2026 City of Wolverhampton Council election

Last updated
2026 City of Wolverhampton Council election
Flag of the West Midlands County.svg
←  2024
7 May 2026 (2026-05-07)
2027 →
20 out of 60 seats to City of Wolverhampton Council
31 seats needed for a majority
 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
 
LeaderStephen SimkinsSimon Bennett
Party Labour Conservative Reform
Leader's seatBilston SouthBushbury North
Last election47 seats, 56.1%12 seats, 32.7%Did not contest
Seats before44123

The 2026 City of Wolverhampton Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 60 members of City of Wolverhampton Council in the West Midlands will be elected.

Contents

Background

Wolverhampton was created in 1974 as a metropolitan borough, gaining city status in 2000. Since its creation, the council has either been controlled by Labour or under no overall control. [1] No party held a majority between 1987 and 1988, between 1992 and 1994, and between 2008 and 2011. [2] Labour have held a majority for the previous 15 years, increasing their majority by 1 in 2024 through gaining a seat from the Conservatives. [3]

The 2023 election took place on a new set of ward boundaries. [4] . As such, these elections will be for the councillors elected with the second-highest number of votes. Labour will be defending 16 seats and the Conservatives will be defending 4.

Council composition

After 2024 electionBefore 2026 election
PartySeatsPartySeats
Labour 47 Labour 44
Conservative 12 Conservative 12
Reform 0 Reform 1
Independent 1 Independent 3

Changes 2024–2026:

References

    1. ↑ "BBC News - Election 2011 - England council elections - Wolverhampton". BBC News. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
    2. ↑ "Wolverhampton City Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
    3. ↑ "Tories lose control of Dudley council after three years". BBC News. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
    4. ↑ The Wolverhampton (Electoral Changes) Order 2022
    5. ↑ "Ex-mayor quits Labour party in damning letter to Starmer". BBC News. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
    6. ↑ "Tributes paid to 'passionate' Wolverhampton councillor". BBC News. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
    7. ↑ "Local Elections Archive Project — Bilston North Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
    8. ↑ Andrews, Mark (30 July 2025). "'Stolen valour' Wolverhampton councillor suspended by Labour group as Tories call for his resignation". Express and Star. Retrieved 14 January 2026.
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.