Moorlands titans lose out after Reform clean sweep

REFORM UK swept to power in the Staffordshire Moorlands after winning all seven of the seats up for grabs.

- By Jonathan Sutton Local Democracy Reporter

REFORM UK swept to power in the Staffordshire Moorlands after winning all seven of the seats up for grabs.

Before counting even started at Biddulph Valley Leisure Centre on Friday the result of the county-wide election was known.

And some of those inside the packed sports hall were predicting that many of the council wards would soon face the same fate.

Coming into the election, five out of seven wards in the Moorlands were controlled by the ruling Conservative group, with outgoing Nigel Yeates picking up Biddulph North in a by-election in 2023.

But by the afternoon Reform had picked up every seat in the Staffordshire Moorlands.

The election saw council titans such as Labour group leader and former MP, Charlotte Atkins and Mark Deaville, who served on the cabinet at the council, become victims of the Reform landslide.