Local Council Political Compositions

This page shows the composition of councils before the elections of 6th May 2021. 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 © 22/04/2022

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.

Abbreviations used in the Others column:
Brx = Brexit Party, FBM = For Britain Movement, ICHC = Independent Community & Health Concern, Lib = Liberal Party, RA = Residents Assns, SLP = Socialist Labour Party. 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 35 7 16     3
Cumbria LC Lab + LD 37 26 16     5
Derbyshire LC Con 36 25 3      
Devon LC Con 42 7 7   1 3
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 66 5 7   1 RA 1, Ind 1
Lancashire LC Con 45 30 4     Ind 4, Brx 1
Leicestershire LC Con 36 6 13      
Lincolnshire LC Con 58 6 1     5
Norfolk LC Con 55 17 11     1
North Yorkshire LC Con 55 4 4     9
Northamptonshire LC Con 43 13 1      
Nottinghamshire AA Con (minority) 31 23 1     11
Oxfordshire LC Con + Ind 30 14 13   1 5
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 58 1 9   1 RA 8, Ind 4
Warwickshire LC Con 36 10 8   2 1
West Sussex LC Con 56 5 9      
Worcestershire LC Con 41 9 3   2 ICHC 1, Ind 1
County Totals  1162 261 216 0 16 86


Unitary Authorities

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Bath & N.E. Somerset LC LDm 9 7 37     6
Bedford MC LD/Lab/Ind 11 11 15   2 1
Blackburn with Darwen LC Lab 13 36 2      
Blackpool LC Lab 15 23       4
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole LC LD/Lab/Ind 36 3 15     22
Bracknell Forest LC Con 38 3 1      
Brighton & Hove AA Lab (minority) 14 20     19 1
Bristol MC Lab 14 36 8   11 1
Central Bedfordshire LC Con 41 1 3 1   13
Cheshire East LC Lab + Ind 34 25 4     Ind 14, RA 5
Cheshire West & Chester LC Lab (minority) 27 35 2   1 5
Cornwall LC LD + Ind 47 5 36     35
Darlington LC Con (minority) 22 20 3   2 3
Derby LC Con (minority) 20 16 7     Brx 5, Ind 3
Dorset LC Con 43 2 29   4 4
Durham LC Lab 10 73 15     28
East Riding of Yorkshire LC Con 48   9     10
Halton LC Lab 2 51 3      
Hartlepool AA Brx + Con 3 10       Brx 10, SLP 4, Ind 5, FBM 1
Herefordshire LC Ind + Grn 12   8   7 26
Hull LC Lab 2 31 24      
Isle of Wight LC Con 26   2   1 11
Leicester LC Lab   53 1      
Luton LC Lab 3 33 12      
Medway LC Con 33 20       2
Middlesbrough MC Ind + Con 3 20       23
Milton Keynes LC Lab (minority) 19 23 15      
North East Lincolnshire LC Con 23 14 4 1    
North Lincolnshire LC Con 27 16        
North Somerset LC LD/Ind/Lab/Grn 13 6 11   3 17
Northumberland LC Con (minority) 33 24 3     7
Nottingham LC Lab 2 50       3
Peterborough LC Con (minority) 28 17 9   2 Ind 3, Lib 1
Plymouth LC Lab 25 31       1
Portsmouth LC LD (minority) 16 6 18     2
Reading LC Lab 10 30 2   4  
Redcar & Cleveland LC Ind + LD 11 15 13 2   18
Rutland LC Con 16   3   1 7
Shropshire LC Con 49 8 12   1 Ind 3, ICHC 1
Slough LC Lab 5 37        
South Gloucestershire AA Con 33 11 17      
Southampton LC Lab 18 29       1
Southend-on-Sea LC Lab + Ind 20 14 5     12
Stockton-on-Tees LC Lab (minority) 14 24 2     16
Stoke-on-Trent LC Con + Ind 15 16       13
Swindon LC Con 31 24 2      
Telford & Wrekin LC Lab 13 36 4     1
Thurrock LC Con (minority) 22 18       9
Torbay LC LD + Ind 16   12     8
Warrington LC Lab 1 44 13      
West Berkshire LC Con 24   16   3  
Wiltshire LC Con 66 3 22     7
Windsor & Maidenhead LC Con 23   9     RA 5, Ind 4
Wokingham LC Con 31 4 16     3
York LC LD + Grn 2 17 21   4 3
Unitary Totals  1132 1051 465 4 65 387


London Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Barking & Dagenham LC Lab   51        
Barnet LC Con 37 24 1     1
Bexley LC Con 34 10       1
Brent LC Lab 3 59 1      
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   41 15     1
Harrow LC Lab 28 35        
Havering LC Con (minority) 26 5       RA 23
Hillingdon LC Con 44 21        
Hounslow LC Lab 10 50        
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 33 7     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 1116 157 0 11 37


Metropolitan Borough Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Barnsley LC Lab 3 49 4     7
Birmingham LC Lab 25 67 8   1  
Bolton LC Con (minority) 20 23 6 3   8
Bradford LC Lab 22 52 9   2 5
Bury LC Lab 16 28 4     3
Calderdale LC Lab 14 28 7     2
Coventry LC Lab 13 40       1
Doncaster MC Lab 7 43       5
Dudley LC Con (minority) 36 36        
Gateshead LC Lab   52 14      
Kirklees LC Lab 16 36 10   3 4
Knowsley LC Lab   37 3   3 2
Leeds LC Lab 23 58 8   3 7
Liverpool MC Lab   72 10   4 Lib 3, Ind 1
Manchester LC Lab   92 3     1
Newcastle upon Tyne LC Lab   54 20     4
North Tyneside MC Lab 7 51 1     1
Oldham LC Lab 4 45 8     3
Rochdale LC Lab 9 47 4      
Rotherham LC Lab   48 1     Brx 13, Ind 1
St Helens LC Lab 3 37 4   2 2
Salford LC Lab 8 51       1
Sandwell LC Lab   70       2
Sefton LC Lab 6 43 12     5
Sheffield LC Lab   49 26   8 1
Solihull LC Con 26 3 6   14 2
South Tyneside LC Lab   48     1 5
Stockport LC Lab (minority) 8 26 26      
Sunderland LC Lab 12 51 8 3 1  
Tameside LC Lab 5 51     1  
Trafford LC Lab 20 36 4   3  
Wakefield LC Lab 11 49 1     2
Walsall LC Con 32 26 2      
Wigan LC Lab 8 57       10
Wirral LC Lab (minority) 22 32 6   3 3
Wolverhampton LC Lab 10 50        
Metropolitan Totals  386 1637 215 6 49 107


