Conservative Party › 2018
Conservative Party in 2018
Polling day: 3 May 2018. 154 councils held elections.
Summary
- Contested in 154 of 154 councils; ran for 4,417 seats.
- Won 1,334 seats (30.2% of seats up) on 31.4% of the vote.
- Net change vs each council's last appearance in this dataset: +437 seats across 81 councils up, 22 councils down, 30 flat, 21 new to the window.
- Council-control change: 4 gained, 3 lost.
Where Conservative Party led, as of 2018
Councils where Conservative Party was the largest single party in the most recent composition snapshot at or before 2018. Greens ring councils gained at this election; reds ring those lost. Click any hex to drill in.
As of 2018
235 councils led
+4 gained this cycle
−3 lost this cycle
Grey hexes are councils where another party led, or where we don't have a snapshot for that year.
Council-control changes
Councils where the largest party in the running composition changed at this election. How a flip is defined →
Gained (4)
Lost (3)
- South Cambridgeshire to Liberal Democrats
- Trafford to Labour Party
- Plymouth to Labour Party
Where the seats came from
Per-council net seat change vs each council's prior appearance in our dataset (typically that council's previous all-out election or its last by-thirds slice). "Debut" rows are councils whose first cycle in our window is 2018 — usually the result of a boundary reorganisation or being a county outside our 2021 LEH coverage.
Seats gained (81 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | 41 | 0 (2016) | +41 | 44.8% | 68.3% |
| Barnet | 38 | 0 (2016) | +38 | 46.9% | 60.3% |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 36 | 2 (2016) | +34 | 51.6% | 72.0% |
| Huntingdonshire | 30 | 0 (2017) | +30 | 47.9% | 57.7% |
| Croydon | 29 | 0 (2016) | +29 | 39.8% | 41.4% |
| Havering | 25 | 0 (2016) | +25 | 37.1% | 46.3% |
| Birmingham | 25 | 0 (2017) | +25 | 28.5% | 24.8% |
| South Lakeland | 19 | 0 (2017) | +19 | 40.9% | 37.3% |
| Merton | 17 | 0 (2016) | +17 | 31.5% | 28.3% |
| Harrogate | 31 | 15 (2016) | +16 | 53.6% | 77.5% |
| Leeds | 22 | 6 (2016) | +16 | 28.2% | 22.2% |
| Reigate and Banstead | 14 | 1 (2017) | +13 | 50.3% | 77.8% |
| Havant | 13 | 1 (2017) | +12 | 62.3% | 86.7% |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 13 | 1 (2017) | +12 | 34.4% | 25.5% |
| Redbridge | 12 | 0 (2016) | +12 | 35.3% | 19.0% |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 18 | 7 (2016) | +11 | 42.7% | 40.9% |
| Daventry | 11 | 1 (2017) | +10 | 54.0% | 84.6% |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 11 | 1 (2017) | +10 | 51.0% | 64.7% |
| Runnymede | 11 | 1 (2017) | +10 | 48.7% | 68.8% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 11 | 1 (2017) | +10 | 34.0% | 24.4% |
| West Oxfordshire | 10 | 1 (2017) | +9 | 45.4% | 58.8% |
| Greenwich | 9 | 0 (2016) | +9 | 23.6% | 17.6% |
| Rushmoor | 9 | 1 (2017) | +8 | 47.3% | 64.3% |
| Maidstone | 9 | 1 (2017) | +8 | 44.4% | 50.0% |
| Wirral | 8 | 0 (2017) | +8 | 36.3% | 34.8% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 10 | 3 (2016) | +7 | 49.5% | 62.5% |
| Rugby | 8 | 1 (2017) | +7 | 46.9% | 57.1% |
| Carlisle | 8 | 1 (2017) | +7 | 44.0% | 47.1% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 8 | 1 (2017) | +7 | 42.9% | 42.1% |
| Bradford | 8 | 1 (2017) | +7 | 27.5% | 26.7% |
| Craven | 7 | 0 (2017) | +7 | 46.4% | 77.8% |
| Trafford | 7 | 0 (2017) | +7 | 36.7% | 31.8% |
