Local Council Political Compositions

This page shows the composition of councils before the elections of 7 May 2015. 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 © 06/05/2015

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), or Schedule 2 of the Localism Act 2011.

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, SDP = Social Democratic Pty, SSP = Scottish Socialist Pty. If not marked, they are "Ind", i.e. Independents and very local "parties"


County Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Buckinghamshire LC Con 36 1 5 6   1
Cambridgeshire LC   32 7 14 12   4
Cumbria LC   26 36 16     6
Derbyshire LC Lab 18 43 3      
Devon LC Con 38 7 9 4 1 3
Dorset LC Con 27 5 12 1    
East Sussex LC   20 7 10 7   5
Essex LC Con 44 9 9 7 2 RA 1, Ind 3
Gloucestershire LC   24 9 14 3 1 2
Hampshire LC Con 45 4 17 10   2
Hertfordshire LC Con 46 15 16      
Kent LC Con 45 13 7 17 1 RA 1
Lancashire LC   35 39 6   1 3
Leicestershire LC Con 30 10 13 2    
Lincolnshire LC   35 12 4 16   10
Norfolk LC   40 15 10 14 4 1
North Yorkshire LC Con 45 7 8 2   Lib 2, Ind 8
Northamptonshire LC Con 35 11 6 3   2
Nottinghamshire LC Lab 21 34 8     4
Oxfordshire LC   31 15 11   2 4
Somerset LC Con 30 3 17 3   2
Staffordshire LC Con 34 24   2   2
Suffolk LC Con 39 15 7 9 2 3
Surrey LC Con 58 1 9 3 1 RA 9
Warwickshire LC   26 22 9   2 3
West Sussex LC Con 46 6 8 10   1
Worcestershire LC Con 31 12 4 2 2 ICHC 3, Ind 2, RA 1
County Totals  937 382 252 133 19 88


Unitary Authorities

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC LD (minority) 27 5 29     4
Bedford MC All party 12 12 12     4
Blackburn with Darwen LC Lab 12 48 4      
Blackpool LC Lab 13 28 1      
Bournemouth LC Con 45 3 2     4
Bracknell Forest LC Con 40 2        
Brighton & Hove LC Grn (minority) 18 14     22  
Bristol LC   15 31 16 1 6 1
Central Bedfordshire LC Con 47 1 4     7
Cheshire East LC Con 51 16 4 1   10
Cheshire West & Chester LC Con 42 32 1      
Cornwall LC Con + Ind 32 8 37 5 1 Ind 36, MK 4
Darlington LC Lab 15 33 5      
Derby LC Lab 14 27 7 2   1
Durham LC Lab 4 96 9     17
East Riding of Yorkshire LC Con 53 6 3     Ind 4, SDP 1
Halton LC Lab 2 51 3      
Hartlepool AA Lab 3 19   2   9
Herefordshire LC   27 1 3   2 25
Hull LC Lab 2 39 15 1   2
Isle of Wight LC   15 2 1 2   20
Leicester LC Lab 1 52 1      
Luton LC Lab 4 36 8      
Medway LC Con 34 15 3 1   2
Middlesbrough MC Lab + Ind 4 30 1   1 12
Milton Keynes LC   18 25 13 1    
North East Lincolnshire LC   10 21 3 8    
North Lincolnshire LC Con 23 20        
North Somerset LC Con 41 5 6   1 8
Northumberland LC   21 32 12     2
Nottingham LC Lab 4 51        
Peterborough LC   28 12 4 3   Ind 7, Lib 3
Plymouth LC Lab 23 31   3    
Poole LC Con 19   18 1   4
Portsmouth LC   12 4 19 6   1
Reading LC Lab 10 31 2   3  
Redcar & Cleveland LC Lab 6 33 15     5
Rutland LC Con 17 2 1 3   3
Shropshire LC Con 47 9 13     5
Slough LC Lab 8 33   1    
South Gloucestershire AA Con (minority) 33 15 21 1    
Southampton LC Lab 18 28       2
Southend-on-Sea LC   19 9 5 5   13
Stockton-on-Tees LC Lab + Ind 11 27 4 1   13
Stoke-on-Trent LC Lab 2 32       10
Swindon LC Con 30 23 4      
Telford & Wrekin LC Lab 16 33 3     2
Thurrock LC   18 23   6   2
Torbay MC Con 21 1 10 1   3
Warrington LC Lab 3 43 11      
West Berkshire LC Con 39   13      
Wiltshire LC Con 58 4 27 1   8
Windsor & Maidenhead LC Con 46   4 2   5
Wokingham LC Con 44 1 7     2
York LC Lab 9 24 10   2 2
Unitary Totals  1186 1179 394 58 38 263


London Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Barking & Dagenham LC Lab   51        
Barnet LC Con 32 27 1    
Bexley LC Con 45 15   3    
Brent LC Lab 6 56 1      
Bromley LC Con 51 7   2    
Camden LC Lab 12 40 1   1  
Croydon LC Lab 30 40        
Ealing LC Lab 12 53 4      
Enfield LC Lab 22 41        
Greenwich LC Lab 8 43        
Hackney MC Lab 4 50 3      
Hammersmith & Fulham LC Lab 20 26        
Haringey LC Lab   48 9      
Harrow LC Lab 26 34 1     2
Havering LC   22 1   7   RA 24
Hillingdon LC Con 42 23        
Hounslow LC Lab 11 49        
Islington LC Lab   47     1  
Kensington & Chelsea LC Con 37 12 1      
Kingston upon Thames LC Con 28 2 18      
Lambeth LC Lab 3 59     1  
Lewisham MC Lab   53     1  
Merton LC Lab 20 36 1     RA 3
Newham MC Lab   60        
Redbridge LC Lab 25 35 3      
Richmond upon Thames LC Con 39   15      
Southwark LC Lab 2 48 13      
Sutton LC LDm 9   45      
Tower Hamlets LC   5 22       18
Waltham Forest LC Lab 16 44        
Wandsworth LC Con 41 19        
Westminster LC Con 44 16        
London Totals  612 1057 116 12 4 47


Metropolitan Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Barnsley LC Lab 4 53       Ind 5
Birmingham LC Lab 31 77 12      
Bolton LC Lab 15 40 3 2    
Bradford LC Lab 21 46 8 1 3 11
Bury LC Lab 11 38 1     1
Calderdale LC   19 25 6     1
Coventry LC Lab 11 43        
Doncaster MC Lab 8 47   2   6
Dudley LC Lab 20 40   9 1 2
Gateshead LC Lab   55 11      
Kirklees LC   18 32 11   5 3
Knowsley LC Lab   63        
Leeds LC Lab 18 63 9   3 6
Liverpool MC Lab   79 3   4 Lib 3, Ind 1
Manchester LC Lab   95       1
Newcastle upon Tyne LC Lab   52 24     2
North Tyneside MC Lab 12 44 4      
Oldham LC Lab 2 45 10 2   1
Rochdale LC Lab 11 48 1      
Rotherham LC Lab 2 50   10   1
St Helens LC Lab 3 43 2      
Salford LC Lab 8 52        
Sandwell LC Lab 1 70   1    
Sefton LC Lab 7 40 17     2
Sheffield LC Lab   59 18 3 4  
Solihull LC Con 29 2 9 1 9 1
South Tyneside LC Lab 1 49   2   2
Stockport LC   10 22 28     RA 3
Sunderland LC Lab 8 63       4
Tameside LC Lab 5 52        
Trafford LC Con 33 27 3      
Wakefield LC Lab 6 54   2   1
Walsall LC   21 30 3 3   3
Wigan LC Lab 2 62       11
Wirral LC Lab 21 38 6   1  
Wolverhampton LC Lab 10 47 2 1    
Metropolitan Totals  368 1745 191 39 30 71


District Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Adur LC Con 20 1   6   2
Allerdale LC Lab 12 27 1 1   15
Amber Valley LC Lab 21 24        
Arun LC Con 47 3 5     1
Ashfield LC Lab   24 6     3
Ashford LC Con 24 4 5     10
Aylesbury Vale LC Con 38 2 17 2    
Babergh AA Con + LD + Ind 17 3 12   1 10
Barrow-in-Furness AA Lab 7 29        
Basildon LC   17 10 1 12   2
Basingstoke & Deane LC   29 17 8 2   4
Bassetlaw LC Lab 10 35       3
Blaby LC Con 28 6 5      
Bolsover LC Lab   33       4
Boston LC Con 17 3   2   ED 1, Ind 9
Braintree LC Con 45 11     2 2
Breckland LC Con 46 6       2
Brentwood AA   18 3 11     5
Broadland LC Con 34 1 12      
Bromsgrove LC Con 27 10       2
Broxbourne LC Con 26 3   1    
Broxtowe LC Lab + LD 18 17 9      
Burnley LC Lab 5 28 12      
Cambridge LC Lab 1 24 15     2
Cannock Chase LC Lab 6 25 3 6   1
Canterbury LC Con 34 3 12 1    
Carlisle LC Lab 19 29 2     2
Castle Point LC   20     5   16
Charnwood LC Con 31 17 2     BNP 1, Ind 1
Chelmsford LC Con 40 1 16      
Cheltenham LC LDm 12   24     4
Cherwell LC Con 40 7 2     1
Chesterfield LC Lab   34 14      
Chichester LC Con 38   8     2
Chiltern LC Con 31 1 5 1   2
Chorley LC Lab 13 32       2
Christchurch AA Con 22         2
Colchester LC   23 8 25     Ind 3
Copeland LC Lab 15 34       2
Corby AA Lab 4 22 3      
Cotswold LC Con 27   12     5
Craven AA Con 18 1 2     9
Crawley LC Lab 16 21        
Dacorum LC Con 43 1 7      
Dartford LC Con 30 11       3
Daventry AA Con 28 4 1 3    
Derbyshire Dales AA Con 28 5 4     2
Dover LC Con 26 19        
East Cambridgeshire AA Con 25   11     3
East Devon LC Con 42   10     7
East Dorset AA Con 30   6      
East Hampshire LC Con 39   5      
East Herts LC Con 45   2     3
East Lindsey LC Con 31 11 1 2   15
East Northamptonshire AA Con 35 2       3
East Staffordshire LC Con 22 16 1      
Eastbourne LC LDm 12   15      
Eastleigh LC LDm 4   40      
Eden LC Con + Ind 15   10     13
Elmbridge LC Con 32   6     RA 21, Ind 1
Epping Forest LC Con 36 1 4 2 1 RA 12, Ind 2
Epsom & Ewell AA Ind 3 3 6     26
Erewash LC Con 26 25        
Exeter LC Lab 10 27 3      
Fareham LC Con 23   5 1   2
Fenland LC Con 34   2     4
Forest Heath AA Con 23 1 1     2
Forest of Dean LC Con (minority) 18 17 1 1   11
Fylde LC Con 26   3     22
Gedling LC Lab 15 32 3      
Gloucester LC   18 9 9      
Gosport AA Con 21 6 6 1    
Gravesham LC Lab 19 25        
Great Yarmouth LC   13 16   10    
Guildford LC Con 33 2 13      
Hambleton LC Con 39   2     3
Harborough LC Con 27   9     1
Harlow AA Lab 11 18   4    
Harrogate LC Con 34   15     Ind 4, Lib 1
Hart LC   14   9     RA 9, Ind 1
Hastings LC Lab 8 24        
Havant LC Con 31 4 1 2    
Hertsmere LC Con 34 5        
High Peak LC Lab (minority) 15 21 3     4
Hinckley & Bosworth LC LDm 15 1 18      
Horsham LC Con 33   8 1   2
Huntingdonshire LC Con 35 1 5 7   4
Hyndburn LC Lab 8 23   2   2
Ipswich LC Lab 10 35 3      
Kettering LC Con 25 9   1   1
King's Lynn & W. Norfolk LC Con 43 12 2 1   4
Lancaster LC Lab + Grn 15 23     8 14
Lewes LC   20   18 2   1
Lichfield LC Con 45 10 1      
Lincoln LC Lab 6 27        
Maidstone LC   25 2 19 4   5
Maldon LC Con 27 1       3
Malvern Hills LC Con 21   9 1 2 5
Mansfield MC Ind + Lab   25       11
Melton AA Con 19 6       3
Mendip LC Con 31 1 14     1
Mid Devon LC Con 24   6     Ind 11, Lib 1
Mid Suffolk LC Con 21 1 6 1 4 7
Mid Sussex LC Con 45 1 8      
Mole Valley LC   19   14 1   7
New Forest LC Con 52   6 2    
Newark & Sherwood LC Con (minority) 22 15 3     6
Newcastle-under-Lyme LC Lab 16 32 6 5 1  
North Devon LC LD + Ind 18   14     11
North Dorset LC Con 22   7     4
North East Derbyshire LC Lab 17 34       2
North Hertfordshire LC Con 34 12 3      
North Kesteven LC Con 28   3     12
North Norfolk LC Con 27   19 1   1
North Warwickshire AA Lab 17 18        
North West Leicestershire LC Con 21 16 1      
Northampton LC Con 26 14 4 1    
Norwich LC Lab   21 3   15  
Nuneaton & Bedworth LC Lab 3 28     2 1
Oadby & Wigston AA LDm 4   22      
Oxford LC Lab   33 8   6 1
Pendle LC   19 18 11     BNP 1
Preston LC Lab 19 32 5     1
Purbeck AA   12   11     1
Redditch LC Lab 9 18   1   1
Reigate & Banstead LC Con 37   2 1 3 RA 7, Ind 1
Ribble Valley AA Con 33   6     1
Richmondshire AA Ind + LD 13   2 1   18
Rochford LC Con 26 1 3 3 2 Ind 2, RA 2
Rossendale LC Lab 10 24       2
Rother LC Con 27 2 5     4
Rugby LC Con 23 10 7     2
Runnymede AA Con 35     1   RA 6
Rushcliffe LC Con 34 5 6   2 3
Rushmoor LC Con 24 12   3    
Ryedale AA Con 18   3     Lib 5, Ind 4
St Albans LC   29 10 17   1 1
St Edmundsbury LC Con 36 3   1 1 4
Scarborough LC Con + Ind + LD 24 9 1 1 1 13
Sedgemoor LC Con 31 13 2     2
Selby LC Con 29 10       2
Sevenoaks LC Con 47 4 2 1    
Shepway LC Con 42   1 1   2
South Bucks LC Con 39         1
South Cambridgeshire LC Con 35 1 13     8
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 15 3 33      
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 41 2       6
Spelthorne LC Con 26   6     7
Stafford LC Con 36 18 1   1 3
Staffordshire Moorlands LC Con + Ind 27 8 4      
Stevenage LC Lab 2 34 3      
Stratford-on-Avon LC Con 35 1 12     Ind 4
Stroud LC   22 20 3   6  
Suffolk Coastal LC Con 44 4 5     2
Surrey Heath LC Con 35 2 1     2
Swale LC Con 31 13 1 1   1
Tamworth LC Con 16 12   1   1
Tandridge AA Con 33   7     2
Taunton Deane LC Con + LD 28 3 23     2
Teignbridge LC Con 25   13     8
Tendring LC Con 33 9 2     16
Test Valley LC Con 36   12      
Tewkesbury LC Con 24   11     3
Thanet LC Con (minority) 25 27   1   3
Three Rivers LC LDm 13 3 23      
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con 47 1 4     1
Torridge AA Con 18   5   1 12
Tunbridge Wells LC Con 38 3 3 2   2
Uttlesford LC Con 34   7     3
Vale of White Horse LC Con 28 1 22      
Warwick LC Con 25 8 9     4
Watford MC LDm 1 11 23   1  
Waveney LC Con (minority) 23 22     1 2
Waverley LC Con 54     3    
Wealden LC Con 47   3     5
Wellingborough AA Con 28 8        
Welwyn Hatfield LC Con 31 14 2     1
West Devon AA Con 18   3     10
West Dorset LC Con 32   11     5
West Lancashire LC   27 27        
West Lindsey AA Con 21 2 10     4
West Oxfordshire LC Con 41 5 3      
West Somerset LC Con 19 2       7
Weymouth & Portland AA   11 15 6 1   3
Winchester LC   28 3 25     1
Woking LC Con 23 1 11     1
Worcester LC   17 16 1   1  
Worthing LC Con 27   6 2 1 1
Wychavon LC Con 38 1 5     1
Wycombe LC Con 42 6 9 1   2
Wyre LC Con 40 15        
Wyre Forest LC   15 10   5   ICHC 7, Ind 4, Lib 1
District Totals  4972 1817 1170 126 67 717


