Final Tally — Reform 1,244 Councillors, 114 Councils; Labour Loses 31
The final council count published this morning puts Reform UK on 1,244 new councillors and outright control of 114 councils. Labour lost 1,022 councillors and 31 councils, including Wales after 27 years in power. Reform came second in Wales and made significant gains in Scotland. The Conservatives lost more than 250 seats; the Greens gained 60-plus. The realignment is the largest single-night reshape of British local government since 1931.
A net 1,244-seat sweep takes Reform from zero councils 12 months ago to controlling regional services, council tax, and planning policy across 114 authorities. The Welsh result is the more politically significant: Labour’s 27-year run in Cardiff Bay ends with Plaid Cymru on top in the Senedd and Reform second in vote share. The Scottish gains, while smaller, secure Reform a foothold in a region historically hostile to populist English parties. The Conservative collapse continues, with shire England turnouts confirming a structural shift to the right rather than a Reform-takes-from-Labour story.