Conservative Party › 2021
Conservative Party in 2021
Polling day: 6 May 2021. 227 councils held elections.
Summary
- Contested in 227 of 227 councils; ran for 4,729 seats.
- Won 2,336 seats (49.4% of seats up) on 40.9% of the vote.
- Net change vs each council's last appearance in this dataset: -810 seats across 97 councils up, 106 councils down, 20 flat, 4 new to the window.
- Council-control change: 15 gained, 4 lost.
Where Conservative Party led, as of 2021
Councils where Conservative Party was the largest single party in the most recent composition snapshot at or before 2021. Greens ring councils gained at this election; reds ring those lost. Click any hex to drill in.
As of 2021
227 councils led
+15 gained this cycle
−4 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 (15)
- Nuneaton and Bedworth from Labour Party
- Crawley from Labour Party
- Southampton from Labour Party
- Hartlepool from Other
- Cannock Chase from Labour Party
- Amber Valley from Labour Party
- Harlow from Labour Party
- Tendring from Other
- Arun from Liberal Democrats
- North Kesteven from Other
- Newcastle-under-Lyme from Labour Party
- Plymouth from Labour Party
- Bolton from Labour Party
- Hart from Other
- Portsmouth from Liberal Democrats
Lost (4)
- Malvern Hills to Other
- Wyre Forest to Other
- Tandridge to Other
- Maldon to Other
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 2021 — usually the result of a boundary reorganisation or being a county outside our 2021 LEH coverage.
Seats gained (97 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buckinghamshire | 113 | 41 (2017) | +72 | 47.5% | 76.9% |
| Northumberland | 34 | 0 (2019) | +34 | 45.7% | 50.7% |
| Basingstoke & Deane | 40 | 12 (2019) | +28 | 49.1% | 62.5% |
| County Durham | 24 | 0 (2019) | +24 | 27.2% | 19.0% |
| Rotherham | 20 | 0 (2016) | +20 | 28.4% | 33.9% |
| Nuneaton & Bedworth | 27 | 11 (2018) | +16 | 57.6% | 90.0% |
| Amber Valley | 22 | 8 (2019) | +14 | 53.1% | 84.6% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 22 | 8 (2019) | +14 | 48.7% | 88.0% |
| Pendle | 22 | 8 (2019) | +14 | 47.6% | 56.4% |
| Chorley | 16 | 2 (2019) | +14 | 39.7% | 32.0% |
| Gloucester | 34 | 22 (2016) | +12 | 47.6% | 69.4% |
| Cannock Chase | 19 | 7 (2019) | +12 | 51.1% | 95.0% |
| Harlow | 16 | 4 (2019) | +12 | 56.9% | 94.1% |
| Ipswich | 16 | 4 (2019) | +12 | 42.7% | 51.6% |
| Hartlepool | 13 | 1 (2019) | +12 | 25.5% | 36.1% |
| Cherwell | 20 | 9 (2019) | +11 | 48.1% | 66.7% |
| Basildon | 16 | 5 (2019) | +11 | 51.2% | 66.7% |
| Dudley | 23 | 13 (2019) | +10 | 57.1% | 88.5% |
| Havant | 21 | 11 (2019) | +10 | 60.0% | 100.0% |
| Maidstone | 19 | 9 (2019) | +10 | 47.8% | 67.9% |
| Rugby | 17 | 8 (2019) | +9 | 49.1% | 68.0% |
| Peterborough | 16 | 7 (2019) | +9 | 44.6% | 69.6% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 14 | 5 (2019) | +9 | 40.4% | 58.3% |
