New Leader of Wakefield selected
Reform UK Cllr Karl Johnson will take the helm of the council following its annual general meeting on 20 May, marking the first time in the council’s history that Labour has not led the authority.
Following the local elections last week, where all seats were up for grabs, Reform now holds 58 out of 63 places. Wakefield Council had been under Labour control continuously since the authority was created in 1974, making the scale of the defeat particularly significant.
Labour retained just a single seat, losing 56 councillors in what represents one of the party’s worst local election performances in Yorkshire in modern times.
The Liberal Democrats won two seats, down one overall, while the Conservatives were reduced to a single councillor after losing two seats. The Green Party also secured one seat.
Cllr Johnson previously served on Wakefield Council as a Conservative from 2019-2023 when he left the party, remaining on as an Independent candidate until the elections that year.
Meanwhile, Cllr John Thomas has been elected as the council’s deputy Leader, and will also be confirmed following the upcoming AGM.
The political shake-up and newly elected leadership team comes hot on the heels of the council’s £11m acquisition of The Ridings shopping centre, which it plans to demolish alongside four apartment blocks, to make way for the Muse-masterplanned Cathedral Quarter regeneration project.
Cllr Johnson, Stanley and Outwood East ward, said: “We’re going to be working flat out to deliver for everyone in our district.
“Wakefield and the Five Towns will always come first in every decision we take. Our focus will be getting the basics right.
“Providing better value for money from council services. Improving our roads and public spaces. And restoring pride to our communities.
“I know that every councillor elected last week, everyone who works for the council, and all of our public, private, and voluntary partners want the best for our district.
“We all care about building a positive future and capitalising on the amazing potential our district has. I look forward to us achieving great things together.”
