Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
West Yorkshire local authority covering Huddersfield and Almondbury.
The Liberal Democrats took an Almondbury seat on Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council from Reform UK on 13 August 2026, winning 43.9% to 27.0%, barely three months after Reform carried the ward in May.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council
Mentioned in: Lib Dem Amjid Ali takes over Luton
UK Local Elections 2026Certified the Almondbury ward result
UK Local Elections 2026: Lib Dems take Almondbury off ReformBackground
Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority for a West Yorkshire borough that takes in Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Batley along with the surrounding towns and villages. Created on 1 April 1974, it is a metropolitan borough, so it delivers most local services itself, from schools and social care to bins and planning. The borough had about 433,200 residents at the 2021 census.
New boundaries took effect at the May 2026 election, which filled all seats at once: 69 councillors now represent 23 wards of three members each, and 35 seats are needed for a majority. Reform UK emerged as the largest group and formed a minority administration.
The August 2026 Almondbury by-election, won by the Liberal Democrats, was an early loss for Reform's new group. With no party near a majority, budgets and key decisions depend on votes from more than one group.
Reform lost a ward seat within months
The all-out election of May 2026, fought on new boundaries, left Reform as the largest group on the council but short of control; Open Council Data records a Reform minority administration with 26 of the 69 seats, nine short of a majority. Almondbury returned three Reform councillors that day.
The by-election of 13 August 2026 reversed part of that. The Liberal Democrat candidate took 43.9% to Reform's 27.0%. The result did not change who runs the council, but it showed how little incumbency Reform's new councillors had built. The Liberal Democrats went on to win the Luton Council leadership in September through a no-confidence vote rather than an election.
How many councillors are on Kirklees Council?
Who controls Kirklees Council?
How many people live in Kirklees?
What changed in Almondbury in August 2026?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 7 October 2026. Editorial standards.