Reform storms Stevenage but gains little elsewhere

Reform UK has seen mixed election results across Hertfordshire, gaining no seats on several councils, but taking seats on Stevenage Borough Council.

Six local authorities in the county held elections on Thursday, with one third of their seats up for grabs.

The Liberal Democrats did well in St Albans and Watford, holding onto both councils.

Nigel Farage's party took nine seats from Labour in Stevenage – although Labour still has overall control of the council.

Liam Morrell Phillips, 26, won for Reform in Roebuck ward and said: "What today has proved is people want change."

"It's important we get younger people involved in politics, a lot of young people say 'What's the point in voting?'," he added.

• Find the results for your local council on the BBC website

The Liberal Democrats put on a strong performance in two of Hertfordshire's other urban areas - Watford and St Albans.

The party won 19 seats out of 22 in St Albans, holding onto leadership of the council, and took all 12 seats available in Watford.

Liberal Democrat Mayor for Watford Peter Taylor was also re-elected for a third term with 52% of the vote, while Reform came in second place with 17.9%.

The party remains in control of the council after gaining two seats from Labour.

Taylor said: "Labour are way down, we are the party to beat Reform [in Watford] in a general election".

"I'm so thrilled to be elected as mayor again, and to have received over half the votes. It's a huge privilege to serve the town and its residents."

Oliver Cooper, the leader of the Conservatives at Three Rivers District Council, said people had "rejected the Lib Dem administration" after his party gained three more seats on the council - two from the Liberal Democrats and one from Labour.

He said the Conservatives locally had worked hard to "make sure people recognise how we have changed as a party".

"Kemi is a brilliant leader and is starting to show those changes," he added.

"The Lib Dems will have to work closely with other councillors - they will find it harder to push through their one-sided policies," he added.

Reflecting on his party losing a seat, the Labour group leader Stephen Cox said: "It has been the nastiest campaign I have witnessed in over 40 years of politics."

The Conservatives also won the most seats in Broxbourne and retained control of that council.

It was a bad night for the Green Party, which only had one councillor elected across Hertfordshire, in Three Rivers.

Welwyn Hatfield's two Green councillors lost their seats: one to Labour, one to Reform.

Reform also took two seats from Labour, winning three in total, but Labour retained its position as the largest party.

The Liberal Democrats kept all of its seats, making it likely that the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition will remain in place.

Andrew Lewin, the Labour MP for Welwyn Hatfield, posted on social media: "Turnout was up across the borough and our democracy is in good health.

"Very pleased that Labour remains the largest party on Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council and delighted to see James, Max and Vaishali elected.

"It could have been even better. We came a close second to Reform in three more wards (Haldens, Hollybush and Hatfield Central) where the difference between a Labour win and a Reform win was a small number of people voting Green."

If Reform was looking for a takeover anywhere in Hertfordshire, it did not get one.

Picking up 10 seats in Stevenage still left Labour in overall control, and gains elsewhere were in low single figures.

The Liberal Democrats found they could rely on solid support in the usual places and the Conservatives had a relatively comfortable day despite a decrease in its share of the vote in some areas.

All in all, not a particularly memorable election in Hertfordshire despite the national volatility.

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