| Election Name: | 2024 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council election |
| Country: | West Midlands |
| Type: | Parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Party Colour: | yes |
| Previous Election: | 2023 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2023 |
| Next Election: | 2026 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council election |
| Next Year: | 2026 |
| Seats For Election: | 20 of 60 seats on Walsall Council |
| Majority Seats: | 31 |
| Election Date: | 2 May 2024 |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Leader1: | Mike Bird |
| Seats Before1: | 37 |
| Seats1: | 12 |
| Seats After1: | 37 |
| Popular Vote1: | 21,750 |
| Percentage1: | 37.1% |
| Swing1: | 9.0% |
| Party2: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Leader2: | Matt Ward |
| Seats Before2: | 12 |
| Seats2: | 5 |
| Seats After2: | 14 |
| Seat Change2: | 2 |
| Popular Vote2: | 20,240 |
| Percentage2: | 34.5% |
| Swing2: | 6.4% |
| Party3: | Independent politician |
| Seats Before3: | 11 |
| Seats3: | 3 |
| Seats After3: | 9 |
| Seat Change3: | 2 |
| Popular Vote3: | 7,618 |
| Percentage3: | 13.0% |
| Swing3: | 10.4% |
| Leader | |
| Before Election: | Mike Bird |
| Before Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| After Election: | Garry Perry |
| After Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
The 2024 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2024 to elect members of Walsall Council in the West Midlands. This was on the same day as other local elections. 20 of the 60 seats were up for election.
Since its creation in 1974, Walsall has varied between the Conservatives and Labour. Between 1973 and 2004, Walsall had been under Labour control from 1973 to 1976, 1980 to 1982, 1988 to 1992, 1995 to 1996, and 1999 to 2000.[1] It was then under Conservative control between 2004 and 2011, before reverting to no overall control and being retaken by the Conservatives in 2019.[2] In the 2023 elections, the Conservatives retained all 13 seats up for election, receiving 46.1% of the vote, Labour gained 1 seat with 40.9%, and the Liberal Democrats received 4.7%. Despite only standing in 9 of the 20 wards, Reform UK received 3.1%, performing best in Birchills-Leamore, where they received 12.6% of the vote.
The seats up for election this year were last elected in 2021. In that election, the Conservatives gained 5 seats with 54% of the vote, and Labour lost 3 seats with 36%.
YouGov released an MRP poll, conducted between 14-29 April 2024. Their findings are expecting "significant" labour gains across the country. YouGov expect this to be replicated in Walsall. Their poll has the Conservative Party on 36.1%, Labour on 41.9% and Reform UK on 13.2%.[3]
| After 2023 election | Before 2024 election[4] | After 2024 election | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | Party | Seats | Party | Seats | |||
| 38 | 37[5] | 37 | ||||||
| 20 | 12[6] | 14 | ||||||
| 2 | 10 | 9 | ||||||
Changes 2023–2024:
The Conservatives retained their majority on the council.[8] Less than a week after the election the Conservative leader of the council, Mike Bird, was suspended from the party.[9] He was subsequently resigned and was replaced as leader by Garry Perry at a council meeting on 3 June 2024.[10]