Scottish Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green    SNP   Others 
Aberdeen   3 17 5     15 3
Aberdeenshire   13 2 12   1 29 11
Angus SNP 4 1 1     15 8
Argyll & Bute Ind 3   4     8 19
Clackmannanshire   1 8       8 1
Dumfries & Galloway   15 14 1     10 7
Dundee SNP 1 10 1     16 1
East Ayrshire   2 14       15 1
East Dunbartonshire   2 8 3     8 3
East Lothian   3 10       9 1
East Renfrewshire   6 8       4 2
Edinburgh   11 21 3   6 17  
Eilean Siar Ind   2       6 23
Falkirk   2 14       13 3
Fife   3 34 10     27 4
Glasgow Lab 1 45 1   5 26 1
Highland     8 14     22 36
Inverclyde   1 10 2     6 1
Midlothian     8     1 8 1
Moray   3 3       10 10
North Ayrshire   1 11       12 6
North Lanarkshire Lab   41       26 3
Orkney Ind             21
Perth & Kinross   10 4 5     18 4
Renfrewshire Lab 1 22 1     15 1
Scottish Borders   10   6     9 9
Shetland Ind             22
South Ayrshire   10 9       9 2
South Lanarkshire Lab 3 36 1     25 2
Stirling   4 8     1 9  
West Dunbartonshire Lab   12       6 Ind 3, SSP 1
West Lothian   1 16       15 1
Scotland Totals  114 396 70 0 14 416 211