District Councils

 ExecControl  Con   Labour  LibDem UKIP Green  Others 
Adur LC Con 16 8   3   2
Allerdale LC Con + Ind 15 14       20
Amber Valley LC Lab 18 26     1  
Arun LC LD (minority) 21 1 20   2 10
Ashfield LC Ind 3 2       30
Ashford LC Con 25 7     2 13
Aylesbury Vale LC Con 40 2 12   1 4
Babergh AA Con/Ind/LD 15 2 3   4 8
Barrow-in-Furness AA Lab 12 24        
Basildon AA Lab + Ind 20 15       7
Basingstoke & Deane LC   30 21 7     2
Bassetlaw LC Lab 5 37 1     5
Blaby LC Con 25 6 6   1 1
Bolsover LC Lab + Ind 2 18 1     16
Boston LC Con 18 2       10
Braintree LC Con 34 2     6 RA 4, Ind 3
Breckland LC Con 37 6     2 4
Brentwood AA Con 20 3 13     1
Broadland LC Con 32 2 12     1
Bromsgrove LC Con 17 5 3     Ind 5, RA 1
Broxbourne LC Con 27 2       1
Broxtowe AA Lab (minority) 20 14 7     3
Burnley LC LD/Con/Ind 4 22 8   2 Ind 6, Brx 3
Cambridge LC Lab   26 15     1
Cannock Chase LC Lab (minority) 15 18 2   5 1
Canterbury LC Con 23 10 6      
Carlisle LC Con (minority) 17 15 1 1 1 4
Castle Point LC Con 25         16
Charnwood LC Con 37 13     1 1
Chelmsford LC LDm 21   31     5
Cheltenham LC LDm 6   32     2
Cherwell LC Con 32 9 2   1 4
Chesterfield LC Lab   28 17     3
Chichester LC Con (minority) 19 2 10   2 3
Chiltern LC Con 37   2     1
Chorley LC Lab 8 37       2
Colchester LC LD/Lab/Ind 23 11 13   1 3
Copeland MC Lab 10 19       4
Corby AA Lab 5 24        
Cotswold LC LDm 14   18   1 1
Craven AA Con (minority) 15 3 1   2 9
Crawley LC Lab 17 19        
Dacorum LC Con 31   19     1
Dartford LC Con 29 10       RA 3
Daventry AA Con 31 4 1      
Derbyshire Dales AA Con 20 6 8   2 3
Dover LC Con 19 12       1
East Cambridgeshire AA Con 15   13      
East Devon LC Ind 19   8   2 31
East Hampshire LC Con 32 2 7     2
East Herts LC Con 40 2 6   2  
East Lindsey LC Con 29 7 1     18
East Northamptonshire AA Con 37 1       2
East Staffordshire LC Con 25 10 1     3
East Suffolk LC Con 39 7 3   4 2
Eastbourne LC LDm 9   18      
Eastleigh LC LDm 2   34     3
Eden LC LD/Ind/Lab 14 2 11   2 9
Elmbridge LC RA + LD 21   10     RA 17
Epping Forest LC Con 37   3   3 RA 13, Ind 2
Epsom & Ewell AA Ind 1 3 2     RA 32
Erewash LC Con 27 19 1      
Exeter LC Lab 6 29 2   1 1
Fareham LC Con 24   5 1   1
Fenland LC Con 26   2   1 10
Folkestone & Hythe LC Con/UKIP/Ind 13 6 2 2 6 1
Forest of Dean LC Ind/Lab/Grn 10 5 2   7 14
Fylde LC Con 31   1     19
Gedling LC Lab 8 29 2     2
Gloucester LC Con 21 9 9      
Gosport AA Con 18 2 14      
Gravesham LC Lab 19 23       2
Great Yarmouth AA Con 20 15   1   3
Guildford LC LD + Ind 9 2 17   1 19
Hambleton LC Con 24 1 1     2
Harborough LC Con 22 1 11      
Harlow AA Lab 13 20        
Harrogate LC Con 31   7     2
Hart LC LD + RA 11   10     RA 11, Ind 1
Hastings LC Lab 8 24        
Havant LC Con 33 2 1 2    
Hertsmere LC Con 30 6 3      
High Peak LC Lab 16 22 3   2  
Hinckley & Bosworth LC LDm 11 2 21      
Horsham LC Con 32   13   2 1
Huntingdonshire LC Con 30 4 7     11
Hyndburn LC Lab 9 26        
Ipswich LC Lab 9 36 3      
Kettering LC Con 26 8 1     1
King's Lynn & W. Norfolk LC Con 28 10 1   1 15
Lancaster LC Lab + Grn 12 20 3   10 15
Lewes LC Grn/LD/Lab/Ind 19 3 8   9 2
Lichfield LC Con 34 10 1     2
Lincoln LC Lab 9 24        
Maidstone AA   24 4 20     7
Maldon LC Con 17         14
Malvern Hills LC Ind/LD/Grn 13 1 9   5 10
Mansfield MC Ind 2 14     1 19
Melton AA Con 22       1 5
Mendip LC LD (minority) 10   22   10 5
Mid Devon LC LD + Ind 18   12   2 10
Mid Suffolk LC Con + Ind 16   5   12 1
Mid Sussex LC Con 34   13   3 4
Mole Valley LC LDm 12   22     7
New Forest LC Con 46   13     1
Newark & Sherwood LC Con 27 7 2     3
Newcastle-under-Lyme LC Con (minority) 18 19 3     4
North Devon LC LD (minority) 12   21   2 7
North East Derbyshire LC Con 30 18 3     2
North Hertfordshire LC Lab + LD 22 16 11      
North Kesteven LC Ind 21         22
North Norfolk LC LDm 6   30     4
North Warwickshire AA Con 21 14        
North West Leicestershire LC Con 20 10 4   1 3
Northampton LC Con 25 17 3      
Norwich LC Lab   27 3   9  
Nuneaton & Bedworth LC Lab (minority) 15 17     1 1
Oadby & Wigston AA LDm 2   24      
Oxford LC Lab   36 9   2 1
Pendle LC Lab + LD 23 16 10      
Preston LC Lab 9 30 9      
Redditch LC Con 18 11        
Reigate & Banstead LC Con 29   3   6 RA 6, Ind 1
Ribble Valley AA Con 28   10     2
Richmondshire AA All party 10   3   1 10
Rochford LC Con 27   3   2 RA 4, Ind 3
Rossendale LC Lab 13 19       4
Rother LC Ind/LD/Lab 14 3 7   1 13
Rugby LC Con 24 9 9      
Runnymede AA Con 26 2 3   1 9
Rushcliffe LC Con 29 7 3   2 3
Rushmoor LC Con 26 11 2      
Ryedale AA Ind 12   2     Ind 11, Lib 5
St Albans LC LD (minority) 23 6 25   1 3
Scarborough LC Lab + Ind 16 13   1 2 14
Sedgemoor LC Con 28 12 7     1
Selby LC Con 16 8       7
Sevenoaks LC Con 46 1 3     4
Somerset West & Taunton LC LDm 10 3 32   2 12
South Bucks LC Con 27         1
South Cambridgeshire LC LDm 11 2 30     2
South Derbyshire AA Con 22 14        
South Hams LC Con 16   10   3 2
South Holland LC Con 24         13
South Kesteven LC Con 40 3 1     Ind 11, Lib 1
South Lakeland LC LDm 15 3 32   1  
South Norfolk LC Con 35 1 10      
South Northamptonshire LC Con 33   6     3
South Oxfordshire LC LD + Grn 9 3 13   6 RA 3, Ind 2
South Ribble LC Lab (minority) 23 22 5      
South Somerset LC LDm 15   41     4
South Staffordshire LC Con 37 1   1 3 7
Spelthorne LC Con 23 4 8   2 2
Stafford LC Con 22 10     1 7
Staffordshire Moorlands LC Con + Ind 25 13 1     17
Stevenage LC Lab 7 27 5      
Stratford-on-Avon LC Con 20   12   1 3
Stroud LC Lab/Grn/LD 22 16 2   9 2
Surrey Heath LC Con 18 1 10   2 4
Swale LC Ind/Lab/LD/Grn 16 11 5 1 2 12
Tamworth LC Con 22 5   2   1
Tandridge AA Con (minority) 16   11     Ind 8, RA 7
Teignbridge LC LDm 12   26     9
Tendring LC Con/UKIP/Ind 16 6 2 5    
Test Valley LC Con 24   12     7
Tewkesbury LC Con 23   8   1 6
Thanet LC Con (minority) 25 20     3 8
Three Rivers LC LDm 12 3 24      
Tonbridge & Malling LC Con 39 1 9   2 3
Torridge AA Ind (minority) 11 3 2   2 18
Tunbridge Wells LC Con 27 4 10     7
Uttlesford LC Ind 4   7     RA 26, Ind 2
Vale of White Horse LC LDm 6   31   1  
Warwick LC Con + RA 19 5 9   8 RA 3
Watford MC LDm   10 26      
Waverley LC RA/LD/Lab/Grn 23 2 14   2 RA 15, Ind 1
Wealden LC Con 34   4   2 5
Wellingborough AA Con 27 9        
Welwyn Hatfield LC Con (minority) 23 13 12      
West Devon AA Con 16   2   2 11
West Lancashire LC Lab 19 29       6
West Lindsey AA Con 19   12     5
West Oxfordshire LC Con 28 9 10     2
West Suffolk LC Con 43 5     1 15
Winchester LC LDm 18   27      
Woking LC Con (minority) 14 3 10     3
Worcester AA All party 16 15 1   3  
Worthing LC Con 22 10 3 1   1
Wychavon LC Con 36   6   2 1
Wycombe LC Con 49 6 1     4
Wyre LC Con 37 8   4   Brx 1
Wyre Forest LC ICHC/Ind/LD 14 2 3   1 ICHC 8, Ind 5
District Totals  3883 1549 1372 25 217 1042


