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Coventry
Nation / PlaceGB

Coventry

West Midlands city; one of only two Labour-projected councils as Reform UK sweeps the region.

Last refreshed: 6 May 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic

Key Question

How is Labour holding Coventry when Reform is sweeping the rest of the West Midlands?

Timeline for Coventry

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Common Questions
Is Coventry Council projected to stay Labour after the 2026 local elections?
Yes. YouGov's West Midlands MRP projects Coventry as one of only two councils the Labour Party retains in the region, alongside Birmingham, despite a 20-plus-point projected swing.Source: YouGov
How is Reform UK doing in the West Midlands?
Reform UK is projected to lead in 11 of 13 West Midlands councils, with Labour losing more than 20 points of vote share in 10 of those 13 authorities. Only Birmingham and Coventry are projected to stay Labour.Source: YouGov
Why did Coventry nearly issue a Section 114 notice?
Coventry City Council warned about structural underfunding in recent budget rounds, though it has not issued a Section 114 notice. Like many upper-tier councils, it faces long-term pressures from adult social care and children's services costs.

Background

Coventry is a West Midlands city with a population of approximately 370,000, home to Coventry City Council, currently Labour-controlled. YouGov's West Midlands MRP (fieldwork to 27 April 2026) projects Coventry as one of only two councils in the region that Labour holds after the 7 May elections — alongside Birmingham. Reform UK is projected to lead in 11 of the remaining 13 West Midlands councils, with Labour vote share falling more than 20 points in ten of thirteen authorities.

Coventry was designated a UK City of Culture in 2021, hosting arts and heritage events throughout that year. It is home to two major universities — Coventry University and the University of Warwick — and has significant automotive and manufacturing history. The city narrowly avoided a Section 114 notice in recent budget rounds, with senior council figures warning about long-term structural underfunding.

Labour's projected retention of Coventry alongside Birmingham underlines that in the West Midlands the party's urban strongholds are holding even as surrounding authorities collapse to Reform. The scale of that hold, however, masks a dramatic swing in the underlying vote share.