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The2026 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council election will be held on 7 May 2026, alongside theother local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day. This council is divided into 20 wards, with each having 3 councillors. All 60 members ofWalsall Metropolitan Borough Council will be elected.[2]
Since its creation in 1974, Walsall has varied between theConservatives andLabour. Between 1973 and2004, Walsall had been under Labour control from 1973 to 1976, 1980 to 1982, 1988 to 1992, 1995 to 1996, and1999 to2000. It was then under Conservative control between 2004 and2011, before reverting tono overall control and being retaken by the Conservatives in 2019.
In the2024 elections, the Conservatives retained all 12 seats up for election, receiving 37.1% of the vote, Labour gained 1 seat with 34.5%, Independent candidates, mainly pro-Gaza independents, received 13%, Reform UK received 8.8%, and theLiberal Democrats received 3.2%.
Due to boundary changes, all seats on the council will be up for election.
| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election[1] | After 2026 election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | Party | Seats | |||
| Conservative | 37 | Conservative | 31 | Conservative | TBC | |||
| Labour | 14 | Labour | 11 | Labour | TBC | |||
| Independent | 9 | Independent | 10 | Independent | TBC | |||
| Your Party | 6 | Your Party | TBC | |||||
| Reform | 1 | Reform | TBC | |||||
| Advance UK | 1 | Advance UK | TBC | |||||
| Party | Ward | Votes | % | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Pelsall | 1,801 | 67.2 | +7.7 | |
| Labour | Willenhall South | 1,773 | 68.1 | +5.2 | |
| Independent | Palfrey | 2,134 | 48.4 | +48.4 | |
| Reform | Bloxwich West | 474 | 17.9 | +10.8 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Willenhall North | 355 | 15.2 | -2.6 | |
| Green | St Matthews | 296 | 7.1 | -5.3 |
In Walsall, each year, one councillor from every ward stands for re-election. In the fourth year, no elections take place, which is what happened in 2025. The previous election took place in 2024. The election will take place by multi-memberfirst-past-the-post voting, with each ward being represented by three councillors. Electors will have as many votes as there are councillors to be elected in their ward, with the top three being elected.
However, theConservative Councillor Waheed Rasab, who represents thePaddock ward, has called for the introduction of all-out local elections every four years "indefinitely", rather than the current practice of annual elections.[3] Councillor Rasab states that the current process is significantly more expensive and takes money, over £250,000 each year, away from frontline services, adding that there is no ‘compelling need’ to hold elections every year.[3]
Walsall Council have stated that “To change how often elections take place in Walsall, a resolution must be passed by at least two-thirds of all voting councillors at a specially convened meeting... the council must engage with key stakeholders and other persons on any proposed changes.[3] This would likely include elected members, community leaders and residents." And that, as 2026 is an all-out election, this would likely be the starting point for any new arrangements.[3]
At the previousLocal Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) consultation, it was found that there was little interest to change the current system.
In 2025, the Aldridge Brownhills Conservative Association faced criticism over its candidate selection process for the May 2026 local elections. Nine sitting Conservative councillors in Walsall were prevented from standing as candidates and subsequently lodged appeals by the 1 August deadline. Decisions on the appeals were issued on 15 October.[4]
Seven of the nine appeals were upheld, allowing those councillors to proceed to Stage 1 interviews, while two appeals were dismissed, including those of Councillor Rasab and Councillor Ali. Ten prospective new candidates who also appealed their rejection were unsuccessful. Councillor Vera Waters, councillor for Rushall-Shelfield, stated that there was no “logical explanation” for the deselections.[4]
Since the 2024 Local Elections, Walsall Council has seen the departure of Mike Bird, who was originally suspended amid allegations of racism and anti-Asian bullying, of which he has been cleared.[5] At the Annual General Meeting, Bird executed a putsch and took his entire Tory cabinet with him to form a separate “Conservative and Independent” group.[5] Councillor Bird resigned as council leader in June 2024. Councillor Garry Perry was elected as Leader of Walsall Council on 3 June 2024, following the resignation of Councillor Mike Bird.[6] However, Garry Perry quit on May 21, claiming he’d experienced 'political attrition, deliberate undermining, and bullying dressed up as politics'.[7]
Following the resignation, deputy leader Councillor Adrian Andrew took on the role as acting leader until a new one was chosen by the Conservative Group. On June 5, 2025, Councillor Mike Bird was elected leader of the Conservative Group on Walsall Council, marking the sixth time he has held this position since first becoming a councillor for Pheasey Park Farm in 1980.[8] However, Councillor Bird cannot assume leadership of the Conservative-led authority until a vote by all elected members of Walsall Council takes place.
