Local Council Political Compositions

This page shows the composition of councils before the elections of June 2009 (aligned with European elections). 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 © 30/04/2009

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, 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 
Buckinghamshire LC Con 44 2 11    
Cambridgeshire LC Con 42 4 23    
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
East Sussex LC Con 29 5 14   1
Essex LC Con 52 13 8   RA 1, Ind 1
Gloucestershire LC Con 33 13 14   3
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 43 7 17   5
Northamptonshire LC Con 45 20 8    
Nottinghamshire LC Lab 26 36 5    
Oxfordshire LC Con 44 9 15 5 1
Somerset LC LDm 24 4 30    
Staffordshire LC Lab 28 32 2    
Suffolk LC Con 44 21 9   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    
Worcestershire LC Con 30 16 8   Lib 2, KHHC 1
County Totals  1012 440 360 9 36

Unitary Authorities

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC Con (minority) 31 5 26   3
Bedford MC Ind mayor 19 12 16   7
Blackburn with Darwen LC All Party (4) 18 27 11   8
Blackpool LC Con 27 12 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 24 32 1  
Central Bedfordshire LC Con 88 5 24   4
Cheshire East LC Con 59 6 12   4
Cheshire West & Chester LC Con 53 13 4   2
Cornwall LC LDm 9 5 48   Ind 19, Lib 1
Darlington LC Lab 18 29 6    
Derby LC Lib Dem (minority) 15 16 19   1
Durham LC Lab 10 67 27   22
East Riding of Yorkshire LC Con 47 3 12   5
Halton LC Lab 9 33 14    
Hartlepool MC Ind mayor 5 23 6   UKIP 2, Ind 11
Herefordshire LC Con 30 2 10 1 15
Hull LC LDm 3 19 33   4
Isle of Wight LC Con 34 2 6   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 Lib Dem (minority) 20 10 21    
North East Lincolnshire LC LD + Con 16 4 20   2
North Lincolnshire LC Lab 19 22 1   1
North Somerset LC Con 46 3 5 1 6
Northumberland LC LD (minority) 17 17 26   7
Nottingham LC Lab 7 42 6    
Peterborough LC Con 43 2 3   Lib 3, Ind 6
Plymouth LC Con 37 20      
Poole LC Con 25   17    
Portsmouth LC LDm 17 2 23    
Reading LC Lab (minority) 18 20 8    
Redcar & Cleveland LC Lab + Ind 11 26 15   7
Rutland LC Con 18   2   6
Shropshire LC Con 26 9 13    
Slough LC Lab 6 23 3   Lib 3, Ind 6
South Gloucestershire LC Con (minority) 33 9 28    
Southampton LC Con 26 14 8    
Southend-on-Sea LC Con 27 6 12   6
Stockton-on-Tees LC Lab + Con 13 22 8   13
Stoke-on-Trent MM Ind 6 16 6   BNP 9, Ind 23
Swindon LC Con 43 12 3   1
Telford & Wrekin LC Con (minority) 25 18 3   8
Thurrock LC Con (minority) 24 22     BNP 1, Ind 2
Torbay MC Con 24   9   3
Warrington LC LD + Con 7 22 28    
West Berkshire LC Con 36   16    
Wiltshire LC Con 29 3 15   2
Windsor & Maidenhead LC Con 36   16   Ind 3, RA 2
Wokingham LC Con 44   10    
York LC LD (minority) 7 18 20 2  
Unitary Totals  1352 787 699 19 250

London Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Barking & Dagenham LC Lab 2 37     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 12 15 23 3  
Croydon LC Con 44 26      
Ealing LC Con 43 23 3    
Enfield LC Con 33 28     2
Greenwich LC Lab 13 36 2    
Hackney MC Lab 9 44 3 1  
Hammersmith & Fulham LC Con 33 13      
Haringey LC Lab   32 25    
Harrow LC Con 37 24 2    
Havering LC Con 34 2 1   RA 12, Ind 4, 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) 29 27     4
Newham MC Lab   54     Resp 3, CPA 3
Redbridge LC Con 34 17 11   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 28 5   Resp 7, Ind 3
Waltham Forest LC Lab + LD 15 25 20    
Wandsworth LC Con 51 9      
Westminster LC Con 49 11      
London Totals  789 674 320 13 64

