A look at the effects of Thursday’s vote on the state of play in the council
The Guildhall, Hull(Image: Hull Live)
Following Hull City Council‘s local elections, here we look at how last night’s results will affect the running of the council. Votes for a third of the seats in the Guildhall – 19 of the 57 – took place on Thursday, May 7.
Heading into the night, the Liberal Democrats ran the council with a majority of just one. They knew that if they were to come out of the election even one seat down, they would lose their majority and the council would become No Overall Control, meaning no group has a majority.
As the results began to flood in, it became increasingly clear the Lib Dems were on track to lose their majority. They ended up finishing the night with three fewer councillors than they started with.
After this week’s election, the new political weighting of the council is as follows:
- Liberal Democrats – 26 seats
- Labour – 16 seats
- Reform UK – 10 seats
- Independents – 5 seats
The Lib Dems now find themselves three short of the all-important 29 mark, which secures a majority. However, as the Lib Dems remain the largest party in the council, Cllr Mike Ross will remain as the council leader.
In practice, this change will likely not lead to a seismic shift in how the council operates. The Lib Dems will, however, have to rely on the support of three or more non-Lib Dems to get votes through.
Neighbouring East Riding Of Yorkshire Council has been in No Overall Control since 2023 with the Conservatives being the largest party who run the authority as a minority administration, relying on support from others during votes.
Back in Hull, despite their success on Thursday night picking up more than half of the seats available, Reform UK will only have a relatively small presence in the Guildhall, holding less than 20 per cent of seats overall. They are the third largest party in the council, behind both the Lib Dems and Labour.
Elections for another third of the council are due to take place in May 2027.
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