![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-08-at-20.53.25-1.jpeg\")
Labour lost in Manor Castle to the Greens. Photo: Dan Hayes\/The Tribune.<\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m going to take a break. This has been a long campaign with a lot of doors knocked on. My legs are aching today.\u201d Tom Hunt \u2014 until yesterday, the leader of Sheffield City Council \u2014 was finally going to allow himself a sit down.<\/p>\n
The election results were some of the most significant in Sheffield for a long time. After years in which the council has seen little change, bar the odd seat changing hands here or there, 2026 looked very different.<\/p>\n
30 seats were up for grabs, and of those, Labour won only three \u2014 its worst result in any local election for a very long time. As one Labour supporter put it: \u201cwe knew it would be bad, but this is the bad end of bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Labour lost in Manor Castle to the Greens. Photo: Dan Hayes\/The Tribune.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve actually struggled to work out how long it has been since things have looked so dire for the party. At one stage yesterday, in an attempt to put a positive spin on things, an activist produced a map of the 1968 election result, a truly terrible year for the local party, noting: \u201cwe\u2019ve been here before\u201d. But even that showed Labour winning in seven wards.<\/p>\n
But perhaps the biggest loss to the party was its leader of three years, Tom Hunt. A clearly knackered Hunt was gracious in defeat, despite losing out to the Greens in Walkley by fewer than 80 votes. \u201c[Voters] have had their democratic right to have their say on my record as a local councilor and on others across the city, and I respect that judgment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Reform UK were the biggest winners, taking 12, followed by the Greens with ten. It was also a poor night for the Liberal Democrats, who only took five seats. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Sheffield-map.jpeg\")
The results for Sheffield yesterday. Source: Sheffield City Council.<\/p>\n
The effect on the overall council make up is a bit less dramatic; Sheffield\u2019s council is elected in \u201cthirds\u201d, meaning most seats weren\u2019t in contention. But it\u2019s still a big shift. Labour remains the largest party, but only by a smidgen, with 25 councillors to the Lib Dems\u2019 22. (Before this election, Labour had 34, and the Lib Dems 27.) The Greens are hot on the heels of both parties, with 20 seats, an increase from 14 before. And Reform have surged to 13 seats, though remain firmly in fourth place.<\/p>\n
Today, we\u2019ve got all the details from the count, quotes from the parties, and we ask the big question: who will lead Sheffield now?<\/p>\n
Fox, Hunt. Who will lead Sheffield now?<\/strong><\/p>\n To keep reading, you’ll need to take out a membership with us. For just \u00a37.42 a month (if you pay for a year upfront), you’ll get all our insights into the local political scene, as well as great articles on the culture and characters of Sheffield. It’s about the same as a couple of coffees, and dare we suggest, even more stimulating.<\/p>\n This post is for paying subscribers only
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