STORY
Reform UK has won control of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, securing an early local election breakthroughs and taking the authority from the Conservatives.
The party won 27 of the council’s 44 seats, comfortably passing the 23 needed for a majority. The Conservatives finished with 15 seats, while Labour was reduced to just two. Before the election, the Conservatives held 26 seats, Labour had 17 and Reform UK had only one.
The result marks a dramatic change in control for the Staffordshire authority, which had been run by the Conservatives since December 2017. All 44 seats were contested across 21 wards, with the count held overnight at Keele University sports centre and turnout rose to 47.8%, up from 43.01% in 2022.