Stoke & Staffordshire

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. Failed Stoke project to be torn down, but what next?

    Mark Elliott
    BBC Radio Stoke commentator

    Mark Robins looks stern on the Stoke City sideline Shutterstock

    At the end of the final home game of the season, Stoke's players were sent out to do a lap of appreciation, honouring the fans, and were faced with row upon row of empty red seats.

    The supporters have stuck with their team admirably this season, but over the last few weeks patience that was wearing thin has been worn through.

    The performance against Portsmouth was abject, lacking enthusiasm, energy, desire and resolve from more than a handful of players in red and white.

    After the game manager Mark Robins said players would be "cut loose."

    Damningly, he added that Stoke "need to move people on who are mercenary, don't want to train and don't want to work hard."

    Robins reiterated again that the club has a lot of work to do and fans are again staring down a summer during which one failed project will be torn down and another one put in place, all in the space of three or four months.

    He has repeatedly said that greater physicality will be a priority and promised significant change and a focus on players with the right mindset to compete.

    Everyone associated to Stoke will hope it's ninth time lucky for a club stuck in Championship purgatory.

  2. Three women on a stage. There is a red curtain backdrop and a sign that reads "Disenchanted!". The woman on the left has dark brown hair, a gold crown and a pink ballgown, dressed like Sleeping Beauty. In the middle is a woman with black hair, a red headband and a blue and red top with a gold skirt and red boots - dressed as Snow White. On the right is a woman with blonde hair in a bun and a long pale blue ballgown with matching gloves, dressed as Cinderella

  3. A black and white photo shows three women stood outside a shop with a sign that says "J Wright. Hot pies 3d". There are other adverts for food in the window either side of the women. They have their hair tired back and are wearing a light-coloured uniform.

  4. Sri Madadi, a man wearing a navy blue coat with a light blue fleece underneath, is standing by some metal fencing which surrounds the front of a house, with a pile of gravel and chunks of broken pavement in front of it. The houses are brick-built, with white window frames and door.

  5. A drone shot of a road circling around an industrial site surrounded by trees during the sunrise.

  6. A smiling Sandy Cawley wears a green beret, tie and cardigan with army badges and insignia. She wears glasses and a white shirt, with a black handbag over one shoulder.

  7. A woman and two men stand together in a hospital car park and smile at the camera.

  8. Neat and tidy grass and cropped trees surround a long, sweeping concrete pathway up to a memorial at the site. There is a circular design to it with a large monument or plinth in the middle.

  9. A group of six women, three of whom are wearing purple polo shirts and several of whom are holding plants or gardening implements. They are looking towards the camera and smiling for the photograph.

  10. Mike Wilson, a man wearing a light grey shirt and necklace, is standing outdoors next to a wooden fence. Behind him is an animal enclosure with trees and pools of water. There is a blue and yellow sign on the fence.

  11. A small black and white coloured dog sits on green grass with a few daisies in the grass.

  12. A shopfront with pictures of fruit in the window and an orange and red signage which reads "Iceland"

  13. Poor way to end season at home - Robins reacts to Pompey defeat

    Robins: ‘A really, really slow performance’

    Stoke City boss Mark Robins spoke BBC Radio Stoke after Saturday's 3-1 defeat by Portsmouth.

    "It was a really slow performance from both teams and we were poor," he said.

    "From start to finish we lacked energy, lacked enthusiasm and know-how. It was a really poor way to end the season [at home].

    "There were times where we think we are running and working hard, but there is not enough in that team to win football matches consistently at the level.

    "It was one of those lacklustre performances that you get on a really warm day, but to finish the season you've got to go and run.

    "Honestly, we talk about things and its rhetoric then and it doesn't mean anything. I'm disappointed, clearly."

  14. Action from Burton Albion v Exeter City

  15. Portsmouth's Adrian Segecic has his hand up as he celebrates scoring against Stoke

  16. Hazel, who is woman with white hair and glasses, is looking at the camera with a slight smile on her lips. She is wearing a black top and silver sparkly cardigan. She is sitting on a green chair and there is a brown empty chair next to her.

  17. Male and female runners running past Selfridges building in Birmingham city centre.

  18. A three‑panel image showing a firefighter standing in front of a fire engine, a person riding a quad bike in mid‑air near emergency vehicles, and a person wearing a large vegetable costume with asparagus visible.

  19. Stoke City boss Mark Robins walks towards the changing room after a game

  20. A small vase that has been painted with light green trees and dark green rolling hills. The sky has been painted a patchy pink and red colour.

  21. A man wearing a bright orange high-vis top with "fire" on his back reaches into an open drain. A woman in the same clothing assists next to him.

  22. A young man with blond curly hair wearing a grey suit sits in a radio studio and smiles at the camera. He is sat beside a purple microphone that reads "BBC Radio Stoke" on the side in white writing.

  23. A graphical image shows a woman wearing a purple hoodie and with blonde hair tied back, puts up a Polling Station sign

  24. A woman in a pink top and long brown hair next to a circus performer in black tuxedo spinning plates