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   10   5     11 10
Clackmannanshire   5 5       8  
Dumfries & Galloway   16 11 1     11 4
Dundee SNP 3 8 2     15 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 11 6   8 20  
Eilean Siar Ind 1         7 23
Falkirk   7 9       12 2
Fife   15 23 7     30  
Glasgow   7 31     7 40  
Highland   9 3 10   1 22 29
Inverclyde   2 8 1     7 4
Midlothian   5 6       7  
Moray   9 1       8 8
North Ayrshire   7 11       11 4
North Lanarkshire   9 34       32 2
Orkney Ind         1   20
Perth & Kinross   18 1 4     14 3
Renfrewshire   8 13 1     19 2
Scottish Borders   15   2     8 9
Shetland Ind           1 21
South Ayrshire   12 5       9 2
South Lanarkshire   13 21 3     27  
Stirling   9 4     1 9  
West Dunbartonshire   2 8       10 2
West Lothian   7 12       13 1
Scotland Totals  275 259 68 0 19 432 174


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 21 38 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   40 1     16 7
Newport Lab 12 31 2       5
Pembrokeshire Ind 10 7 1     6 36
Powys   18 8 14   1 2 30
Rhondda Cynon Taff Lab 2 46 1     18 8
Swansea Lab 8 48 7       9
Torfaen Lab 4 30         10
Vale of Glamorgan   23 14       4 6
Wrexham   9 11 2     5 25
Wales Totals  181 466 63 0 1 207 336


England, Scotland & Wales Totals

ConLabour LibDemUKIPGreen SNPPlaid Others
  7531 6339 2556 35 378 432 207 2169
Others comprise: Ind 1901, RA 188, Brx 33, ICHC 10, Lib 10, SLP 4, FBM 1

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