| Warrington | 11 | 2 (2016) | +9 | 36.7% | 19.0% |
| Sandwell | 9 | 0 (2019) | +9 | 36.6% | 33.3% |
| Redditch | 17 | 9 (2019) | +8 | 54.3% | 100.0% |
| Tamworth | 16 | 8 (2019) | +8 | 57.0% | 100.0% |
| Colchester | 14 | 6 (2019) | +8 | 44.5% | 50.0% |
| Stevenage | 10 | 2 (2019) | +8 | 40.2% | 50.0% |
| Lincoln | 9 | 1 (2019) | +8 | 42.1% | 47.4% |
| Fareham | 19 | 12 (2018) | +7 | 55.7% | 86.4% |
| Adur | 16 | 9 (2018) | +7 | 46.1% | 69.6% |
| Gosport | 15 | 8 (2018) | +7 | 49.7% | 68.2% |
| Thurrock | 13 | 6 (2019) | +7 | 53.2% | 76.5% |
| Elmbridge | 13 | 6 (2019) | +7 | 42.6% | 52.0% |
| Tandridge | 11 | 4 (2019) | +7 | 41.7% | 50.0% |
| Southend On Sea | 11 | 4 (2019) | +7 | 40.5% | 57.9% |
| Hart | 10 | 3 (2019) | +7 | 49.4% | 58.8% |
| Hyndburn | 10 | 3 (2019) | +7 | 45.1% | 52.6% |
| Epping Forest | 19 | 13 (2019) | +6 | 49.4% | 65.5% |
| Rushmoor | 15 | 9 (2019) | +6 | 51.5% | 78.9% |
| North Hertfordshire | 13 | 7 (2019) | +6 | 42.3% | 54.2% |
| Brentwood | 12 | 6 (2019) | +6 | 49.7% | 75.0% |
| Winchester | 11 | 5 (2019) | +6 | 45.5% | 50.0% |
| Cheltenham | 9 | 3 (2018) | +6 | 38.6% | 30.0% |
| Mole Valley | 8 | 2 (2019) | +6 | 38.7% | 42.1% |
| Broxbourne | 15 | 10 (2019) | +5 | 63.0% | 93.8% |
| Plymouth | 14 | 9 (2019) | +5 | 50.6% | 73.7% |
| West Oxfordshire | 13 | 8 (2019) | +5 | 43.5% | 48.1% |
| Rochford | 12 | 7 (2019) | +5 | 44.3% | 60.0% |
| St Albans | 12 | 7 (2019) | +5 | 34.5% | 40.0% |
| Worthing | 10 | 5 (2019) | +5 | 44.8% | 45.5% |
| Calderdale | 9 | 4 (2019) | +5 | 39.0% | 47.4% |
| Burnley | 6 | 1 (2019) | +5 | 31.8% | 28.6% |
| Solihull | 12 | 8 (2019) | +4 | 53.8% | 66.7% |
| Wokingham | 12 | 8 (2019) | +4 | 46.2% | 66.7% |
| Hastings | 12 | 8 (2018) | +4 | 39.1% | 50.0% |
| Southampton | 11 | 7 (2019) | +4 | 42.9% | 68.8% |
| Worcester | 11 | 7 (2019) | +4 | 40.7% | 50.0% |
| West Lancashire | 11 | 7 (2019) | +4 | 36.2% | 40.7% |
| Doncaster | 11 | 7 (2017) | +4 | 33.2% | 20.0% |
| Bolton | 10 | 6 (2019) | +4 | 38.8% | 47.6% |
| Kirklees | 9 | 5 (2019) | +4 | 38.4% | 36.0% |
| Woking | 8 | 4 (2019) | +4 | 40.8% | 47.1% |
| Wakefield | 8 | 4 (2019) | +4 | 37.5% | 36.4% |
| Salford | 7 | 3 (2019) | +4 | 25.6% | 11.7% |
| Mansfield | 6 | 2 (2019) | +4 | 39.9% | 66.7% |
| Oldham | 5 | 1 (2019) | +4 | 23.8% | 25.0% |
| Swindon | 15 | 12 (2019) | +3 | 48.5% | 71.4% |
| Milton Keynes | 11 | 8 (2019) | +3 | 42.0% | 52.4% |
| Derby | 9 | 6 (2019) | +3 | 38.5% | 50.0% |
| Sunderland | 8 | 5 (2019) | +3 | 34.8% | 28.6% |
| Trafford | 7 | 4 (2019) | +3 | 33.6% | 28.0% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 12 | 10 (2019) | +2 | 55.9% | 85.7% |
| Bradford | 11 | 9 (2019) | +2 | 31.9% | 33.3% |
| Leeds | 9 | 7 (2019) | +2 | 31.2% | 26.5% |
| Wolverhampton | 8 | 6 (2019) | +2 | 43.0% | 36.4% |
