𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Voters in a West Yorkshire city, up for grabs in the upcoming local elections, say leadership of the local authority will likely go to Reform UK. Wakefield, a cathedral city on the River Calder, has had a council led by Labour for 50 years – ever since the borough was created.

But it’s one of dozens of battlegrounds up for grabs in the upcoming May local elections – which polling suggests could be crushing for Labour – with a number of solid red London councils expected to swing to the Greens. Outside London, the party is particularly under threat from Nigel Farage’s Reform party, with Labour HQ nervously watching results in the North and the Midlands.

Wakefield council is one such battleground, and residents have voiced disappointment with local Labour leadership’s performance. Local pensioner Jennifer Hanley has voted for Labour all her life, but isn’t sure if she’ll give them her vote next month.

The 80-year-old told The i Paper that after the Labour-led authority’s move to push on with controversial plans to buy and demolish the city’s Ridings shopping centre as part of a major regeneration project, locals are “just fed up with Wakefield council”.

Their decision to hike council tax by 4.99% is also said to have gone down badly. Fellow local David Wood told the newspaper that Labour PM Sir Keir Starmer is “weak” and believes the city needs “somebody like Reform to stand up for people”.

He thinks Labour’s fortunes are following a similar pattern to the previous Tory Government, winning big in the General Election only because the incumbent party’s popularity has cratered.

Mr Wood says both of the UK’s preeminent political forces are now unpopular, and he hopes to see a major upheaval in Wakefield.

PollCheck predicts 39 of the area’s 63 seats will go to Reform, with the party exceeding the 32 needed for a majority.

The tracker provides predictions of results for individual council seats, combining national poll data, and demographics and voting histories.

This has clear shortcomings, such as its failure to reliably represent support for popular councillors who are seeking further terms as independents, and the popularity of party’s governing record on a local – if not national – level.

But it does give us a sense of the broad electoral make up of a seat.

Wakefield Council has been approached for comment. The Express also contacted Labour Councillor Denise Jeffery, the leader of the local authority.

Elections are taking place across Great Britain next month, with mayoralties and council seats up for grabs in parts of England, and elections to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments.

All these ballots will be held on Thursday, May 7, with millions of Britons heading out to cast their votes.