Coventry election results in Dudley delivered Reform UK 22 of the 25 seats up for election, giving the party its strongest local breakthrough in the count. The result left Dudley Council in no overall control, with the Conservatives still the largest party on 27 seats and Reform on 23.
Marco Longhi in Upper Gornal
Marco Longhi, the former Conservative MP for Dudley North, defected to Reform before running for a council seat in Upper Gornal and Woodsetton. He won there and said it had been "an extraordinary night for us," adding that people in Dudley supported Reform because "they want change."
Longhi had set a target of 15 seats for Reform, well below the 22 it won. Before the vote, the Conservatives ran Dudley Council with the most seats but without a majority, working with the Liberal Democrats to do so.
Dudley Council Numbers
The scale of the result also cut across the other parties on the council. Labour lost all but one seat, the Conservatives dropped six seats and held two, the Liberal Democrats lost one seat, and the Black Country Party lost all three of their seats.
That leaves Reform as the second biggest party on Dudley Council, with the Conservatives still ahead by two seats. For residents, the immediate change is who now has the louder position inside a council that still has no outright control, after a contest that reshaped the balance without giving any party a majority.
Young Councillors Elected
The count also brought two younger councillors into office. Joel Hyde, 19, was elected for Brockmoor and Pensnett, and Samuel Hussey, 21, will represent Wordsley North.
Local elections in England covered more than 5,000 seats across 136 local authorities and six mayoral races, with all results expected by Saturday. In Dudley, the practical takeaway is simple: Reform gained ground fast, but the council still needs working arrangements if it is to pass decisions with support from beyond one party.
