Hereford & Worcester

Local elections 2026
Local elections 2026

Why are the 2026 local elections so significant in the West Midlands?

Political editor Elizabeth Glinka explains the significance of the 14 elections across the region.
  • England

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  1. A police officer stands with his back to the camera with his fluorescent jacket showing the "police" label.

  2. A number of blank firing guns on a wooden surface. Two are at the top, three are in the middle and two are at the bottom near part of the West Mercia Police logo.

  3. A building in the middle of the photo has the words post office in white on a green backing and to the right of that is a yellow and red post office logo.

  4. A man wearing clothes including a jacket, a tie and trousers is sitting on a bench next to a wreath and looking at the camera. Eight people are standing up on grass behind him.

  5. A man with grey hair and a beard, wearing a dark green shirt is on the right of the photo smiling at the camera. A number of vacuum cleaners are on the left in the background.

  6. Serena has brown hair and a purple sweatband on her head. She is wearing a bright yellow windbreaker and is smiling. She is standing in front of a green bush on a path.

  7. A woman and a child are sitting underneath a canopy as a man takes a selfie with them. The man is wearing a blue and grey chequered shirt and sunglasses. The woman is wearing a green coat. The child is wearing a grey t-shirt. All three are smiling and there is a body of water and a field behind them.

  8. A rectangle-shaped building which is light grey and over several floors. There are green bushes outside and a sign on the building says Farrier House.

  9. A group of two women and three men are listening to a man talking outside. The man talking is wearing a blue puffer jacket and has a hand raised as he describes something. A large church building is behind the group.

  10. A woman with very short bleach blonde hair and red lipstick is standing on a stage and is speaking into a microphone. She is wearing a black top and black and white striped trousers. Next to her is a small round wooden table with a notebook and water bottle on it. Behind her on a large screen is a red picture with white writing that says "The Rik Mayall comedy festival, Droitwich Spa, Worcs".

  11. A swan, with its white feathers and light orange beak, sits on the water on a waterway.

  12. A generic photo of the back of a police van which has yellow and orange markings.

  13. Piles of cash, bags of drugs and several mobile phones are placed on a table.

  14. A woman with blonde hair tied back stands in front of a glass door. She is wearing a black blouse with a grey knitted waistcoat. There are shrubs, car parking spaces and a corrugated metal building behind her.

  15. close up of a horse's hooves as it walks on a road

  16. This is a three-panel composite image made up of different scenes. Left panel: A still from a dramatic scene showing Leonardi DiCaprio and Kate Winslet standing closely together outdoors, with wind blowing and open sky behind them, a moment from the Titanic film Centre panel: A studio-style portrait of a Jeff Goldblum wearing dark-framed glasses, a black suit, and a textured shirt, set against a plain light background. Right panel: An outdoor scene in a garden or park, showing two women standing beside leafy plants, with a small sign on a post visible among the greenery.

  17. Jo Monk stands in front of foliage that is outside a brick and glass building. She has shoulder-length brown hair and is wearing a grey jacket and white blouse. She is smiling at the camera.

    • UK
    Spiers, Doran and Gill (left to right). Each of the men are wearing a grey sweatshirt. Spiers has short, brown, curly hair and is clean shaven. Doran has short, dark, curly hair and slight stubble. Gill has short, dark hair and stubble.

  19. A woman with black hair stood in a street next to a red car

  20. A woman with blonde hair tied in a ponytail in a park with green grass behind her. She is wearing a black top and silver necklace

  21. A woman wearing a black jumper and white top, as well as a Worcestershire County Council lanyard.

  22. The outside of a hotel, which has the words 'Kula' written on it, showing the lights on at night. There are also pedestrians and cyclists passing by outside.

  23. A church in a church yard with green grass in front of it. The doorway of the church is darkened by damage.

  24. A man with short brown hair, wearing a black top with yellow PMR branding on it, stands in a garage in front of two white branded racing cars.