This page shows the composition of councils before the elections of May 2006. Refer to the live compositions page for links to other preserved historical files.
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 AuthoritiesTwo 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. Nick Whyte gives a Table of 2005 Northern Irish Election Results.
Philip Peake has kindly provided a London Wards map showing political representation.
Keith Edkins - last updated and © 30/09/2017 to present data as at 27/04/2006
County Councils
Exec Control Con Labour LibDem Others
Bedfordshire LC Con 36 7 9
Buckinghamshire LC Con 44 2 11
Cambridgeshire LC Con 42 4 23
Cheshire LC Con 26 16 8 1
Cornwall LC LDm 8 4 45 20
Cumbria LC 32 39 11 2
Derbyshire LC Lab 15 38 19 1
Devon LC LDm 23 4 33 2
Dorset LC Con 24 4 16 1
Durham LC Lab 2 53 5 3
East Sussex LC Con 29 5 14 1
Essex LC Con 52 13 8 2
Gloucestershire LC Con 33 13 13 4
Hampshire LC Con 45 4 27
Hertfordshire LC Con 46 16 14 1
Kent LC Con 57 21 6
Lancashire LC Lab 31 44 6 3
Leicestershire LC Con 30 13 12
Lincolnshire LC Con 45 21 8 3
Norfolk LC Con 46 22 14 1
North Yorkshire LC Con 42 9 18 3
Northamptonshire LC Con 45 20 8
Northumberland LC Lab 14 35 14 4
Nottinghamshire LC Lab 25 38 4
Oxfordshire LC Con 43 9 17 5
Shropshire LC Con 25 9 11 3
Somerset LC LDm 24 4 30
Staffordshire LC Lab 27 32 2
Suffolk LC Con 45 22 7 1
Surrey LC Con 58 2 12 8
Warwickshire LC Con (minority) 27 23 11 1
West Sussex LC Con 46 7 17
Wiltshire LC Con 28 3 16 2
Worcestershire LC Con 29 17 8 3
County Totals 1144 574 476 75
Unitary Authorities
Exec Control Con Labour LibDem Others
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC LD/Con/Ind 26 6 29 4
Blackburn with Darwen LC Lab 17 35 12
Blackpool LC Lab 13 25 4
Bournemouth LC LDm 12 3 30 2
Bracknell Forest LC Con 35 6 1
Brighton & Hove AA Lab (minority) 21 23 3 7
Bristol LC LD (minority) 11 27 32
Darlington LC Lab 15 35 3
Derby LC Lab 11 26 13 1
East Riding of Yorkshire LC Con/LD/Ind 29 8 22 8
Halton LC Lab 7 35 14
Hartlepool MC Ind mayor 4 24 9 10
Herefordshire LC Con/Ind 21 4 17 16
Isle of Wight LC Con 35 2 5 6
Kingston upon Hull LC Lab (minority) 2 27 25 5
Leicester LC Lab (minority) 10 20 24
Luton LC LD (minority) 4 21 21 2
Medway Towns LC Con 30 17 6 2
Middlesbrough MC Ind mayor 7 31 6 4
Milton Keynes LC LDm 7 16 27 1
North East Lincolnshire LC LD + Con 15 7 16 4
North Lincolnshire LC Con 22 21
North Somerset LC Con + LD 23 10 24 4
Nottingham LC Lab 7 35 8 2
Peterborough LC Con 33 7 4 13
Plymouth LC Lab 19 35 2 1
Poole LC Con 26 16
Portsmouth LC LD 14 7 21
Reading LC Lab 6 35 5
Redcar & Cleveland LC Con/LD/Ind 13 23 15 8
Rutland LC Con 14 4 8
Slough LC Ind/Con/LD 8 15 6 12
South Gloucestershire LC All Party (3) 21 16 33
Southampton LC LD (minority) 15 15 18
Southend-on-Sea LC Con 33 9 7 2
Stockton-on-Tees LC Lab (minority) 12 27 8 9
Stoke-on-Trent MM Lab mayor 5 32 6 16
Swindon LC Con 33 18 5 3
Telford & Wrekin LC Lab 15 29 5 5
Thurrock LC Con 27 20 2
Torbay MC Con mayor 12 24
Warrington LC Lab 6 30 21
West Berkshire LC Con 27 24 1
Windsor & Maidenhead LC LDm 17 34 6
Wokingham LC Con 38 16
York LC LDm 15 29 3
