Local Council Political Compositions

This page shows the composition of councils before the elections of May 2011. 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.

Keith Edkins - last updated and © 28/04/2011

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, ICHC = Independent Community & Health Concern, Lib = Liberal Pty, MK = Mebyon Kernow, PV = People's Voice, RA = Residents Assns, Resp = RESPECT, SA = Socialist Alliance, SDP = Social Democratic Pty, 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 41 5 13 1 3
Hampshire LC Con 51 1 25   1
Hertfordshire LC Con 55 3 17 1 BNP 1
Kent LC Con 73 3 7   1
Lancashire LC Con 51 17 9 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 34 15 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  1256 153 346 17 86

Unitary Authorities

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC Con (minority) 31 5 27   2
Bedford MC LD Mayor 9 7 13   7
Blackburn with Darwen LC   19 31 9   5
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 14 17 38 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 47 1 39   Ind 32, MK 4
Darlington LC Lab 18 29 6    
Derby LC Con (minority) 18 17 15   1
Durham LC Lab 10 67 27   22
East Riding of Yorkshire LC Con 46 3 13   Ind 4, SDP 1
Halton LC Lab 6 37 13    
Hartlepool MC Lab 4 24 5   UKIP 1, Ind 13
Herefordshire LC Con 30 2 10 1 15
Hull LC LDm 2 22 33   2
Isle of Wight LC Con 25 1 4   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 25 5   12
Milton Keynes LC LD (minority) 17 9 24   1
North East Lincolnshire LC LD (minority) 15 10 15   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 39 3 3   Lib 1, Ind 11
Plymouth LC Con 36 20     1
Poole LC Con 25   17    
Portsmouth LC LDm 16 2 24    
Reading LC Con + LD 17 19 9 1  
Redcar & Cleveland LC Lab/Ind 11 27 16   5
Rutland LC Con 18   2   6
Shropshire LC Con 53 7 12   2
Slough LC Lab 8 24 3   Lib 2, Ind 4
South Gloucestershire LC Con (minority) 33 9 28    
Southampton LC Con 28 15 5    
Southend-on-Sea LC Con 27 2 14   8
Stockton-on-Tees LC Lab + Con 13 22 5   16
Stoke-on-Trent LC Lab/Con/LD/Ind 8 26 4   BNP 5, Ind 17
Swindon LC Con 40 14 4   1
Telford & Wrekin LC Con (minority) 27 17 2   8
Thurrock LC Lab (minority) 23 22     BNP 1, Ind 3
Torbay MC Con 23   10   3
Warrington LC   6 28 23    
West Berkshire LC Con + LD 36   16    
Wiltshire LC Con 61 2 24   11
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  1384 793 672 19 274

London Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Barking & Dagenham LC Lab   51      
Barnet LC Con 39 21 3    
Bexley LC Con 52 11      
Brent LC Lab 6 40 17    
Bromley LC Con 53 3 4    
Camden LC Lab 10 30 10 1  
Croydon LC Con 37 33      
Ealing LC Lab 24 40 5    
Enfield LC Lab 27 36      
Greenwich LC Lab 11 40      
Hackney MC Lab 4 50 3    
Hammersmith & Fulham LC Con 31 15      
Haringey LC Lab   34 23    
Harrow LC Lab 27 34 1   1
Havering LC Con 33 5     RA 12, Ind 4
Hillingdon LC Con 46 19      
Hounslow LC Lab 25 35      
Islington LC Lab   34 14    
Kensington & Chelsea LC Con 42 9 3    
Kingston upon Thames LC LDm 21   27    
Lambeth LC Lab 4 44 15    
Lewisham MC Lab 2 39 12 1  
Merton LC Lab (minority) 27 28 2   RA 3
Newham MC Lab   60      
Redbridge LC Con + LD 30 26 7    
Richmond upon Thames LC Con 30   24    
Southwark LC Lab 3 34 25   1
Sutton LC LDm 11   43    
Tower Hamlets LC Lab 8 40 1   Resp 2
Waltham Forest LC Lab 18 37 5    
Wandsworth LC Con 47 13      
Westminster LC Con 48 12      
London Totals  716 873 244 2 23

