Local Council Political Compositions

NEW FOR 2023:
* This table is now updated from the 380 councils' own websites. This should better reflect changes of affiliation during term of office.
* Northern Ireland District Councils are now included.
* The dubious distinction between "Residents" and "Independents" has been dropped.

Historic tables have been retained showing the make-up of councils before and after the annual May (June in 2001, 2004 & 2009) elections, for the following years:
Before elections: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
After elections:   1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

There are five tables for the different types of council in England: County Councils, Unitary Authorities, London Boroughs, Metropolitan Boroughs, and District Councils; followed by tables for Scottish Unitary Authorities, Welsh Unitary Authorities, and Northern Ireland District Councils.

Two other bodies, the Corporation of the City of London (25 aldermen, 130 councillors), and the Scilly Islands Council (21 councillors), do not fit in any of these classes and have no political groups, so they are not listed.

Keith Edkins - last updated and © 04/12/2023

Executive types shown for England (Local Government Act 2000):
LC = Leader & Cabinet   MC = Mayor & Cabinet
AA = Alternative Arrangements under Section 31 (option for councils with less than 85,000 population at 30 June 1999), or Schedule 2 of the Localism Act 2011.

Abbreviations used in the Others column:
Lib = Liberal Party, MK = Mebyon Kernow, RefUK = Reform UK.
In Northern Ireland: TUV = Tradional Unionist Voice, PUP = Progressive Unionist Party, PBP = People Before Profit.
"Ind" signifies Independents and very local "parties" and residents' associations.


County Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Cambridgeshire AA   26 9 22   Ind 4
Derbyshire LC Con 41 16 4 1 RefUK 2
Devon LC Con 38 7 9 2 Ind 4
East Sussex LC   25 5 12 5 Ind 3
Essex LC Con 52 5 8 1 Ind 9
Gloucestershire LC Con (minority) 26 5 16 4 Ind 2
Hampshire LC Con 53 3 18   Ind 4
Hertfordshire LC Con 45 7 23 1 Ind 1
Kent LC Con 59 7 6 5 Ind 4
Lancashire LC Con 48 29 2 2 Ind 3
Leicestershire LC Con 42 4 8    
Lincolnshire LC Con 54 4 3   Ind 9
Norfolk LC Con 54 10 11 4 Ind 5
Nottinghamshire AA Con 35 15     Ind 16
Oxfordshire LC LD/Lab/Grn 21 14 21 3 Ind 4
Staffordshire LC Con 55 5     Ind 2
Suffolk LC Con 53 5 5 9 Ind 3
Surrey LC Con 44 2 16 2 Ind 17
Warwickshire LC Con 41 6 5 3 Ind 1
West Sussex LC Con 46 9 11 1 Ind 3
Worcestershire LC Con 43 4 3 5 Ind 2
County Totals  901 171 203 48 98


