‘People are not happy with Labour’published at 16:25 BST
16:25 BST
Alexander Brock
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Speaking at the Birmingham count at the Utilita Arena, Green Party candidate for Stirchley Kamel Hawwash predicted voters were being drawn to the Greens and Reform because of an “anti-Labour” sentiment.
“Locally Labour has been terrible and the national party too,” he said. “We know the pressure will be on Keir Starmer.”
Reform candidates, such as Aniraj Sharma, were feeling optimistic as the morning went on.
“People were not happy with Labour because of the way the council has been performing in the last two years,” the Harborne candidate said, adding key issues on the doorstep were bins “not being collected”, potholes and illegal immigration.
Asked about residents who are worried about the potential rise of Reform in Birmingham he said there are also people who are concerned by other parties such as Labour and the Greens
“I think Reform will make a positive change,” he said. “We need a chance, we need to prove a point.”
Independent candidate for Harborne James Cross said at the count that voters may be turning away from Labour because “they ran the council into the ground”.
Hakil Ahmed, independent candidate for Bordesley and Highgate, predicted Reform and the Greens could be big winners.
“We’ve had the two party system for too long,” he said.
The first few results of the day seemed to hint at how fractured Birmingham politics could become, with the Conservative Party’s Adam Higgs holding on to Highters Heath, Labour’s Mick Brown holding on to Gravelly Hill, the Greens gaining Tyseley and Hay Mills, and Reform gaining its first council seats in Shard End and Perry Common.