Local Council Political Compositions

This page shows the composition of councils before re-organisations and mergers which took place (in Dorset, Somerset and Suffolk) on 1st April 2019. 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 © 31/03/2019

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:
ICHC = Independent Community & Health Concern, Lib = Liberal Party, RA = Residents Assns, 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 41 2 4     2
Cambridgeshire AA Con 36 7 15     3
Cumbria LC Lab + LD 37 26 16     5
Derbyshire LC Con 37 24 3      
Devon LC Con 42 7 7   1 3
Dorset LC Con 33 1 10   2  
East Sussex LC Con 30 4 11     5
Essex LC Con 56 6 7   1 Ind 4, RA 1
Gloucestershire LC Con 31 5 14   2 1
Hampshire LC Con 56 2 19     1
Hertfordshire LC Con 50 10 18      
Kent LC Con 67 5 7   1 RA 1
Lancashire LC Con 46 30 4 1 1 2
Leicestershire LC Con 36 6 13      
Lincolnshire LC Con 58 6 1     5
Norfolk LC Con 55 17 11     1
North Yorkshire LC Con 54 4 4     10
Northamptonshire LC Con 43 13 1      
Nottinghamshire AA Con (minority) 31 23 1     11
Oxfordshire LC Con + Ind 30 14 13     6
Somerset LC Con 35 3 12   2 3
Staffordshire LC Con 51 10       1
Suffolk LC Con 52 11 5   3 4
Surrey LC Con 59 1 9   1 RA 8, Ind 3
Warwickshire LC Con 36 10 8   2 1
West Sussex LC Con 56 5 9      
Worcestershire LC Con 40 10 3   2 ICHC 1, Ind 1
County Totals  1198 262 225 1 18 83


Unitary Authorities

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC Con 36 6 17   1 5
Bedford MC LD + Lab 15 14 9     2
Blackburn with Darwen LC Lab 13 37 1      
Blackpool LC Lab 13 29        
Bournemouth LC Con 52       1 1
Bracknell Forest LC Con 41 1        
Brighton & Hove AA Lab (minority) 20 23     11  
Bristol MC Lab 15 37 7   11  
Central Bedfordshire LC Con 53 2 1     3
Cheshire East LC Con 51 16 2     13
Cheshire West & Chester LC Lab 36 38       1
Cornwall LC LD + Ind 47 5 37     34
Darlington LC Lab 17 29 3     1
Derby LC Con (minority) 20 23 5 3    
Durham LC Lab 10 74 14     28
East Riding of Yorkshire LC Con 48 6 3 3   7
Halton LC Lab 2 52 2      
Hartlepool AA Lab 3 18       12
Herefordshire LC Con 28   2   4 19
Hull LC Lab 2 31 24      
Isle of Wight LC Con 25 1 2   1 11
Leicester LC Lab 1 52 1      
Luton LC Lab 5 35 8      
Medway LC Con 37 16   2    
Middlesbrough MC Lab 5 31       10
Milton Keynes LC Lab (minority) 24 21 12      
North East Lincolnshire LC Lab (minority) 18 19 4     1
North Lincolnshire LC Con 26 17        
North Somerset LC Con 36 4 4   1 5
Northumberland LC Con (minority) 33 24 3     7
Nottingham LC Lab 3 52        
Peterborough LC Con 31 14 6 1 1 Ind 5, Lib 2
Plymouth LC Lab 26 31        
Poole LC Con 29   7 1   5
Portsmouth LC LD (minority) 19 6 16     1
Reading LC Lab 12 30 1   3  
Redcar & Cleveland LC Lab (minority) 11 28 11     9
Rutland LC Con 15   1     10
Shropshire LC Con 49 8 12   1 Ind 3, ICHC 1
Slough LC Lab 7 34       1
South Gloucestershire AA Con 40 14 16      
Southampton LC Lab 19 26       3
Southend-on-Sea LC Con 29 11 2     9
Stockton-on-Tees LC Lab 13 30 1     12
Stoke-on-Trent LC Ind + Con 7 20   1   16
Swindon LC Con 29 26 2      
Telford & Wrekin LC Lab 22 28 3     1
Thurrock LC Con (minority) 21 17       11
Torbay LC Con 20   8 1   7
Warrington LC Lab 1 44 13      
West Berkshire LC Con 47   5      
Wiltshire LC Con 68 3 20     7
Windsor & Maidenhead LC Con 53   1     3
Wokingham LC Con 42 3 8     1
York LC Con + LD 14 15 12   4 2
Unitary Totals  1359 1101 306 12 39 269


London Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Barking & Dagenham LC Lab   51        
Barnet LC Con 38 25        
Bexley LC Con 34 11        
Brent LC Lab 3 60        
Bromley LC Con 50 8       2
Camden LC Lab 7 43 3   1  
Croydon LC Lab 29 41        
Ealing LC Lab 8 57 4      
Enfield LC Lab 17 46        
Greenwich LC Lab 9 42        
Hackney MC Lab 5 52        
Hammersmith & Fulham LC Lab 11 35        
Haringey LC Lab   42 15      
Harrow LC Lab 28 35        
Havering LC Con (minority) 26 5       RA 23
Hillingdon LC Con 44 21        
Hounslow LC Lab 9 51        
Islington LC Lab   47     1  
Kensington & Chelsea LC Con 36 13 1      
Kingston upon Thames LC LDm 9   39      
Lambeth LC Lab 1 57     5  
Lewisham MC Lab   54        
Merton LC Lab 17 34 6     3
Newham MC Lab   60        
Redbridge LC Lab 12 51        
Richmond upon Thames LC LDm 11   39   4  
Southwark LC Lab   49 14      
Sutton LC LDm 18   33     3
Tower Hamlets MC Lab 2 41       2
Waltham Forest LC Lab 14 46        
Wandsworth LC Con 33 26       1
Westminster LC Con 41 19        
London Totals  512 1122 154 0 11 34


Metropolitan Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Barnsley LC Lab 4 56 1     2
Birmingham LC Lab 25 67 8   1  
Bolton LC Lab 19 31 3 3   4
Bradford LC Lab 22 51 8   2 7
Bury LC Lab 17 31 3      
Calderdale LC Lab (minority) 19 24 6     2
Coventry LC Lab 13 40       1
Doncaster MC Lab 7 43       5
Dudley LC Con (minority) 35 36       1
Gateshead LC Lab   54 12      
Kirklees LC Lab 19 37 7   3 3
Knowsley LC Lab   40 3   1 1
Leeds LC Lab 22 61 6   2 8
Liverpool MC Lab   76 7   4 Lib 2, Ind 1
Manchester LC Lab   94 2      
Newcastle upon Tyne LC Lab   56 19     3
North Tyneside MC Lab 6 53 1      
Oldham LC Lab 4 47 8     1
Rochdale LC Lab 10 46 3     1
Rotherham LC Lab   48 1 13   1
St Helens LC Lab 3 41 3     1
Salford LC Lab 9 50       1
Sandwell LC Lab   70       2
Sefton LC Lab 8 43 12     3
Sheffield LC Lab   53 22 3 6  
Solihull LC Con 32 2 4 1 11 1
South Tyneside LC Lab 1 53        
Stockport LC Lab (minority) 13 25 21     Ind 1, RA 3
Sunderland LC Lab 8 61 6      
Tameside LC Lab 6 51        
Trafford LC Lab (minority) 29 30 2   2  
Wakefield LC Lab 11 52        
Walsall LC Con (minority) 30 26 2     2
Wigan LC Lab 7 60       8
Wirral LC Lab 21 39 5   1  
Wolverhampton LC Lab 9 51        
Metropolitan Totals  409 1698 175 20 33 65


District Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Adur LC Con 16 8   3   2
Allerdale LC Lab + Ind 15 28   1   12
Amber Valley LC Con 25 20        
Arun LC Con 43 1 7 1   2
Ashfield LC Lab 4 21 5     5
Ashford LC Con 34 3 1 1   4
Aylesbury Vale LC Con 40 2 12   1 4
Babergh AA Con 30 2 3     8
Barrow-in-Furness AA Lab 8 28        
Basildon LC Con 23 13   4   2
Basingstoke & Deane LC Con 33 21 5     1
Bassetlaw LC Lab 12 33       3
Blaby LC Con 29 6 4      
Bolsover LC Lab   32       5
Boston LC Con (minority) 16     6   8
Braintree LC Con 42 4     1 RA 2
Breckland LC Con 40 3   4   2
Brentwood AA Con 25 2 9     1
Broadland LC Con 41   6      
Bromsgrove LC Con 17 7       7
Broxbourne LC Con 28 2        
Broxtowe LC Con 27 12 4     1
Burnley LC Lab 5 25 5 2 1 7
Cambridge LC Lab   26 13   1 2
Cannock Chase LC Lab 15 21 1   3 1
Canterbury LC Con 30 4 3     2
Carlisle LC Lab (minority) 22 25 1     4
Castle Point LC Con 27         14
Charnwood LC Con 44 7       1
Chelmsford LC Con 52   5      
Cheltenham LC LDm 6   32     2
Cherwell LC Con 36 9 1     2
Chesterfield LC Lab   36 10     2
Chichester LC Con 40   5     3
Chiltern LC Con 37   2     1
Chorley LC Lab 13 32       2
Christchurch AA Con 22         2
Colchester LC LD + Lab + Ind 25 11 12     3
Copeland MC Lab 17 29       5
Corby AA Lab 5 24        
Cotswold LC Con 23   11      
Craven AA Con 17 3 1 1 1 7
Crawley LC Lab 17 20        
Dacorum LC Con 44 2 5      
Dartford LC Con 34 7       3
Daventry AA Con 30 5 1      
Derbyshire Dales AA Con 29 5 3     2
Dover LC Con 25 18       2
East Cambridgeshire AA Con 35   3     1
East Devon LC Con 36   7     16
East Dorset AA Con 24   3     2
East Hampshire LC Con 41   2     1
East Herts LC Con 48   1     1
East Lindsey LC Con 38 4 1 3   9
East Northamptonshire AA Con 37 1       2
East Staffordshire LC Con 25 13 1      
Eastbourne LC LDm 8   18     1
Eastleigh LC LDm 4   32     3
Eden LC Con 20 1 7     10
Elmbridge LC Con (minority) 24   9     RA 11, Ind 4
Epping Forest LC Con 39   2   2 RA 13, Ind 2
Epsom & Ewell AA Ind 4 3       RA 31
Erewash LC Con 30 17        
Exeter LC Lab 8 29 1   1  
Fareham LC Con 24   5 1   1
Fenland LC Con 34   2     3
Folkestone & Hythe LC Con 23     4   3
Forest Heath AA Con 20     3   4
Forest of Dean LC Con (minority) 21 9   5 2 11
Fylde LC Con 32 1 2     Ind 14, RA 2
Gedling LC Lab 15 25 1      
Gloucester LC Con 22 10 7      
Gosport AA Con 18 2 14      
Gravesham LC Con 23 21        
Great Yarmouth AA Con 23 15   1    
Guildford LC Con 34 2 9     3
Hambleton LC Con 27         1
Harborough LC Con 29   8      
Harlow AA Lab 13 20        
Harrogate LC Con 31   7     2
Hart LC Ind + LD 15   8     10
Hastings LC Lab 8 24        
Havant LC Con 31 2 1 2   2
Hertsmere LC Con 35 4        
High Peak LC Con 23 17 2     1
Hinckley & Bosworth LC Con 21 1 12      
Horsham LC Con 39   4     1
Huntingdonshire LC Con 30 4 7     11
Hyndburn LC Lab 9 26        
Ipswich LC Lab 12 34 2      
Kettering LC Con 26 8 1     1
King's Lynn & W. Norfolk LC Con 51 9       2
Lancaster LC Lab (minority) 18 31     8 3
Lewes LC Con (minority) 20   11   3 7
Lichfield LC Con 40 5 1 1    
Lincoln LC Lab 9 24        
Maidstone AA Shared 25 3 21     6
Maldon LC Con 27         4
Malvern Hills LC Con 23   5   3 7
Mansfield MC Ind   17       19
Melton AA Con 25 1       2
Mendip LC Con 31   12   3 1
Mid Devon LC Con 29   5 1   Ind 6, Lib 1
Mid Suffolk LC Con 29   4   6 1
Mid Sussex LC Con 53   1      
Mole Valley LC Con + Ind 20   14     7
New Forest LC Con 58   2      
Newark & Sherwood LC Con 25 11       3
Newcastle-under-Lyme LC Con (minority) 18 19 3     4
North Devon LC Con + Ind 18   14     11
North Dorset LC Con 28   4     1
North East Derbyshire LC Lab 18 33 1     1
North Hertfordshire LC Con 29 14 6      
North Kesteven LC Con 27         16
North Norfolk LC LD (minority) 19   19     9
North Warwickshire AA Con 21 14        
North West Leicestershire LC Con 25 10 1     2
Northampton LC Con 25 17 3      
Norwich LC Lab   31 3   5  
Nuneaton & Bedworth LC Lab (minority) 15 17     1 1
Oadby & Wigston AA LDm 6   20      
Oxford LC Lab   36 9   2 1
Pendle LC Con 25 15 9      
Preston LC Lab 17 35 5      
Purbeck AA Con 20   4     1
Redditch LC Con 17 12        
Reigate & Banstead LC Con 41   1   3 RA 6
Ribble Valley AA Con 35 1 4      
Richmondshire AA Con 22   1     11
Rochford LC Con 25   3   3 RA 4, Ind 4
Rossendale LC Lab 14 20       2
Rother LC Con 30 1 3     4
Rugby LC Con 24 9 9      
Runnymede AA Con 32 1       9
Rushcliffe LC Con 34 4 2   2 2
Rushmoor LC Con 26 11 1     1
Ryedale AA Con 19   2     Ind 5, Lib 4
St Albans LC Con 30 6 19   1 2
St Edmundsbury LC Con 34 2   1 1 7
Scarborough LC Con + Ind 25 13     2 10
Sedgemoor LC Con 35 10 1 2    
Selby LC Con 23 7       1
Sevenoaks LC Con 48 1 2 2   1
South Bucks LC Con 27         1
South Cambridgeshire LC LDm 11 2 30     2
South Derbyshire AA Con 24 12        
South Hams LC Con 24   4   3  
South Holland LC Con 28         9
South Kesteven LC Con 42 3       11
South Lakeland LC LDm 16 2 32     1
South Norfolk LC Con 40   6      
South Northamptonshire LC Con 34   5     3
South Oxfordshire LC Con 32 1 2     1
South Ribble LC Con 29 19 2      
South Somerset LC LD + Con 28   29     3
South Staffordshire LC Con 43 1   1   4
Spelthorne LC Con 30 1 3     5
Stafford LC Con 31 7       2
Staffordshire Moorlands LC Con 33 9 2 2   10
Stevenage LC Lab 9 26 4      
Stratford-on-Avon LC Con 30 1 4     1
Stroud LC Lab/Grn/LD 22 18 2   8 1
Suffolk Coastal LC Con 37 1 2     2
Surrey Heath LC Con 36 1 1     2
Swale LC Con 32 5       10
Tamworth LC Con 21 6   1   2
Tandridge AA Con 22   9     Ind 7, RA 4
Taunton Deane LC Con 33 2 15 1 1 4
Teignbridge LC Con 24   16     6
Tendring LC Con + Ind 33 4 1 4   Ind 15, RA 3
Test Valley LC Con 38   9     1
Tewkesbury LC Con 33   3     2
Thanet LC Con (minority) 22 6   14   14
Three Rivers LC LDm 16 3 20      
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con 48   4     2
Torridge AA Con 20 1 2 3 2 8
Tunbridge Wells LC Con 41 2 4     1
Uttlesford LC Con 23   4     12
Vale of White Horse LC Con 29   9      
Warwick LC Con 31 9 2   1 3
Watford MC LDm   10 26      
Waveney LC Con 28 18 1   1  
Waverley LC Con 50   1     6
Wealden LC Con 49   1     5
Wellingborough AA Con 27 9        
Welwyn Hatfield LC Con 25 15 8      
West Devon AA Con 21         10
West Dorset LC Con 31   11      
West Lancashire LC Lab 19 33 1     1
West Lindsey AA Con 24 3 7     2
West Oxfordshire LC Con 35 6 8      
West Somerset LC Con 20 1 2 2   3
Weymouth & Portland AA Shared 14 12 6 1 2 1
Winchester LC Con 23   22      
Woking LC Con 16 3 8     3
Worcester AA Shared 17 15     3  
Worthing LC Con 28 5 2 1   1
Wychavon LC Con 39   5     1
Wycombe LC Con 49 6 1     4
Wyre LC Con 36 14        
Wyre Forest LC Con 21 4 3     Ind 3, ICHC 2
District Totals  5174 1586 910 79 77 696


