2026 Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council election

2026 Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council election

←  2024 7 May 2026 (2026-05-07) 2027 →
15 out of 45 seats to Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council 23 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Graham Morgan Kai Taylor Mark Burke Party Labour Green Liberal Democrats Leader's seat Swanside Prescot South Prescot North Last election 31 seats, 63.1% 7 seats, 23.2% 3 seats, 3.8% Seats before 31 7 3   Fourth party   Party Independent Last election 4 seats, 9.7% Seats before 4
Leader of the Council before election Graham Morgan Labour Leader of the Council after election TBD

The 2026 Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 45 members of Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council in Merseyside will be elected.

Background

Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council was created in 1974. Like much of Merseyside, Labour have always performed well in local elections, forming majority administrations for the entirety of the council's existence. ^[1] The party have always held over 60% of the seats; ^[2] this includes a period between 2012 and 2016 when every seat was held by Labour.

The Conservatives formed the principal opposition from 1974 to 1994, when they were overtaken by independents. From 1996 to 2012, the Liberal Democrats formed the main opposition. ^[2] 2021 saw the Green Party overtake the Liberal Democrats, and they have formed the principal opposition since. ^[3]

The seats up for election this year were last contested in 2022. That election saw Labour take 10 seats (down two), the Greens take 2 (up 1), independents take 2 (up 1), and the Liberal Democrats take 1 (steady). ^[4]

Council composition

After 2024 election			Before 2026 election
Party		Seats	Party		Seats
	Labour	31		Labour	31
	Green	7		Green	7
	Liberal Democrats	3		Liberal Democrats	3
	Independent	4		Independent	4

References

1. "BBC News - Election 2011 - England council elections - Knowsley". BBC News. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
2. "Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Elections Centre. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
3. McKeon, Christopher (7 May 2021). "Knowsley deputy leader loses seat as opposition make gains". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
4. "Knowsley result - Local Elections 2022". BBC News. Retrieved 9 January 2026.