2026 Sheffield City Council election
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 May 2026
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 out of 84 seats to Sheffield City Council 43 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2026 Sheffield City Council election will take place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. One third of the 84 members of Sheffield City Council in South Yorkshire will be elected.
| After 2024 election | Before 2026 election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | ||
| Labour | 36 | Labour | 35 | ||
| Liberal Democrats | 27 | Liberal Democrats | 27 | ||
| Green | 14 | Green | 14 | ||
| Reform | 0 | Reform | 1 | ||
| Independent | 7[d] | Independent | 5[d] | ||
| Vacant | N/A | Vacant | 2 | ||
Changes 2024–2026:
- September 2024: Paul Wood (Independent, elected as Labour) dies – by-election held November 2024[2]
- November 2024: Willis Marshall (Liberal Democrats) nominally gains by-election from Labour[3]
- May 2025:
- June 2025: John Booker (Reform) nominally gains by-election from Labour[6]
- August 2025: Ruth Milsom (Labour) loses whip[7]
- November 2025: Ruth Milsom (Independent) regains whip[7]
- February 2026: Willis Marshall (Independent) regains whip[8]
- March 2026
Summary
Background
Sheffield City Council was created in 1974 as a metropolitan borough. Labour saw early success, controlling the council from its creation until 1999 when the Liberal Democrats took control.[10] This lasted until 2002, when the council fell into no overall control.[11] Labour regained the council in 2004, but the Liberal Democrats formed their second majority administration in 2008.[12]
Labour have been the largest party on the council since 2011.[13] However, following a loss of eight seats in 2021, the party have been unable to form a majority administration. Labour initially formed a coalition with the Green Party;[14] from 2022 onwards, though, both the Greens and the Liberal Democrats have joined with Labour to form a coalition.[15][16] In 2023, eight ex-Labour councillors formed an independent group, known as the Sheffield Community Councillors Group, thus forming the principal opposition on the council.[17] Four councillors remain a part of this group.
The seats up for election this year were last contested in 2022. In that election, Labour won 15 seats (down 1), the Liberal Democrats won 9 seats (steady), and the Greens won 4 seats (up 1).[18]
Election result
| 2026 Sheffield City Council election | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | This election | Full council | This election | |||||||
| Seats | Net | Seats % | Other | Total | Total % | Votes | Votes % | +/− | ||
| Labour | 23 | |||||||||
| Liberal Democrats | 18 | |||||||||
| Green | 10 | |||||||||
| Independent | 4 | |||||||||
| Reform | 1 | |||||||||
| Conservative | 0 | |||||||||