Unitary Totals 778 797 654 167
London Borough Councils
Exec Control Con Labour LibDem Others
Barking & Dagenham LC Lab 3 43 3 2
Barnet LC Con 32 24 7
Bexley LC Lab 31 32
Brent LC Lab 18 35 10
Bromley LC Con 40 6 13 1
Camden LC Lab 11 35 8
Croydon LC Lab 31 37 2
Ealing LC Lab 17 48 4
Enfield LC Con 39 24
Greenwich LC Lab 9 38 4
Hackney MC Lab mayor 10 44 3
Hammersmith & Fulham LC Lab 17 29
Haringey LC Lab 41 16
Harrow LC Lab (minority) 28 30 3 2
Havering LC Con (minority) 26 11 1 16
Hillingdon LC Con (minority) 30 27 8
Hounslow LC Lab 14 37 5 4
Islington LC LDm 10 36 2
Kensington & Chelsea LC Con 41 12 1
Kingston upon Thames LC LDm 15 3 30
Lambeth LC Con + LD 7 29 27
Lewisham MC Lab mayor 2 40 8 4
Merton LC Lab 24 32 4
Newham MC Lab mayor 1 57 2
Redbridge LC Con 34 20 9
Richmond upon Thames LC Con 34 19 1
Southwark LC LD (minority) 6 28 29
Sutton LC LDm 8 3 43
Tower Hamlets LC Lab 1 33 16 1
Waltham Forest LC Lab + LD 18 26 15 1
Wandsworth LC Con 50 10
Westminster LC Con 48 12
London Totals 645 856 320 40
Metropolitan Borough Councils
Exec Control Con Labour LibDem Others
Barnsley LC Lab 5 33 3 22
Birmingham LC Con + LD 40 46 30 4
Bolton LC LD (minority) 19 20 21
Bradford LC Con (minority) 38 30 15 7
Bury LC Lab 19 27 5
Calderdale LC Con (minority) 21 9 15 6
Coventry LC Con (minority) 27 22 3 2
Doncaster MC Lab mayor 9 28 12 14
Dudley LC Con 40 25 7
Gateshead LC Lab 43 22 1
Kirklees LC 22 17 25 3
Knowsley LC Lab 52 11
Leeds LC LD/Con/Green 24 40 26 9
Liverpool LC LDm 27 60 3
Manchester LC Lab 57 38 1
Newcastle upon Tyne LC LDm 30 48
North Tyneside MC Lab mayor 28 23 7 2
Oldham LC Lab 2 32 25 1
Rochdale LC Lab + Con 9 24 27
Rotherham LC Lab 7 53 3
St Helens LC Lab (minority) 6 24 18
Salford LC Lab 8 45 7
Sandwell LC Lab 12 53 5 2
Sefton LC All party (3) 19 21 26
Sheffield LC Lab 2 44 37 1
Solihull LC Con 27 8 15 1
South Tyneside LC Lab 3 35 4 12
Stockport LC LDm 10 14 35 4
Sunderland LC Lab 12 61 2
Tameside LC Lab 7 45 3 2
Trafford LC Con 40 20 3
Wakefield LC Lab 10 44 3 6
Walsall LC Con 32 17 6 1
Wigan LC Lab 7 42 8 18
Wirral LC All party (3) 21 26 19
Wolverhampton LC Lab 16 41 3
Metropolitan Totals 542 1178 594 125
District Councils
Exec Control Con Labour LibDem Others
Adur AA Con 25 2 2
Allerdale LC Lab (minority) 17 27 3 7
Alnwick AA Ind/Con 2 2 11 14
Amber Valley LC Con 24 21
Arun LC Con 35 8 12 1
Ashfield LC Lab (minority) 1 16 16
Ashford LC Con 25 4 5 9
Aylesbury Vale LC Con 30 25 4
Babergh AA Con/LD/Ind 11 6 18 8
Barrow-in-Furness AA Lab 12 24 2
Basildon LC Con 24 15 3
Basingstoke & Deane LC LD + Lab 28 12 17 3
Bassetlaw LC Con (minority) 24 18 1 5
Bedford MC Con/Lab/Ind 16 15 13 10
Berwick-upon-Tweed AA Con/LD/Ind 13 1 8 7
Blaby LC Con 25 4 9 1
Blyth Valley LC Lab 3 34 10 3
Bolsover LC Lab 31 6
Boston LC Con/LD/Ind 11 12 4 5
Braintree LC Con + Ind 27 20 4 9
Breckland LC Con 42 8 4
Brentwood AA Con 21 3 13
Bridgnorth AA Con/Ind/LD 10 2 8 14
Broadland LC Con 31 11 5
Bromsgrove LC Con 26 8 1 4
Broxbourne AA Con 34 2 2
Broxtowe LC Lab + LD 13 16 12 3
Burnley LC Lab (minority) 4 21 11 9
Cambridge LC LDm 1 13 28
Cannock Chase LC LD + Con 10 17 14
Canterbury LC Con 26 7 17
