Labour Party › 2021
Labour 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 1,346 seats (28.5% of seats up) on 27.9% of the vote.
- Net change vs each council's last appearance in this dataset: -403 seats across 44 councils up, 116 councils down, 63 flat, 4 new to the window.
- Council-control change: 0 gained, 10 lost.
Where Labour Party led, as of 2021
Councils where Labour 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
105 councils led
−10 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 →
Lost (10)
- Nuneaton and Bedworth to Conservative Party
- Crawley to Conservative Party
- Southampton to Conservative Party
- Cannock Chase to Conservative Party
- Amber Valley to Conservative Party
- Lancaster to Other
- Harlow to Conservative Party
- Newcastle-under-Lyme to Conservative Party
- Plymouth to Conservative Party
- Bolton to Conservative 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 2021 — usually the result of a boundary reorganisation or being a county outside our 2021 LEH coverage.
Seats gained (44 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Durham | 53 | 0 (2019) | +53 | 37.2% | 42.1% |
| Salford | 52 | 16 (2019) | +36 | 57.4% | 86.7% |
| Halton | 48 | 17 (2019) | +31 | 64.3% | 88.9% |
| Oxford | 45 | 18 (2018) | +27 | 45.2% | 72.6% |
| Cambridge | 36 | 9 (2019) | +27 | 41.0% | 66.7% |
| Chorley | 34 | 13 (2019) | +21 | 49.2% | 68.0% |
| Northumberland | 21 | 1 (2019) | +20 | 30.5% | 31.3% |
| Exeter | 18 | 9 (2019) | +9 | 43.5% | 78.3% |
| Pendle | 12 | 4 (2019) | +8 | 31.5% | 30.8% |
| Basingstoke & Deane | 12 | 4 (2019) | +8 | 20.2% | 18.8% |
| Hartlepool | 11 | 3 (2019) | +8 | 31.4% | 30.6% |
| West Lancashire | 13 | 7 (2019) | +6 | 41.4% | 48.1% |
| Worthing | 11 | 5 (2019) | +6 | 34.2% | 50.0% |
| Barnsley | 17 | 12 (2019) | +5 | 40.8% | 81.0% |
| Rossendale | 10 | 5 (2019) | +5 | 43.7% | 58.8% |
| North Hertfordshire | 7 | 3 (2019) | +4 | 26.2% | 29.2% |
| Sefton | 19 | 16 (2019) | +3 | 46.4% | 79.2% |
| Sunderland | 15 | 12 (2019) | +3 | 40.1% | 53.6% |
| Watford | 6 | 3 (2019) | +3 | 29.2% | 31.6% |
| Colchester | 6 | 3 (2019) | +3 | 23.3% | 21.4% |
| Buckinghamshire | 4 | 1 (2017) | +3 | 14.2% | 2.7% |
| Gateshead | 19 | 17 (2019) | +2 | 46.7% | 79.2% |
| Trafford | 16 | 14 (2019) | +2 | 45.5% | 64.0% |
| South Tyneside | 16 | 14 (2019) | +2 | 43.4% | 80.0% |
| Ipswich | 13 | 11 (2019) | +2 | 38.8% | 41.9% |
| St Helens | 12 | 10 (2019) | +2 | 41.9% | 70.6% |
| Burnley | 8 | 6 (2019) | +2 | 32.2% | 38.1% |
| West Oxfordshire | 6 | 4 (2019) | +2 | 21.0% | 22.2% |
| Worcester | 5 | 3 (2019) | +2 | 26.6% | 22.7% |
| Cherwell | 5 | 3 (2019) | +2 | 22.8% | 16.7% |
| Manchester | 33 | 32 (2019) | +1 | 65.5% | 97.1% |
| Stroud | 19 | 18 (2016) | +1 | 26.7% | 31.1% |
| North Tyneside | 18 | 17 (2019) | +1 | 48.6% | 78.3% |
| Newcastle Upon Tyne | 18 | 17 (2019) | +1 | 39.2% | 64.3% |
| Knowsley | 12 | 11 (2019) | +1 | 55.1% | 70.6% |
| Kirklees | 12 | 11 (2019) | +1 | 35.5% | 48.0% |
| Reading | 10 | 9 (2019) | +1 | 40.5% | 58.8% |
| Shropshire | 9 | 8 (2017) | +1 | 18.0% | 12.3% |
| Bolton | 7 | 6 (2019) | +1 | 35.3% | 33.3% |
| Milton Keynes | 7 | 6 (2019) | +1 | 34.0% | 33.3% |
| Southend On Sea | 6 | 5 (2019) | +1 | 26.1% | 31.6% |
| Adur | 5 | 4 (2018) | +1 | 32.2% | 21.7% |
