 3, Indie 1 - combined 25 so again short of a majority, Which way will Cons go?
Warwickshire Results

Worcestershire 27/57 so 2 short. Cons then have 12 seats, so could support to provide a majority. Or could join with the Greens (8), Lib Dems (6), Lab (2) and Indie (2) to thwart a Reform led Council. Equally only needs 2 of the 12 Cons to side with Reform to give them a majority and control though
Worcestshire Results

Of the remaining hung councils:

Northumberland Cons won 26/69, then Reform with 23, So the two combined have a comfortable majority, Or would the Cons look for support from 9 from Lab (8) Indie (7) Lib Dem (3) and Green (2) and avoid Reform. Northumberland Results

Buckinghamshire. Cons have 48/97 so 1 short of a majority. Reform only have 3 seats, but Cons only need support of 1. Equaly 1 of the 13 independents may provide that support. Buckinghamshire Results

In the others Devon, Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire support from Lab and Greens would give the Lib Dems control in each.
Hertfordshire Results
Gloucestshire Results
Devon Results

Lastly Wiltshire all down it seems to the Indies (7). Lib Dems have 43/98. Cons have 37 seats and Reform 10. Wiltshire Results

The final 3 Councils contested last Thursday all delivered Lib Dem majorities - Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire and Shropshire

Another great guy

https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/politics/council/womens-empowerment-campaigners-demand-apology-from-west-northamptonshire-councillor-over-social-media-posts-6379623

Campaigners have called on a West Northamptonshire councillor and his party to apologise for ‘sexist conduct’ on social media.

The Northants Women’s Empowerment Group has highlighted recent posts by Reform councillor Ivan Dabbs on X.

and another

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cql7dy9k5qvo

A fourth Reform UK councillor in Staffordshire has been accused of posting racist comments on social media.
Anti-racism campaign group Hope Not Hate has accused Lynn Dean of making offensive remarks about black people, with some content directed specifically at people from Africa.

Yep, Staffs reform party is full of racists. Will have the full approval of the racists who voted them in.

Lynn Dean has now been suspended by Reform

A spokesperson for Reform UK said the suspension was linked to a failure by Dean to disclose a social media account during the party's vetting process.

Worcestershire have just ousted council lead Jo Monk in favour of Alan Amos, a man who once claimed that women make up rape.

I feel so proud to live in this county and work for WCC 😡

ugh - really feel for you working for them - it’s a bit of a mindfuck I think when an employer has such different values, or an important individual in the place is so vile - I’ve found it really quite difficult in the past, more so as I aged.

We just have to carry on. It’s clear our CEO has little patience for them but he has to maintain the professional façade. I pray they are voted out at the next opportunity.

Is your area one of those being reorganised? In which case there will be elections May 2027.

However, if I go back to the title of the thread I did write that initially erring more to it being the beginning of the end. The projections for the locals in England next month suggest that now looks an overly optimistic view. One thing I did see given there have been a fair few Reform councillors elected last May who have given up is that In the subsequent ward by-elections the Reform success rate has only been around 50%.

There’s so much terrible local governance by Reform in the public arena it’s quite baffling they’re expected to do so well. Barnsley, not too far from me, is a very close run thing with Regorm expected to gain most seats but not enough to hold the full majority. I’m told if this ‘northern ex mining city’ folds to them it will be seen as a big feather in their caps - I had thought Durham covered that but that’s what I was told by SUTR.

One ward in Barnsley, which is close run apparently stacks up something like this - Reform 32%, Labour 23%, Greens 14% (can’t recall exactly) - blatantly clear left vote outweighs the right but is split but guess nothing can change that. There’s campaigning to stop Reform, not advise on a party to vote for, but not going to help if the vote is consistent in the split really.

My kids live in a Reform area - but if a shitshow - but as councils are generally struggling now will the appalling hash Reform make if any council be noticeably perceived to being due to them being Reform.

Sad and disappointing times.

Deputy group leader for Reform UK at Cornwall Council steps down and defects to Restore Britain

https://www.bude-today.co.uk/news/deputy-group-leader-for-reform-uk-at-cornwall-council-steps-down-899329

Such a loyal bunch.

https://observer.co.uk/news/politics/article/reform-cant-keep-its-councillors

Archived FT article

https://archive.ph/F9LZ3

Reform UK ran a council for a year. Things went badly
In Staffordshire, Nigel Farage’s party has been hit by resignations, racism allegations and the need to put up taxes

We’re leafleting to not vote Reform - no party advocated - some of the wards though are nearly a 3 way split between Reform/Green/Labour - so it’s great there’s more left learners but not great if Reform sneak up on the inside - not great for the council area either - they are so dire at running things - whilst we may think other colour parties have been Reform take it to another level entirely.

i think Staffordshire is part of local government reorganisation so at least voters there will have the chance to give their verdict in 2027 rather than having to wait a full four year term. I do get the impression that Kent is even worse. But low turnout, increased political fragmentation and in a FPTP system relatively few votes can often be enough to get elected.

Interesting that the two referenced in the article as leaving Reform are now sitting as Independents. Independent candidates / councillors often perceived, maybe often correctly, to be reasonable, centrist, locally focused but are as this article shows not always that. My local council had two Reform councillors both originally elected as independents, though I think one has subsequently gone back to being an “independent”.

Is the demographic mostly old white men voting Reform? If so how does one get them to change their minds, if in any way possible?

I have met a few angry, young white men wanting Reform as well - if that sounds like stereotyping then it wasn’t necessarily intended to be so, but it’s my experience.

We don’t canvas assured Reform wards, just those that may be persuaded otherwise, we also don’t discuss much with confirmed and obviously full on Reform folk - just those who seem to be interested but maybe unsure. I think there is no way to change set minds tbh - maybe actual experience of poorly run councils may work for the next elections, but otherwise have to leave them to their choices really - and I do believe there’s a lot less of them than centrist to left leaners - we must be decent underneath as a society.

ive met a lot of angry young white men & generally they are lovely people but have been dealt a shit hand & reform appear to be speaking for them.

only when we understand & start to address the issues they face without villifying them will we demonstrate that reform are not the answer.

reform appear to be speaking for them.

What are they saying that appeals to those young men though? There’s no plan for jobs or investment or better standards of living as far as I can see, other than the plan to “send the buggers back” in respect of immigration.

At th local hustings, our Reform candidates were concerned about over population, want debt reduced and something about not painting rainbow crossings,

Ironically one of them had recently moved here from London.

Staffordshire is very non-diverse. The older generation will vote Reform in again, regardless of all the scandals. In fact, the scandals about racist councillors will just make them more appealing.

The reorganisation isn't likely to make much difference. North Staffs will be merging with Stoke and Stoke will definitely vote Reform at the next opportunity.

I agree with this myself, but actually a lot do think sending everyone home will solve their not great lives - more money, more GP appointments- some are already racists so like the idea, but probably many just read the straplines and the Farage claptrap of sunlit uplands.

Our leaflet goes over Farage and his actualities - as some of them are buying a dud without realising it they’ve been had.

The young men I see at protests are angry to an extreme level - so there’s the background to that above but the media/Reform whip this up then it’s like a tribe folk want to join I think - I’ve been watching Lord of the Flies with my grandson though lol.

Newly elected candidate called Holocaust a hoax

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/nigel-farage-says-new-merseyside-33915457?int_source=nba

https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2026/05/08/reform-rape/

Newly elected councillor who praised the rape of Sikh women

Newly elected councillor couldn't remember he stood for BNP twice

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/farage-reform-councillor-bnp-election-37133573