Unitary Authorities

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC LDm 3 7 41 3 Ind 5
Bedford MC Con (mayor) 14 13 13 3 Ind 3
Blackburn with Darwen LC Lab 11 30     Ind 10
Blackpool LC Lab 14 28      
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole LC LD/Ind 12 10 28 6 Ind 20
Bracknell Forest LC Lab 10 22 7 2  
Brighton & Hove AA Lab 6 35   7 Ind 5
Bristol MC Lab (mayor) 14 24 5 25 Ind 2
Buckinghamshire LC Con 109 6 17 1 Ind 12
Central Bedfordshire LC Ind (minority) 20 5 9 1 Ind 28
Cheshire East AA   32 30 2   Ind 17
Cheshire West & Chester LC Lab 23 37 1 2 Ind 7
Cornwall LC Con 46 5 13 1 Ind 17, MK 5
Cumberland LC Lab 8 29 4 2 Ind 3
Darlington LC Lab/LD 14 24 3 7 Ind 2
Derby LC Lab (minority) 15 23 4   RefUK 6, Ind 3
Dorset LC Con 42 1 27 5 Ind 6
Durham LC Ind/Con/LD 22 56 17 1 Ind 30
East Riding of Yorkshire LC Con (minority) 29 4 20   Ind 12
Halton LC Lab 2 49 3    
Hartlepool AA   12 17     Ind 7
Herefordshire LC Con/Ind 21 1 12 9 Ind 10
Hull LC LDm   25 32    
Isle of Wight LC Ind (minority) 15 1 4 1 Ind 17
Leicester LC Lab 17 30 3 3 Ind 1
Luton LC Lab 4 29 15   Ind 0
Medway LC Lab 22 33     Ind 4
Middlesbrough MC Lab 4 25 2   Ind 16
Milton Keynes LC Lab/LD 14 27 16    
North East Lincolnshire LC Con 27 9 3   Ind 3
North Lincolnshire LC Con 27 16      
North Northamptonshire LC Con 56 16 1 3 Ind 2
North Somerset LC   13 10 9 8 Ind 10
North Yorkshire LC   45 11 13 4 Ind 16, Lib 1
Northumberland LC Con (minority) 33 19 4 2 Ind 9
Nottingham LC Lab   50     Ind 5
Peterborough LC Con (minority) 23 14 8 3 Ind 12
Plymouth LC Lab 16 33   2 Ind 6
Portsmouth LC LD (minority) 8 8 18   Ind 8
Reading AA Lab 5 32 3 7 Ind 1
Redcar & Cleveland LC Lab (minority) 13 23 11   Ind 12
Rutland LC LD (minority) 6 2 11 1 Ind 7
Shropshire LC Con 39 10 17 4 Ind 4
Slough LC Con (minority) 21 18 3    
Somerset LC LDm 35 5 62 5 Ind 3
South Gloucestershire AA LD/Lab 23 17 20   Ind 1
Southampton LC Lab 9 37 3 1 Co-op 1
Southend-on-Sea LC Con (minority) 22 16 4 1 Ind 8
Stockton-on-Tees LC Lab (minority) 26 22     Ind 8
Stoke-on-Trent LC Lab 14 29     Ind 1
Swindon LC Lab 23 32 1   Ind 1
Telford & Wrekin LC Lab 8 38 6   Ind 2
Thurrock LC Con 25 19     Ind 5
Torbay LC   17   15   Ind 4
Warrington LC Lab 10 36 8   Ind 4
West Berkshire LC LDm 11 1 28 2 Ind 1
West Northamptonshire LC Con 64 20 5   Ind 4
Westmorland & Furness LC LDm 11 15 36 1 Ind 2
Wiltshire LC Con 61 3 28   Ind 6
Windsor & Maidenhead LC LDm 7   22   Ind 12
Wokingham LC LD (minority) 22 5 26   Ind 1
York LC Lab 3 24 19   Ind 1
Unitary Totals  1278 1216 682 123 409


London Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Barking & Dagenham LC Lab   50     Ind 1
Barnet LC Lab 22 40     Ind 1
Bexley LC Con 32 12     Ind 1
Brent LC Lab 5 49 3    
Bromley LC Con 33 12 5   Ind 7
Camden LC Lab 3 46 5    
Croydon LC Con (minority) 33 34 1 2  
Ealing LC Lab 5 59 6    
Enfield LC Lab 25 38      
Greenwich LC Lab 3 52      
Hackney MC Lab 5 49   2  
Hammersmith & Fulham LC Lab 10 40      
Haringey LC Lab   46 7   Ind 4
Harrow LC Con 31 23     Ind 1
Havering LC Ind/Lab 20 9     Ind 26
Hillingdon LC Con 30 23      
Hounslow LC Lab 10 51     Ind 1
Islington LC Lab   46   3 Ind 2
Kensington & Chelsea LC Con 35 10 2   Ind 3
Kingston upon Thames AA LDm 2   43   Ind 3
Lambeth LC Lab   58 3 2  
Lewisham MC Lab   53     Ind 1
Merton LC Lab 7 31 17   Ind 2
Newham MC Lab   61   2 Ind 4
Redbridge LC Lab 5 57     Ind 1
Richmond upon Thames AA LDm     47 5  
Southwark LC Lab   52 11    
Sutton AA LDm 20 3 29   Ind 3
Tower Hamlets MC Ind 1 18   1 Aspire 24, Ind 1
Waltham Forest LC Lab 13 46     Ind 1
Wandsworth LC Lab 22 34     Ind 1
Westminster LC Lab 23 31      
London Totals  395 1133 179 17 88