| Bury | 7 | 5 (2019) | +2 | 41.2% | 36.8% |
| Three Rivers | 7 | 5 (2019) | +2 | 38.9% | 36.8% |
| Bassetlaw | 6 | 4 (2019) | +2 | 51.3% | 66.7% |
| Blackburn With Darwen | 6 | 4 (2019) | +2 | 38.8% | 35.3% |
| Coventry | 6 | 4 (2019) | +2 | 33.4% | 31.6% |
| North Tyneside | 5 | 3 (2019) | +2 | 35.7% | 21.7% |
| Exeter | 4 | 2 (2019) | +2 | 31.1% | 17.4% |
| Wigan | 4 | 2 (2019) | +2 | 30.4% | 15.4% |
| Tameside | 3 | 1 (2019) | +2 | 35.7% | 15.8% |
| Sefton | 3 | 1 (2019) | +2 | 25.9% | 12.5% |
| Eastleigh | 2 | 0 (2019) | +2 | 37.0% | 10.0% |
| Cornwall | 47 | 46 (2017) | +1 | 37.3% | 54.0% |
| Stroud | 24 | 23 (2016) | +1 | 42.4% | 39.3% |
| Walsall | 14 | 13 (2019) | +1 | 54.1% | 63.6% |
| Rossendale | 6 | 5 (2019) | +1 | 43.2% | 35.3% |
| Bolsover | 3 | 2 (2019) | +1 | 41.4% | 50.0% |
| Stockport | 3 | 2 (2019) | +1 | 25.8% | 14.3% |
| Halton | 2 | 1 (2019) | +1 | 18.8% | 3.7% |
| South Tyneside | 1 | 0 (2019) | +1 | 21.6% | 5.0% |
| Sheffield | 1 | 0 (2019) | +1 | 18.7% | 3.4% |
Seats lost (106 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Forest | 8 | 45 (2019) | -37 | 54.9% | 80.0% |
| Sevenoaks | 5 | 41 (2019) | -36 | 56.4% | 83.3% |
| Tonbridge & Malling | 4 | 37 (2019) | -33 | 49.3% | 57.1% |
| East Hertfordshire | 8 | 38 (2019) | -30 | 50.5% | 80.0% |
| Wyre | 7 | 37 (2019) | -30 | 61.6% | 87.5% |
| South Kesteven | 11 | 38 (2019) | -27 | 56.2% | 78.6% |
| Braintree | 7 | 34 (2019) | -27 | 51.1% | 87.5% |
| Breckland | 11 | 37 (2019) | -26 | 61.7% | 91.7% |
| Charnwood | 11 | 37 (2019) | -26 | 51.8% | 78.6% |
| Dacorum | 5 | 31 (2019) | -26 | 42.1% | 50.0% |
| South Staffordshire | 8 | 33 (2019) | -25 | 68.4% | 100.0% |
| Fylde | 6 | 31 (2019) | -25 | 55.7% | 100.0% |
| East Hampshire | 6 | 31 (2019) | -25 | 50.9% | 85.7% |
| Dartford | 4 | 29 (2019) | -25 | 54.9% | 66.7% |
| Hertsmere | 4 | 29 (2019) | -25 | 50.1% | 57.1% |
| South Norfolk | 11 | 35 (2019) | -24 | 50.2% | 91.7% |
| Horsham | 9 | 32 (2019) | -23 | 46.9% | 75.0% |
| North East Derbyshire | 7 | 30 (2019) | -23 | 54.6% | 87.5% |
| Broadland | 11 | 33 (2019) | -22 | 52.6% | 84.6% |
| Wealden | 11 | 33 (2019) | -22 | 46.9% | 73.3% |
| Mid Sussex | 8 | 30 (2019) | -22 | 42.6% | 66.7% |
| Ribble Valley | 4 | 26 (2019) | -22 | 53.1% | 100.0% |
| Thanet | 5 | 25 (2019) | -20 | 45.5% | 71.4% |
| Lichfield | 8 | 27 (2019) | -19 | 58.4% | 100.0% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 6 | 25 (2019) | -19 | 56.5% | 85.7% |
| Tewkesbury | 4 | 23 (2019) | -19 | 47.4% | 57.1% |
| Waverley | 2 | 21 (2019) | -19 | 39.2% | 22.2% |
| Huntingdonshire | 12 | 30 (2018) | -18 | 49.7% | 70.6% |
| Wychavon | 11 | 29 (2019) | -18 | 61.5% | 91.7% |
| Erewash | 9 | 27 (2019) | -18 | 54.7% | 100.0% |
| Rushcliffe | 9 | 27 (2019) | -18 | 50.1% | 90.0% |
| Newark & Sherwood | 8 | 26 (2019) | -18 | 52.9% | 80.0% |
