Conservatives lose their majority on Solihull Council
The authority is now in ‘no overall control
The Conservative Party lost its majority on Solihull Council after the Reform UK surge seen nationally came to the borough.
As no party reached the magic number of 26 the authority is now in ‘no overall control’ for the first time since 2021.
Conservative leader on the authority, Councillor Karen Grinsell, said it was still a positive result and they could run the authority as a minority administration with 24 councillors.
All the Conservative cabinet members that stood again – Heather Delaney, Tony Dicicco, Ken Hawkins, Andy Mackiewicz, Mark Parker and Wazma Qais – were re-elected.
Michael Gough, who had led the Reform UK group on the authority, said seeing the Reform gains was a “bitter sweet” moment as he lost his Silhill seat.
He was delighted for wife, Eleonora, who was elected as a Reform councillor in the Elmdon ward.
Reform UK took all the councillors available in Castle Bromwich, Chelmsley Wood, Fordbridge and Kingshurst & Smith’s Wood.
Their new Castle Bromwich councillors include Alan Feeney who earlier in the day had been elected as a Birmingham councillor.
Those gains took them from the previous four councillors they had to 17 making them the second largest party on the authority.
The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party suffered losses having both previously had eight councillors. Liberal Democrats now have six councillors, but did enjoy success in Lyndon where they enjoyed a clean sweep including leader Ade Adeyemo.
The Green Party now has four councillors but had their clean sweep in Shirley South which included their leader Max McLoughlin.
Labour were completely wiped out as the lost their sole councillor Hazel Dawkins in Kingshurst & Smith’s Wood.
The elections were the first held since boundary changes and the overall turnout was 44.84 per cent. The make up of the council is now:
Conservative Party 24
Reform UK 17
Liberal Democrats 6
Green Party 4