Metropolitan Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Barnsley LC Lab 6 32 1   24
Birmingham LC Con + LD 49 36 32   Resp 3
Bolton LC Lab (minority) 23 27 9   1
Bradford LC Con (minority) 35 36 14 3 BNP 2
Bury LC Con 26 16 9    
Calderdale LC Con (minority) 20 9 17   BNP 1, Ind 4
Coventry LC Con (CV) 27 24 1   Soc 2
Doncaster MC Lab Mayor 9 27 12   15
Dudley LC Con 43 26 2   UKIP 1
Gateshead LC Lab   41 24   Lib 1
Kirklees LC Lab + LD 22 22 19 4 BNP 1, Ind 1
Knowsley LC Lab   47 16    
Leeds LC Con + LD 23 42 24 3 BNP 1, Ind 6
Liverpool LC LDm   39 46 2 Lib 3
Manchester LC Lab 1 61 34    
Newcastle upon Tyne LC LDm   28 50    
North Tyneside MC Con 31 21 8    
Oldham LC LD (minority) 7 22 30   1
Rochdale LC LDm 8 19 33    
Rotherham LC Lab 10 50     BNP 2, Ind 1
St Helens LC LD + Con 6 23 19    
Salford LC Lab 13 36 10   1
Sandwell LC Lab 14 49 5   BNP 2, Ind 2
Sefton LC All Party (3) 18 21 27    
Sheffield LC LDm   36 45 3  
Solihull LC Con 26 5 18 1 BNP 1
South Tyneside LC Lab 3 31 3   17
Stockport LC LDm 10 14 36   RA 3
Sunderland LC Lab 22 48 1   4
Tameside LC Lab 10 44     3
Trafford LC Con 39 19 5    
Wakefield LC Lab 23 32 2   6
Walsall LC Con 34 17 6   3
Wigan LC Lab 14 42 4   15
Wirral LC Lab + LD 24 21 20   1
Wolverhampton LC Con (minority) 27 28 5    
Metropolitan Totals  623 1091 587 16 128

District Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Adur AA Con 26   1   2
Allerdale LC Con/Ind/LD 18 22 4   12
Amber Valley LC Con 29 14     BNP 2
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   17 8 1   10
Basildon LC Con 29 10 3    
Basingstoke & Deane LC Con 33 9 14   4
Bassetlaw LC Con 30 16     2
Blaby LC Con 27 4 7   1
Bolsover LC Lab   27     Ind 7, RA 2, Resp 1
Boston LC Ind 6       BNP 1, Ind 25
Braintree LC Con 42 9 1 2 RA 5, Ind 1
Breckland LC Con 48 3     3
Brentwood AA Con 28 2 6   1
Broadland LC Con 34   10   3
Bromsgrove LC Con 27 6     Ind 4, RA 2
Broxbourne AA Con 35 3      
Broxtowe LC LD + Lab 16 10 15   Ind 2, BNP 1
Burnley LC LDm 6 12 23   BNP 4
Cambridge LC LDm 1 11 28 1 1
Cannock Chase LC LD + Con 12 15 14    
Canterbury LC Con 29 2 19    
Carlisle LC Con + LD 21 23 7   1
Castle Point AA Con 25 1     15
Charnwood LC Con 32 13 5   BNP 1, Ind 1
Chelmsford LC Con 31   26    
Cheltenham LC LD (minority) 17   20   3
Cherwell LC Con 44 2 4    
Chesterfield LC LDm   10 38    
Chichester LC Con 34   11   3
Chiltern LC Con 30   9   1
Chorley LC Con 28 14 3   2
Christchurch AA Con 17   4   3
Colchester LC LD/Lab/Ind 27 7 23   3
Copeland LC Lab 19 31     1
Corby AA Lab 8 16 5    
Cotswold AA Con 37   5   2
Craven AA   15   5   10
Crawley LC Con 26 9 2    
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
Dover LC Con 28 15 2    
East Cambridgeshire AA Con 24   13   2
East Devon LC Con 42   11   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 4 2 38    
Eden AA Ind 13   5   20
Elmbridge LC Con 32   7   RA 21
Epping Forest LC Con 33 1 9   RA 6, BNP 4, Ind 5
Epsom & Ewell AA Ind 3 1 10   RA 24
Erewash LC Con 29 19 2   1
Exeter LC LD (minority) 12 11 13   Lib 4
Fareham LC Con 22   9    
Fenland LC Con 39       1
Forest Heath AA Con 20   4   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) 17 8 11    
Gosport AA   16 4 14    
Gravesham LC Con 28 16      
Great Yarmouth LC Con 24 15      
Guildford LC Con 27   21    
Hambleton LC Con 39   2   3
Harborough LC Con 26   11    
Harlow AA Con 18 6 9    
Harrogate LC Con 28   20   6
Hart LC Con + Ind 17   10   8
Hastings LC Con (minority) 15 13 3   1
Havant LC Con 32 3 3    
Hertsmere LC Con 31 3 5    
High Peak LC Con 24 9 6   4
Hinckley & Bosworth LC LDm 13 2 19    
Horsham LC Con 30   12   2
Huntingdonshire LC Con 38   12   2
Hyndburn LC Con 19 13     3
Ipswich LC Con + LD 19 21 8    
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 18 14 1    
Maidstone LC Con 29 1 20   5
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 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 45   14   1
Newark & Sherwood LC Con 26 7 4   9
Newcastle-under-Lyme LC Con + LD 25 12 19   UKIP 4
North Devon LC Con 22   17   4
North Dorset LC Con 17   13   3
North East Derbyshire LC Lab 10 28 9   6
North Hertfordshire LC Con 32 8 9    
North Kesteven LC Con 25   4   14
North Norfolk LC LDm 16   30   2
North Warwickshire AA Con 20 15      
North West Leicestershire LC Con 27 5 3   BNP 2, Ind 1
Northampton LC LDm 15 5 26   1
Norwich LC Lab (minority) 5 15 6 13  
Nuneaton & Bedworth LC Con 18 14     BNP 2
Oadby & Wigston AA LDm 5   21    
Oxford LC Lab (minority)   23 16 7 2
Pendle LC   16 10 20   BNP 2, Ind 1
Preston LC Con (minority) 21 24 9   Resp 1, Ind 2
Purbeck AA   11   11   2
Redditch LC Con 15 10 3   BNP 1
Reigate & Banstead LC Con 39 1 3   RA 6, Ind 2
Ribble Valley AA Con 30   9   1
Richmondshire AA Con (minority) 13   6   15
Rochford AA Con 33   5   RA 1
Rossendale AA Con 21 11 3   1
Rother LC Con 28   8   2
Rugby LC Con 28 11 9    
Runnymede AA Con 36       RA 6
Rushcliffe LC Con 34 2 11 2 1
Rushmoor LC Con 29 5 8    
Ryedale AA   12   7   Ind 7, Lib 2, RA 2
St Albans LC LDm 22 5 30   1
St Edmundsbury LC Con 36 3 3   3
Scarborough LC Con (minority) 23 4 6 2 15
Sedgemoor LC Con 35 11 4    
Selby AA Con 29 9     3
Sevenoaks LC Con 41 4 7   BNP 1, Ind 1
Shepway LC Con 39   5   2
South Bucks LC Con 36   2   2
South Cambridgeshire LC Con 31 1 16   9
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 14 1 36    
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 45 8 1   1
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 5 30 3   UKIP 1
Stratford-on-Avon LC Con 32   19   2
Stroud LC Con 31 7 5 6 2
Suffolk Coastal LC Con 45 1 9    
Surrey Heath LC Con 30 2 7   1
Swale LC Con 27 10 5   5
Tamworth LC Con 24 5     1
Tandridge AA Con 33   8   1
Taunton Deane LC LD (minority) 25 1 26   4
Teignbridge LC LD + Ind 20   20   6
Tendring LC Ind + Lab + LD 28 6 6   Ind 18, RA 2
Test Valley LC Con 33   15    
Tewkesbury AA   19   16   3
Thanet LC Con 33 19     4
Three Rivers LC LDm 12 4 31   BNP 1
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con 46   7    
Torridge AA   13   9 2 12
Tunbridge Wells LC Con 44   4    
Uttlesford AA Con 27   14   3
Vale of White Horse LC LDm 18   33    
Warwick LC Con 24 9 9   4
Watford MC LDm 3 3 27 3  
Waveney LC Con 30 12 3 1 2
Waverley LC Con 51   3   3
Wealden LC Con 33   13 2 7
Wellingborough AA Con 30 4     2
Welwyn Hatfield LC Con 39 6 3    
West Devon AA Con + Ind 13   8   10
West Dorset LC Con 26   16   6
West Lancashire LC Con 35 18     1
West Lindsey AA Con 21   15   1
West Oxfordshire LC Con 40 1 6   2
West Somerset LC Ind 13 1 1   16
Weymouth & Portland AA   16 4 12   4
Winchester LC Con 29 1 24   3
Woking LC Con 19   17    
Worcester LC Con (minority) 17 13 3   2
Worthing LC Con 25   12    
Wychavon LC Con 35   10    
Wycombe LC Con 49 4 5   2
Wyre LC Con 45 9 1    
Wyre Forest LC Con 22 2 2   KHHC 10, Lib 6
District Totals  5167 1065 1820 57 810