Metropolitan Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Barnsley LC Lab 2 47 9   Ind 2, RefUK 1
Birmingham LC Lab 22 65 12 2  
Bolton LC   15 28 7   Ind 10
Bradford LC Lab 15 54 5 8 Ind 8
Bury LC Lab 11 31     Ind 9
Calderdale LC Lab 14 28 6 2  
Coventry LC Lab 15 36   2  
Doncaster MC Lab 11 40     Ind 4
Dudley LC Con 42 26 1   72
Gateshead LC Lab   49 17    
Kirklees LC Lab 18 39 8 3 Ind 1
Knowsley LC Lab   31 3 7 Ind 4
Leeds LC Lab 18 61 6 3 Ind 11
Liverpool MC Lab   61 15 3 Ind 3, Lib 3
Manchester LC Lab   87 4 4 Ind 1
Newcastle upon Tyne LC Lab   48 23   Ind 6
North Tyneside MC Lab 6 47     Ind 6
Oldham LC Lab 11 32 10   Ind 7
Rochdale LC Lab 9 46 3   Ind 2
Rotherham LC Lab 15 34 4   Ind 6
St Helens LC Lab 2 29 4 6 Ind 7
Salford MC* Lab 8 49     Ind 2
Sandwell LC Lab 10 60     Ind 2
Sefton LC Lab 5 51 9   Ind 1
Sheffield AA   1 31 29 14 Ind 9
Solihull LC Con 29   6 12 Ind 4
South Tyneside LC Lab 1 38   9 Ind 6
Stockport LC LD (minority)   24 29 3 Ind 7
Sunderland LC Lab 13 47 12   Ind 2, RefUK 1
Tameside LC Lab 6 51      
Trafford LC Lab 10 41 6 6  
Wakefield LC Lab 5 49 3   Ind 6
Walsall LC Con 37 12     Ind 11
Wigan LC Lab 2 64     Ind 9
Wirral LC   17 30 6 13  
Wolverhampton LC Lab 13 46     Ind 1
Metropolitan Totals  383 1512 237 97 155


District Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Adur LC Con 16 9   2 Ind 2
Amber Valley LC Lab 7 26 1 6 Ind 2
Arun AA   20 8 14 6 Ind 6
Ashfield LC Ind 2 1     Ind 32
Ashford LC Ind/Grn 17 11   8 Ind 11
Babergh AA   7 1 5 10 Ind 9
Basildon AA Con 26 10     Ind 6
Basingstoke & Deane LC Ind/LD 23 10 9 1 Ind 11
Bassetlaw LC Lab 8 38     Ind 2
Blaby LC Con 19 6 8 2  
Bolsover LC Lab 3 31     Ind 3
Boston LC Ind 5   1   Ind 24
Braintree LC Con 26 9   4 Ind 10
Breckland LC Con 30 12 1 1 Ind 5
Brentwood AA   18 2 17    
Broadland LC LD/Lab/Grn 22 7 14 4  
Bromsgrove LC Con/Ind 11 8 5   Ind 7
Broxbourne LC Con 27 3      
Broxtowe AA Lab 10 26 3   Ind 5
Burnley LC Lab/Ind (minority) 7 11 7 7 Ind 13
Cambridge LC Lab 1 25 11 4 Ind 1
Cannock Chase LC   18 18   5  
Canterbury LC   8 18 9 4  
Castle Point LC Ind 8       Ind 32
Charnwood LC Lab (minority) 23 20   8 Ind 1
Chelmsford LC LDm 19   33   Ind 5
Cheltenham LC LDm 5   30 2 Ind 3
Cherwell LC Con (minority) 20 12 10 3 Ind 3
Chesterfield LC Lab   28 12    
Chichester LC LDm 5   25 2 Ind 4
Chorley LC Lab 5 37      
Colchester LC LD (minority) 19 14 16 2  
Cotswold LC LDm 9   20 2 Ind 2
Crawley LC Lab 16 20      
Dacorum LC LDm 18 3 28   Ind 2
Dartford LC Con 29 11   1 Ind 1
Derbyshire Dales AA   11 6 12 4 Ind 1
Dover LC Lab 14 17     Ind 1
East Cambridgeshire AA Con 15   13    
East Devon LC LD/Ind/Grn 16 3 18 2 Ind 20, Lib 1
East Hampshire LC Con/Ind 19 1 14 2 Ind 7
East Herts LC Grn/LD 16 5 10 18 Ind 1
East Lindsey LC Con (minority) 26 6 1   Ind 22
East Staffordshire LC Lab 15 21     Ind 1
East Suffolk LC Grn/LD 15 12 11 16 Ind 1
Eastbourne LC LDm 8   19    
Eastleigh LC LDm 1   35   Ind 3
Elmbridge LC LD/Ind 12   20   Ind 16
Epping Forest LC Con 34   6 2 Ind 16
Epsom & Ewell AA Ind 2 3 4   Ind 26
Erewash LC Lab 16 28 1 1 Ind 1
Exeter LC Lab 4 25 3 6 Ind 1
Fareham LC Con 24   4   Ind 3
Fenland LC Con 35   2   Ind 6
Folkestone & Hythe LC Grn/LD 5 10 2 11 Ind 2
Forest of Dean LC   4 5 3 15 Ind 11
Fylde LC Con 19 2 2   Ind 14
Gedling LC Lab 9 26 4   Ind 2
Gloucester LC Con 22 2 13   Ind 2
Gosport AA LDm 10 2 16    
Gravesham LC Lab 17 22      
Great Yarmouth AA   19 18     Ind 2
Guildford LC LDm 10 3 25   Ind 10
Harborough LC LD/Lab/Grn 15 3 13 3  
Harlow AA Con 21 12      
Hart LC LD/Ind 11   11   Ind 11
Hastings LC Lab (minority) 10 15   5 Ind 2
Havant LC Con 30 4 2 1 Ind 1
Hertsmere LC Lab/LD 16 14 9    
High Peak LC Lab 10 29 1 2 Ind 1
Hinckley & Bosworth LC LDm 10 2 22    
Horsham LC LDm 11   28 8 Ind 1
Huntingdonshire LC Ind/LD/Lab/Grn 21 4 11 1 Ind 15
Hyndburn LC Con (minority) 16 16   2 Ind 1
Ipswich LC Lab 10 33 3   Ind 2
King's Lynn & W. Norfolk LC Ind/Grn 21 11 3 2 Ind 18
Lancaster LC Lab/Grn/LD 5 24 7 21 Ind 4
Lewes LC Grn/Lab   9 15 17  
Lichfield LC Con (minority) 21 17 7   Ind 2
Lincoln LC Lab 9 20 4    
Maidstone AA   25 4 12 3 Ind 11
Maldon LC   10 1 6   Ind 14
Malvern Hills LC Ind/Grn 7   3 7 Ind 14
Mansfield MC Lab 5 25     Ind 6
Melton AA   11 6 1   Ind 10
Mid Devon LC LDm 4   33 3 Ind 2
Mid Suffolk LC   6   4 24  
Mid Sussex LC LD/Ind 18 1 20 4 Ind 5
Mole Valley LC LDm 3   30   Ind 6
New Forest LC Con 26 1 14 3 Ind 4
Newark & Sherwood LC Lab/Con 14 11 3   Ind 11
Newcastle-under-Lyme LC Con 25 18     Ind 1
North Devon AA LDm 7   22 3 Ind 10
North East Derbyshire LC Lab 19 28 3 1 Ind 2
North Hertfordshire LC Lab/LD 15 19 15    
North Kesteven LC Con 24 2     Ind 16
North Norfolk LC LDm 12   24   Ind 3
North Warwickshire AA   17 15     Ind 3
North West Leicestershire LC Con/LD/Ind 12 17 5   Ind 4
Norwich LC     19 3 13 Ind 4
Nuneaton & Bedworth LC Con 27 5   2  
Oadby & Wigston AA LDm 7   19    
Oxford LC     22 9 6 Ind 11
Pendle LC Lab/LD 14 9 7   Ind 3
Preston LC Lab 10 31 7    
Redditch LC Con 16 13      
Reigate & Banstead LC Con 23 1 3 11 Ind 7
Ribble Valley AA   17 8 8 2 Ind 5
Rochford LC   12   9 1 Ind 17
Rossendale LC Lab 9 21   1 Ind 4
Rother LC Ind/Lab/LD/Grn 10 8 7 3 Ind 10
Rugby LC Con (minority) 19 12 9    
Runnymede AA   20 4 4 2 Ind 11
Rushcliffe LC Con 25 9 1 2 Ind 7
Rushmoor LC Con 23 14 2    
Sevenoaks LC Con 33   14 4 Ind 3
South Cambridgeshire LC LDm 9   35   Ind 1
South Derbyshire AA Lab 10 23 2   Ind 1
South Hams LC LDm 7 1 19 3 Ind 1
South Holland LC Con 20       Ind 17
South Kesteven LC Ind/Grn/LD 23 2 4 4 Ind 23
South Norfolk LC Con 24 9 11   Ind 2
South Oxfordshire LC LDm 1 3 21 8 Ind 3
South Ribble LC Lab 16 29 5    
South Staffordshire LC Con 29 2 4 2 Ind 5
Spelthorne AA   13 7 10 2 Ind 7
St Albans AA LDm 4   47 3 Ind 1
Stafford LC Lab/Ind/Grn 14 13 1 5 Ind 7
Staffordshire Moorlands LC Lab (minority) 22 24 1 1 Ind 8
Stevenage LC Lab 9 24 6    
Stratford-on-Avon LC LDm 12   25 3 Ind 1
Stroud AA   18 4 3 14 Ind 12
Surrey Heath LC LDm 6 2 24   Ind 3
Swale LC   11 16 4 3 Ind 12
Tamworth LC Con (minority) 14 9     Ind 7
Tandridge AA Ind 9   11   Ind 22
Teignbridge LC LDm 9   26   Ind 12
Tendring LC Ind/Lab 16 7 4   Ind 20
Test Valley LC Con 26   17    
Tewkesbury LC   9   16 4 Ind 9
Thanet LC Lab 17 30   5 Ind 4
Three Rivers AA LDm 12 3 22 2  
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con/Ind 20 3 11 8 Ind 2
Torridge AA   6 2 8 4 Ind 16
Tunbridge Wells LC LD/Ind/Lab 11 7 17   Ind 13
Uttlesford LC Ind 11   4   Ind 24
Vale of White Horse LC LDm     33 4 Ind 1
Warwick LC Grn/Lab 6 11 10 14 Ind 3
Watford MC LDm   9 27    
Waverley LC LD/Ind/Lab/Grn 10 2 22 1 Ind 15
Wealden LC LD/Grn 9 2 13 11 Ind 10
Welwyn Hatfield LC LD/Lab 22 12 14    
West Devon AA   11 1 4 4 Ind 11
West Lancashire LC Lab 15 26     Ind 4
West Lindsey AA   14   18   Ind 4
West Oxfordshire LC LD/Lab/Grn 16 11 17 3 Ind 2
West Suffolk LC Ind/Lab 26 17 1 1 Ind 19
Winchester LC LDm 12   30 2 Ind 1
Woking LC LDm 4 3 20   Ind 3
Worcester AA   7 13 4 11  
Worthing LC Lab 11 24 1 1  
Wychavon LC Con 29 1 7 6  
Wyre LC Con 30 17     Ind 3
Wyre Forest LC Con 20 4 2 1 Ind 6
District Totals  2317 1562 1531 448 949


