This page shows the composition of councils before the elections of May 1999. Refer to the live compositions page for links to other preserved historical files.
However I cannot guarantee the precise accuracy of the composition of any particular council. In particular it is difficult to obtain data on councillors who have changed their description while in office.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, and Welsh Unitary Authorities
This table shows the authorities operating as from 1st April 1998
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.
Councils in Northern Ireland are composed almost entirely of members of Northern Irish or pan-Irish parties and are not included in this tabulation.
Keith Edkins - last updated and © 01/10/2017 to present data as at 24/04/1999
County Councils | |||||
| Ctrl | Con | Labour | LibDem | Others | |
| Bedfordshire | Con | 25 | 14 | 10 | |
| Buckinghamshire | Con | 38 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| Cambridgeshire | Con | 33 | 10 | 16 | |
| Cheshire | 19 | 19 | 10 | ||
| Cornwall | 9 | 8 | 38 | 24 | |
| Cumbria | Lab | 23 | 44 | 12 | 4 |
| Derbyshire | Lab | 12 | 45 | 6 | 1 |
| Devon | LDm | 14 | 4 | 31 | 5 |
| Dorset | 15 | 5 | 21 | 1 | |
| Durham | Lab | 2 | 53 | 2 | 4 |
| East Sussex | 21 | 7 | 16 | ||
| Essex | 39 | 24 | 15 | 1 | |
| Gloucestershire | 22 | 17 | 22 | 2 | |
| Hampshire | Con | 42 | 8 | 22 | 2 |
| Hertfordshire | 38 | 30 | 9 | ||
| Kent | Con | 46 | 23 | 7 | 1 |
| Lancashire | Lab | 23 | 47 | 7 | 1 |
| Leicestershire | 25 | 17 | 11 | 1 | |
| Lincolnshire | Con | 43 | 19 | 11 | 3 |
| Norfolk | 36 | 34 | 13 | 1 | |
| North Yorkshire | 35 | 12 | 21 | 6 | |
| Northamptonshire | Lab | 27 | 37 | 4 | |
| Northumberland | Lab | 14 | 42 | 8 | 2 |
| Nottinghamshire | Lab | 17 | 42 | 4 | |
| Oxfordshire | 27 | 22 | 19 | 2 | |
| Shropshire | 17 | 8 | 13 | 6 | |
| Somerset | LDm | 17 | 3 | 37 | |
| Staffordshire | Lab | 20 | 40 | 2 | |
| Suffolk | 31 | 33 | 15 | 1 | |
| Surrey | Con | 47 | 6 | 17 | 6 |
| Warwickshire | 22 | 31 | 8 | 1 | |
| West Sussex | Con | 37 | 9 | 24 | 1 |
| Wiltshire | 23 | 4 | 19 | 1 | |
| Worcestershire | 25 | 22 | 8 | 2 | |
| County Totals | 884 | 744 | 488 | 80 | |
Unitary Authorities
Ctrl Con Labour LibDem Others
Bath & N.E. Somerset 16 21 28
Blackburn Lab 12 46 4
Blackpool Lab 8 33 3
Bournemouth 19 6 28 4
Bracknell Forest Con 23 17
Brighton & Hove Lab 23 54 1
Bristol Lab 7 44 18
Darlington Lab 13 36 2 1
Derby Lab 4 37 3
East Riding of Yorkshire 20 22 19 6
Halton Lab 1 47 8
Hartlepool Lab 5 33 8 1
Herefordshire LDm 8 2 32 18
Isle of Wight 15 4 16 13
Kingston upon Hull Lab 1 53 4 2
