Thursday’s local elections have produced results in Southampton and Portsmouth, with vote counts completed overnight while the Isle of Wight prepares for its own count today, with results expected later on Friday.
Labour loses control in Southampton
Labour has lost control of Southampton City Council, falling two seats short of the 26 needed for a majority. The party dropped seven seats, leaving it with 24 councillors – still the largest group on the council by a significant margin.
Reform UK made the most gains, climbing from one seat to eight to become the second largest group in the chamber. The party took seats from Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
The current political balance in Southampton stands at: Labour 24, Reform UK 8, Liberal Democrats 7, Conservatives 6, and the Green Party 6 – with no single party holding a majority.
Lib Dems take overall control in Portsmouth
Across the Solent in Portsmouth, the Liberal Democrats secured an overall majority on the city’s 42-seat council, growing their representation from 18 seats to 22.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, councillor Steve Pitt described it as “an amazing night” for his party, which has secured its first overall majority since 2012. He said,
“It’s a brilliant endorsement for everything that we do, trying to run the city well, manage our finances, fighting against local government reorganisation and the best interests of the people in the city and protecting services from cuts.”
Councillor Pitt added,
“We’ve made the most gains in the city while others have gone backwards or done nowhere near as well as they thought they would.”
Labour failed to defend any of its five seats, while the Conservatives lost the Copnor ward to Reform UK.
Portsmouth’s council now comprises: Liberal Democrats 22, Reform UK 12, Labour 4, Conservatives 3, and one non-aligned independent.
Isle of Wight results to follow
The Isle of Wight Council count is under way today, with results expected later this afternoon.