Scottish Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green    SNP   Others 
Aberdeen   11 9 4     19 2
Aberdeenshire   23 1 14   1 21 10
Angus   8   2     9 9
Argyll & Bute   9   6     11 10
Clackmannanshire   5 5       8  
Dumfries & Galloway   16 11 1     11 4
Dundee   3 9 2     14 1
East Ayrshire   6 9       14 3
East Dunbartonshire   6 2 6     7 1
East Lothian   7 9       6  
East Renfrewshire   7 4       5 2
Edinburgh   18 12 6   8 19  
Eilean Siar Ind 1         7 23
Falkirk   7 9       12 2
Fife   16 23 7     29  
Glasgow   8 31     7 39  
Highland   10 3 10   1 22 28
Inverclyde   2 8 1     7 4
Midlothian   5 6       7  
Moray   9 1       8 8
North Ayrshire   7 11       11 4
North Lanarkshire   9 33       33 2
Orkney Ind         1   20
Perth & Kinross   17 1 4     15 3
Renfrewshire   8 13 1     19 2
Scottish Borders   14   2     9 9
Shetland Ind           1 21
South Ayrshire   12 5       9 2
South Lanarkshire   14 22 1     27  
Stirling   9 4     1 9  
West Dunbartonshire   2 8       10 2
West Lothian   7 12       13 1
Scotland Totals  276 261 67 0 19 431 173