Caradon LC 4 1 16 21
Carlisle LC Con (minority) 20 24 7 1
Carrick LC LDm 11 1 29 6
Castle Morpeth AA Lab + LD 10 9 6 7
Castle Point AA Con 34 1 6
Charnwood LC Lab + LD 24 22 6
Chelmsford LC Con 35 2 20
Cheltenham LC LD (minority) 15 2 18 5
Cherwell LC Con 37 10 3
Chester LC LD + Lab 20 17 22 1
Chester-le-Street LC Lab 1 29 4
Chesterfield LC LDm 12 36
Chichester LC 24 22 2
Chiltern LC Con 27 12 1
Chorley LC Lab/LD/Ind 20 21 3 3
Christchurch AA Con 13 10 1
Colchester LC Con (minority) 28 7 24 3
Congleton LC Con 26 15 7
Copeland LC Lab 16 32 1 2
Corby AA Lab 9 18 2
Cotswold AA Con 26 8 10
Craven AA All party (3) 13 6 11
Crawley LC Lab 16 19 2
Crewe & Nantwich LC Lab + Ind 22 22 6 6
Dacorum LC Con 31 14 7
Dartford LC Con + Ind 21 16 7
Daventry AA Con 34 3 1
Derbyshire Dales AA Con 25 5 8 1
Derwentside LC Lab 39 1 15
Dover LC Con (minority) 22 20 3
Durham LC LDm 17 30 3
Easington LC Lab 42 2 5
East Cambridgeshire AA All party (3) 16 17 6
East Devon LC Con 36 17 6
East Dorset AA Con 24 11 1
East Hampshire LC Con 26 18
East Hertfordshire LC Con 41 7 2
East Lindsey LC All party (4) 15 13 5 27
East Northamptonshire AA Con 33 3
East Staffordshire LC Con 22 16 1
Eastbourne LC Con 14 13
Eastleigh LC LDm 9 3 32
Eden AA Ind 8 4 26
Ellesmere Port & Neston AA Lab 12 29 2
Elmbridge LC Ind 21 8 31
Epping Forest LC Con/LD/LRA/Lab/Ind 25 4 14 15
Epsom & Ewell AA Residents 2 3 7 26
Erewash LC Con 27 20 3 1
Exeter LC All party (4) 5 18 13 4
Fareham LC Con 22 9
Fenland LC Con 36 3 1
Forest Heath AA Con 22 5
Forest of Dean LC All party (4) 15 17 5 11
Fylde AA Con 26 2 23
Gedling LC Con/Lab/LD 21 21 7 1
Gloucester LC Con (minority) 16 8 12
Gosport AA Con 18 11 5
Gravesham LC Lab 21 23
Great Yarmouth LC Con 26 13
Guildford LC Con 25 2 20 1
Hambleton LC Con 36 1 3 4
Harborough LC LD (minority) 16 1 18 2
Harlow AA All party (3) 13 11 9
Harrogate LC Con 29 21 4
Hart LC Con 18 12 5
Hastings LC All party (3) 13 15 4
Havant LC Con 27 6 5
Hertsmere LC Con 26 7 6
High Peak LC Con/LD/Ind 12 18 8 5
Hinckley & Bosworth LC Con 19 6 9
Horsham LC Con 23 19 2
Huntingdonshire LC Con 39 10 3
Hyndburn LC Con 18 17
Ipswich LC Con + LD 18 23 7
Kennet AA Con 28 1 3 11
Kerrier LC Ind 4 5 10 25
Kettering LC Con 29 14 2
King's Lynn & W. Norfolk LC Con 37 14 7 4
Lancaster LC Lab/LD/Grn 11 20 8 21
Lewes LC LDm 11 28 2
Lichfield LC Con 36 15 5
Lincoln LC Lab 7 25 1
Macclesfield LC Con 36 6 14 4
Maidstone LC LD/Lab/Ind 23 8 20 4
Maldon LC Con 21 2 8
Malvern Hills LC LD/Grn/Ind 13 20 5
Mansfield MC Ind mayor 1 16 4 25
Melton AA Con 19 4 5
Mendip LC Con 29 14 3
Mid Bedfordshire LC Con 37 1 10 5
Mid Devon AA Ind (minority) 12 1 8 21
Mid Suffolk LC 19 2 13 6
Mid Sussex LC Con 28 2 24
Mole Valley AA Con (minority) 19 17 5
New Forest LC Con 32 27 1
Newark & Sherwood LC Con/LD/Ind 23 13 4 6
Newcastle-under-Lyme LC Lab 14 32 12 2
North Cornwall AA Ind 3 15 18
North Devon LC LDm 9 22 12
North Dorset LC Con + Ind 14 12 7
North East Derbyshire LC Lab 7 36 6 4
North Hertfordshire LC Con 28 14 7
North Kesteven LC Con + Ind 18 4 5 13
North Norfolk LC LDm 15 29 4
North Shropshire AA Ind + Lab 16 4 1 19
North Warwickshire AA LD/Con 15 16 4