Scottish Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green    SNP   Others 
Aberdeen   7 11 4   19 Ind 4
Aberdeenshire   25   14   21 Ind 10
Angus   7 1     13 Ind 7
Argyll & Bute   9 1 5 1 12 Ind 8
Clackmannanshire   3 5   1 8 Ind 1
Dumfries & Galloway   17 8 1   11 Ind 6
Dundee SNP 1 9 4   15  
East Ayrshire   4 10     14 Ind 4
East Dunbartonshire   2 4 6   8 Ind 2
East Lothian   4 10   1 6 Ind 1
East Renfrewshire   5 5     6 Ind 2
Edinburgh   9 12 13 10 18 Ind 1
Eilean Siar Ind 1       6 Ind 22
Falkirk   5 9     11 Ind 5
Fife   8 20 13   34  
Glasgow   2 36   10 37  
Highland   8 2 14 4 22 Ind 24
Inverclyde   2 9     8 Ind 3
Midlothian   3 7     8  
Moray   9 3   1 9 Ind 4
North Ayrshire   10 9     12 Ind 2
North Lanarkshire   5 34   1 24 Ind 13
Orkney Ind       2   Ind 19
Perth & Kinross   14 2 4   16 Ind 4
Renfrewshire   5 13 1   21 Ind 3
Scottish Borders   14   3 1 8 Ind 7
Shetland Ind   1   1 1 Ind 20
South Ayrshire   11 5     7 Ind 4, Alba 1
South Lanarkshire   7 25 3 1 25 Ind 3
Stirling   7 5   1 7 Ind 2
West Dunbartonshire     11     8 Ind 3
West Lothian   4 12 1   15 Ind 1
Scotland Totals  208 279 86 35 430 186


