Reform UK’s local election gains pose new challenges for Labour mayors

The government’s decision to postpone the planned May 2026 mayoral elections meant that no regional mayoralties were contested this year. Nevertheless, local council election results – where votes took place for nearly 5,000 council seats, including in 38 constituent councils across nine existing mayoral strategic authority (MSA) areas – will still have a significant impact on existing mayors and could mean big changes to how they govern. 

In many of England’s mayoral areas – particularly in the North and the Midlands – Labour mayors had governed alongside councils largely under their party’s control. MSAs are designed around collective regional decision making, with constituent council leaders sitting on MSA boards and holding voting rights over devolved budgets and powers. Historically, some of the most significant decisions MSAs take – including spatial development strategies (SDS), transport plans and budgets – have required unanimity.  This changed with the passing of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 established simple majority voting (including the mayor) as the default. While this was intended to help mayors advance key strategies, including spatial development strategies, gains by Reform UK and other opposition parties will likely making it harder for Labour mayors to pass budgets, local plans and strategies.

Reform’s breakthroughs have reshaped the local political landscape

The altered local political landscape could make it harder for mayors to assemble stable coalitions to support housing, transport and investment plans. Even where mayors can secure majority support, MSAs may become more fractious and divided, having previously tended to operate by consensus even when not required.  

The most significant shifts in council composition within MSA areas have happened in West Yorkshire, the North East and the West Midlands. All three regions have Labour mayors and saw significant Reform UK gains.  

In West Yorkshire, until this month, all five councils were Labour led. The map now looks very different. Reform UK controls Wakefield and Calderdale and will lead Bradford as a minority administration. It is also the largest party in Kirklees, though, it remains unclear who will form the administration. Labour lost its majority in Leeds, where only a third of seats were contested, but remains the largest party and will continue to lead the council. This marks a substantial shift for West Yorkshire’s Labour mayor Tracy Brabin, who must now work with a far more politically diverse board, including at least three Reform UK members and only one from her own party.  

The story is similar in the North East, where Reform UK ended decades of labour dominance, gaining control of Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland. In Newcastle, no party secured a majority, with the Greens, Lib Dems and Reform UK all making significant gains. Elections by thirds seem to have saved Labour in North Tyneside, where the party retained control despite heavy losses. While this will challenge mayor Kim McGuinness, she already operates with some division on her board, with the Conservatives leading a minority administration in Northumberland and Reform UK controlling County Durham.  

In the West Midlands, Labour was squeezed from across the political spectrum. Only three of the regions seven constituent councils are now majority led: Labour in Wolverhampton, and Reform UK in Walsall and Sandwell. The results in Birmingham City Council illustrate the scale of fragmentation: Reform UK has 23 seats, the Greens 19, Labour 17, the Conservatives 16, and the Liberal Democrats 12, with 14 independent and smaller party councillors. Negotiations to form an administration are ongoing.  

While these three regions saw some of the most dramatic changes, fragmentation was evident across mayoral areas. In Greater Manchester, Labour still leads nine out of 10 councils but benefited from only a third of seats being contested, losing most it defended. In South Yorkshire, Barnsley fell to Reform UK in all-out elections, while in Sheffield – electing by thirds – Labour lost overall control but remained the largest party. And in Liverpool City Region, St Helens shifted to Reform UK following all-out elections, while Knowsley and Halton – both electing by thirds – remained Labour despite significant losses.  

Fragmentation will make governing harder, but not impossible

Cross-party working is not new to the mayoral model: combined authorities were designed to require collaboration between mayors and council leaders. In the East Midlands, Labour mayor Claire Ward governs alongside a politically mixed group of Reform UK and Labour-led councils and in Tees Valley, Conversative mayor Ben Houchen has consistently worked with Labour council leaders.  

However, an increasingly fragmented political landscape will make this collaboration harder to achieve. Mayors will need to rely less on party alignment and more on persuasion, compromise and relationship-building to secure agreement. This will be particularly challenging on contentious issues like housing and planning, where local interests often diverge, risking slower progress in some areas. This next period will test the MSA model – at a time when mayors are taking on greater powers – and will hinge on their ability to build effective coalitions around regional priorities.