Leicester Lab 7 39 10
Luton Lab 3 36 9
Medway Towns 20 39 21
Middlesbrough Lab 2 45 4 2
Milton Keynes Lab 4 27 19 1
North East Lincolnshire Lab 2 32 7 1
North Lincolnshire Lab 7 35
North Somerset LDm 17 6 30 6
Nottingham Lab 3 50 2 1
Peterborough 24 27 2 4
Plymouth Lab 13 47
Poole LDm 13 3 23
Portsmouth Lab 8 21 10
Reading Lab 3 36 6
Redcar & Cleveland Lab 1 49 7 2
Rutland 2 2 7 9
Slough Lab 4 34 3
South Gloucestershire 8 31 30 1
Southampton Lab 3 28 14
Southend-on-Sea 19 7 13
Stockton-on-Tees Lab 7 44 4
Stoke-on-Trent Lab 1 54 3 2
Swindon Lab 5 40 9
Thurrock Lab 3 46
Torbay LDm 14 2 20
Warrington Lab 4 45 11
West Berkshire LDm 15 38 1
Windsor & Maidenhead 21 1 29 7
Wokingham Con 31 23
Wrekin Lab 9 38 4 3
York Lab 3 30 18 2
Unitary Totals 451 1349 546 91
London Borough Councils
Ctrl Con Labour LibDem Others
Barking & Dagenham Lab 47 1 3
Barnet 28 26 6
Bexley Con 32 24 6
Brent Lab 19 43 4
Bromley 28 7 25
Camden Lab 11 42 6
Croydon Lab 31 38 1
Ealing Lab 15 53 3
Enfield Lab 23 43
Greenwich Lab 8 52 2
Hackney 12 29 16 3
Hammersmith & Fulham Lab 14 36
Haringey Lab 2 54 3
Harrow Lab 20 32 9 2
Havering 14 29 3 17
Hillingdon 33 32 4
Hounslow Lab 11 44 4 1
Islington 26 26
Kensington & Chelsea Con 39 15
Kingston upon Thames 21 10 19
Lambeth Lab 5 41 18
Lewisham Lab 2 61 4
Merton Lab 12 39 3 3
Newham Lab 60
Redbridge 24 29 9
Richmond upon Thames LDm 14 4 34
Southwark Lab 4 33 27
Sutton LDm 5 5 46
Tower Hamlets Lab 41 9
Waltham Forest Lab 14 30 12 1
Wandsworth Con 50 11
Westminster Con 47 13
London Totals 537 1050 300 30
Metropolitan Borough Councils
Ctrl Con Labour LibDem Others
Barnsley Lab 1 62 1 2
Birmingham Lab 17 83 16 1
Bolton Lab 8 47 5
Bradford Lab 18 65 7
Bury Lab 6 39 3
Calderdale 13 27 13 1
Coventry Lab 7 45 2
Doncaster Lab 3 46 6 8
Dudley Lab 7 58 7
Gateshead Lab 51 15
Kirklees Lab 7 43 20 2
Knowsley Lab 65 1
Leeds Lab 9 89 10 1
Liverpool LDm 39 52 8
Manchester Lab 83 16
Newcastle upon Tyne Lab 64 14
North Tyneside Lab 8 44 7 1
Oldham Lab 36 23 1
Rochdale Lab 6 36 18
Rotherham Lab 1 65
St Helens Lab 2 41 11
Salford Lab 57 3
Sandwell Lab 2 60 9 1
Sefton 14 31 23 1
Sheffield Lab 1 49 37
Solihull 21 17 11 2
South Tyneside Lab 51 6 3
Stockport 3 27 30 3
Sunderland Lab 4 68 2 1
Tameside Lab 2 49 2 4
Trafford Lab 23 36 4
Wakefield Lab 2 59 1
Walsall 16 30 6 8
Wigan Lab 72 2 1
Wirral Lab 16 41 8 1
Wolverhampton Lab 14 44 2
Metropolitan Totals 231 1819 390 53
District Councils
Ctrl Con Labour LibDem Others
Adur LDm 6 10 21 2
Allerdale Lab 6 37 5 7
Alnwick 2 6 12 9
Amber Valley Lab 8 35
Arun Con 30 10 14 2
Ashfield Lab 33
Ashford 19 13 14 3
Aylesbury Vale LDm 15 4 31 8
Babergh 9 12 10 11
