Local Council Political Compositionssb

This page shows the composition of councils before the elections of May 2008. 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 Authorities

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. 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 © 19/04/2008

Executive types shown for England (Local Government Act 2000):
LC = Leader & Cabinet    MC = Mayor & Cabinet    MM = Mayor & Council Manager
AA = Alternative Arrangements under Section 31 (councils with less than 85,000 population), or Section 27(2)(b) Fallback proposals after the defeat of a Mayoral Referendum

Parties shown in the Others column:
BNP = British National Party, CPA = Christian Peoples Alliance, KHHC = Kidderminster Hospital Health Concern, Lib = Liberal Party, MK = Mebyon Kernow, RA = Residents Assns, Resp = RESPECT, Soc = Socialist, SSP = Scottish Socialist Party, UKIP = UK Independence Party. If not marked, they are "Ind", i.e. Independents and very local "parties"

County Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Bedfordshire LC Con 36 7 9    
Buckinghamshire LC Con 44 2 11    
Cambridgeshire LC Con 43 4 22    
Cheshire LC Con 26 16 8   1
Cornwall LC LDm 9 5 48   20
Cumbria LC Con + LD 32 39 11   2
Derbyshire LC Lab 15 38 10   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   RA 1, Ind 1
Gloucestershire LC Con 33 13 13   4
Hampshire LC Con 46 4 28    
Hertfordshire LC Con 46 16 14 1  
Kent LC Con 57 21 6    
Lancashire LC Lab 31 44 6 1 2
Leicestershire LC Con 30 13 12    
Lincolnshire LC Con 45 21 8   3
Norfolk LC Con 47 22 13 2  
North Yorkshire LC Con 42 8 19   3
Northamptonshire LC Con 45 20 8    
Northumberland LC Lab 14 35 14   4
Nottinghamshire LC Lab 26 36 5    
Oxfordshire LC Con 44 9 15 5 1
Shropshire LC Con 26 9 12   2
Somerset LC LDm 24 4 30    
Staffordshire LC Lab 28 32 2    
Suffolk LC Con 45 21 8   1
Surrey LC Con 58 2 12   RA 7, Ind 1
Warwickshire LC Con (minority) 27 23 11   1
West Sussex LC Con 47 7 16    
Wiltshire LC Con 29 3 15   2
Worcestershire LC Con 29 17 8   Lib 2, KHHC 1
County Totals  1154 570 470 9 67

Unitary Authorities

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC Con (minority) 31 5 26   3
Blackburn with Darwen LC Con + LD 17 31 13   3
Blackpool LC Con 26 13 3    
Bournemouth LC Con 41 3 7   3
Bracknell Forest LC Con 39 3      
Brighton & Hove AA Con (minority) 26 13 2 12 1
Bristol LC Lab (minority) 13 25 31 1  
Darlington LC Lab 18 29 6    
Derby LC Lab + Con 15 21 13   2
East Riding of Yorkshire LC Con 47 3 12   5
Halton LC Lab 8 33 15    
Hartlepool MC Ind Mayor 4 24 7   Ind 11, UKIP 1
Herefordshire LC Con 31 2 10 1 14
Hull LC LDm 2 20 30   7
Isle of Wight LC Con 35 2 5   6
Leicester LC Lab 8 38 6 2  
Luton LC Lab 5 26 17    
Medway LC Con 33 13 8   1
Middlesbrough MC Ind Mayor 6 26 5   11
Milton Keynes LC LD (minority) 15 13 22   1
North East Lincolnshire LC LD + Con 15 6 19   2
North Lincolnshire LC Lab 19 22 1   1
North Somerset LC Con 46 3 5 1 6
Nottingham LC Lab 7 42 6    
Peterborough LC Con 40 2 4   Ind 8, Lib 3
Plymouth LC Con 31 26      
Poole LC Con 25   17    
Portsmouth LC LD + Lab 16 5 20   1
Reading LC Lab 14 25 7    
Redcar & Cleveland LC Lab + Ind 11 28 13   7
Rutland LC Con 19   2   5
Slough LC Con/Lib/LD/UKIP/Ind 7 19 4   RA 4, Lib 3, Ind 3, UKIP 1
South Gloucestershire LC Con (minority) 34 9 27    
Southampton LC Con (minority) 18 18 12    
Southend-on-Sea LC Con 29 7 10   5
Stockton-on-Tees LC Lab + Con 13 22 8   13
Stoke-on-Trent MM Lab + Con 3 23 4   Ind 24, BNP 6
Swindon LC Con 43 13 3    
Telford & Wrekin LC Con (minority) 27 18 3   6
Thurrock LC Con (minority) 24 22     3
Torbay MC Con 24   9   3
Warrington LC LD + Con 5 24 27   1
West Berkshire LC Con 36   16    
Windsor & Maidenhead LC Con 36   16   Ind 3, RA 2
Wokingham LC Con 43   11    
York LC LD (minority) 7 18 20 2  
Unitary Totals  1012 695 502 19 179

London Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Barking & Dagenham LC Lab 1 38     BNP 12
Barnet LC Con 37 20 6    
Bexley LC Con 54 9      
Brent LC LD + Con 15 21 27    
Bromley LC Con 49 4 7    
Camden LC LD + Con 14 16 22 2  
Croydon LC Con 43 27      
Ealing LC Con 42 24 3    
Enfield LC Con 34 27     2
Greenwich LC Lab 13 36 2    
Hackney MC Lab 9 44 3 1  
Hammersmith & Fulham LC Con 33 13      
Haringey LC Lab   30 27    
Harrow LC Con 37 24 2    
Havering LC Con 34 2 1   RA 13, Ind 3, BNP 1
Hillingdon LC Con 45 18 2    
Hounslow LC Con + Ind 22 24 4   10
Islington LC LD (minority)   23 24 1  
Kensington & Chelsea LC Con 45 9      
Kingston upon Thames LC LDm 21 2 25    
Lambeth LC Lab 6 38 18 1  
Lewisham MC Lab mayor 3 26 17 6 Soc 2
Merton LC Con (minority) 30 27     3
Newham MC Lab   54     Resp 3, CPA 3
Redbridge LC Con 34 18 10   BNP 1
Richmond upon Thames LC LDm 18   36    
Southwark LC LD + Con 6 29 27 1  
Sutton LC LDm 22   32    
Tower Hamlets LC Lab 8 27 6   Resp 7, Ind 3
Waltham Forest LC Lab + LD 15 25 20    
Wandsworth LC Con 51 9      
Westminster LC Con 48 12      
London Totals  789 676 321 12 63

Metropolitan Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Barnsley LC Lab 5 33 2   23
Birmingham LC Con + LD 43 42 32   Resp 2, Ind 1
Bolton LC Lab (minority) 22 26 12    
Bradford LC Con (minority) 32 39 14 3 BNP 2
Bury LC Con (minority) 23 20 8    
Calderdale LC Con (minority) 19 11 16   Ind 4, BNP 1
Coventry LC Con 28 23 1   Soc 2
Doncaster MC Lab mayor 9 29 12   13
Dudley LC Con 39 28 5    
Gateshead LC Lab   42 23   Lib 1
Kirklees LC Con (minority) 20 22 18 4 BNP 3, Ind 2
Knowsley LC Lab   50 13    
Leeds LC LD/Con/Grn 22 43 24 3 Ind 6, BNP 1
Liverpool LC LDm   36 50 1 Lib 3
Manchester LC Lab 1 61 33 1  
Newcastle upon Tyne LC LDm   32 46    
North Tyneside MC Lab mayor 28 23 9    
Oldham LC Lab (minority) 3 30 26   1
Rochdale LC LDm 8 20 32    
Rotherham LC Lab 7 54     2
St Helens LC LD + Con 6 21 20   1
Salford LC Lab 10 42 8    
Sandwell LC Lab 11 53 5   BNP 3
Sefton LC All party (3) 19 21 26    
Sheffield LC Lab (minority) 1 41 39 2 1
Solihull LC Con (minority) 24 7 18   BNP 1, Ind 1
South Tyneside LC Lab 3 35 3   13
Stockport LC LDm 9 15 36   3
Sunderland LC Lab 17 53 1   4
Tameside LC Lab 8 45 1   3
Trafford LC Con 39 20 4    
Wakefield LC Lab 16 40 3   4
Walsall LC Con 33 18 6   3
Wigan LC Lab 10 46 6   13
Wirral LC Lab + LD 21 25 20    
Wolverhampton LC Lab 18 36 3   Ind 2, Lib 1
Metropolitan Totals  554 1182 575 14 120

District Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Adur AA Con 26   1   2
Allerdale LC Con/Ind/LD 19 21 4   12
Alnwick AA LD/Con/Ind 9 2 11   8
Amber Valley LC Con 28 17      
Arun LC Con 42 3 9   2
Ashfield LC LD (minority) 3 9 11   10
Ashford LC Con 28 2 8   5
Aylesbury Vale LC Con 37   21   1
Babergh AA Con/LD/Ind 19   16   8
Barrow-in-Furness AA All Party (3) 19 16     3
Basildon LC Con 28 11 3    
Basingstoke & Deane LC   30 11 16   3
Bassetlaw LC Con 27 16     5
Bedford MC Ind mayor 19 12 16   7
Berwick-upon-Tweed AA   10 1 13   5
Blaby LC Con 27 4 7   1
Blyth Valley LC Lab 2 32 13   3
Bolsover LC Lab   27     Ind 7, RA 2, Resp 1
Boston LC Ind 5       27
Braintree LC Con 42 9 1 2 RA 5, Ind 1
Breckland LC Con 48 3     3
Brentwood AA Con 28 3 6    
Bridgnorth AA Con/Ind/LD 13 1 3   17
Broadland LC Con 35   9   3
Bromsgrove LC Con 27 6     Ind 4, RA 2
Broxbourne AA Con 36 2      
Broxtowe LC LD + Lab 16 10 15   Ind 2, BNP 1
Burnley LC LD + Con 6 17 18   BNP 4
Cambridge LC LDm   13 28   1
Cannock Chase LC LD + Con 10 17 14    
Canterbury LC Con 29 2 19    
Caradon LC LDm 9   23   MK 1, Ind 9
Carlisle LC Con + LD 19 25 7   1
Carrick LC Con/LD/Ind 19 1 18   UKIP 1, Ind 8
Castle Morpeth AA Con/Lab/Green/Ind 12 6 12 1 2
Castle Point AA Con 25 1     15
Charnwood LC Con 32 13 5   BNP 1, Ind 1
Chelmsford LC Con 31   26    
Cheltenham LC Con (minority) 17 1 17   5
Cherwell LC Con 42 4 4    
Chester LC Con 33 13 13   1
Chester-le-Street LC Lab 2 26 1   5
Chesterfield LC LDm   10 38    
Chichester LC Con 34   11   3
Chiltern LC Con 30   9   1
Chorley LC Con 25 15 3   4
Christchurch AA Con 17   4   3
Colchester LC Con 32 6 19   3
Congleton LC Con 26   14   8
Copeland LC Lab 19 31     1
Corby AA Lab 8 16 5    
Cotswold AA Con 37   5   2
Craven AA   13   6   11
Crawley LC Con 22 12 3    
Crewe & Nantwich LC Con + Ind 28 17 6   5
Dacorum LC Con 44 2 5    
Dartford LC Con 26 12     RA 6
Daventry AA Con 35 1 2    
Derbyshire Dales AA Con 27 3 8   1
Derwentside LC Lab   29 2   24
Dover LC Con 28 15 2    
Durham LC LDm   17 30   3
Easington LC Lab   47 2   2
East Cambridgeshire AA Con 24   13   2
East Devon LC Con 43   10   6
East Dorset AA Con 25   11    
East Hampshire LC Con 30   14    
East Hertfordshire LC Con 43   4   3
East Lindsey LC Con + Ind 27 8 3 1 21
East Northamptonshire AA Con 39       1
East Staffordshire LC Con 25 12 2    
Eastbourne LC LDm 7   20    
Eastleigh LC LDm 5 2 37    
Eden AA Ind 13   5   20
Ellesmere Port & Neston AA Lab 17 24 2    
Elmbridge LC Con (minority) 28   8   RA 21, Ind 3
Epping Forest LC Con 32 1 11   BNP 6, RA 5, Ind 3
Epsom & Ewell AA Ind 2   11   RA 25
Erewash LC Con 30 18 2   1
Exeter LC Lab (minority) 10 14 12   Lib 4
Fareham LC Con 22   9    
Fenland LC Con 39       1
Forest Heath AA Con 21   3   3
Forest of Dean LC Con 30 8 2   8
Fylde AA Con 27   2   Ind 18, RA 4
Gedling LC Con 28 9 9   4
Gloucester LC Con (minority) 15 9 12    
Gosport AA Con (minority) 17 7 9   1
Gravesham LC Con 28 16      
Great Yarmouth LC Con 22 17      
Guildford LC Con 27   21    
Hambleton LC Con 39   2   3
Harborough LC Con 26   11    
Harlow AA Lab + LD 13 11 8   1
Harrogate LC Con (minority) 25   23   6
Hart LC LD + Ind 15   12   RA 6, Ind 2
Hastings LC All Party (3) 15 12 5    
Havant LC Con 31 4 3    
Hertsmere LC Con 28 4 7    
High Peak LC Con 24 9 6   4
Hinckley & Bosworth LC LDm 13 2 19    
Horsham LC Con 30   12   2
Huntingdonshire LC Con 39   11   2
Hyndburn LC Con 18 15     2
Ipswich LC Con + LD 20 18 9   1
Kennet AA Con 34   1   Ind 7, UKIP 1
Kerrier LC Ind 6 2 11   Ind 21, MK 3, Lib 1
Kettering LC Con 28 6     2
King's Lynn & W. Norfolk LC Con 52 4 4   2
Lancaster LC Lab/Con/Grn/Ind/LD 12 14 5 12 17
Lewes LC LDm 17   23   1
Lichfield LC Con 44 7 4   1
Lincoln LC Con 17 15 1    
Macclesfield LC Con 38 6 12   RA 2, Ind 2
Maidstone LC LD + Ind 27 3 21   4
Maldon LC Con 26       5
Malvern Hills LC Con 29   5 1 3
Mansfield MC Ind 1 13 4   28
Melton AA Con 20 3     5
Mendip LC Con 25   22    
Mid Bedfordshire LC Con 38   11 1 3
