It is now 113 days, or just 16 Saturdays, until polling day for the 2026 local elections (at least for those councils not facing delays under the latest round of local authority restructuring!).
As one of the unlucky souls knocking on doors through the cold, wet months of winter, I can confirm that every candidate is counting down the days until the great British public once again exercises its civic duty and either welcomes us back or shows us the door.
This will be my second local election as a candidate and my twelfth as an activist, and it arrives at a tricky moment for party politics.
A first electoral reckoning for the government
Under Miliband and then Corbyn, political momentum thrived, with a vanguard of volunteers ready to knock doors, deliver leaflets and phonebank to push Labour over the line nationally and locally. That energy has dissipated. Party membership has fallen sharply and the enthusiasm that once powered campaigns has ebbed away with it.
Some attribute this to an internally unpopular Labour Government; others argue it reflects a long-term decline in party membership. Britain is no longer a mass-membership democracy. In the 1950s, around 10% of the population belonged to a political party. Today, that figure sits closer to 1–2%.
Candidates and their freezing feet aside, this election is a pivotal moment for business and industry. It is the first meaningful electoral test for the Government, and by most expectations it will be a sobering one as Labour approaches its second anniversary in office.
Many in the private sector will be reassessing where to focus their attention for the remainder of this Parliament, particularly those whose work depends on constructive relationships with local authorities.
British politics is now more volatile and fragmented than at any point since before the post-war consensus. We are on the cusp of something potentially extraordinary. A significant number of councils are expected to shift to Reform UK or even the Greens, creating major challenges for officers as long-standing policies are upended by new political leaderships ideologically opposed to much of what they inherit.
Local government may witness the beginning of the end of officer-led local authorities.
What Reform councils mean for development and net zero
This matters profoundly for industries operating in the built environment and transport sectors. Green councillors across the country have a track record of opposing major developments, often voting with their Conservative colleagues on planning committees.
Meanwhile, newly elected Reform administrations are pledging to halt development on greenfield sites and scrap local net zero initiatives that are not protected by statutory duties or national environmental standards. In Durham, the Reform-led council has revoked its Climate Emergency declaration, while Reform authorities elsewhere are cancelling community decarbonisation grants, solar installation programmes and transitions to electric vehicle council fleets.
Though not all is lost for industry and public affairs professionals. Reform has proven in the past year to be open to engagement and though they may never be converts or advocates of green technology, there have been examples of Reform local authority leaders not standing in the way.
Luke Campbell – the former Olympian and current Mayor for Hull and East Riding – went so far as to welcome the £700k government grant for the region in the renewable sector. Whichever way you look at it, the key message from Reform Party apparatchiks is to engage now or be at the back of the queue when the time comes that you’ll need Reform.
The Green Party problem: values without discipline
The Green Party is a different revolution altogether. The party famously has no formal whip structure, with councillors free to vote or make public statements at will, assuming that the position is not judged to be against party values.
This provides a challenge for industry as they cannot so easily assume the Green Party’s position on an issue based on what its leader, Zack Polanski, says. There are numerous examples across the country where Green councillors have voted and campaigned against affordable housing and proposals for new solar farms.
Industries working in local authorities with Green councillors will have to engage proactively and attempt to win individual members over.
Playing to the final whistle
Though this set of local elections will be a significant outlook on how loathed this Labour Government is, it is important for industry to not focus entirely on the results and get carried away with the polling. Perspective is key.
The Labour Government still has time left, and though D:Ream’s one-hit wonder Things Can Only Get Better may still be played at Labour Party fundraisers as things continue to decline, they will still be in Government in 2026, 2027 and may still carry on into 2029.
As Starmer, a keen football fan, will be telling his cabinet colleagues: “keep playing until the final whistle.”
Navigating 2026 will be challenging for industry and College Green Group stands ready to guide organisations through these uncertain times.
And if anyone fancies helping me deliver some first-rate political material in Croydon along the way, they’ll be very welcome indeed.
