How Many Councils Does Reform UK Control?
A live breakdown of every council where Reform UK runs the administration, plus the seat totals behind each one.
Reform UK runs 32 councils in Great Britain - 24 outright majorities and 8 where the party leads a coalition, holds a minority administration, or is the largest party in a hung council. That includes 13 county councils, 11 metropolitan boroughs, 5 unitary authorities, 1 London borough and 2 district councils, putting 2,357 Reform UK councillors in seats out of 18,808 across the 373 GB councils PollCheck tracks.
Where Reform UK runs the council
The wave that delivered most of Reform's council control came at the May 2025 locals, when the party took 10 county councils outright. Subsequent by-elections, defections and the 2026 local elections have added unitary, metropolitan and district authorities to the column.
| Council type | Majority | Leading / minority | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| County councils | 8 | 5 | 13 |
| Metropolitan boroughs | 10 | 1 | 11 |
| Unitary authorities | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| London boroughs | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| District councils | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| All Reform-led | 24 | 8 | 32 |
The full list
Italicised entries are minority administrations or hung councils where Reform UK is the largest party - the party leads but does not hold a majority of seats.
- County councils (13)
- Derbyshire
- Essex
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Lincolnshire
- Nottinghamshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- East Sussex
- Leicestershire
- Norfolk
- Warwickshire
- Worcestershire
- Metropolitan boroughs (11)
- Barnsley
- Calderdale
- Doncaster
- Gateshead
- Sandwell
- South Tyneside
- St Helens
- Sunderland
- Wakefield
- Walsall
- Kirklees
- Unitary authorities (5)
- Durham
- North Northamptonshire
- Thurrock
- West Northamptonshire
- Isle of Wight
- London boroughs (1)
- Havering
- District councils (2)
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Cannock Chase
How Reform UK got here
At the May 2025 local elections Reform UK won its first 10 county councils, gained Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire as mayoral pickups, and added Doncaster (mayor only). The May 2026 locals delivered most of the metropolitan and London-borough additions, plus four further county pickups. Defections from Conservative and Labour councillors continue to expand the Reform UK councillor headcount.
PollCheck's Council Control Map shows live composition across every GB council, and 2026 Locals projections covers PollCheck's pre-election forecasts for each council. The latest UK polling shows Reform UK polling on the high 20s nationally, ahead of both the Conservatives and Labour.
How many councils does Reform UK control in 2026?
Reform UK runs 32 councils across Great Britain as of May 2026 - 24 outright majorities and 8 where the party leads a coalition, holds a minority administration, or is the largest party in a hung council. The bulk of these wins came at the May 2025 local elections with further pickups at the 2026 locals.
How many councillors does Reform UK have?
Reform UK has 2,357 councillors across the 373 GB councils PollCheck tracks. For comparison: Labour (4,651), Conservatives (3,870), Liberal Democrats (3,379), Greens (1,347), SNP (414), Plaid Cymru (202).
Which county councils does Reform UK control?
Reform UK runs 13 county councils: Derbyshire, Essex, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Suffolk (8 outright majorities); plus East Sussex, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Warwickshire and Worcestershire as minority administrations or hung councils where Reform is the largest party.
Which mayoralties does Reform UK hold?
Reform UK holds the Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire combined authority mayoralties. Doncaster's directly-elected mayoralty is also Labour-held but Reform took outright control of the council seats at the 2026 locals.
How does this compare with the other parties?
Council control leaders by party - Labour: 119 (64 majority + 55 leading); Liberal Democrats: 75 (42 majority + 33 leading); Conservatives: 58 (26 majority + 32 leading); Reform UK: 32 (24 majority + 8 leading); Greens: 18 (6 majority + 12 leading); SNP: 14 (1 majority + 13 leading); Plaid Cymru: 4 (3 majority + 1 leading). The remaining councils are independent-led or genuinely hung. The full breakdown by party is on PollCheck's Council Control Map.