Local Council Political Compositions

This page shows the composition of councils before the elections of May 2012. 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 © 21/04/2012

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

Parties shown in the Others column:
BNP = British National Pty, ED = English Democrats, ICHC = Independent Community & Health Concern, Lib = Liberal Pty, MK = Mebyon Kernow, RA = Residents Assns, Resp = RESPECT, 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 3 22 1 UKIP 1
Cumbria LC Con + Lab + Ind 39 25 14   6
Derbyshire LC Con 33 23 8    
Devon LC Con 41 4 14 1 2
Dorset LC Con 29   14   2
East Sussex LC Con 29 4 13   3
Essex LC Con 60 2 11   2
Gloucestershire LC Con 41 5 13 1 3
Hampshire LC Con 51 1 25   1
Hertfordshire LC Con 55 3 17 1 ED 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   1
Lincolnshire LC Con 60 4 5   8
Norfolk LC Con 60 4 12 7 UKIP 1
North Yorkshire LC Con 47 1 11   Lib 2, Ind 11
Northamptonshire LC Con 55 6 10   2
Nottinghamshire LC Con 34 15 9   UKIP 1, Ind 8
Oxfordshire LC Con 52 9 10 2 1
Somerset LC Con 34 2 22    
Staffordshire LC Con 50 3 4   UKIP 3, 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 158 341 17 86

Unitary Authorities

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem Green  Others 
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC LD (minority) 29 5 29   2
Bedford MC All party 12 12 12   4
Blackburn with Darwen LC Lab 17 37 6   4
Blackpool LC Lab 14 27 1    
Bournemouth LC Con 45 3 3   3
Bracknell Forest LC Con 40 2      
Brighton & Hove LC Grn (minority) 18 13   23  
Bristol LC LD (minority) 14 22 32 2  
Central Bedfordshire LC Con 49 1 5   4
Cheshire East LC Con 52 17 2   11
Cheshire West & Chester LC Con 42 32 1    
Cornwall LC Con + Ind 47 1 40   Ind 30, MK 5
Darlington LC Lab 15 33 5    
Derby LC Con + LD 16 22 12   1
Durham LC Lab 10 67 27   22
East Riding of Yorkshire LC Con 53 6 3   Ind 4, SDP 1
Halton LC Lab 3 44 6   3
Hartlepool MC Lab + Ind 4 29 2   12
Herefordshire LC Con 30 1 3 1 23
Hull LC Lab 2 34 22   1
Isle of Wight LC Con 26 1 4   9
Leicester LC Lab 1 52 1    
Luton LC Lab 4 36 8    
Medway LC Con 35 15 3   2
Middlesbrough MC Lab + Ind 4 30 1 1 12
Milton Keynes LC Con (minority) 21 9 18   3
North East Lincolnshire LC Lab (minority) 14 19 9    
North Lincolnshire LC Con 23 20      
North Somerset LC Con 42 5 6 1 7
Northumberland LC LD (minority) 17 17 26   7
Nottingham LC Lab 5 50      
Peterborough LC Con 38 6 3   Ind 6, Lib 3, ED 1
Plymouth LC Con 32 25      
Poole LC Con 21   18   3
Portsmouth LC LDm 17 2 23    
Reading LC Lab (minority) 16 22 5 2 1
Redcar & Cleveland LC Lab 6 33 15   5
Rutland LC Con 17 2     7
Shropshire LC Con 52 7 13   2
Slough LC Lab 9 27 2   Ind 2, Lib 1
South Gloucestershire LC Con (minority) 34 15 21    
Southampton LC Con 26 19 3    
Southend-on-Sea LC Con 28 4 10   9
Stockton-on-Tees LC Lab + Ind 12 27 4   13
Stoke-on-Trent LC Lab 2 34     8
Swindon LC Con 38 17 4    
Telford & Wrekin LC Lab 17 33 3   1
Thurrock LC Lab (minority) 22 24     3
Torbay MC Con 21 1 10   UKIP 1, Ind 3
Warrington LC Lab 6 34 17    
West Berkshire LC Con 39   13    
Wiltshire LC Con 61 2 24   11
Windsor & Maidenhead LC Con 50   2   5
Wokingham LC Con 45   9    
York LC Lab 10 26 8 2 1
Unitary Totals  1323 1022 494 32 256

