Reform UK take control of two Northants councils

Reform UK has taken control of both of Northamptonshire's councils following local elections.

The two unitary authorities had previously been run by the Conservatives.

Reform UK's leader in North Northamptonshire, Martin Griffiths, said he was "very excited about the future".

The former Conservative leader in West Northamptonshire, Adam Brown, lost by just two votes but said he had to "move on".

In North Northamptonshire, Reform UK finished the night with 39 councillors, leaving the Tories in second place with just 13 seats - a drop of 37.

The Green party picked up eight seats - representing an increase of five.

Labour ended with four councillors, falling by eight compared to 2021.

West Northants was one of the last counts of the day to be declared nationally.

It was a repeat of the success in the north of the county.

This time it was 42 seats for Nigel Farrage's party while the Tories fell by 35 seats to 17.

Labour came third with nine seats - a drop of nine while the Lib Dems picked up two more seats to leave themselves with six councillors.

During the count stage West Northamptonshire's conservative leader, Brown said he feared Nigel Farage's party might even take overall control of his authority.

The first result in for West Northamptonshire suggested that the forecasts were right - two Reform candidates secured their seats for Talavera ward in Northampton.

One of the winners, Thomas Manning, said he was "excited" about the chance of helping "to improve things in Northamptonshire".

In Kettering, North Northamptonshire's count went in a slightly different direction, with the first two seats going to the Green party.

Before long, however, the theme of the day was the same in both areas - local government was going to look very different.

The Conservatives had moments of success in the west - Long Buckby returned two Conservative councillors, but one of them, Daniel Lister admitted that he "wasn't holding his breath" and "anything could happen".

By early evening, Reform's leader in the north, Griffiths, said he was "so pleased" with results.

James Hill, a Conservative councillor in the west, lamented that "today wasn't with us - Reform is a tsunami and I've been caught in the crossfire".

In the west, Brown's colleagues and cabinet members Phil Larratt and Matt Golby also lost their seats.

The Labour group leader, Wendy Randall, also found herself without a place on the council.

Executive member Scott Edwards and Labour leader Matt Keane were among the other high profile roles to lose seats.

It's a historic night for Reform UK and a bitter blow for Labour and the Conservatives on both councils.

After 20 years of Tory control in Northamptonshire, both unitary authorities will be led by Reform.

The Tories had controlled the former county council since 2005 and led both unitaries following their creation in 2021

Now in North Northants, Reform have snatched 39 seats, having needed 35 for a majority.

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