Welsh Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Plaid  Others 
Blaenau Gwent Lab   21       Ind 11
Bridgend Lab 1 26     2 Ind 22
Caerphilly Lab   45     18 Ind 6
Cardiff Lab 11 55 10   2 Ind 1
Carmarthenshire Plaid   21     38 Ind 16
Ceredigion Plaid     7   21 Ind 10
Conwy Ind/Lab/PC 10 10 4 1 7 Ind 23
Denbighshire Lab/PC 7 16   2 8 Ind 14
Flintshire Lab/LD 2 31 4     Ind 30
Gwynedd Plaid   1 1   44 Ind 22
Isle of Anglesey Plaid   3     21 Ind 11
Merthyr Tydfil Ind (minority)   14       Ind 16
Monmouthshire Lab/Grn 18 22   1   Ind 5
Neath Port Talbot Ind/PC/LD   26 2 1 11 Ind 19
Newport Lab 7 35 1 1   Ind 7
Pembrokeshire Ind 10 10 2   2 Ind 36
Powys LD/Lab 14 9 21 1 3 Ind 19
Rhondda Cynon Taff Lab 2 59     8 Ind 6
Swansea Lab 7 45 11 1   Ind 11
Torfaen Lab   29       Ind 11
Vale of Glamorgan Lab/Ind 13 25     8 Ind 8
Wrexham Ind/Con 9 14     9 Ind 24
Wales Totals  111 517 63 8 202 328


England, Scotland & Wales Totals

ConLabour LibDem Green SNPPlaid Others
  5593 6390 2981 776 430 202 2213
Others comprise: Ind 2164, Aspire 24, RefUK 10, MK 5, Lib 5, Co-op 1, Alba 1


Northern Ireland District Councils

 Control   SF    SDLP  APNI  UUP  DUP  Others 
Antrim and Newtownabbey   9 1 8 7 13 Ind 2
Ards and North Down     1 12 8 14 Ind 3, Green 2
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon   15 1 4 6 13 TUV 1, Ind 1
Belfast   22 5 11 2 14 Green 3, PBP 1, TUV 1, Ind 1
Causeway Coast and Glens   12 3 5 4 13 TUV 2, PUP 1
Derry City and Strabane   18 10   3 5 Ind 3, PBP 1
Fermanagh and Omagh SF 21 3 2 7 6 Ind 1
Lisburn and Castlereagh   4 2 13 6 14 Ind 1
Mid and East Antrim   4   7 8 14 TUV 5, Ind 2
Mid Ulster   19 5   2 11 Ind 3
Newry, Mourne and Down   20 8 5 1 5 Ind 2
N.Ireland Totals  144 39 67 54 122 36


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