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In early May, ballot papers shaped the political landscape of the South West as voters cast their ballots. From Wiltshire to Cornwall, five local government elections unfolded, with Reform UK gaining traction and securing 66 councillors across the region. Labour, despite experiencing losses, managed to retain the Mayoralty of the West of England Combined Authority (WECA). Notably, all councils in Cornwall, Devon, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire now operate without overall control.
On Thursday 1st May, over 1,641 council seats were contested across 24 local authorities in England. These results emerge amid the UK Government’s ongoing implementation of the Plan for Change manifesto on English devolution.
In December of last year, the government released the English Devolution White Paper, outlining plans for creating unitary councils in regions currently served by a two-tier council system. The proposal also emphasises the rollout of Mayoral Strategic Authorities in areas lacking such governance.
The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, informed the House of Commons in December 2024 that these reforms are designed to eliminate competition among towns and cities for funding.
Angela Rayner stated: “We will empower communities with stronger tools to shape their local futures, including a robust new right to buy and maintain cherished community assets. Our aim is to restore financial stability to councils, strengthen standards, streamline structures, and move away from the ‘Whitehall knows best’ mentality that has stifled local decision-making.”
Once established, the unitary councils will gain enhanced authority over critical areas such as economic development, infrastructure, skills training, strategic planning, and transport. The local authorities affected in the region include Devon, Plymouth, Torbay, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire, all of which faced elections in some guise in early May.
Rayner added: “Devolution will no longer hinge on the discretion of a Minister in Whitehall but will be firmly embedded in our country’s constitution. Our approach will prioritise collaboration with Mayors and council leaders from the outset, rather than sidelining them until the last moment.”
The government is currently reviewing the council proposals from the impacted areas. It is expected that between September and December 2025 the government will seek to implement these proposals, with legislation to follow if approved. In May 2026, elections will be held for shadow unitary councils, which will operate alongside district and borough councils during the transition.
The Results
Further to the Cornwall Council election, which is a unitary authority, no single party emerged with a majority. The Conservatives, including an Independent Conservative Aligned, held 40 seats with a loss of seven. Reform UK saw significant gains, increasing their representation from one to 28 seats. The Liberal Democrats doubled their presence to 26 seats, while the independents retained 16 seats with no change. Labour fell from five to one seat, the Greens gained two to reach three councillors, and Mebyon Kernow lost two, holding onto three.
All 60 councillor positions were contested across Devon Council’s 58 electoral divisions. The last election in May 2021 saw the Conservatives with a majority of 38 seats, while the Liberal Democrats had nine and Labour six. However, the results revealed a shift, the Conservatives lost their majority, with the Liberal Democrats gaining18 seats with a total of 27 councillors, making them the largest party. Reform UK rose to second place with 18 seats, while the Conservatives dropped to seven, Labour lost all its councillors, the Greens gained six, and two independents completed the council’s composition.
At Gloucestershire County Council, all 55 seats were up for election, but no party secured the 28 seats necessary for control, resulting in no overall majority. For the past 20 years, the Conservative Party had held the council, but the Liberal Democrats now lead with 27 councillors, just shy of a majority. Reform UK currently holds 11 seats, the Green Party nine, the Conservatives have six, then there is one independent and one Labour & Co-operative councillor.
WECA, which encompasses Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire, saw Helen Godwin elected as Mayor for Labour with 51,197 votes thus holding the position for the party. She was followed by Reform UK’s candidate Arron Banks with 45,252 votes, then by the Green Party’s Mary Page with 41,094, along with candidates from the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and independents, respectively.
At Wiltshire Council, another unitary authority, the Conservatives lost their majority, and the council now operates without a presiding party. However, the Liberal Democrats gained 16 seats, now holding 43 councillors, while the Conservatives dropped to 37. Reform UK increased their representation by ten, the independents rose from zero to seven, and Labour retained one councillor despite losing another.
In summary, the latest local government elections in the South West saw significant political shifts, with Reform UK gaining 66 councillors across the region and no party achieving overall control in the council elections from Devon to Gloucestershire. Key results include the Liberal Democrats as the main party in Devon, while Labour retained the Mayoralty of WECA.
These elections coincide at a time when the UK Government is pushing for English devolution which aims to establish unitary councils by December this year potentially in law. A shift from one-party control councils to no majority suggests uncertainty amongst the electorate amidst these ongoing local government reforms.