The 2026 City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council election took place on Thursday 7 May 2026, alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. All 90 members of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council in West Yorkshire were elected following boundary changes. The election in Idle and Thackley ward took place in June 2026, having been delayed due to the death of a candidate.

Prior to the election, the council was under Labour majority control. At the election, the council went under no overall control. Reform UK, which held no seats prior to the election, emerged as the largest party with 29 seats, but this was 17 seats short of the 46 needed for a majority. Labour went from having a majority to holding just 17 seats, making them the third largest party behind Reform and the Conservatives. The incumbent Labour leader of the council, Susan Hinchcliffe, lost her seat.

After the election, Reform chose Stephen Place to be its new group leader. He was formally appointed as the new leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 19 May 2026 on a second vote; the initial vote went against him, but after an adjournment the other parties abstained from voting against his appointment, allowing him to be appointed on Reform votes alone. He subsequently appointed an executive wholly made up of Reform councillors, operating as a Reform minority administration.

Background Bradford was created in 1974 as a metropolitan borough. The Conservatives formed a majority administration from its creation until 1978, when the council fell into no overall control. Labour won their first majority in 1980, and have been the only party to form majority administrations since. Aside from a brief period between 2004 and 2006, Labour have been the largest party on the council for the entirety of the 21st century and have continuously held a majority of seats since 2014.

2024 saw Labour fall to its lowest number of councillors in eight years following large gains by independents, which some attributed to Labour's stance on the Gaza war. Labour won 10 seats (down 4), independents won 9 seats (up 4), the Conservatives won 4 seats (down 2), the Green Party won 4 seats (up 2) and the Liberal Democrats won 3 seats (steady). Following the election, the Conservatives formed a group with independent councillor Luke Majkowski.

This election took place on a new set of ward boundaries, meaning all 90 seats were up for election.The Bradford (Electoral Changes) Order 2025

Council composition After 2024 election Before 2026 election Party Seats Party Seats 49 47 13 13 10 10 5 4 13 16 Vacant N/A Vacant 1 Changes 2024–2026: February 2025: Marcus Dearden (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent March 2025: Joe Wheatley (Labour) leaves party to sit as an independent November 2025: Russell Brown (Conservative) dies – by-election held February 2026 February 2026: Paul Golding (Conservative) wins by-election Mohsin Hussain (Labour) suspended from party April 2026: Jeanette Sunderland (Liberal Democrats) dies – election postponed to June 2026

Election result

+ 2026 Bradford District Council election Party Candidates Elected Net change Seats % Votes % Votes Vote change Reform UK 90 29 29 32.22 22.88 99,722 21.88 Conservative 90 18 5 20.00 16.87 73,542 3.03 Labour 90 17 32 18.89 20.86 90,932 11.94 Green 90 9 1 10.00 20.79 90,594 5.39 Your Bradford Independent group 29 9 9 10.00 9.12 39,758 New Independent 23 4 9 4.44 4.49 19,554 16.61 Liberal Democrats 36 4 1 4.44 4.81 20,947 2.59 Yorkshire Party 1 0 0 0.00 0.05 209 1.95 British Democratic Party 1 0 0 0.00 0.04 180 0.06 Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition 2 0 0 0.00 0.03 147 0.07 Social Democratic Party 2 0 0 0.00 0.03 112 0.02 Heritage Party 1 0 0 0.00 0.02 98 New UK Independence Party 1 0 0 0.00 0.01 33 0.09 Total 456 90 0 100.0 100.0 435,828 Rejected ballots 440

Results by ward An asterisk (*) denotes the incumbent councillor seeking re-election.

Airedale

Baildon

Bingley East

Bingley West

Bolton & Undercliffe

Bowling & Barkerend

Bradford Moor

City

Clayton & Fairweather Green

Eccleshill

Great Horton

Heaton & Frizinghall

Holme Wood & Bierley

Idle & Thackley The election in Idle and Thackley was delayed from 7 May to 18 June 2026 following the death of a Liberal Democrat candidate Cllr Jeanette Sunderland https://news.bradford.gov.uk/press-releases/05c9ca7e-5f86-46c5-b232-76ff13e0df0b/idle-and-thackley-ward-poll-to-be-rearranged-due-to-sad-death-of-a-candidate.

Ilkley & Addingham

Keighley Central

Keighley East

Keighley West

Little Horton

Manningham

Queensbury

Royds

Shipley

Thornton & Allerton

Toller

Wharfedale

Wibsey & Odsal

Windhill & Wrose

Worth Valley

Wyke

Aftermath On 12 May 2026, Imran Khan was named the new leader of the Labour group on Bradford Council.

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