Barrow-in-Furness Lab 11 23 4
Basildon Lab 6 23 13
Basingstoke & Deane 25 15 13 4
Bassetlaw Lab 9 34 3 1
Bedford 9 21 16 7
Berwick-upon-Tweed 2 1 13 12
Blaby 11 17 9 2
Blyth Valley Lab 39 7 1
Bolsover Lab 35 2
Boston 7 14 6 7
Braintree Lab 10 37 6 7
Breckland 21 21 2 9
Brentwood LDm 11 2 25 1
Bridgnorth 3 6 5 15
Broadland 21 16 8 4
Bromsgrove Lab 13 23 1 2
Broxbourne Con 31 11
Broxtowe Lab 7 36 5 1
Burnley Lab 3 30 9 6
Cambridge 3 21 18
Cannock Chase Lab 39 3
Canterbury 11 15 23
Caradon 1 2 18 20
Carlisle Lab 14 33 3 1
Carrick 8 7 18 11
Castle Morpeth 6 11 7 10
Castle Point Lab 5 34
Charnwood Lab 15 30 5 2
Chelmsford LDm 13 7 32 4
Cheltenham LDm 9 1 26 5
Cherwell 18 23 7 4
Chester 15 26 17 2
Chester-le-Street Lab 1 29 1 1
Chesterfield Lab 36 11
Chichester 22 1 23 4
Chiltern 22 1 24 3
Chorley Lab 6 33 7 2
Christchurch 8 11 6
Colchester 15 17 27 1
Congleton LDm 7 11 26 1
Copeland Lab 14 35 2
Corby Lab 1 24 2
Cotswold 3 4 8 30
Craven 13 4 13 4
Crawley Lab 3 27 2
Crewe & Nantwich Lab 15 37 4 1
Dacorum Lab 20 32 4 2
Dartford Lab 10 35 2
Daventry 17 13 3 2
Derbyshire Dales 15 8 16
Derwentside Lab 50 5
Dover Lab 16 37 3
Durham Lab 38 7 4
Easington Lab 44 2 5
East Cambridgeshire 4 14 19
East Devon 29 21 10
East Dorset LDm 12 23 1
East Hampshire LDm 13 27 3
East Hertfordshire 23 8 16 3
East Lindsey 14 7 39
East Northamptonshire Lab 10 23 2
East Staffordshire Lab 6 34 3 3
Eastbourne LDm 13 17
Eastleigh LDm 7 8 29
Eden 2 4 31
Ellesmere Port & Neston Lab 5 36
Elmbridge 23 7 8 22
Epping Forest 16 17 14 12
Epsom & Ewell Res 1 2 4 32
Erewash Lab 9 39 2 2
Exeter Lab 3 22 8 3
Fareham 14 8 16 4
Fenland 16 14 2 8
Forest Heath 10 4 6 5
Forest of Dean Lab 1 29 5 14
Fylde 18 5 4 22
Gedling Lab 20 29 7 1
Gloucester Lab 6 25 8
Gosport 9 10 3 8
Gravesham Lab 10 33 1
Great Yarmouth Lab 12 36
Guildford 21 6 17 1
Hambleton Con 25 4 3 15
Harborough 12 8 16 1
Harlow Lab 1 38 3
Harrogate LDm 12 4 42 1
Hart 14 15 6
Hastings Lab 1 18 13
Havant 14 8 14 6
Hertsmere Lab 11 22 6
High Peak Lab 5 30 6 3
Hinckley & Bosworth 4 13 17
Horsham LDm 18 22 3
Huntingdonshire Con 34 3 14 2
Hyndburn Lab 12 35
Ipswich Lab 8 40
Kennet 9 9 8 14
Kerrier 1 16 12 15
Kettering Lab 7 31 3 3
King's Lynn & W. Norfolk Lab 17 36 6 1
Lancaster Lab 9 35 4 11
Lewes LDm 16 2 28 2
Lichfield Lab 19 33 2 2
Lincoln Lab 1 28 3
Macclesfield Con 37 10 10 3
Maidstone 14 16 21 4
Maldon Con 16 7 1 6
Malvern Hills 10 1 20 11
Mansfield Lab 1 45
Melton 7 11 4 6
Mendip 9 9 20 5
Mid Bedfordshire 22 21 5 5
Mid Devon LDm 1 21 18
Mid Suffolk 7 17 11 5
Mid Sussex 19 4 27 4
Mole Valley 14 2 16 9
New Forest LDm 23 32 3
Newark & Sherwood Lab 12 34 5 3
