Voters in Colchester participated in significant political shifts during the local elections held on 7 May 2026, which saw Reform UK secure seats on the city council for the first time. The election saw a turnout of 41.29 per cent from the city’s 141,747 registered voters.
Reform UK claimed five seats on the Colchester City Council, marking a notable change in the local political landscape. Their success included winning the Greenstead, Marks Tey and Layer, and Stanway wards. In Greenstead, candidate Daryl Swain secured 899 votes to defeat the incumbent. The party also successfully took the Highwoods ward from Labour, alongside victories in Shrub End and Stanway.
Following the results, the final composition of the council stands at 18 Conservative, 12 Liberal Democrat, 12 Labour, 5 Reform UK, 3 Green Party, and 1 Independent councillor. The Tiptree ward race proved to be the most closely contested, with Conservative Rhys Smithson retaining his seat by a single vote following three separate recounts.
Beyond the city council, the broader region saw substantial change at the county level. Reform UK gained overall control of the Essex County Council for the first time in 25 years. This shift included the defeat of the long-serving Conservative leader Kevin Bentley, who lost his seat to Reform UK candidate Andrew Harding by 2,092 votes to 1,537.
These local results arrive as the area prepares for future administrative changes. Colchester is currently scheduled to merge with neighbouring Braintree and Tendring in 2027 to form a new unitary authority, the North East Essex Council.
About this article: This story was put together with the help of AI tools and checked by a real person on our team. We're a small crew trying to cover as much of the UK as we can on a limited budget. We're getting better every day - but we're not perfect yet. If something looks off, let us know. You're part of the process.
