13. May 2026

Policy Update: 2026 elections and the hair & beauty sector

First published on the NHBF website.

Last week, elections took place across England, Scotland and Wales. These were not a UK general election, so the UK Government has not changed.

However, the results still matter for our sector. Local councils and devolved governments make decisions that affect high streets, business rates, skills, apprenticeships, enforcement and local economic support.

What happened in England? 

In England, voters elected councillors in local authority elections.

Councils do not set VAT, National Insurance or National Minimum Wage rates — those are UK Government responsibilities. But councils do have influence over the issues that affect Members every day, including:

• high street regeneration
• planning
• local enforcement
• licensing
• parking
• business support
• how town centres are managed

The results showed a fragmented political picture. Labour suffered heavy losses across England, while Reform UK and the Greens made gains. The Liberal Democrats also made gains, particularly in parts of southern England. The Guardian reported that Labour lost ground to both Reform UK on the right and the Greens on the left, with the party seeing record drops in seat share in a number of English councils.  

For our sector, the key point is this: many councils will now be under new political control or have a different balance of councillors.

This means NHBF will be writing to new councils to make sure they understand the role our sector plays in local economies, town centres and communities.

What happened in Scotland? 

In Scotland, voters elected a new Scottish Parliament. The SNP remained the largest party, winning 58 seats, but fell short of the 65 seats needed for a majority.  

The Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government have powers over important areas including skills, education, non-domestic rates, economic development and town centre support.

During the campaign, parties made a range of commitments that connect with our priorities:

• The SNP focused on the cost of living, economic growth, childcare and independence.
• Scottish Labour proposed ringfencing Scotland's share of Apprenticeship Levy funding for skills development, reforming college funding and allowing more tailored apprenticeships. They also pledged to replace the current business rates system with a local business levy designed to support town centres and local economic growth.

NHBF’s message to the new Scottish Government will be clear: skills and apprenticeships must be affordable for small employers, and business rates and premises costs must not continue to undermine high street businesses. 

What happened in Wales? 

The result in Wales was historic. Plaid Cymru became the largest party in the Senedd, winning 43 seats, and is expected to form a minority government.

Plaid Cymru's manifesto launch set out plans to:

• Support Welsh businesses
• Reform business rates
• Revive town centres
• Make sure skills and training match real jobs

For NHBF Members in Wales, the important point is that the incoming government will have significant responsibility for business rates, skills, apprenticeships and town centre policy. These are exactly the areas Members told us should be prioritised. 

What Members told us they need 

Ahead of the elections, we asked Members in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland what devolved governments should prioritise. The strongest responses were:

1. Skills and apprenticeships funding and support
2. Business rates relief and premises costs
3. Tackling unfair competition and improving enforcement against non-compliance

This matches what we are hearing across the UK. Businesses want to employ, train and invest — but the cost of doing so is becoming too high.

This matches what we are hearing across the UK. Businesses want to employ, train and invest, but the cost of doing so is becoming too high.

The latest survey showed that only 20 businesses said they would definitely or likely take on apprentices in the next three months, while 388 said they were unlikely or definitely not planning to do so.

That is a serious warning sign for the future of the sector. Apprenticeships cannot be treated separately from business costs. If small employers cannot afford to employ and train, the future skills pipeline is at risk.

What NHBF will do next 

NHBF will now write to newly elected councils in England and to the new devolved governments in Scotland and Wales. 

We will use the latest State of the Sector evidence to show what Members are experiencing on the ground and to press for practical action.