Mid Devon AA   18   10   14
Mid Suffolk LC Con 22   10 2 6
Mid Sussex LC Con 31 1 22    
Mole Valley AA Con 22   16   3
New Forest LC Con 44   14   2
Newark & Sherwood LC Con 26 6 4   10
Newcastle-under-Lyme LC Con + LD 20 20 18   UKIP 2
North Cornwall AA Ind (minority) 6   14   Ind 15, MK 1
North Devon LC Con 22   17   4
North Dorset LC Con 17   13   3
North East Derbyshire LC Lab 10 28 8   7
North Hertfordshire LC Con 30 10 9    
North Kesteven LC Con 25   4   14
North Norfolk LC LDm 16   30   2
North Shropshire AA Con 26 2 1   11
North Warwickshire AA Con 21 14      
North West Leicestershire LC Con 27 5 3   BNP 2, Ind 1
North Wiltshire LC Con 40 1 13    
Northampton LC LDm 15 5 26   1
Norwich LC Lab (minority) 3 15 11 10  
Nuneaton & Bedworth LC Lab 14 20      
Oadby & Wigston AA LDm 5   21    
Oswestry LC Con 17   4   8
Oxford LC LD/Lab/Grn 2 18 16 8 4
Pendle LC LDm 14 6 28   BNP 1
Penwith AA   17 1 12   5
Preston LC Con (minority) 20 24 10   Resp 2, Ind 1
Purbeck AA Con 13   9   2
Redditch LC Lab/Con/LD 11 14 3   BNP 1
Reigate & Banstead LC Con 42 1 2   RA 6
Restormel LC LD + Ind 10   20   Ind 13, MK 2
Ribble Valley AA Con 29   10   1
Richmondshire AA Con (minority) 13   6   15
Rochford AA Con 32   5   RA 1, Ind 1
Rossendale AA Con 19 14 2   1
Rother LC Con 28   8   2
Rugby LC Con 27 11 10    
Runnymede AA Con 36       RA 6
Rushcliffe LC Con 34 2 11 2 1
Rushmoor LC Con 28 6 7   1
Ryedale AA   12   7   Ind 7, Lib 2, RA 2
St Albans LC LD (minority) 19 8 29   2
St Edmundsbury LC Con 36 3 3   3
Salisbury LC LD + Lab 22 10 19   4
Scarborough LC Con (minority) 23 4 6 2 15
Sedgefield LC Lab 1 28 6   15
Sedgemoor LC Con 35 11 4    
Selby AA Con 29 9     3
Sevenoaks LC Con 41 5 7   1
Shepway LC Con 34   10   2
Shrewsbury & Atcham LC Con 22 10 5   3
South Bedfordshire LC Con 34 4 12    
South Bucks LC Con 36   2   2
South Cambridgeshire LC Con 31 1 15   10
South Derbyshire AA Con 20 15     1
South Hams LC Con 28   9   3
South Holland LC Con 26       11
South Kesteven LC Con 35 2 6   15
South Lakeland LC LDm 15 2 34   1
South Norfolk LC Con 39   7    
South Northamptonshire LC Con 35 1     6
South Oxfordshire LC Con 38 1 6   Ind 2, RA 1
South Ribble LC Con 44 8 1   2
South Shropshire LC Con 18   11 1 4
South Somerset LC LDm 17   38   5
South Staffordshire LC Con 42 1 1   5
Spelthorne LC Con 31   8    
Stafford LC Con 40 13 4   2
Staffordshire Moorlands LC Con 29 5 6   Ind 11, RA 3, BNP 1, UKIP 1
Stevenage LC Lab 3 32 4    
Stratford-on-Avon LC Con 37   14   2
Stroud LC Con 31 9 4 5 2
Suffolk Coastal LC Con 45 1 9    
Surrey Heath LC Con 30 2 7   1
Swale LC Con 26 10 6   5
Tamworth LC Con 22 6     2
Tandridge AA Con 30 1 10   1
Taunton Deane LC LD (minority) 25 1 26   4
Teesdale AA Ind 4 6     22
Teignbridge LC LD + Ind 19   21   6
Tendring LC Ind + Lab + LD 28 6 6   Ind 18, RA 2
Test Valley LC Con 33   15    
Tewkesbury AA   19   17   2
Thanet LC Con 33 19     4
Three Rivers LC LDm 11 6 31    
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con 46   7    
Torridge AA   13   8 2 13
Tunbridge Wells LC Con 41   7    
Tynedale AA Con 30 8 11   3
Uttlesford AA Con 26   15   3
Vale of White Horse LC LDm 18   33    
Vale Royal LC Con 29 17 11    
Wansbeck LC Lab   26 16   3
Warwick LC Con 24 9 9   4
Watford MC LDm 3 2 28 3  
Waveney LC Con 30 12 3 1 2
Waverley LC Con 51   3   3
Wealden LC Con 34   12 2 7
Wear Valley AA     19 16   5
Wellingborough AA Con 30 4     2
Welwyn Hatfield LC Con 35 10 3    
West Devon AA Con + Ind 13   8   10
West Dorset LC Con 26   16   6
West Lancashire LC Con 33 21      
West Lindsey AA LDm 16   20   1
West Oxfordshire LC Con 35 1 8   4
West Somerset LC Ind 13 1 1   16
West Wiltshire LC Con 26   14   4
Weymouth & Portland AA   14 6 11   5
Winchester LC Con 29 1 23   4
Woking LC Con 19   17    
Worcester LC   17 13 3   2
Worthing LC Con 24   12   1
Wychavon LC Con 35   10    
Wycombe LC Con 49 5 4   2
Wyre LC Con 45 9 1    
Wyre Forest LC Con (minority) 18 3 2   KHHC 10, Lib 7, Ind 2
District Totals  5688 1514 2231 56 1086

