English council elections: What the results so far are telling us, in maps and charts

Labour have lost around half of the seats they were defending so far, as Reform have made massive gains in council elections for the second year running.

We are still waiting for results for most of the councils that started counting on Friday morning, but if results continue like this Labour could lose upwards of 1,000 seats.

This figure could change significantly, however, as the make-up of councils that are yet to count their votes is different from those that counted overnight.

For the first time, Sky is able to bring you the results from your specific seat. Search for your postcode below, or click or tap around the map to explore detailed results:

Reform have gained over 400 seats and taken control of three councils so far. Labour have lost Westminster council directly to the Conservatives and ten further councils to no overall control, meaning no party has a majority of seats.

See the latest results here

Most of the councils that counted their votes overnight only had either half or a third of their seats up, a factor which has shielded Labour from more council losses and isolated Reform from more gains.

In the seats that were up last time some maps have been almost entirely coloured to Reform's turquoise, not just from Labour's red but also Tory blue.

Where are Labour doing worst?

The seats where Labour were strongest previously - what would have been considered their heartlands - are where Labour are losing worst.

If Sir Keir Starmer was looking for a sliver of a silver lining from anywhere, it would be that many councils with younger, more educated voters (including most of London) are yet to start counting, and Labour's losses appear to be less pronounced in those sorts of places.

It's far from good news, though. They are still losing more than 10% of the vote in some of the councils with the highest percentage of graduates. And the party faces a pincer movement from the Green Party eating into its newer strongholds.

Where are Reform doing best?

It's the opposite story for Reform. They are picking up most votes in areas with older voters and places where fewer people went to university, as well as areas where lots of voters backed Brexit.

Their coalition of support appears similar to those voters Boris Johnson was able to win from Labour in his 2019 general election victory.

Sir Keir Starmer won some of these areas back in 2024, but they appear to have rejected him now.

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How are the Conservatives getting on?

The government aren't the only losers tonight. The official opposition have also lost over 200 seats and control of Essex and Newcastle-under-Lyme to Reform, but will be buoyed by reclaiming Wesminster council from Labour. The Tories had run it from its inception in 1965 until Labour took it from them in 2022.

Similarly to Labour, they are losing most votes in areas where they used to be strongest. They are also losing to Reform in older areas and places where lots of people voted for Brexit.

How about the Lib Dems?

Sir Ed Davey's party have taken control of Stockport and Portsmouth, and increased their majorities in the south London councils of Richmond-upon-Thames and Sutton.

Sutton, where a majority of voters backed Brexit in 2016, used to be a Lib Dem/Tory marginal. Now it's almost a one-party state. Richmond is now literally a one-party state - the Lib Dems now hold all 54 seats there.

What about the Greens?

The Greens have surged in popularity since Zack Polanski was elected their leader in September last year. They too were expected to make significant gains at these elections.

Their successes so far have been somewhat muted, but many of the areas where they were expected to do best are still due to count their votes.

From the results we do have, however, it appears to be a bit of a repeat of the 2025 general election, in which they performed best in areas with higher Muslim populations.

Keep coming back to this page for more analysis and as further results come in. We will also be producing pages analysing the Scottish and Welsh results when those are available.

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

(c) Sky News 2026: English council elections: What the results so far are telling us, in maps and charts