| Rushmoor | 4 | 3 (2019) | +1 | 32.5% | 21.1% |
| Rugby | 4 | 3 (2019) | +1 | 26.7% | 16.0% |
Seats lost (116 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bassetlaw | 3 | 37 (2019) | -34 | 39.3% | 33.3% |
| Gedling | 6 | 29 (2019) | -23 | 46.7% | 66.7% |
| Gravesham | 1 | 24 (2019) | -23 | 38.1% | 20.0% |
| Chesterfield | 6 | 28 (2019) | -22 | 38.2% | 66.7% |
| South Ribble | 1 | 22 (2019) | -21 | 34.2% | 12.5% |
| Newcastle-Under-Lyme | 0 | 20 (2018) | -20 | 31.7% | 0.0% |
| Erewash | 0 | 19 (2019) | -19 | 29.8% | 0.0% |
| High Peak | 4 | 22 (2019) | -18 | 43.1% | 50.0% |
| Thanet | 2 | 20 (2019) | -18 | 24.6% | 28.6% |
| Lancaster | 4 | 21 (2019) | -17 | 34.3% | 40.0% |
| North East Derbyshire | 1 | 18 (2019) | -17 | 32.5% | 12.5% |
| Rotherham | 32 | 48 (2016) | -16 | 41.4% | 54.2% |
| Preston | 16 | 30 (2019) | -14 | 43.6% | 64.0% |
| Hastings | 10 | 24 (2018) | -14 | 37.4% | 41.7% |
| South Derbyshire | 0 | 14 (2019) | -14 | 28.9% | 0.0% |
| North Warwickshire | 0 | 14 (2019) | -14 | 28.3% | 0.0% |
| Bolsover | 3 | 16 (2019) | -13 | 43.1% | 50.0% |
| Mansfield | 2 | 15 (2019) | -13 | 27.9% | 22.2% |
| Great Yarmouth | 2 | 15 (2019) | -13 | 27.5% | 22.2% |
| Broxtowe | 2 | 14 (2019) | -12 | 32.4% | 22.2% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 1 | 13 (2019) | -12 | 30.0% | 14.3% |
| Dover | 0 | 12 (2019) | -12 | 29.1% | 0.0% |
| Swale | 0 | 11 (2019) | -11 | 12.2% | 0.0% |
| Norwich | 17 | 27 (2019) | -10 | 43.2% | 65.4% |
| Charnwood | 3 | 13 (2019) | -10 | 29.3% | 21.4% |
| North West Leicestershire | 0 | 10 (2019) | -10 | 26.8% | 0.0% |
| Lichfield | 0 | 10 (2019) | -10 | 26.2% | 0.0% |
| Warrington | 36 | 45 (2016) | -9 | 38.9% | 62.1% |
| Crawley | 10 | 19 (2019) | -9 | 39.0% | 43.5% |
| Dartford | 1 | 10 (2019) | -9 | 29.5% | 16.7% |
| Stafford | 1 | 10 (2019) | -9 | 23.4% | 11.1% |
| Dudley | 3 | 11 (2019) | -8 | 33.4% | 11.5% |
| East Staffordshire | 2 | 10 (2019) | -8 | 29.0% | 25.0% |
| Canterbury | 2 | 10 (2019) | -8 | 28.9% | 25.0% |
| Wyre | 1 | 9 (2019) | -8 | 27.0% | 12.5% |
| Gloucester | 3 | 10 (2016) | -7 | 18.5% | 6.1% |
| East Suffolk | 0 | 7 (2019) | -7 | 20.5% | 0.0% |
| Ashford | 0 | 7 (2019) | -7 | 17.1% | 0.0% |
| Sandwell | 18 | 24 (2019) | -6 | 53.1% | 66.7% |
| Oldham | 9 | 15 (2019) | -6 | 39.4% | 45.0% |
| Harlow | 1 | 7 (2019) | -6 | 35.4% | 5.9% |
| Rushcliffe | 1 | 7 (2019) | -6 | 28.7% | 10.0% |
| Newark & Sherwood | 1 | 7 (2019) | -6 | 22.1% | 10.0% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 0 | 6 (2019) | -6 | 19.9% | 0.0% |
| East Lindsey | 0 | 6 (2019) | -6 | 19.3% | 0.0% |
| Plymouth | 5 | 10 (2019) | -5 | 34.0% | 26.3% |
| Hertsmere | 2 | 7 (2019) | -5 | 26.8% | 28.6% |
| Breckland | 1 | 6 (2019) | -5 | 22.9% | 8.3% |
| Folkestone & Hythe | 1 | 6 (2019) | -5 | 19.9% | 16.7% |
| Blaby | 1 | 6 (2019) | -5 | 18.1% | 12.5% |
| Tendring | 1 | 6 (2019) | -5 | 16.7% | 12.5% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 0 | 5 (2019) | -5 | 24.8% | 0.0% |
| West Suffolk | 0 | 5 (2019) | -5 | 18.3% | 0.0% |
| Southampton | 5 | 9 (2019) | -4 | 37.7% | 31.3% |
| Nuneaton & Bedworth | 2 | 6 (2018) | -4 | 25.9% | 6.7% |
| Bromsgrove | 1 | 5 (2019) | -4 | 20.7% | 11.1% |
| Forest Of Dean | 1 | 5 (2019) | -4 | 17.2% | 12.5% |
