Local elections: Labour wins overall control of Stoke-on-Trent council

Labour has won overall control of Stoke-on-Trent City Council in this year’s local elections, in the party’s second gain of the night.

The results in Stoke-on-Trent are yet to be fully announced, but Labour has so far made ten gains to take its total 23, after 34 of the council’s 44 seats have been declared.

The Tories have lost one seat to take their total to ten, while the number of Independents on the council has fallen by nine to just one.

Former Labour Stoke MP Gareth Snell told LabourList: “The results in Stoke-on-Trent show that the Labour Party has regained the trust of voters and shows how far we’ve come under Keir’s leadership.

“We now have a chance to show what difference can be made by Labour in power and puts us in a strong position to regain seats in Stoke-on-Trent in the General Election.’

Speaking to Sky News, Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jon Ashworth described the result as “stunning” and said Labour was “really delighted”.

Former Stoke-on-Trent North MP Ruth Anderson told the BBC: “This is Labour back as a political force in my city.” Phil Catney, a senior lecturer in politics at Keele University, called it a “seismic shift”.

Update, 7am: The full results in Stoke-on-Trent have now been announced. Labour has made 14 gains to take its final total to 29, while the Tories have remained on 14 seats. The number of Independents on the council has fallen by 14 to just one.

It was a key target council for Labour during the local elections campaign, with a series of Labour frontbenchers visiting the area, including Labour leader Keir Starmer and Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

According to the Local Government Information Unit, Stoke-on-Trent City Council was a “Conservative-minority administration just shy of a majority” prior to this year’s elections.

In a pre-election briefing, the LGiU concluded: “With a large grouping of independents, it could stay [no overall control], just in a different shade if Conservatives fail to do well.”

Labour has not led the council since 2015. At the 2019 general election, all three of the city’s constituencies were won by Tory MPs, with majorities ranging from 670 in Stoke-on-Trent Central to 11,271 in Stoke-on-Trent South.

Read more on the local elections:

• Latest updates: Labour councils won, held and lost
• Local elections: ‘Seismic’ Labour win in bellwether Plymouth council
• Labour wins majority control of Medway for first time
• 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?