Local elections: Labour lose control of Slough

In the party’s first loss of this set of local elections, Labour has lost control of Slough council which has passed into no overall control.

Labour lost 18 seats on the council for a total of 18, while the Conservatives gained 16 to end up with 21 councillors, which makes them the largest group. The Liberal Democrats gained three seats for a total of three councillors.

Slough is normally considered a Labour area and is represented in Westminster by Labour’s Tan Dhesi, but the then Labour-run council went effectively bankrupt in 2021.

This followed the discovery of a £100m budget black hole. The council had to pause all “non-essential” spending as a result amid allegations of financial mismanagement.

Read more on the local elections:

• Latest updates: Labour councils won, held and lost
• Labour win overall control in key target council Stoke
• Local elections: ‘Seismic’ Labour win in bellwether Plymouth council
• Labour becomes largest party in Bolton but not in overall control
• Labour’s Chris Cooke takes Middlesbrough mayor post from independent
• Labour bruises the Tories in North West Leicestershire, Hartlepool, Tamworth
• What would good local election results look like for Labour?