Local elections: Devcomms speak on the East of England

Max Abdulgani, Senior Account Executive, DevComms East spoke on the recent local elections, and their impact on the East of England:

The 2026 local elections across the East of England have produced some of the most dramatic political realignments anywhere in the country, fundamentally reshaping the region’s local government landscape. The elections marked a major collapse in Conservative dominance at County Council level across much of the East of England, alongside a significant breakthrough for Reform UK.

The most consequential result came in Essex, where Reform ended 25 years of uninterrupted Conservative control of Essex County Council. Reform won 53 of the 78 seats contested, leaving the Conservatives with just 13 councillors (they previously held 52 seats). This represented not only Reform’s largest victory in the East of England, but arguably one of the defining moments of the entire election. Essex has often been perceived as a Conservative heartland, particularly among older homeowners, commuters and suburban voters. The result demonstrated how far Conservative support has eroded since the party’s long period in government, and highlights Reform’s growing appeal among culturally conservative and anti-establishment voters.

Reform also won a clear and significant majority in Thurrock (all-out election) and made significant gains in other Essex councils such as Rochford, Southend, Basildon — they probably only failed to become majority parties because those elections were held in thirds.

Reform’s second major breakthrough at County Council level occurred in Suffolk, where the party also secured majority control of Suffolk County Council from the Conservatives. The Conservatives were reduced to just 9 seats. Suffolk’s demographics are considerably different from Essex. The county is older, more rural and traditionally more politically stable, with high levels of home ownership and a large middle-class population spread across villages, market towns and coastal communities. Historically, these characteristics have favoured the Conservatives, making Reform’s victory particularly significant. The result suggests that dissatisfaction with the political establishment is now extending beyond suburban protest politics into traditionally stable rural middle England.

In Norfolk, Reform also emerged as the largest political force on a County Council level, although it fell short of an outright majority. It may have secured a majority but was denied by the success of Great Yarmouth First, a local party offshoot of Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain. The party won all nine seats it contested on Norfolk County Council, all of which were in Great Yarmouth, preventing Reform from achieving complete dominance.

The Green Party also achieved some notable successes. Its most important victory came in Norwich, where the Greens gained majority control of Norwich City Council from Labour. This marked the party’s only outright council takeover in the East of England and represented a major breakthrough in an authority previously dominated by Labour. The Greens made other incremental gains elsewhere in the region, including seat increases in Peterborough and Southend-on-Sea. Their progress reflects growing support among younger urban voters, graduates and environmentally focused voters, particularly in university cities and socially liberal city centres.

For the Liberal Democrats, the election was comparatively steady. The party largely consolidated its existing strength in affluent commuter-belt and suburban areas, particularly in Hertfordshire. It also experienced important gains in South Cambridgeshire, where it further strengthened its dominant local position.

Labour experienced one of its most difficult election nights in the region. Unlike the Conservatives, Labour did not suffer a total collapse (other than in Thurrock), largely because much of eastern England has never formed part of its traditional electoral base. However, the party failed to make meaningful advances and lost ground in several key areas. One notable exception was Stevenage, where Labour retained majority control of the council despite declining national trends. Labour lost control of Cambridge City Council, where the council leader lost his seat to the Greens.

Nationally, these elections are highly significant. The combination of Reform’s county-level breakthrough, sustained Liberal Democrat strength in commuter areas and a difficult night for Labour will continue to shape the political landscape in the months ahead. For developers and planning professionals operating across the region, the more immediate question is how new political compositions on County and borough councils will shape decisions and committee outcomes over the coming year.

Image: Devcomms