Labour loses control of Birmingham City Council
Labour has lost control of Birmingham City Council in a significant shift, leaving the local authority without a party holding overall control.
Reform UK has secured 22 seats so far, the highest number of any party, though still well short of the 51 needed for a majority.
The Green Party holds the second largest group with 19 councillors.
One ward result remains outstanding, that of council leader John Cotton, who on Friday conceded he was likely to lose his seat in Glebe Farm and Tile Cross.
Cotton, who led the council during the bin strike and the effective financial crisis, told the BBC it had been an incredible privilege to serve as a councillor for nearly 25 years.
Labour had controlled the council for 14 years, winning 65 seats in the 2022 local election.
However, Thursday's election saw votes spread across multiple parties, to Labour's detriment.
An electoral rainbow
With one ward still to declare, the Conservatives have 16 seats, maintaining their stronghold in Sutton Coldfield but losing ground to Reform UK in southern areas.
Labour holds 17 seats, the Greens 19, independents 13, and the Liberal Democrats 12.
Elizabeth Glinka, BBC's political editor for the West Midlands, described Birmingham's political map as resembling a rainbow.
A senior councillor commented,
"How you come up with a sensible way of leading the council from that, I don't know."
In Solihull, the Conservatives lost control of the council for the first time since 2010.
They remain the largest party with 24 seats, while Reform UK made significant gains, winning 17 seats in this all-out election.
Conservative leader Karen Grinsell said residents had stayed with
"a party they can trust".
When asked if the Conservatives would collaborate with other parties to form a majority, she responded,
"not necessarily"and noted a good working atmosphere of collaboration within the council.
The Greens faced setbacks, losing four seats and retaining four.
The Liberal Democrats lost two seats, holding six, while Labour lost all representation in Solihull.
'We're ordinary people'
Sue Willets, newly elected Reform councillor for Perry Common in Birmingham, said,
"We are ordinary people from different walks of life with life experience. With that energy and different approach, we can fix some of those problems."
"We are dedicated people coming from the heart. It's not about climbing the ladder or making a name for ourselves. We want to make a big difference."
Rachel Conaghan and Darren Colling were elected as Reform councillors for the Sheldon ward.
Colling, who recently lost his wife and son, owns a building company but plans to retire to focus on politics.
He said,
"I thought I'd give myself something to do. I've always been interested in politics and thought let's give it a go and see if we can improve our area."
Conaghan, a clinical lead for the NHS and registered mental health nurse, expressed feeling
"excited and nervous".
She added,
"I can't wait to see where all this money is going and finally get it back on our streets."
Bin strike issues
Many Labour candidates in Birmingham reported that voters cited the bin strike as a reason for not supporting the party during canvassing.
Speaking to the BBC on Friday, an emotional John Cotton said he wished the year-long dispute had been resolved sooner but noted
"complicated issues"including equal pay concerns between men and women.
He said,
"I'm sorry we weren't able to find a way to do that earlier."
Majid Mahmood, the council's cabinet member for environment and transport, retained his seat in Bromford & Hodge Hill despite the challenges of the past 16 months overseeing waste services.
Cotton added that the day was
"not a time for personal sadness", emphasizing the need to focus on jobs, growth, and the future of communities regardless of who leads next.
Regarding Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's position, Cotton stated,
"I think the Labour party's challenges are wider than one particular office holder or individual. It's clear we haven't communicated our message and our story clearly enough to the voters."
'Very exciting' for Greens
The Green Party performed strongly across Birmingham, securing the second highest number of council seats.
Rob Grant, who retained Kings Norton South, told the BBC,
"It's very, very exciting for us, five years ago we would never have thought about these gains. Many politicians are not in the area they represent but us Greens are always very present and visible."
Ali Kazi was elected as the new Green councillor for Bordesley and Highgate.
The 31-year-old said,
"I am excited and happy - I joined to make a difference, I am Birmingham born, Birmingham educated, I wanted to do something to try and help the community. I'm sick of what Labour were doing, the bin strikes, the potholes and lack of recycling."
Asked about his priorities, he said,
"Fix the roads, I think Birmingham needs repairs."
Liberal Democrat group leader Roger Harmer said his party would have liked better results but noted,
"nationally we've seen a big surge for Reform, and in urban areas the Greens have done well."
He confirmed the Liberal Democrats would not collaborate with Reform UK councillors in any coalition.
Thirteen independents were elected to Birmingham City Council.
Despite some earlier projections, the Independent Alliance, supported by controversial figure and self-proclaimed TikTok lawyer Akhmed Yakoob, did not achieve the anticipated impact.
One newly elected independent is 19-year-old Mansuur Ahmed in Nechells, who appeared on Yakoob's social media recently.
Ahmed said,
"It's a great responsibility, one that I am willing to take on and tackle and prove and inspire all the young people like me to actually get into politics and that's what I've seen in the ballots, a lot of young people joining into politics, so I'm happy that I've achieved that already."
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