On June 10, Mike Bird assumed office after being elected as leader of Walsall Council.[9]
Since the 2024 local elections, there have been a series of defections and resignations.
On 2 July 2024, Shakila Hussain, the Labour councillor for Palfrey and Walsall’s first Bengali councillor, resigned from the Labour Party following remarks made by party leader Sir Keir Starmer regarding Bangladeshi migrants.[10] In her resignation statement, Hussain said she could not remain a member of a party which she believed was “scapegoating an entire nationality to pander to voters”.[10] She confirmed that her resignation from the Labour Party took effect immediately.
Councillor Stacie Elson left the Walsall Conservative Group following her formal resignation on Tuesday 6 May 2025. She stated that she was“extremely disappointed” with the conduct of the council leader at the time, Councillor Garry Perry, which prompted her to quit the group.[11] After a change in leadership at Walsall Council, she sought to rejoin the Conservative Group, but her application was not accepted by its members.[11]
In September 2025, Jade Chapman, a Walsall councillor, resigned from the Conservative Party and subsequently joinedAdvance UK.[12][13] Her resignation followed her attendance at the Unite the Kingdom march in London on 13 September 2025, organised by Tommy Robinson.
On 11 November 2025, Labour councillors Paul Bott and Chris Bott, who represent the Darlaston South ward, resigned from the Labour Party following a dispute over a £20 million allocation of government funding.[14] The councillors cited dissatisfaction with the handling of the funding process byPat McFadden, the Labour MP forWolverhampton South East, and Matt Ward, leader of the Walsall Labour Group.[14] The Botts also raised concerns about a lack of diversity on the board overseeing the funding, stating that there were no resident representatives from Rough Hay, Kings Hill, orMoxley. Councillor Chris Bott said that both she and Paul Bott would continue to advocate for a community-led approach to the funding.
Vera Waters announced her resignation from the Conservative Party on 24 November 2025. She was the fourth Conservative councillor in Walsall to resign. In her resignation statement, Waters said the party had “lost its way”.[15] Waters stated that her decision followed a series of incidents, including an unresolved issue involving another councillor. She also cited the decision of the Aldridge Brownhills Conservative Association to prevent her from standing as a candidate in the following year’s local elections.[15] Councillor Waters states her intention to stand in the 2026 Local Elections.[15]
In January 2026, three Walsall councillors resigned from the Conservative Party following disputes over candidate selections for the May 2026 local elections. Gaz Ali and Amo Hussain, councillors for Birchills Leamore, and Izzy Hussain, councillor for Blakenall, all resigned on 13 January.[16] In a joint statement, they cited the treatment of fellow councillors by the Aldridge Brownhills Conservative Association, including Keith Sears, who was among nine sitting councillors not approved as candidates despite having served for 50 consecutive years. The councillors stated that they had resigned from the party “with immediate effect”.[16]
The Pelsall by-election took place on 11 September 2025, following Councillor Gary Perry’s resignation from office. Graham Eardley won the by-election in the Pelsall ward with just over 45% of the vote, while the Conservatives came second on 43%, a margin of just 55 votes between the two parties.[17][18] This marked the first occasion on which a Reform UK councillor was elected to the council.
In the aftermath of this election, Jade Chapman and Lee Chapman, who was the Conservative Party candidate, quit the Conservative Party amid claims of bullying following their attendance at the "Unite the Kingdom" rally, hosted by Tommy Robinson.[12] Since, both have been appointed as regional directors ofAdvance UK.[13]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reform UK | Graham Eardley | 1,231 | 45.1 | +31.3% |
| Conservative | Lee Chapman | 1,176 | 43.1 | -24.1% |
| Green | Joe Belcher | 127 | 4.7 | +4.7% |
| Labour | Hannah Jones | 125 | 4.6 | -14.5% |
| Liberal Democrats | Daniel Barker | 72 | 2.6 | +2.6% |
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| Wolverhampton | |
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