After much build up and anticipation, the dust has now settled on the 2026 local elections.

Reform recorded massive gains while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Labour were left licking their wounds after a tough set of results.

Voters in North Yorkshire missed out on visiting the ballot box this year — but their opportunity will come in May 2027.

For now, the fallout from this year's local elections raises questions for the politicians of all colours on North Yorkshire Council.

1. Will the Tories suffer huge losses?

Since 2001, the Conservatives have ruled the council either in overall control or as a minority administration.

However, with the rise of Reform and a series of defections, the party faces the very real prospect of heavy losses come next May.

The Tories already lost their majority on the council this year after Oatlands and Pannal Cllr John Mann joined Reform.

This was then compounded by Cllr Tim Grogan joining Nigel Farage’s party this week, meaning the controlling Conservative and Independents group on the council now has 44 councillors — less than half the total number of 90.

Councillor Peter Lacey, Liberal Democrat leader of the opposition, said the latest defection was the “clearest sign yet of an administration that is divided, fragile and increasingly consumed by internal chaos”.

While the writing is by no means on the wall for the Tories, their performance in the most recent council by-election in Eastfield saw them pick up just 40 votes. Reform won comfortably with 538.

2. Who will be leading the Tories into the elections?

To add to the defections and poor showing on a national level, the North Yorkshire Conservatives are also in the midst of a leadership challenge.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the Tories, was due to face a challenge from former executive committee colleague, Cllr Keane Duncan, at a party AGM on Wednesday (May 6).

But the ballot was aborted amid disagreement over whether only Conservative councillors were eligible to vote, or whether three Independents who form part of the wider Conservative and Independents group should also have their say.

Instead, the meeting was deferred until July.

In the aftermath of the meeting, which was described as “chaotic”, Cllr Les told the Stray Ferret that the challenge to his position had brought “confusion”.

To compound this, Cllr Gareth Dadd, deputy leader, confirmed he will step down after the next elections.

The mood in the party is tense to say the least. Whether the leadership question will be resolved in two months’ time remains to be seen.

3. Will Reform continue to rise?

The Reform group on North Yorkshire Council has seen itself grow in recent months thanks to a series of defections.

Cllr Grogan’s defection from the Tories this week increased the group’s size to five councillors.

Meanwhile, Reform’s performance in the Eastfield by-election last June, where it won in a landslide victory, also pointed to a party on the rise.

In light of the local election results on Friday, Reform leader, Nigel Farage, declared that the party’s gains nationally was a “historic shift”.

In North Yorkshire, the party would certainly need to shift the dial to reduce the Tories’ 44-seats on the council and, ultimately, get near to controlling the authority.

Cllr Tom Seston, the Reform group leader on North Yorkshire Council, said previously that he hoped the latest defection of Cllr Grogan would bring “wealth of experience” heading into the next year’s elections.

However, if a week is a long time in politics — then 12 months is an eternity. Who knows what the political climate will look like in May 2027?

4. Will the Greens capitalise?

Amid the talk of Reform taking voters and politicians from the Tories, the Greens have also seen their vote increase.

Much of the gains have been made from disaffected Labour voters who are unhappy with the national party and its leadership under Sir Keir.

But, in North Yorkshire, the Greens have made their own in-roads into the political make-up of North Yorkshire Council.

The Green and independents group on the council currently has eight councillors.

Over the last year, the party has seen more councillors join its ranks, including Harrogate’s Cllr Michael Schofield.

But, the party will be hoping to continue the national trend of taking voters away from Labour to help it grow in North Yorkshire.

5. What pacts could be made?

In the event of North Yorkshire Council falling under no overall control, it could be the case that the biggest party is forced to enter into pacts.

This is already the case at the moment, with the Tories relying on the support of the Independents to shore up its control of the council.

But the changing make-up of the council could see the situation get messy.

We could see a scenario where the Tories still hold the most seats, but the second largest party is Reform. Could they enter into an arrangement to help council business continue?

Then there are the Greens, Liberal Democrats and Labour, who could all enter into pacts to push forward their interests, such as the environment.

The whole saga of a hung council — should North Yorkshire vote that way — makes for a messy situation, but also the prospect of interesting political bedfellows.