Welsh Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Plaid  Others 
Blaenau Gwent Lab   33         9
Bridgend Lab 1 39 3     1 10
Caerphilly Lab   50       20 3
Cardiff Lab 7 46 16     2 4
Carmarthenshire     22       28 24
Ceredigion     1 7     19 15
Conwy   13 10 5     12 19
Denbighshire   9 18 1     7 12
Flintshire   8 30 7     1 24
Gwynedd     5 2     36 32
Isle of Anglesey Ind   2       12 16
Merthyr Tydfil Lab   25         8
Monmouthshire   19 11 3       10
Neath Port Talbot Lab   52       8 4
Newport Lab 10 37 1       2
Pembrokeshire Ind 3 9 1     5 42
Powys Ind 10 7 8       48
Rhondda Cynon Taff Lab 1 60 1     9 4
Swansea Lab 4 48 11       9
Torfaen Lab 4 30       2 8
Vale of Glamorgan   12 21   1   7 6
Wrexham   5 23 4     1 19
Wales Totals  106 579 70 1 0 170 328


England, Scotland & Wales Totals

ConLabour LibDemUKIPGreen SNPPlaid Others
  8295 7155 2263 369 172 416 170 1725
Others comprise: Ind 1574, RA 99, Lib 16, ICHC 10, MK 4, BNP 2, SDP 1, ED 1, SSP 1

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