Scottish Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green    SNP   Others 
Aberdeen   4 10 15   13 1
Aberdeenshire   14   24   22 8
Angus   5 2 3   13 6
Argyll & Bute   3   8   10 15
Clackmannanshire   1 8 1   7 1
Dumfries & Galloway   18 14 3   10 2
Dundee   3 10 2   13 1
East Ayrshire   3 14     14 1
East Dunbartonshire   5 6 3   8 2
East Lothian   2 7 6   7 1
East Renfrewshire   7 7 1   3 2
Edinburgh   11 15 17 3 12  
Eilean Siar Ind   2     4 25
Falkirk   2 14     13 3
Fife   5 24 21   23 5
Glasgow Lab 1 46 5 5 22  
Highland     7 21   17 35
Inverclyde   1 9 4   5 1
Midlothian     9 3   6  
Moray   3 2     10 11
North Ayrshire   3 12 2   8 5
North Lanarkshire Lab 1 40 1   23 5
Orkney Ind           21
Perth & Kinross   12 3 8   18  
Renfrewshire   2 17 4   17  
Scottish Borders   11   10   6 7
Shetland Ind           22
South Ayrshire   12 9     8 1
South Lanarkshire   8 31 2   23 3
Stirling   4 8 3   7  
West Dunbartonshire     10     9 Ind 2, SSP 1
West Lothian   1 14     13 4
Scotland Totals  142 350 167 8 364 191