| Camden | 7 | 0 (2017) | +7 | 21.7% | 13.0% |
| Walsall | 13 | 7 (2016) | +6 | 47.8% | 61.9% |
| North Hertfordshire | 8 | 2 (2017) | +6 | 39.7% | 42.1% |
| Wyre Forest | 7 | 1 (2017) | +6 | 41.2% | 63.6% |
| Hastings | 8 | 3 (2016) | +5 | 32.0% | 25.0% |
| Redditch | 7 | 2 (2016) | +5 | 44.0% | 70.0% |
| Bury | 5 | 0 (2017) | +5 | 37.7% | 29.4% |
| Hackney | 5 | 0 (2016) | +5 | 11.1% | 8.8% |
| Dudley | 14 | 10 (2016) | +4 | 48.1% | 58.3% |
| Basildon | 10 | 6 (2016) | +4 | 51.2% | 66.7% |
| Bolton | 9 | 5 (2016) | +4 | 34.1% | 42.9% |
| Great Yarmouth | 8 | 4 (2016) | +4 | 49.4% | 57.1% |
| Rossendale | 6 | 2 (2016) | +4 | 47.9% | 50.0% |
| Preston | 5 | 1 (2017) | +4 | 34.3% | 25.0% |
| Eastleigh | 4 | 0 (2017) | +4 | 27.2% | 10.3% |
| Amber Valley | 7 | 4 (2016) | +3 | 47.2% | 46.7% |
| Worcester | 6 | 3 (2016) | +3 | 41.3% | 46.2% |
| Wakefield | 5 | 2 (2016) | +3 | 34.0% | 23.8% |
| Sunderland | 5 | 2 (2016) | +3 | 29.4% | 20.0% |
| Crawley | 4 | 1 (2017) | +3 | 47.4% | 33.3% |
| Sefton | 4 | 1 (2016) | +3 | 22.4% | 17.4% |
| Cheltenham | 3 | 0 (2017) | +3 | 37.0% | 14.3% |
| Brent | 3 | 0 (2016) | +3 | 22.9% | 4.8% |
| Adur | 9 | 7 (2016) | +2 | 44.0% | 64.3% |
| St Albans | 9 | 7 (2016) | +2 | 38.2% | 45.0% |
| Tamworth | 8 | 6 (2016) | +2 | 47.8% | 80.0% |
| West Lancashire | 7 | 5 (2016) | +2 | 40.1% | 38.9% |
| Southampton | 7 | 5 (2016) | +2 | 37.6% | 43.8% |
| Portsmouth | 6 | 4 (2016) | +2 | 36.7% | 42.9% |
| Cannock Chase | 5 | 3 (2016) | +2 | 44.0% | 38.5% |
| Reading | 5 | 3 (2016) | +2 | 29.9% | 27.8% |
| Hyndburn | 4 | 2 (2016) | +2 | 37.1% | 36.4% |
| Stevenage | 3 | 1 (2017) | +2 | 36.9% | 23.1% |
| Ipswich | 3 | 1 (2017) | +2 | 36.8% | 18.8% |
| St Edmundsbury | 2 | 0 (2016) | +2 | 51.9% | 100.0% |
| Exeter | 2 | 0 (2017) | +2 | 32.6% | 15.4% |
| Solihull | 10 | 9 (2016) | +1 | 49.1% | 58.8% |
| Brentwood | 8 | 7 (2016) | +1 | 45.6% | 61.5% |
| Derby | 8 | 7 (2016) | +1 | 39.9% | 47.1% |
| Kirklees | 7 | 6 (2016) | +1 | 31.6% | 29.2% |
| Milton Keynes | 6 | 5 (2016) | +1 | 38.6% | 30.0% |
| Harlow | 5 | 4 (2016) | +1 | 46.5% | 45.5% |
| Wolverhampton | 3 | 2 (2016) | +1 | 33.9% | 13.6% |
| Salford | 3 | 2 (2016) | +1 | 27.7% | 15.0% |
| Oldham | 2 | 1 (2016) | +1 | 21.9% | 9.1% |
| Burnley | 2 | 1 (2016) | +1 | 18.6% | 13.3% |
| Kingston upon Hull | 2 | 1 (2016) | +1 | 11.7% | 3.5% |
| South Tyneside | 1 | 0 (2016) | +1 | 22.9% | 5.6% |
| Hartlepool | 1 | 0 (2017) | +1 | 22.2% | 9.1% |
Seats lost (22 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warwickshire | 0 | 36 (2017) | -36 | 10.2% | 0.0% |
| Cherwell | 12 | 38 (2016) | -26 | 49.5% | 70.6% |
| Peterborough | 7 | 31 (2016) | -24 | 35.5% | 38.9% |
| Winchester | 6 | 25 (2016) | -19 | 47.2% | 40.0% |
| Elmbridge | 10 | 22 (2016) | -12 | 46.1% | 62.5% |
| Colchester | 10 | 22 (2016) | -12 | 40.4% | 58.8% |
| Woking | 5 | 17 (2016) | -12 | 45.8% | 50.0% |
| Rochford | 12 | 21 (2016) | -9 | 48.8% | 85.7% |
| Wokingham | 11 | 15 (2016) | -4 | 45.3% | 61.1% |
| Tandridge | 4 | 8 (2016) | -4 | 35.6% | 28.6% |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 8 | 11 (2016) | -3 | 46.1% | 40.0% |
| Worthing | 8 | 11 (2016) | -3 | 45.9% | 61.5% |
| Pendle | 6 | 9 (2016) | -3 | 41.9% | 37.5% |
| Gosport | 8 | 10 (2016) | -2 | 50.9% | 44.4% |
| Lincoln | 4 | 6 (2016) | -2 | 36.8% | 36.4% |
| Calderdale | 4 | 6 (2016) | -2 | 34.9% | 23.5% |
| Chorley | 2 | 4 (2016) | -2 | 37.5% | 11.8% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 12 | 13 (2016) | -1 | 42.8% | 75.0% |