| Cannock Chase | 0 | 4 (2019) | -4 | 27.6% | 0.0% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 0 | 4 (2019) | -4 | 25.6% | 0.0% |
| Huntingdonshire | 0 | 4 (2018) | -4 | 16.2% | 0.0% |
| Doncaster | 40 | 43 (2017) | -3 | 46.5% | 72.7% |
| Bradford | 15 | 18 (2019) | -3 | 40.0% | 45.5% |
| Peterborough | 4 | 7 (2019) | -3 | 30.6% | 17.4% |
| Amber Valley | 3 | 6 (2019) | -3 | 32.5% | 11.5% |
| Spelthorne | 1 | 4 (2019) | -3 | 17.5% | 14.3% |
| South Kesteven | 0 | 3 (2019) | -3 | 17.2% | 0.0% |
| Rother | 0 | 3 (2019) | -3 | 15.7% | 0.0% |
| Epsom & Ewell | 0 | 3 (2019) | -3 | 13.8% | 0.0% |
| South Oxfordshire | 0 | 3 (2019) | -3 | 13.4% | 0.0% |
| Torridge | 0 | 3 (2019) | -3 | 11.9% | 0.0% |
| Liverpool | 23 | 25 (2019) | -2 | 50.0% | 74.2% |
| Wolverhampton | 14 | 16 (2019) | -2 | 47.3% | 63.6% |
| Calderdale | 8 | 10 (2019) | -2 | 37.3% | 42.1% |
| Stevenage | 7 | 9 (2019) | -2 | 37.0% | 35.0% |
| Swindon | 5 | 7 (2019) | -2 | 33.0% | 23.8% |
| Warwick | 3 | 5 (2019) | -2 | 25.5% | 21.4% |
| East Hertfordshire | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 18.6% | 0.0% |
| Wyre Forest | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 18.4% | 0.0% |
| Broadland | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 18.1% | 0.0% |
| Ashfield | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 17.4% | 0.0% |
| Braintree | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 16.2% | 0.0% |
| Boston | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 13.2% | 0.0% |
| Hinckley & Bosworth | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 12.8% | 0.0% |
| Babergh | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 10.9% | 0.0% |
| Guildford | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 10.3% | 0.0% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 0 | 2 (2018) | -2 | 9.6% | 0.0% |
| Chichester | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 8.4% | 0.0% |
| Waverley | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 8.2% | 0.0% |
| East Hampshire | 0 | 2 (2019) | -2 | 8.1% | 0.0% |
| Wigan | 19 | 20 (2019) | -1 | 49.8% | 73.1% |
| Tameside | 16 | 17 (2019) | -1 | 50.8% | 84.2% |
| Wakefield | 13 | 14 (2019) | -1 | 45.2% | 59.1% |
| Coventry | 13 | 14 (2019) | -1 | 43.6% | 68.4% |
| Slough | 11 | 12 (2019) | -1 | 57.6% | 78.6% |
| Blackburn With Darwen | 11 | 12 (2019) | -1 | 55.4% | 64.7% |
| Lincoln | 9 | 10 (2019) | -1 | 41.2% | 47.4% |
| Kingston Upon Hull | 9 | 10 (2019) | -1 | 35.5% | 47.4% |
| Basildon | 5 | 6 (2019) | -1 | 23.5% | 20.8% |
| Thurrock | 4 | 5 (2019) | -1 | 33.2% | 23.5% |
| Lewes | 2 | 3 (2019) | -1 | 15.0% | 22.2% |
| Runnymede | 1 | 2 (2019) | -1 | 18.2% | 5.3% |
| Redditch | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 30.6% | 0.0% |
| Tamworth | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 29.4% | 0.0% |
| South Norfolk | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 17.9% | 0.0% |
| South Staffordshire | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 17.1% | 0.0% |
| Wokingham | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 15.9% | 0.0% |
| Harborough | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 13.4% | 0.0% |
| Gosport | 0 | 1 (2018) | -1 | 13.3% | 0.0% |
| Solihull | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 12.9% | 0.0% |
| Arun | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 11.4% | 0.0% |