Metropolitan Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Barnsley LC Lab 6 36 1   20
Birmingham LC Con + LD 45 41 31   Resp 3
Bolton LC Lab (minority) 22 30 8    
Bradford LC Lab (minority) 32 39 14 3 BNP 2
Bury LC Con (minority) 23 20 8    
Calderdale LC LD + Lab 21 10 17   BNP 1, Ind 2
Coventry LC Lab 22 30 1   SA 1
Doncaster MC Lab 9 33 10   11
Dudley LC Con 44 26 1   UKIP 1
Gateshead LC Lab   45 20   Lib 1
Kirklees LC Lab (minority) 19 24 20 4 2
Knowsley LC Lab   53 10    
Leeds LC Lab/Green 22 48 21 2 6
Liverpool LC Lab   49 36 2 Lib 3
Manchester LC Lab 1 62 33    
Newcastle upon Tyne LC LDm   34 42   2
North Tyneside MC   24 29 7    
Oldham LC LD/Con 5 27 27 1  
Rochdale LC LD + Con 11 22 19   8
Rotherham LC Lab 10 50     BNP 1, Ind 2
St Helens LC Lab 5 28 15    
Salford LC Lab 13 39 5   3
Sandwell LC Lab 11 57 4    
Sefton LC All party 15 23 28    
Sheffield LC     39 42 2 1
Solihull LC   23 7 19 1 1
South Tyneside LC Lab 3 36 2   13
Stockport LC LDm 9 13 37   RA 3, Ind 1
Sunderland LC Lab 18 52 1   4
Tameside LC Lab 9 46     2
Trafford LC Con 37 21 5    
Wakefield LC Lab 24 33 1   5
Walsall LC Con 32 18 6   3
Wigan LC Lab 7 52 3   13
Wirral LC Con + LD 27 24 15    
Wolverhampton LC Con (minority) 25 30 5    
Metropolitan Totals  574 1226 514 15 115

District Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green  Others 
Adur AA Con 25   2   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 18   17   8
Barrow-in-Furness AA   11 16     9
Basildon LC Con 29 10 3    
Basingstoke & Deane LC Con 34 9 14   3
Bassetlaw LC   23 22     3
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 27 1 8   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 5 15 23   BNP 2
Cambridge LC LDm   10 29 2 1
Cannock Chase LC   10 14 15   2
Canterbury LC Con 29 2 19    
Carlisle LC   22 23 5   2
Castle Point AA Con 25       16
Charnwood LC Con 32 13 5   BNP 1, Ind 1
Chelmsford LC Con 31   26    
Cheltenham LC LDm 12   25   3
Cherwell LC Con 44 2 4    
Chesterfield LC LDm   11 37    
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   24 7 26   3
Copeland LC Lab 18 30     3
Corby AA Lab 8 16 5    
Cotswold AA Con 37   5   2
Craven AA Con 18   4   8
Crawley LC Con 25 12      
Dacorum LC Con 43 2 6    
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 29 8 2 1 20
East Northamptonshire AA Con 39       1
East Staffordshire LC Con 25 12 2    
Eastbourne LC LDm 7   20    
Eastleigh LC LDm 4 1 39    
Eden AA   13   6   19
Elmbridge LC Con 33   7   RA 18, Ind 2
Epping Forest LC Con 35 1 8   RA 11, BNP 1, Ind 2
Epsom & Ewell AA Ind 3 1 10   RA 24
Erewash LC Con 29 19 2   1
Exeter LC LD (minority) 11 13 13   Lib 3
Fareham LC Con 21   10    
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   3   Ind 17, RA 4
Gedling LC Con 28 9 9   4
Gloucester LC   17 8 11    
Gosport AA Con 22 3 8   1
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 10 5    
Harrogate LC Con 28   22   4
Hart LC Con 20   10   RA 5
Hastings LC Lab 13 17 1    
Havant LC Con 34 1 3    
Hertsmere LC Con 34 3 2    
High Peak LC Con 23 9 7   4
Hinckley & Bosworth LC LDm 13 2 19    
Horsham LC Con 30   12   2
Huntingdonshire LC Con 37   12   UKIP 1, Ind 2
Hyndburn LC   17 14     4
Ipswich LC   18 23 7    
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   16 16 1    
Maidstone LC Con 28   23   4
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 30 1 23    
Mole Valley AA   17   18   6
New Forest LC Con 45   14   1
Newark & Sherwood LC Con 26 7 4   9
Newcastle-under-Lyme LC LD/Con 23 14 18   UKIP 5
North Devon LC Con 22   17   4
North Dorset LC Con 17   13   3
North East Derbyshire LC Lab 11 29 7   6
North Hertfordshire LC Con 33 7 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) 4 16 5 14  
Nuneaton & Bedworth LC   15 17     BNP 1, Ind 1
Oadby & Wigston AA LDm 5   21    
Oxford LC Lab   26 16 5 1
Pendle LC   17 13 16   BNP 2, Ind 1
Preston LC   22 25 7    
Purbeck AA   10   12   2
Redditch LC Con 18 8 3    
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 32   5 1 1
Rossendale AA Con 20 12 3   1
Rother LC Con 28   8   2
Rugby LC Con 28 11 9    
Runnymede AA Con 36       RA 6
Rushcliffe LC Con 35 3 10 2  
Rushmoor LC Con 30 6 6    
Ryedale AA   12   7   Ind 6, Lib 3, RA 2
St Albans LC LDm 24 3 29   1
St Edmundsbury LC Con 36 3 3   3
Scarborough LC Con (minority) 22 4 5 3 16
Sedgemoor LC Con 36 10 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 29 1 20   7
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 17 1 33    
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 9 27 3    
Stratford-on-Avon LC Con 30   20   3
Stroud LC Con 27 7 7 6 4
Suffolk Coastal LC Con 45 1 9    
Surrey Heath LC Con 30 2 7   1
Swale LC Con 33 10 3   1
Tamworth LC Con 25 4     1
Tandridge AA Con 33   8   1
Taunton Deane LC LD (minority) 25 1 26   4
Teignbridge LC LD + Ind 19   21   6
Tendring LC Con + Ind 28 8 6   Ind 16, RA 2
Test Valley LC Con 33   15    
Tewkesbury AA   19   16   3
Thanet LC Con 32 20     4
Three Rivers LC LDm 14 3 30   BNP 1
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con 46   7    
Torridge AA   14   5   Lib 4, Ind 13
Tunbridge Wells LC Con 41   7    
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 4 25 3  
Waveney LC Con 29 15 2 1 1
Waverley LC Con 51   3   3
Wealden LC Con 33   13 2 7
Wellingborough AA Con 31 4     1
Welwyn Hatfield LC Con 40 5 3    
West Devon AA Con + Ind 12   9   10
West Dorset LC Con 26   16   6
West Lancashire LC Con 31 22     1
West Lindsey AA Con 21   14   2
West Oxfordshire LC Con 40 1 7   1
West Somerset LC Ind 13 1 1   16
Weymouth & Portland AA   18 5 11   2
Winchester LC LDm 26   29   2
Woking LC   18   17   1
Worcester LC   17 13 3   2
Worthing LC Con 25   12    
Wychavon LC Con 34   11    
Wycombe LC Con 48 4 6   2
Wyre LC Con 45 9 1    
Wyre Forest LC Con 23 3 2   ICHC 8, Lib 5, Ind 1
District Totals  5131 1113 1824 58 786

Scottish Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem  Green    SNP   Others 
Aberdeen LD + SNP 4 10 14   13 2
Aberdeenshire LD + Con 13   23 2 22 8
Angus Ind/Con/LD/Lab 5 2 3   12 7
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 4   9 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   18 33
Inverclyde Lab (minority) 1 9 4   5 1
Midlothian Lab   9 3   6  
Moray Ind + Con 2 2     10 12
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 18 4   16  
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  139 351 165 10 363 194

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   33     32 8
Cardiff LD + Plaid 17 14 35   6 3
Carmarthenshire     12 1   32 29
Ceredigion     1 9   20 12
Conwy   21 7 5   12 14
Denbighshire   18 7 1   8 13
Flintshire   9 22 12   1 26
Gwynedd     3 5   36 31
Isle of Anglesey Ind 2 5 2   8 23
Merthyr Tydfil Ind   10 4     UKIP 2, Ind 17
Monmouthshire Con 27 6 5   1 4
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 47 3   19 5
Swansea   5 30 22   1 14
Torfaen Lab (minority) 5 19 2   3 PV 3, Ind 13
Vale of Glamorgan Con 25 13     6 3
Wrexham   5 11 12   4 20
Wales Totals  172 350 155 0 207 379

England, Scotland & Wales Totals

 Con   Labour  LibDem  Green    SNP   Plaid  Others 
  9372 4859 3920 121 363 207 1857
Others comprise: Ind 1625, RA 126, BNP 28, Lib 24, UKIP 21, ICHC 10, PV 8, Resp 6, MK 4, SDP 4, SA 1, SSP 1