Scottish Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green    SNP   Others 
Aberdeen   4 10 15   13 1
Aberdeenshire   13   25   22 8
Angus   5 2 3   13 6
Argyll & Bute   3   8   10 15
Clackmannanshire   1 8 1   7 1
Dumfries & Galloway Con + Ind 18 14 3   10 2
Dundee   3 9 2   14 1
East Ayrshire Lab + Con 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 LD + SNP 11 15 17 3 12  
Eilean Siar Ind   2     4 25
Falkirk   2 14     13 3
Fife SNP + LD 5 24 21   23 5
Glasgow Lab 1 46 5 5 22  
Highland     7 22   17 34
Inverclyde   1 9 4   5 1
Midlothian Lab + LD   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 Con + Ind 11   10   6 7
Shetland Ind           22
South Ayrshire Con (minority) 12 9     8 1
South Lanarkshire Lab + Con 8 31 2   23 3
Stirling SNP + Con 4 8 3   7  
West Dunbartonshire     10     9 Ind 2, SSP 1
West Lothian SNP + Con 1 14     13 4
Scotland Totals  141 349 169 8 365 190

Welsh Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Plaid  Others 
Blaenau Gwent Ind   17 2     23
Bridgend   6 27 11   1 9
Caerphilly     32     32 9
Cardiff LD + Plaid 17 13 35   7 3
Carmarthenshire     12 1   31 30
Ceredigion     1 9   20 12
Conwy   22 7 4   12 14
Denbighshire   18 7 1   8 13
Flintshire   9 22 12   1 26
Gwynedd     3 5   35 32
Isle of Anglesey Ind 2 5 2   8 23
Merthyr Tydfil Ind   10 4     19
Monmouthshire Con 28 7 5   1 2
Neath Port Talbot Lab   37 4   11 RA 3, Ind 9
Newport Con + LD 17 22 9   1 1
Pembrokeshire Ind 5 5 2   5 43
Powys Ind 9 4 15     45
Rhondda Cynon Taff Lab 1 46 3   20 5
Swansea   4 30 23   1 14
Torfaen   5 18 2   3 16
Vale of Glamorgan Con 25 13     6 3
Wrexham   5 11 12   4 20
Wales Totals  173 349 161 0 207 374

England, Scotland & Wales Totals

 Con   Labour  LibDem  Green    SNP   Plaid  Others 
  9257 4755 4116 122 365 207 1852
Others comprise: Ind 1608, RA 119, BNP 57, Lib 25, Resp 15, KHHC 11, UKIP 9, Soc 4, CPA 3, SSP 1