| Canterbury | 5 | 23 (2019) | -18 | 43.8% | 62.5% |
| Spelthorne | 5 | 23 (2019) | -18 | 43.2% | 71.4% |
| East Suffolk | 22 | 39 (2019) | -17 | 53.2% | 84.6% |
| East Staffordshire | 6 | 23 (2019) | -17 | 52.1% | 75.0% |
| South Ribble | 6 | 23 (2019) | -17 | 50.4% | 75.0% |
| Test Valley | 5 | 22 (2019) | -17 | 52.0% | 71.4% |
| Lewes | 2 | 19 (2019) | -17 | 33.7% | 22.2% |
| Chelmsford | 5 | 21 (2019) | -16 | 48.2% | 55.6% |
| Harborough | 6 | 21 (2019) | -15 | 50.9% | 85.7% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 5 | 20 (2019) | -15 | 49.8% | 83.3% |
| Broxtowe | 5 | 20 (2019) | -15 | 38.3% | 55.6% |
| East Lindsey | 12 | 26 (2019) | -14 | 60.2% | 92.3% |
| South Derbyshire | 8 | 22 (2019) | -14 | 55.8% | 100.0% |
| North Warwickshire | 7 | 21 (2019) | -14 | 65.6% | 100.0% |
| Ashford | 6 | 20 (2019) | -14 | 56.2% | 85.7% |
| Blaby | 6 | 20 (2019) | -14 | 56.1% | 75.0% |
| Warwick | 5 | 19 (2019) | -14 | 32.5% | 35.7% |
| Melton | 4 | 18 (2019) | -14 | 60.5% | 100.0% |
| Gravesham | 4 | 18 (2019) | -14 | 51.2% | 80.0% |
| West Suffolk | 15 | 28 (2019) | -13 | 51.1% | 93.8% |
| Great Yarmouth | 7 | 20 (2019) | -13 | 58.8% | 77.8% |
| Stafford | 7 | 20 (2019) | -13 | 52.1% | 77.8% |
| South Holland | 6 | 19 (2019) | -13 | 57.4% | 66.7% |
| Maldon | 2 | 15 (2019) | -13 | 47.2% | 66.7% |
| Runnymede | 14 | 26 (2019) | -12 | 47.2% | 73.7% |
| North West Leicestershire | 8 | 20 (2019) | -12 | 52.3% | 100.0% |
| Dover | 7 | 19 (2019) | -12 | 50.6% | 100.0% |
| Surrey Heath | 6 | 18 (2019) | -12 | 49.0% | 100.0% |
| Chichester | 6 | 18 (2019) | -12 | 48.8% | 60.0% |
| Mid Devon | 5 | 17 (2019) | -12 | 49.1% | 83.3% |
| South Hams | 4 | 16 (2019) | -12 | 46.7% | 57.1% |
| Swale | 4 | 16 (2019) | -12 | 46.4% | 57.1% |
| High Peak | 4 | 16 (2019) | -12 | 41.8% | 50.0% |
| Reigate & Banstead | 18 | 29 (2019) | -11 | 47.8% | 64.3% |
| Boston | 5 | 16 (2019) | -11 | 52.6% | 83.3% |
| Mid Suffolk | 5 | 16 (2019) | -11 | 44.9% | 50.0% |
| Arun | 11 | 21 (2019) | -10 | 50.4% | 84.6% |
| East Devon | 9 | 19 (2019) | -10 | 45.8% | 81.8% |
| Bromsgrove | 7 | 17 (2019) | -10 | 48.6% | 77.8% |
| Tendring | 6 | 16 (2019) | -10 | 50.3% | 75.0% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 5 | 15 (2019) | -10 | 44.2% | 62.5% |
| Cotswold | 4 | 14 (2019) | -10 | 47.1% | 50.0% |
| Stratford On Avon | 11 | 20 (2019) | -9 | 52.0% | 84.6% |
| Newcastle-Under-Lyme | 9 | 18 (2018) | -9 | 57.4% | 100.0% |
| West Lindsey | 6 | 15 (2019) | -9 | 50.8% | 66.7% |
| Babergh | 6 | 15 (2019) | -9 | 40.4% | 60.0% |
| West Devon | 4 | 13 (2019) | -9 | 47.3% | 100.0% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 2 | 11 (2018) | -9 | 34.0% | 13.3% |
| Folkestone & Hythe | 5 | 13 (2019) | -8 | 47.1% | 83.3% |
| Isle Of Wight | 18 | 25 (2017) | -7 | 38.6% | 46.2% |
| North Kesteven | 10 | 17 (2019) | -7 | 61.1% | 90.9% |
