Reform makes big gains in Plymouth election

Reform UK has been celebrating after gaining 14 seats at Plymouth City Council in the local elections.

Labour entered the election knowing they could not lose control of the authority, but ended the count with nine fewer councillors compared to the last time the seats were contested in 2022. The party has a majority of five following the election.

The gains by Reform have moved it to the second largest group in Plymouth, Devon, with 16 councillors.

The Conservatives lost six seats - taking its councillors to three. The Green Party gained one seat to move up to three councillors while the independent group ended with four members - no change from 2022.

Reform gained seats in the Budshead, Compton, Devonport, Efford and Lipson, Eggbuckland, Ham, Honicknowle, Moor View, Plympton Chaddlewood, Plympton St Mary, Plymstock Dunstone, Southway, St Budeaux, and St Peter and the Waterfront wards - claiming all but five of the seats available in the election.

Those elected for Reform include Helen Kelly, the wife of a former Conservative leader of the council.

Kelly, whose husband Nick was ousted as leader after a no-confidence vote in 2022, claimed the seat in Compton, which was won by Labour four years ago before councillor Dylan Tippetts switched allegiance to the Lib Dems last year.

During the count, Kelly's husband was spotted wearing a Reform rosette and cheering on his wife.

"Hopefully with the passion of the Reform team now in Plymouth we can take some real challenge to Labour as an effective opposition which they haven't had for a few years," Kelly said after her victory.

Group leader Steve Ricketts said the results in Plymouth and across England for the party were the "stuff dreams are made of".

Ricketts added: "There's been big results nationally and it's reflected here in Plymouth - absolutely huge wins.

"We have a mandate to run the city council.

"Unfortunately, because it's in thirds, we can't take control this year, but we're all set to take control of the council next year and we're really looking forward to that."

Labour council leaders Tudor Evans said the party would reflect on the results and try to move forward.

Evans said: "We've got, as we always do after an election, to take what's happened on board and to respond to it as positively as possible - and we will.

"National politics has played an enormous part in tonight's results and Labour locally in Plymouth will bounce back very quickly."

The Green Party's gain came in the Drake seat with 23-year-old Saahi Aroori beating Labour's Chelsea Shelton by 221 votes.

Aroori said her "voice will be heard" on the council and vowed to stand up for people whose views she said were not represented.

Aroori said her age and being "the only brown person in the room" would give her a unique perspective.

"If I see an injustice then mark my words, you will hear my voice," Aroori said.

Andy Lugger, the former Conservative group leader who was ousted from the council after losing to Reform candidate Grace Stickland in Plymstock Dunstone by 559 votes, said he believed the "Reform sweep" had been driven by national politics.

"I expected this sort of turnout and I expected this sort of result," Lugger, who was previously a councillor in the Southway ward, said.

"Let's take some stock from the fact that we've come second on many of the occasions, including myself in Dunstone.

"There's a chance now to rebuild and regroup."

Speaking on behalf of the Lib Dem group, which has no representation at the council following the election, Tippets said a lot of people were "really angry" across the city and wanted change.

"For the last 30 years, we've been let down by both Labour and the Conservatives and unfortunately this time, it was Reform who dominated the airwaves and they were the ones who took seats," Tippetts added.

Labour is still in control of the city, but the party has taken a severe beating in these local council elections.

There are 57 seats on the council and there were 19 of them up for grabs over this past couple of days.

Reform took 14 of those seats on the night, Labour won two, the Conservatives took one and the Greens also won two seats.

Labour will go back now with a much reduced majority, but because of how many councillors they had beforehand, they will still be in control of the council.

But now, they're facing a new and different opposition.

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