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Reform gains majority on Calderdale Council

Fiona Callow,
Jessica Bayley,Yorkshireand
John Greenwood,Local Democracy Reporting Service
News imageBBC A group of people wearing blue Reform UK rosettes cheer and applaud in a large marquee. BBC
Reform UK have secured 34 seats on Calderdale Council

Reform UK have secured a majority on Calderdale Council, ousting the Labour Party.

Reform gained 34 seats, Labour secured eight, Greens seven, Liberal Democrats two and Independents two and the Workers Party one, with the Conservative Party losing all its 11 seats.

Labour previously had full control over Calderdale Council since 2019, but has a history of fragmented voting.

Daniel Sutherland, leader of the Reform UK group on Calderdale Council, was re-elected in Illingworth and Mixenden with 1,739 votes.

He said people in the area "are desperate for change", and added the party would "start on our agenda for change" at a meeting later.

The all-out election was due to a Boundary Commission recommendation that Calderdale needed an extra seat to reflect population changes.

News imageA line of political party candidates stand on a podium, in front of signs reading Calderdale Council.
With a total of 54 seats up for grabs, Reform gained 34, surpassing the 28 needed for a majority

The Green Party now has seven councillors, compared to their three before the election.

The results also saw two group leaders, the retiring mayor and the mayor-elect for 2026-27 ousted, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

With 54 seats up for grabs, Reform's 34 seats gives them a majority of 14 over all other parties.

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