Newcastle-under-Lyme Lab 5 42 9
North Cornwall 1 12 25
North Devon LDm 1 31 12
North Dorset LDm 1 1 19 12
North East Derbyshire Lab 5 42 2 3
North Hertfordshire Lab 17 26 6 1
North Kesteven 6 17 8 8
North Norfolk 19 12 15
North Shropshire 3 6 31
North Warwickshire Lab 4 29 1
North West Leicestershire Lab 3 35 2
North Wiltshire LDm 12 6 30 4
Northampton Lab 1 37 5
Norwich Lab 35 13
Nuneaton & Bedworth Lab 4 41
Oadby & Wigston LDm 1 25
Oswestry 2 10 5 12
Oxford Lab 33 14 4
Pendle LDm 3 17 30 1
Penwith 7 6 12 9
Preston Lab 13 30 13 1
Purbeck 6 3 8 5
Redditch Lab 4 23 2
Reigate & Banstead 19 13 11 6
Restormel LDm 2 3 29 10
Ribble Valley 18 1 19 1
Richmondshire 4 9 21
Rochford 6 12 18 4
Rossendale Lab 11 25
Rother 16 5 19 5
Rugby 12 22 5 9
Runnymede Con 23 12 1 6
Rushcliffe 26 17 10 1
Rushmoor 17 14 14
Ryedale 4 1 9 9
St Albans LDm 11 16 30
St Edmundsbury 16 21 5 2
Salisbury 10 11 29 8
Scarborough 13 24 4 8
Sedgefield Lab 47 2
Sedgemoor 22 13 12 2
Selby Lab 9 27 1 4
Sevenoaks 18 12 19 4
Shepway 19 15 19 3
Shrewsbury & Atcham 11 21 12 4
South Bedfordshire 13 21 16 3
South Bucks 20 5 15
South Cambridgeshire 14 9 15 17
South Derbyshire Lab 6 28
South Hams 19 2 9 14
South Holland 8 9 21
South Kesteven 25 11 8 13
South Lakeland 13 10 20 9
South Norfolk LDm 12 3 30 2
South Northamptonshire 15 10 6 9
South Oxfordshire 9 13 21 7
South Ribble Lab 16 29 9
South Shropshire 1 7 32
South Somerset LDm 9 1 44 6
South Staffordshire Con 28 15 4 3
Spelthorne Con 22 15 3
Stafford Lab 16 33 10 1
Staffordshire Moorlands 11 26 7 12
Stevenage Lab 37 2
Stratford-on-Avon 18 5 24 8
Stroud 10 26 9 10
Suffolk Coastal 20 15 15 5
Surrey Heath Con 23 4 7
Swale 7 19 22 1
Tamworth Lab 2 28
Tandridge 17 7 18
Taunton Deane LDm 15 6 27 3
Teesdale 2 10 19
Teignbridge 7 6 24 21
Tendring Lab 9 36 6 9
Test Valley 21 16 5
Tewkesbury 5 8 22
Thanet Lab 4 44 6
Three Rivers 17 8 23
Tonbridge & Malling 23 11 21
Torridge 2 5 13 16
Tunbridge Wells Con 27 7 12 2
Tynedale 12 19 12 4
Uttlesford 14 4 19 5
Vale of White Horse LDm 11 5 34 1
Vale Royal Lab 15 41 4
Wansbeck Lab 46
Warwick 13 17 11 4
Watford Lab 7 21 8
Waveney Lab 3 41 2 2
Waverley LDm 19 2 35 1
Wealden Con 31 23 4
Wear Valley Lab 35 2 3
Wellingborough 14 17 3
Welwyn Hatfield Lab 20 27
West Devon 1 15 14
West Dorset 19 5 13 18
West Lancashire Lab 20 32 3
West Lindsey 4 5 18 10
West Oxfordshire 14 10 12 13
West Somerset 10 7 3 12
West Wiltshire LDm 7 4 28 4
Weymouth & Portland 16 13 6
Winchester LDm 10 4 37 4
Woking 11 7 16 1
Worcester Lab 10 22 2 2
Worthing LDm 15 21
Wychavon 13 10 18 8
Wycombe 24 15 19 2
Wyre Lab 18 30 4 3
Wyre Forest Lab 4 29 5 4
District Totals 2573 4112 2679 1352