| Rother | 7 | 14 (2019) | -7 | 48.9% | 77.8% |
| North Devon | 5 | 12 (2019) | -7 | 41.7% | 62.5% |
| Teignbridge | 5 | 12 (2019) | -7 | 37.9% | 50.0% |
| Lancaster | 5 | 12 (2019) | -7 | 33.6% | 50.0% |
| Wiltshire | 61 | 67 (2017) | -6 | 47.3% | 62.2% |
| Shropshire | 42 | 48 (2017) | -6 | 44.7% | 57.5% |
| Forest Of Dean | 4 | 10 (2019) | -6 | 41.7% | 50.0% |
| Eastbourne | 3 | 9 (2019) | -6 | 38.9% | 33.3% |
| Malvern Hills | 3 | 9 (2019) | -6 | 37.4% | 37.5% |
| Guildford | 3 | 9 (2019) | -6 | 37.3% | 30.0% |
| Fenland | 9 | 14 (2019) | -5 | 63.0% | 100.0% |
| Hinckley & Bosworth | 6 | 11 (2019) | -5 | 51.3% | 66.7% |
| Torridge | 5 | 10 (2019) | -5 | 47.5% | 100.0% |
| Gedling | 3 | 8 (2019) | -5 | 41.3% | 33.3% |
| Crawley | 13 | 17 (2019) | -4 | 47.9% | 56.5% |
| Wyre Forest | 10 | 14 (2019) | -4 | 48.8% | 100.0% |
| South Oxfordshire | 6 | 10 (2019) | -4 | 39.7% | 46.2% |
| Vale Of White Horse | 2 | 5 (2019) | -3 | 37.0% | 16.7% |
| Ashfield | 0 | 3 (2019) | -3 | 24.8% | 0.0% |
| Preston | 7 | 9 (2019) | -2 | 35.4% | 28.0% |
| Portsmouth | 5 | 7 (2019) | -2 | 35.9% | 35.7% |
| Uttlesford | 2 | 4 (2019) | -2 | 39.5% | 50.0% |
| Oadby & Wigston | 1 | 2 (2019) | -1 | 36.6% | 20.0% |
Debut councils (4)
| Council | Won | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Northamptonshire | 66 | 50.8% | 71.0% |
| North Northamptonshire | 60 | 52.6% | 76.9% |
| Bristol, City Of | 14 | 21.2% | 20.0% |
| Kings Lynn & West Norfolk | 12 | 56.5% | 85.7% |
No change (20)
- Castle Point 8 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Wirral 8 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- North Norfolk 6 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Reading 4 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Rochdale 3 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Slough 2 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Barnsley 1 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Epsom & Ewell 1 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- St Helens 1 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Watford 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Chesterfield 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Gateshead 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Norwich 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Kingston Upon Hull 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Newcastle Upon Tyne 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Oxford 0 seats (unchanged from 2018)
- Cambridge 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Manchester 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Liverpool 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Knowsley 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
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.