| Thurrock | 6 | 7 (2016) | -1 | 35.8% | 37.5% |
| Hart | 4 | 5 (2016) | -1 | 43.1% | 36.4% |
| Three Rivers | 4 | 5 (2016) | -1 | 40.1% | 30.8% |
| Halton | 0 | 1 (2016) | -1 | 17.0% | 0.0% |
Debut councils (21)
| Council | Won | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bromley | 50 | 50.3% | 83.3% |
| Hillingdon | 44 | 54.2% | 67.7% |
| Bexley | 34 | 55.4% | 75.6% |
| Wandsworth | 33 | 42.1% | 55.0% |
| Harrow | 28 | 45.1% | 44.4% |
| Sutton | 18 | 36.3% | 33.3% |
| Enfield | 17 | 35.1% | 27.0% |
| Waltham Forest | 14 | 24.0% | 23.3% |
| Richmond upon Thames | 11 | 37.6% | 20.4% |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 11 | 33.8% | 23.9% |
| Kingston upon Thames | 9 | 30.6% | 18.8% |
| Hounslow | 9 | 28.8% | 15.0% |
| Ealing | 8 | 25.5% | 11.6% |
| Tower Hamlets | 2 | 9.9% | 4.4% |
| Lambeth | 1 | 12.9% | 1.6% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 0 | 22.3% | 0.0% |
| Newham | 0 | 15.4% | 0.0% |
| Lewisham | 0 | 13.9% | 0.0% |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 0 | 13.7% | 0.0% |
| Islington | 0 | 9.7% | 0.0% |
| Haringey | 0 | 7.8% | 0.0% |
No change (30)
- Fareham 12 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Epping Forest 11 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Broxbourne 9 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Castle Point 9 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Swindon 9 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Plymouth 8 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Southend-on-Sea 8 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Mole Valley 5 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Coventry 5 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Stockport 3 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Rochdale 3 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Wigan 3 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- North Tyneside 2 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Tameside 2 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Weymouth and Portland 1 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Slough 1 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- St Helens 1 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Barnsley 1 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Sandwell 0 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Watford 0 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Norwich 0 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Gateshead 0 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Newcastle upon Tyne 0 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Sheffield 0 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Oxford 0 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Cambridge 0 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Southwark 0 seats (unchanged from 2016)
- Manchester 0 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Liverpool 0 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Knowsley 0 seats (unchanged from 2016)
Net-change comparisons are versus each council's most recent appearance in our dataset (2021–2026). For all-out councils that's the previous all-out cycle (typically four years prior); for by-thirds councils it's last year's slice. Cross-cycle ward boundary changes can produce small artefacts — see methodology.