Birmingham City Council has ended up with no party in control after a dramatic day of local election results – so what happens now?

Reform UK, the Greens, Local Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Independents all took seats in a chaotic outcome for the city.

But none of them had enough seats to run the council alone. It signals a chaotic few days ahead.

READ MORE: Birmingham local elections 2026 live result with three seats to go and nobody in control

Reform UK has 22 seats so far, from zero.

The Greens have 18 seats, up 16.

The Conservatives have 16, down six.

Labour party has 16, down 35.

The Liberal Democrats have 12, no change.

The Independents have 13.

Parties were reluctant to discuss their next moves but this is what will happen over the next two weeks.

All of the groups and parties will meet over the weekend and on Monday to choose a leader from among their number.

Once they have elected a leader, they will notify this to the city council.

Over the days that follow, leaders will meet to hammer out coalition ideas and offers.

Their deadline is May 19, when the new city council will meet for the first time.

The meeting will start with the election of a new chairman – the Lord Mayor. Zaker Choudhry, the Lib Dem councillor for South Yardley, has been pre-selected for the role which is expected to be rubberstamped.

Group leaders will then put forward their own proposal to run the council, either as a majority or minority coalition. If no agreement can be reached, the council will adjourn and meet again.

The council in the meantime will be overseen by the managing director Joanne Roney and her executive team, supported by government appointed commissioners led by Tony McArdle.

It makes for a chaotic few days and weeks of negotiations, offers and counter offers until a coalition emerges to run the city.

Every possibility exists – from a Reform/Tory/Independents right wing coalition, to a progressive group featuring the Greens, Labour, Liberal Democrats and some Independents.

None of them are likely to exist in harmony, however, with rivalries and differences of opinion across every group.