Stoke & Staffordshire

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.
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  1. Lakhbir is wearing a grey bucket hat and glasses and smiling at the camera. He appears to be at a busy outdoor event as people can be seen in the distance behind him.

  2. A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, and glasses. She is wearing a high-vis vest over her clothing, and has a yellow name badge. There is medical equipment behind her

  3. Two mug shots side by side. On the left is James Garlick, who has mousey brown hair, a beard, tattoos on his neck and a bright green top on. Shane Wintle is in the picture on the right. He has a shaved head, a beard and is wearing a white top.

  4. Port Vale boss Jon Brady

  5. A man and a women stood next to each other smiling. They are both wearing a purple Pancreatic Cancer UK T-shirt. They both have grey hair and the women is wearing glasses.

  6. A bald man with black glasses is smiling. He is wearing a blue top with a black gilet jacket over it. Next to him is a supporting beam that is metal and covered in stickers

  7. 'Season defined by injuries'

    Mark Elliott
    BBC Radio Stoke's Stoke City commentator

    Robert Bozeník of Stoke City is tackled by Dan Scarr of Wrexham during a match between Wrexham AFC and Stoke City at Stok Cae RasGetty Images

    After another defeat at Wrexham, Mark Robins set out exactly what he wants from the summer transfer window and players who come in will need to have the physicality and reliability to compete in the Championship over a full season.

    He said he, the club's ownership and recruitment team have a lot of work to do to create a squad full of players with those characteristics, in addition to the quality required to improve on a season during which they've struggled in front of goal.

    Stoke finished the game with two wingers at full-back and an attacking full-back at centre-half, partnered by an 18-year-old making his professional debut.

    They also finished the game with more injuries to defenders to contend with at the end of a season defined by injuries to key players all over the pitch.

    Wrexham scored two goals in two minutes, one straight from a corner and one after a mistake from Aaron Cresswell.

    Both goals were poor from a Stoke perspective but the Potters had chances of their own and plenty of the game.

    In the end, poor decision-making or execution in the final third, and an inability to match Wrexham's strength, dismissed any hopes of a comeback.

    Those are the themes of the season and exactly the issues that will need resolving over the summer.

  8. An old train on the Churnet Valley Railway emits steam as it travels along the track through the countryside.

  9. The front of the Bentilee Nursery School building with the sign close to us on the right.

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

  11. 'Really poor in terms of chances created'

    Mark Robins: ‘The goals we gave away were just hideous’

    Boss Mark Robins spoke to BBC Radio Stoke following his side's 2-0 Championship defeat by Wrexham.

    "In general we weren't in any danger, we looked like we were okay from back to front but we make the wrong decision, either the wrong touch or we try to take people on.

    "The supporters are frustrated, I'm frustrated and there's plenty of work for us to do in the summer.

    "Two moments in a game from a corner and some inexplicable circumstances is the disappointment of today but that was coming because we didn't win tackles or duels and the ball was turned over too many times."

    "It was a really poor performance in terms of chances created and trying to take them, plus the two goals we gave away were just hideous."

    Stoke are 17th in the table and at home to second-placed Millwall on Tuesday evening.

  12. A crowd of people gathered in a town - some are wearing hi-vis jackets, others have orange shirts which say "Save Eccleshall".

  13. Part of a stone wall running along a road has collapsed on to the grass beneath it. Cars can be seen driving along the road in the background.

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

  15. 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.

  16. A man wearing a black and yellow shirt holds his arm up, holding a dart between his finger and thumb. There are plaid curtains behind him and a window.

  17. A hand with its fingers spread out has a small bag of white powder in the palm.

  18. A Google street view image of a three-storey office building behind a barrier and green fence. A large white sign near the top says "GivEnergy".

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

  20. The front entrance to Swann House in Stoke-on-Trent - a four-storey building divided into three sections. The middle section, where the entrance is, is of a circular shape.

  21. Two trains at a platform at Manchester Piccadilly station.

  22. A large black barrier and red gate is erected in front of The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. The arm of a digger can be seen behind the barrier.

  23. A newly-made blue vase with a pattern of trees on it has been set on a table. A woman with blonde hair and glasses can be seen sitting down and painting in the background.

  24. A black and white photo of a lady sat in an arm chair with a long dress on