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 13 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 39 1   Resp 2, Ind 1
Waltham Forest LC Lab 18 37 5    
Wandsworth LC Con 47 13      
Westminster LC Con 48 12      
London Totals  716 872 247 2 24

Metropolitan Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem Green  Others 
Barnsley LC Lab 6 43     14
Birmingham LC Con + LD 39 56 24   1
Bolton LC Lab 20 35 5    
Bradford LC Lab (minority) 28 44 11 3 4
Bury LC Lab 20 26 5    
Calderdale LC LD + Lab 21 13 13   4
Coventry LC Lab 17 35 1   1
Doncaster MC Con + LD + Ind 9 43 6   5
Dudley LC Con 43 28     UKIP 1
Gateshead LC Lab   50 15   Lib 1
Kirklees LC Lab (minority) 21 27 14 4 3
Knowsley LC Lab   59 4    
Leeds LC Lab 21 55 16 2 5
Liverpool LC Lab   63 20 2 Lib 3, Ind 2
Manchester LC Lab   75 20   1
Newcastle upon Tyne LC Lab   44 31   3
North Tyneside MC Con 19 35 6    
Oldham LC Lab 4 34 21   1
Rochdale LC Lab (minority) 14 29 13   4
Rotherham LC Lab 7 54     BNP 1, Ind 1
St Helens LC Lab 4 35 9    
Salford LC Lab 11 44 3   2
Sandwell LC Lab 9 60 1   2
Sefton LC Lab + LD + Con 14 28 23   UKIP 1
Sheffield LC Lab   49 32 2 1
Solihull LC Con 29 6 12 3 1
South Tyneside LC Lab 1 39 1   13
Stockport LC LD (minority) 11 18 30   RA 3, Ind 1
Sunderland LC Lab 14 56 1   4
Tameside LC Lab 8 48     1
Trafford LC Con 37 22 4    
Wakefield LC Lab 20 40     3
Walsall LC Con (minority) 27 27 5   1
Wigan LC Lab 5 58 2   10
Wirral LC Lab (minority) 27 29 10    
Wolverhampton LC Lab 22 35 3    
Metropolitan Totals  528 1442 361 16 98

District Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem Green  Others 
Adur LC Con 25   2   2
Allerdale LC Lab 12 28 1   15
Amber Valley LC Con 28 15     BNP 2
Arun LC Con 48 3 4   1
Ashfield LC Lab   24 6   3
Ashford LC Con 25 4 5   9
Aylesbury Vale LC Con 38 2 17   UKIP 2
Babergh AA Con + LD + Ind 18 3 12   10
Barrow-in-Furness AA Lab 7 29      
Basildon LC Con 29 11 2    
Basingstoke & Deane LC Con 34 11 13   2
Bassetlaw LC Lab 18 27     3
Blaby LC Con 28 6 5    
Bolsover LC Lab   33   1 3
Boston LC Con 19 3     10
Braintree LC Con 45 11   2 2
Breckland LC Con 47 4     3
Brentwood AA Con 28 1 7   1
Broadland LC Con 34 1 12    
Bromsgrove LC Con 27 10     2
Broxbourne LC Con 35 3      
Broxtowe LC Lab + LD 18 17 9    
Burnley LC LD (minority) 5 18 21   BNP 1
Cambridge LC LDm   14 25 2 1
Cannock Chase LC Lab (minority) 13 17 11    
Canterbury LC Con 36 3 11    
Carlisle LC Con (minority) 22 24 4   2
Castle Point LC Con 25       16
Charnwood LC Con 33 16 1   BNP 1, Ind 1
Chelmsford LC Con 40 1 15   1
Cheltenham LC LDm 12   25   3
Cherwell LC Con 43 4 3    
Chesterfield LC Lab   34 14    
Chichester LC Con 38   8   2
Chiltern LC Con 33   5   2
Chorley LC Con + LD 23 20 2   2
Christchurch AA Con 21   1   2
Colchester LC LD + Lab + Ind 24 7 26   3
Copeland LC Lab 15 34     2
Corby AA Lab 4 22 3    
Cotswold LC Con 27   12   5
Craven AA Con 18   3   9
Crawley LC Con 24 13      
Dacorum LC Con 43 2 6    
Dartford LC Con 31 9     4
Daventry AA Con 34 2 2    
Derbyshire Dales AA Con 28 5 4   2
Dover LC Con 26 19      
East Cambridgeshire AA Con 25   10   4
East Devon LC Con 43   10   6
East Dorset AA Con 30   6    
East Hampshire LC Con 39   5    
East Herts LC Con 46   2   2
East Lindsey LC Con 30 10 2   18
East Northamptonshire AA Con 35 2     3
East Staffordshire LC Con 22 16 1    
Eastbourne LC LDm 12   15    
Eastleigh LC LDm 4   38   2
Eden LC Con + Ind 16   9   13
Elmbridge LC Con 35   5   20
Epping Forest LC Con 37 1 6   BNP 1, Ind 13
Epsom & Ewell AA Ind 3 3 6   26
Erewash LC Con 26 25      
Exeter LC All party (4) 11 19 9   Lib 1
Fareham LC Con 21   10    
Fenland LC Con 34   2   4
Forest Heath AA Con 23 1 2   1
Forest of Dean LC Con (minority) 19 17 1   11
Fylde LC Con 26   3   22
Gedling LC Lab 15 31 4    
Gloucester LC Con 19 7 10    
Gosport AA Con 22 3 8   1
Gravesham LC Lab 19 25      
Great Yarmouth LC Con 23 16      
Guildford LC Con 34 2 12    
Hambleton LC Con 39   2   3
Harborough LC Con 27   9   1
Harlow AA Con 17 14 2    
Harrogate LC Con 34   17   3
Hart LC Con 20   10   5
Hastings LC Lab 14 17 1    
Havant LC Con 35 1 2    
Hertsmere LC Con 35 4      
High Peak LC Lab (minority) 15 21 3   4
Hinckley & Bosworth LC LDm 15 1 18    
Horsham LC Con 34   8   2
Huntingdonshire LC Con 41   8   UKIP 2, Ind 1
Hyndburn LC Lab 14 18     3
Ipswich LC Lab 15 29 4    
Kettering LC Con 26 9     1
King's Lynn & W. Norfolk LC Con 42 13 3 1 3
Lancaster LC Lab + Grn 15 23   8 14
Lewes LC Con 22   18   1
Lichfield LC Con 46 10      
Lincoln LC Lab 15 17 1    
Maidstone LC Con 30   21   4
Maldon LC Con 28       3
Malvern Hills LC Con 21   11 2 4
Mansfield MC Ind + Lab   25     11
Melton AA Con 19 7     2
Mendip LC Con 31   15   1
Mid Devon LC Con 24   6   Ind 11, Lib 1
Mid Suffolk LC Con 22 1 6 4 7
Mid Sussex LC Con 45 1 8    
Mole Valley LC Con + Ind 17   18   6
New Forest LC Con 54   6    
Newark & Sherwood LC Con (minority) 22 15 3 6  
Newcastle-under-Lyme LC Con + LD 20 23 13   UKIP 2, Ind 1
North Devon LC LD + Ind 18   14   11
North Dorset LC Con 23   6   4
North East Derbyshire LC Lab 17 34     2
North Hertfordshire LC Con 34 7 8    
North Kesteven LC Con 27   3   13
North Norfolk LC Con 28   18   UKIP 1, Ind 1
North Warwickshire AA Lab 17 18      
North West Leicestershire LC Con 21 16 1    
Northampton LC Con 26 15 4    
Norwich LC Lab (minority) 2 18 4 15  
Nuneaton & Bedworth LC Lab 14 17     3
Oadby & Wigston AA LDm 4   22    
Oxford LC Lab   26 16 5 1
Pendle LC Con (minority) 18 16 12   BNP 2, Ind 1
Preston LC Lab 21 29 6   1
Purbeck AA Con 12   10   2
Redditch LC Con 17 11 1    
Reigate & Banstead LC Con 38   3 2 8
Ribble Valley AA Con 34   5   1
Richmondshire AA Ind + LD 14   4   16
Rochford LC Con 31   4 2 2
Rossendale LC Lab (minority) 16 17 2   1
Rother LC Con 27 2 5   4
Rugby LC Con 29 11 8    
Runnymede AA Con 36       6
Rushcliffe LC Con 34 5 6 2 3
Rushmoor LC Con 32 6 4    
Ryedale AA Con 20   2   Lib 4, Ind 4
St Albans LC Con 29 4 23 1 1
St Edmundsbury LC Con 38 3     4
Scarborough LC Con + Ind + LD 26 6 3 1 14
Sedgemoor LC Con 31 13 2   2
Selby LC Con 29 10     2
Sevenoaks LC Con 47 5 2    
Shepway LC Con 44       2
South Bucks LC Con 38   1   1
South Cambridgeshire LC Con 31 1 18   7
South Derbyshire AA Con 19 17      
South Hams LC Con 30 1 5 3 1
South Holland LC Con 25       12
South Kesteven LC Con 38 6     14
South Lakeland LC LDm 18 1 32    
South Norfolk LC Con 38   8    
South Northamptonshire LC Con 32 1 3   6
South Oxfordshire LC Con 33 4 4   7
South Ribble LC Con 33 21 1    
South Somerset LC LDm 25   31   4
South Staffordshire LC Con 42 2     5
Spelthorne LC Con 32   6   1
Stafford LC Con 36 18 2 1 2
Staffordshire Moorlands LC Con + Ind 26 8 4    
Stevenage LC Lab 9 27 3    
Stratford-on-Avon LC Con 34   16   3
Stroud LC Con (minority) 25 11 6 6 3
Suffolk Coastal LC Con 44 4 5   2
Surrey Heath LC Con 35 2 1   2
Swale LC Con 32 13 1   1
Tamworth LC Con 23 6     1
Tandridge AA Con 34   6   2
Taunton Deane LC Con + LD 28 3 23   2
Teignbridge LC Con 26   13   7
Tendring LC Con 33 9 2   16
Test Valley LC Con 36   12    
Tewkesbury LC Con 24   11   3
Thanet LC Con (minority) 27 26     3
Three Rivers LC LDm 14 4 29   1
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con 48 1 4    
Torridge AA Con 18   6   12
Tunbridge Wells LC Con 39 1 6   UKIP 1, Ind 1
Uttlesford LC Con 34   8   2
Vale of White Horse LC Con 31 1 19    
Warwick LC Con 25 8 9   4
Watford MC LDm 2 6 24 3 1
Waveney LC Con (minority) 22 23   1 2
Waverley LC Con 56       1
Wealden LC Con 47   3   5
Wellingborough AA Con 27 9      
Welwyn Hatfield LC Con 37 9 2    
West Devon AA Con 18   3   10
West Dorset LC Con 32   11   5
West Lancashire LC Con 33 21      
West Lindsey AA Con 21 2 11   3
West Oxfordshire LC Con 44 1 4    
West Somerset LC Con 19 2     7
Weymouth & Portland AA All party (4) 17 7 10   2
Winchester LC Con (minority) 27 1 27   2
Woking LC Con 20   16    
Worcester LC Con 19 11 3   2
Worthing LC Con 25   11   1
Wychavon LC Con 38 1 5   1
Wycombe LC Con 41 7 9   UKIP 1, Ind 2
Wyre LC Con 40 15      
Wyre Forest LC Con 24 7     ICHC 5, Lib 4, Ind 2
District Totals  5282 1544 1318 68 689