Welsh Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Plaid  Others 
Blaenau Gwent Lab   28 2     12
Bridgend LD/Con/Ind/PC 8 22 13   1 10
Caerphilly Lab   40     26 7
Cardiff LD (minority) 12 27 32   4  
Carmarthenshire Ind + Lab 1 25     16 32
Ceredigion Ind/LD/Lab   1 9   16 16
Conwy Ind/Con/PlC/LD 14 12 5   11 17
Denbighshire Ind/Con/PlC 7 8 2   7 23
Flintshire Lab 4 36 10   1 19
Gwynedd Plaid   10 7   42 16
Isle of Anglesey Ind 2 1 1   7 29
Merthyr Tydfil Lab   17       16
Monmouthshire Con 24 9 3   2 5
Neath Port Talbot Lab   36 2   10 RA 9, Ind 7
Newport Lab 11 31 6   1 1
Pembrokeshire Ind 1 12 2   5 40
Powys Ind   4 17     52
Rhondda Cynon Taff Lab   56 2   13 4
Swansea LD/Ind/Con 5 32 18   5 12
Torfaen Lab 1 34 2     7
Vale of Glamorgan Lab/PlC 20 16     8 3
Wrexham All party 4 20 10     18
Wales Totals  114 477 143 0 175 355

England, Scotland & Wales Totals

 Con   Labour  LibDem  Green    SNP   Plaid  Others 
  9453 5464 4409 118 364 175 2061
Others comprise: Ind 1803, RA 135, BNP 48, Lib 27, Resp 15, KHHC 11, UKIP 7, MK 7, Soc 4, CPA 3, SSP 1