Labour has retained control of the City of Lincoln Council in a nail-biting election that came down to the last seat.
The party won four of the eleven seats on offer, giving it the bare minimum required to retain control of the authority.
Reform won four races and inflicted punishing losses on the Conservative Party.
The Green Party achieved its first-ever seat on the authority, and the Liberal Democrats expanded their position as the opposition party.
The authority’s final composition after the election is 17 seats for Labour, seven for the Liberal Democrats, four for Reform, two for the Conservatives, one for the Greens, and two unaligned councillors.
There was pessimism among Labour ranks during the early part of the night, with many expecting the council to fall into no overall control.
However, the ruling party managed to retain just enough seats to continue its 15-year streak in charge.
It came down to the final race in Boultham to determine overall control, won by Labour’s Andrew Currie.
The full results are:
Abbey – Martin Christopher (Liberal Democrat hold)
Birchwood – Jamie Cave (Reform gain)
Boultham – Andrew Currie (Labour hold)
Carholme – Leslie Allinson (Labour hold)
Castle – Helena Mair (Labour hold)
Glebe – Darrell Harding (Liberal Democrat gain)
Hartsholme – Stuart Grantham (Reform gain)
Minster – Joshua Wells (Labour hold)
Moorland – Liam Kelly (Reform gain)
Park – Sally Horscroft (Green gain)
Witham – James Bean (Reform gain)
Labour Councillor Naomi Tweddle, who will remain leader, said: “I’m delighted Lincoln has continued to back us. We’ve done a good job, and that’s shown in the votes.
“The work doesn’t stop here, though.”
Reform Councillor Liam Kelly said it was a “fantastic result” for the party, which took three seats from the Conservatives and one from Labour.
“We will ensure the same scrutiny of the city council that we’ve brought to the county council, and hold Labour to account.”
The Conservatives lost all three races they contested, leaving the party at its lowest ebb in years, with just two seats.
Labour also saw danger in its former strongholds, plunging into third and fourth place in Glebe and Park as the Greens and Liberal Democrats mounted strong challenges.
Green Councillor Sally Horscroft said the party had received a “very positive reception” from voters and that its membership had never been higher.
This is the last election of the City of Lincoln Council before it is dissolved in 2028 and replaced with some form of larger unitary authority.