North West Leicestershire LC Lab 12 20 4 2
North Wiltshire LC LD + Lab 25 1 26 1
Northampton LC Con (minority) 20 10 16 1
Norwich LC LD (minority) 1 15 18 5
Nuneaton & Bedworth LC Lab 11 22 1
Oadby & Wigston AA LDm 9 17
Oswestry LC Ind + LD 11 1 6 11
Oxford LC Lab (minority) 21 17 10
Pendle LC LDm 11 8 30
Penwith AA Con + Ind 13 1 13 8
Preston LC Lab (minority) 18 24 10 5
Purbeck AA Con 14 8 4
Redditch LC Lab 10 16 3
Reigate & Banstead LC Con 37 3 5 6
Restormel LC LD/Ind/Con 9 23 13
Ribble Valley AA Con 22 1 15 2
Richmondshire AA 11 8 15
Rochford AA Con 32 1 4 2
Rossendale AA Con 23 10 2 1
Rother LC Con 25 3 8 2
Rugby LC Con (minority) 21 14 10 3
Runnymede AA Con 33 3 6
Rushcliffe LC Con 34 4 10 2
Rushmoor LC Con 23 5 13 1
Ryedale LC Con/LD/Ind 13 8 9
St Albans LC LD (CV) 17 11 29 1
St Edmundsbury LC Con 28 11 2 4
Salisbury LC Con 31 11 9 4
Scarborough LC Con 26 8 2 14
Sedgefield LC Lab 1 35 7 7
Sedgemoor LC Con 35 14 1
Selby AA Con 23 14 1 3
Sevenoaks LC Con 33 10 8 3
Shepway LC Con (minority) 19 15 12
Shrewsbury & Atcham LC 20 10 7 3
South Bedfordshire LC Con 34 4 12
South Bucks LC Con 33 1 6
South Cambridgeshire LC Con/LD/Ind 22 2 20 13
South Derbyshire AA Lab 15 21
South Hams LC Con 28 3 7 2
South Holland LC Con 26 1 11
South Kesteven LC Con 32 10 5 11
South Lakeland LC LD/Con/Lab 20 8 22 2
South Norfolk LC LDm 18 28
South Northamptonshire LC Con 29 4 1 8
South Oxfordshire LC Con 28 4 9 7
South Ribble LC Lab + LD 19 17 15 4
South Shropshire LC All party (4) 10 14 10
South Somerset LC LDm 16 37 7
South Staffordshire LC Con 35 8 1 5
Spelthorne LC Con 35 4
Stafford LC Con 40 14 5
Staffordshire Moorlands LC RA/LD/Ind 20 7 11 18
Stevenage LC Lab 3 32 4
Stratford-on-Avon LC Con 30 20 3
Stroud LC Con 27 11 6 7
Suffolk Coastal LC Con 42 2 11
Surrey Heath LC Con 22 3 13 2
Swale LC Con 26 11 10
Tamworth LC Con 16 13 1
Tandridge AA Con 28 2 11 1
Taunton Deane LC Con 31 5 15 3
Teesdale AA Ind 3 9 20
Teignbridge LC LD + Ind 14 17 15
Tendring LC Con/LD/Ind 25 11 13 11
Test Valley LC Con 31 16 1
Tewkesbury AA Con (minority) 18 3 9 8
Thanet LC Con 30 24 1 1
Three Rivers LC LDm 12 7 29
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con 34 7 12
Torridge AA Ind 1 7 28
Tunbridge Wells LC Con 36 1 11
Tynedale AA Con 28 9 10 5
Uttlesford AA LDm 12 29 3
Vale of White Horse LC LDm 20 30 1
Vale Royal LC Con + LD 24 20 11 2
Wansbeck LC Lab 36 9
Warwick LC Lab + LD 16 14 10 6
Watford MC LD mayor 4 3 27 2
Waveney LC Con/Ind/LD 24 14 3 7
Waverley LC 26 28 3
Wealden LC Con 34 15 6
Wear Valley AA Lab 25 10 5
Wellingborough AA Con 27 9
Welwyn Hatfield LC Con 31 15 2
West Devon AA Con + Ind 12 8 11
West Dorset LC Con 25 12 11
West Lancashire LC Con 29 25
West Lindsey AA Con 19 16 2
West Oxfordshire LC Con 29 1 13 6
West Somerset LC Con 18 2 2 9
West Wiltshire LC Con + Ind 18 3 19 4
Weymouth & Portland AA All party (4) 8 9 14 5
Winchester LC LD (minority) 22 4 26 5
Woking LC Con (minority) 16 4 15 1
Worcester LC Con 18 10 3 4
Worthing LC Con 26 11
Wychavon LC Con 31 2 12
Wycombe LC Con 48 9 2 1
Wyre LC Con 33 21 1
Wyre Forest LC Con (minority) 19 4 2 17
District Totals 4837 2130 2391 1216
