Hereford & Worcester

Local elections 2026
Local elections 2026

Why are the 2026 local elections so significant in the West Midlands?

Political editor Elizabeth Glinka explains the significance of the 14 elections across the region.
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  1. A finger hovering over a series of Apps on a mobile phone, including Facebook and WhatsApp.

  2. Three women pose for a photo having done a muddy run. The mother is in the middle wearing a black top and medal with a pink lanyard. She has her arms around her two daughters. The one on the right is a teenager, with brown plaited hair and wearing a brown top and a medal. On the left is an older woman in her twenties, wearing a light top and holding a water bottle.

  3. A mug shot of two men. They both have dark hair and dark facial hair

  4. A woman in a lime green running jacket and a purple headband stood in front of a green hedge

  5. A man wearing dark clothing and a light blue lanyard is outside a building. He has dark hair and is looking at the camera.

  6. Two women are stood in the middle of Redditch town centre - Pearl Noonan and Lynn Spiers.

  7. The side of a white police car with yellow and blue squares on the side

  8. Grey covers on the racecourse, going from the bottom left to about the middle right of the photo. Trees are in the background.

  9. Police tape surrounding a number of trees, play equipment and basketball court

  10. A black-and-white image of a young Dave Mason with shoulder-length dark hair. He is prominent in the photo and side on to and looking at the camera.

  11. A large blue and white sign saying "Welcome to Alexandra Hospital" with the logo for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in the top right corner.

  12. A woman with long dark hair and a blue top with blue and white striped sleeves standing in front of a river with a stone bridge with a number of arches going over it

  13. Two photos of two men are side by side. Mallabar on the left is wearing a grey top and Barker on the right is wearing white. The West Mercia Police logo is on both photos.

  14. A number of tents are in the middle of the photo, including the largest one, which is white and green. A van is also in the centre and the sky, including grey clouds, features in about half of the image.

  15. A yellow sign is stuck to the side of a screen advising motorists of the cost of petrol. The sign, in black writing, warns drivers they will be arrested if they fail to pay for their fuel

  16. Cian Adams and brother Jordan are smiling. They are wearing black tracksuit tops and have dyed orange hair. They are standing in front of a BBC Breakfast logo.

  17. Two male runners in white shirts and blue shorts at the top of Pen y Fan

  18. a mum and dad and child in London with the River Thames and the london Eye in the background. The mum, with blonde hair and sunglasses, is holding a London Marathon medal. Her son is wearing glasses and an orange t-shirt and her partner has a beard and is wearing a green t-shirt and black backpack

  19. A man and woman stood together outside their black front door. The man is bald and has a grey goatie beard. He is wearing jeans, a blue jacket and blue shirt. The woman has short, brown hair and is wearing a dark top with a blue and yellow patterned shirt

  20. A man walking past a fruit and veg stall in a market on a high street

  21. A black and white photo of a young man in military uniform. He is wearing a cap.

  22. A police officer stands with his back to the camera with his fluorescent jacket showing the "police" label.

  23. A number of blank firing guns on a wooden surface. Two are at the top, three are in the middle and two are at the bottom near part of the West Mercia Police logo.

  24. A building in the middle of the photo has the words post office in white on a green backing and to the right of that is a yellow and red post office logo.