Local Council Political Compositions

This page shows the composition of councils before the elections of May 2010. 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 © 10/04/2010

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

Parties shown in the Others column:
BNP = British National Pty, CPA = Christian Peoples Alliance, ED = English Democrats, EFP = England First Pty, ICHC = Independent Community & Health Concern, Lib = Liberal Pty, MK = Mebyon Kernow, PV = People's Voice, RA = Residents Assns, Resp = RESPECT, SDP = Social Democratic Pty, Soc = Socialist, SSP = Scottish Socialist Pty, UKIP = UK Independence Pty. If not marked, they are "Ind", i.e. Independents and very local "parties"

County Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Buckinghamshire LC Con 46   11    
Cambridgeshire LC Con 42 2 23 1 UKIP 1
Cumbria LC Con + Lab + Ind 38 24 16   6
Derbyshire LC Con 33 22 8   1
Devon LC Con 41 4 14 1 2
Dorset LC Con 28   16   1
East Sussex LC Con 29 4 13   3
Essex LC Con 60 1 12   2
Gloucestershire LC Con 42 4 13 1 3
Hampshire LC Con 51 1 25   1
Hertfordshire LC Con 55 3 17 1 BNP 1
Kent LC Con 74 2 7   1
Lancashire LC Con 51 16 10 2 BNP 1, Ind 4
Leicestershire LC Con 36 4 14   BNP 1
Lincolnshire LC Con 60 4 5   8
Norfolk LC Con 60 3 13 7 UKIP 1
North Yorkshire LC Con 48 1 11   Lib 1, Ind 11
Northamptonshire LC Con 56 6 9   2
Nottinghamshire LC Con 35 14 9   UKIP 1, Ind 8
Oxfordshire LC Con 52 9 10 2 1
Somerset LC Con 35 2 21    
Staffordshire LC Con 49 3 4   UKIP 4, Ind 2
Suffolk LC Con 55 4 11 2 UKIP 1, Ind 2
Surrey LC Con 56 1 13   RA 9, Ind 1
Warwickshire LC Con 38 10 13   1
West Sussex LC Con 48 2 21    
Worcestershire LC Con 41 3 8   ICHC 2, Lib 1, Ind 2
County Totals  1259 149 347 17 86

Unitary Authorities

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC Con (minority) 31 5 26   3
Bedford MC LD Mayor 9 7 13   7
Blackburn with Darwen LC All Party (4) 18 28 10   Ind 7, ED 1
Blackpool LC Con 27 12 3    
Bournemouth LC Con 41 3 7   3
Bracknell Forest LC Con 39 3      
Brighton & Hove LC Con (minority) 25 13 2 13 1
Bristol LC LDm 17 16 36 1  
Central Bedfordshire LC Con 54   11   1
Cheshire East LC Con 59 6 12   4
Cheshire West & Chester LC Con 53 13 4   2
Cornwall LC Con + Ind 50   38   Ind 32, MK 3
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   Ind 4, SDP 1
Halton LC Lab 9 33 14    
Hartlepool MC Ind mayor 5 23 6   Ind 11, UKIP 2
Herefordshire LC Con 30 2 10 1 15
Hull LC LDm 2 20 34   3
Isle of Wight LC Con 24 1 5   10
Leicester LC Lab 8 39 6 1  
Luton LC Lab 5 26 17    
Medway LC Con 33 10 8   4
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 41 2 3   Ind 9, ED 2
Plymouth LC Con 37 20      
Poole LC Con 25   17    
Portsmouth LC LDm 17 2 23    
Reading LC Lab (minority) 18 19 8   1
Redcar & Cleveland LC Lab/Ind (minority) 11 27 16   5
Rutland LC Con 18   2   6
Shropshire LC Con 54 7 11   2
Slough LC Lab 6 23 3   Ind 6, Lib 3
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 LC Lab/Con/LD/Ind 6 14 5   Ind 25, BNP 9
Swindon LC Con 43 12 3   1
Telford & Wrekin LC Con (minority) 27 17 2   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 61 2 24   11
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  1401 757 682 19 283

