Sir Stephen Houghton's 27-year reign as Barnsley council leader came to an end as the Labour Party was swept away by Reform UK, a populist-right outfit led by Nigel Farage.
The Labour Party, which has run the council since its creation in 1973, lost dozens of councillors to the Greens, particularly in young, urban areas, and to left-leaning alternatives.
Labour lost dozens of councillors to the Greens, particularly in young, urban areas, and to left-leaning alternatives, with the eco-socialist party defeating Labour to gain its first elected mayor in Hackney.
The other half of Britain's crumbling duopoly also suffered substantial losses, with six Conservative county councils in the south of England changing hands.
However, Reform's victories are not quite the outright triumph they appear at first glance, with early projections suggesting Reform would have won 31% of the vote, lower than its 32% score in elections last year.
Results in Wales show that Reform's path to power is far from assured, with Plaid Cymru, a nationalist party, consolidating the centre-left vote and winning 43 seats to Reform's 34.
