Sheffield City Council elections – potential for a shift in the balance of town hall power
Sheffield voters are heading to the polls today (May 7) in a city council election that could shift the balance of power in the town hall.
The elections taking place today are widely seen as a verdict on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government.
In Sheffield, one-third of the three councillors in each of 28 wards are up for election, plus casual vacancies in Firth Park and Beighton wards, making 30 contests in total.
There are votes taking place in England for about 5,000 seats in 136 councils, plus six mayoral contests. Elections are also being held for the Senedd government in Wales and the Scottish Parliament.
A key issue for Sheffield voters will be the deeply unpopular proposals for housing and industrial sites on green belt land, mainly in the S13 and S35 postcodes, linked to the council’s Local Plan.
There have been big campaigns and protests against the plan.
Opposition
The LibDems will be hoping to gain support from their opposition to the proposals, which were backed by Labour and the Greens.
The council remains under no overall control and is co-run by Labour, LibDems and Greens under a committee system.
The current state of the parties is 34 Labour/Labour and Cooperative, 27 Liberal Democrats, 14 Green Party, 4 Sheffield Community Councillors, 2 Independents, 1 Reform, 2 vacancies.
The council website shows that Southey ward Coun Gareth Slater, who is not up for re-election, has left Labour to stand as an independent.
With a total of 84 seats, any party would need 43 seats to gain overall control.
With Labour’s popularity down nationally, the LibDems and Greens will aim to take advantage in vulnerable wards. The LibDems could overtake Labour as the biggest party.
Surge
The Green Party’s big surge in popularity following the election of new leader Zack Polanski and their success in the Manchester Denton and Gorton by-election will also boost the confidence of voters considering them.
One of the big stories will be whether Reform UK can make a breakthrough, despite the splits in the local party, and add to their solo councillor. The row resulted in 13 independents standing in Sheffield who have declared support for Reform’s rivals Restore Britain.
Polling stations are open until 10pm tonight and the election count takes place tomorrow. First results are expected around 11.45am.