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 24 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 1 31 25    
Harrow LC Con 37 24 2    
Havering LC Con 33 2 1   RA 13, 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 8 1    
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     CPA 3, Ind 2, Resp 1
Redbridge LC Con (minority) 30 15 13   Ind 4, BNP 1
Richmond upon Thames LC LDm 18   36    
Southwark LC LD + Con 6 27 28 1  
Sutton LC LDm 20   32   UKIP 1, Ind 1
Tower Hamlets LC Lab 8 33 4   Resp 6
Waltham Forest LC Lab + LD 15 25 20    
Wandsworth LC Con 51 9      
Westminster LC Con 49 11      
London Totals  783 673 324 13 67

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) 21 8 15   Ind 5, BNP 1, ED 1
Coventry LC Con (CV) 27 24 1   Soc 2
Doncaster MC Eng. Dem. Mayor 9 28 12   14
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   48 15    
Leeds LC Con + LD 23 43 23 3 Ind 6, BNP 1
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 1, EFP 1, 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 13 34   RA 3, Ind 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 11 41 4   19
Wirral LC Lab + LD 24 21 20   1
Wolverhampton LC Con (minority) 27 28 5    
Metropolitan Totals  621 1091 581 16 136

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) 2 9 13   9
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 Con (minority) 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 33   12   2
Bromsgrove LC Con 27 6     Ind 4, RA 2
Broxbourne AA Con 35 3      
Broxtowe LC LD + Lab 17 9 15   3
Burnley LC LDm 6 12 23   BNP 4
Cambridge LC LDm 1 11 28 1 1
Cannock Chase LC LD + Con 9 14 18    
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 27 15 3   2
Christchurch AA Con 17   4   3
Colchester LC LD/Lab/Ind 27 7 23   3
Copeland LC Lab 18 30     3
Corby AA Lab 8 16 5    
Cotswold AA Con 37   5   2
Craven AA Con 15   5   10
Crawley LC Con 26 10 1    
Dacorum LC Con 44 2 5    
Dartford LC Con 26 12     RA 6
Daventry AA Con 35 1 2    
Derbyshire Dales AA Con 26 4 8   1
Dover LC Con 28 15 2    
East Cambridgeshire AA Con 24   13   2
East Devon LC Con 43   11   5
East Dorset AA Con 25   11    
East Hampshire LC Con 30   14    
East Herts LC Con 41   5   4
East Lindsey LC Con + Ind 28 8 3 1 20
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   13   6   19
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 29 8 3   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 27 17      
Great Yarmouth LC Con 24 15      
Guildford LC Con 27   21    
Hambleton LC Con 39   2   3
Harborough LC Con 25   12    
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 23 9 7   4
Hinckley & Bosworth LC LDm 13 2 19    
Horsham LC Con 30   12   2
Huntingdonshire LC Con 36   12   4
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 28   6 1 3
Mansfield MC Ind 1 15 4   Ind 23, UKIP 1
Melton AA Con 20 3     5
Mendip LC Con 25   22    
Mid Devon AA   19   9   14
Mid Suffolk LC Con 21   10 3 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 24 12 19   UKIP 5
North Devon LC Con 22   17   4
North Dorset LC Con 17   13   3
North East Derbyshire LC Lab 10 29 8   6
North Hertfordshire LC Con 32 8 9    
North Kesteven LC Con 25   4   14
North Norfolk LC LDm 16   31   1
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 15     BNP 1
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) 22 24 8   3
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 3 10 2 1
Rushmoor LC Con 29 5 8    
Ryedale AA   12   6   Ind 7, Lib 3, RA 2
St Albans LC LDm 22 5 30   1
St Edmundsbury LC Con 36 3 3   3
Scarborough LC Con (minority) 22 4 5 3 16
Sedgemoor LC Con 35 11 4    
Selby AA Con 30 9     2
Sevenoaks LC Con 41 4 7   BNP 1, Ind 1
Shepway LC Con 38   6   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 27   10   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 43 9 1   UKIP 1, Ind 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 7 6   Ind 17, RA 2
Test Valley LC Con 33   15    
Tewkesbury AA   19   16   3
Thanet LC Con 32 20     4
Three Rivers LC LDm 12 4 31   BNP 1
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con 46   7    
Torridge AA   14   5   Lib 4, Ind 13
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 4 3 26 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 12   9   10
West Dorset LC Con 26   16   6
West Lancashire LC Con 35 18     1
West Lindsey AA Con 22   14   1
West Oxfordshire LC Con 40 1 6   2
West Somerset LC Ind 13 1 1   16
Weymouth & Portland AA   15 5 12   4
Winchester LC Con 29 1 24   3
Woking LC   18   17   1
Worcester LC Con (minority) 17 13 3   2
Worthing LC Con 25   12    
Wychavon LC Con 34   11    
Wycombe LC Con 49 4 5   2
Wyre LC Con 45 9 1    
Wyre Forest LC   20 3 2   ICHC 10, Lib 5, Ind 2
District Totals  5145 1076 1826 57 813