Welsh Unitary Authorities

 Control  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Plaid  Others 
Blaenau Gwent Ind   13       1 28
Bridgend   11 26 1     3 13
Caerphilly Lab   50       18 5
Cardiff Lab 20 39 11     4 1
Carmarthenshire     22       36 16
Ceredigion Plaid/Ind     8     20 14
Conwy   16 8 4     10 21
Denbighshire   16 13 1     9 8
Flintshire   6 34 5       25
Gwynedd Plaid   1 1     41 32
Isle of Anglesey     2 1     14 13
Merthyr Tydfil Ind   14         19
Monmouthshire Con 25 10 3       5
Neath Port Talbot Lab   42 1     15 6
Newport Lab 12 31 2       5
Pembrokeshire Ind 10 7 1     6 36
Powys   20 7 13   1 2 30
Rhondda Cynon Taff Lab 4 47 1     18 5
Swansea Lab 8 48 7       9
Torfaen Lab 4 29         11
Vale of Glamorgan   23 14       4 6
Wrexham   9 12 2     3 26
Wales Totals  184 469 62 0 1 204 334


England, Scotland & Wales Totals

ConLabour LibDemUKIPGreen SNPPlaid Others
  9112 6499 1899 112 198 431 204 1654
Others comprise: Ind 1529, RA 112, Lib 9, ICHC 4

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