Scottish Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem Green    SNP   Others 
Aberdeen LD + SNP 4 10 12   15 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) 17 15 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   6 23   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   23 2
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  138 351 164 10 366 193

Welsh Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem Green  Plaid  Others 
Blaenau Gwent Ind   15       27
Bridgend Lab (minority) 6 27 6   1 14
Caerphilly Plaid + Ind   33     32 8
Cardiff LD + Plaid 17 14 35   6 3
Carmarthenshire Ind + Lab   12 1   33 28
Ceredigion Ind/LD/Lab   1 9   20 12
Conwy Ind/PC/Lab/LD 21 7 5   11 15
Denbighshire Ind/PC/Con/Lab 18 7 1   8 13
Flintshire Ind/LD/Con 9 22 12   1 26
Gwynedd All party   3 5   37 30
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 LD + Ind 5 30 22   1 14
Torfaen Lab (minority) 5 21 1   2 15
Vale of Glamorgan Con 25 13     6 3
Wrexham Ind/LD/Lab/Con 5 12 12   3 20
Wales Totals  172 353 153 0 206 380

England, Scotland & Wales Totals

 ConLabour LibDemGreen SNPPlaid Others
  9415 5742 3078 145 366 206 1726
Others comprise: Ind 1609, RA 27, UKIP 21, Lib 21, BNP 9, ICHC 7, MK 5, SDP 4, ED 2, Resp 2, SSP 1

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