All you need to know about May's Staffordshire elections

Another spring, another set of council elections in Staffordshire - this year on 7 May.

History was made in the county last year, when Reform UK swept to power with a huge majority to take control of Staffordshire County Council, ending 16 years of Conservative reign.

2026 will bring the ballot boxes to several of the county's boroughs including an all-out election in Newcastle-under-Lyme while, in the south of the county, both Tamworth Borough and Cannock Chase District have a third of their seats up for grabs.

So who is in control of them at the moment, how can you vote - and why could this be the last time people can vote for these authorities?

These elections could see local authorities change hands between political parties.

But it is also the last chance to vote before these councils are set to become abolished and replaced in a major shake-up of local government.

Ministers will make a decision on how the new authorities will be broken up but the plan is for Staffordshire to get a mayor overseeing two - or three - new unitary authorities.

This means those councillors elected on 7 May in Newcastle, Tamworth and Cannock, might only serve 1-2 years in post before facing another vote.

The three authorities holding elections this May are all what are known as second-tier councils - so they are responsible for services like bin collections, libraries, leisure centres and planning.

Traditionally, the market town of Newcastle is seen as a barometer for how political parties are performing nationally.

Which means, like other areas currently, it is no longer seen as just a two-horse race for votes.

As it stands, Newcastle is a bit of a political pick 'n' mix.

The area was seen for decades as a red-wall borough, represented by a Labour MP for 100 years, until a Tory MP was elected in 2019 - Labour then won it back in 2024.

Since 2018, the Conservatives have run the council and they strengthened their hold by taking majority control in 2022.

This year there are 44 seats up for election, a contest which could see some swings in power.

The Conservatives admit they are on the defensive and it will be a tough set of elections. As do Labour, who are defending fewer seats.

Both parties will be battling for votes against Reform, who will look to maintain their momentum from 2025.

Independents and the Greens appear confident they could cut through and hope to make some gains.

Cannock Chase has also been considered as historical Labour heartlands and the district council is led by a Labour administration.

The party holds 18 of the total 36 seats but this could be a difficult election for Labour with the Tories currently forming the main opposition party on the council.

Even though this election will only see a third of the seats contested, battles for those 12 seats could easily see a shift in power.

In 2025, Reform took all eight of Cannock's county divisions, a success they will be looking to build on this year. The Greens will also be looking to expand their representation here.

Some of the wards up for grabs include Norton Canes, Hednesford and Brereton.

Over to Tamworth, which changed hands in 2024 when Labour took control for the first time in 21 years.

The borough was once was known as a safe Conservative parliamentary seat but has recently become a competitive one after Labour won a by-election and then defended it in the general election of 2024.

Labour will be looking to defend their wards with a third of seats up for grabs while Reform, the Tories and the Greens, will look to challenge them.

• 9 April - Close of nominations for people to stand in May's elections
• 20 April - Deadline to register to vote, which can be done online
• 21 April - Deadline to apply for a postal vote, which can also be done online
• 28 April - Deadline to apply for a proxy vote, where you can name someone to vote on your behalf. It is also the deadline to apply for a voter authority certificate if you do not have ID like a driver's licence or passport. You need to show ID at a polling station to be able to vote
• 7 May - Polling stations open at 07:00 BST and close at 22:00. If you are in the queue by 22:00, you will be able to vote but do not forget your ID

The votes for Newcastle-under-Lyme and Tamworth will be counted overnight so we can expect results to start to come in from midnight, with an idea on how parties have performed during the early hours of 8 May.

Counting will start for Cannock Chase district during the day on that Friday, with a result expected by early afternoon the same day.

The full list of candidates standing in your area will be available after 10 April.

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