Reform wins 24 seats in Wigan as Tameside Election Results 2026 continue

Reform won 24 seats in Wigan as tameside election results 2026 moved through counts across England’s North-West, while Labour kept overall control of the council with 42 seats. The ward of Ince also went to Reform, adding to a night Paul Watson described as “unprecedented”.

Wigan Council Count

Watson, the Wigan Reform leader councillor, said the party had won 24 seats and attacked Labour’s national leadership after the gains. “For Labour, it all comes down to their leadership. Keir Starmer, he has to go,” he said, adding: “He has to fall on his sword because when the people speak, the government has to listen and the people have spoken.”

Labour councillor Nazia Rehman said: “We were not expecting this but we knew people were not happy and some people voted against us.” She added: “I think the government has to do more and we have to do better.”

North-West Counts

The local elections cover more than 5,000 seats across 136 local authorities and six mayoral races. By the time of the report, six councils had declared their results, and counts in Manchester, Rochdale, Bury and Trafford were still due later today.

Results were still to come in Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Bury, Hyndburn, Knowlsey, Manchester, Pendle, Preston, Rochdale, Sefton, St Helens, Trafford, West Lancashire and Wigan. Results from all counts were expected by Saturday.

Ince Ward Shift

Watson said the result in Ince mattered because the ward had been a symbol of Labour’s dominance in Wigan for more than 40 years. Jo Platt, the Leigh and Atherton MP, described the vote as “catastrophic for Labour”.

The remaining counts will decide how far the wider North-West shift reaches beyond Wigan. For voters there, Labour still holds 42 seats, but Reform’s 24-seat haul and the loss of Ince show how quickly the balance can move before every council has declared.