Scottish Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green    SNP   Others 
Aberdeen LD + SNP 4 10 15   13 1
Aberdeenshire LD + Con 13   23 2 22 8
Angus Ind/Con/LD/Lab 5 2 3   13 6
Argyll & Bute Ind + SNP 3   8   10 15
Clackmannanshire Lab (minority) 1 8 1   7 1
Dumfries & Galloway Con + LD (minority) 18 14 3   10 2
Dundee SNP (minority) 3 9 2   14 1
East Ayrshire SNP (minority) 3 15     14  
East Dunbartonshire Lab + Con (minority) 4 6 4   8 2
East Lothian SNP + LD 2 7 6   7 1
East Renfrewshire Lab/SNP/Ind/LD 7 7 1   3 2
Edinburgh LD + SNP 11 15 17 3 12  
Eilean Siar Ind   2     4 25
Falkirk Lab + Con + Ind 2 14     13 3
Fife SNP + LD 5 24 21   23 5
Glasgow Lab 1 47 5 5 21  
Highland Ind + LD + Lab   7 22   17 34
Inverclyde Lab (minority) 1 9 4   5 1
Midlothian Lab   9 3   6  
Moray Ind + Con 3 2     10 11
North Ayrshire Lab (minority) 3 12 2   8 5
North Lanarkshire Lab 1 41 1   22 5
Orkney Ind           21
Perth & Kinross SNP + LD 12 3 8   18  
Renfrewshire SNP + LD 2 17 4   17  
Scottish Borders Con + LD + Ind 11   10   6 7
Shetland Ind           22
South Ayrshire Con (minority) 12 6     8 4
South Lanarkshire Lab + Con 8 32 2   22 3
Stirling SNP (minority) 4 8 3   7  
West Dunbartonshire SNP + Ind   10     9 Ind 2, SSP 1
West Lothian SNP + Other 1 14     13 4
Scotland Totals  140 350 168 10 362 192

Welsh Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Plaid  Others 
Blaenau Gwent Ind   15 2     PV 5, Ind 20
Bridgend Lab (minority) 6 27 5   1 14
Caerphilly Plaid + Ind   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     UKIP 2, Ind 17
Monmouthshire Con 28 6 5   1 3
Neath Port Talbot Lab   37 4   11 SDP 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 Lab (minority) 5 18 2   3 PV 3, Ind 13
Vale of Glamorgan Con 25 13     6 3
Wrexham   5 11 12   4 20
Wales Totals  173 346 155 0 207 382

England, Scotland & Wales Totals

 Con   Labour  LibDem  Green    SNP   Plaid  Others 
  9522 4442 4083 132 362 207 1959
Others comprise: Ind 1684, RA 118, BNP 57, Lib 25, UKIP 23, ICHC 12, Resp 11, PV 8, ED 4, SDP 4, Soc 4, MK 3, CPA 3, EFP 1, SSP 1