| Brentwood | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 11.2% | 0.0% |
| St Albans | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 10.9% | 0.0% |
| Sevenoaks | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 9.9% | 0.0% |
| Surrey Heath | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 8.8% | 0.0% |
| Malvern Hills | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 8.5% | 0.0% |
| Tonbridge & Malling | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 8.3% | 0.0% |
Debut councils (4)
| Council | Won | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol, City Of | 24 | 31.9% | 34.3% |
| West Northamptonshire | 20 | 25.0% | 21.5% |
| North Northamptonshire | 14 | 29.6% | 17.9% |
| Kings Lynn & West Norfolk | 0 | 15.6% | 0.0% |
No change (63)
- Leeds 19 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Rochdale 16 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Sheffield 13 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Wirral 10 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Hyndburn 9 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Bury 9 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Stockport 8 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Walsall 7 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Derby 5 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Cornwall 5 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Wiltshire 3 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Portsmouth 2 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Tunbridge Wells 2 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Broxbourne 1 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Maidstone 1 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Three Rivers 1 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Isle Of Wight 1 seats (unchanged from 2017)
- Woking 1 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Melton 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Ribble Valley 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Havant 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Fenland 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- North Kesteven 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Reigate & Banstead 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Oadby & Wigston 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Fylde 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- East Cambridgeshire 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Dacorum 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Horsham 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Mid Devon 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- East Devon 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Epping Forest 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- South Hams 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Castle Point 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- West Lindsey 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Fareham 0 seats (unchanged from 2018)
- Wychavon 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Mid Suffolk 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Rochford 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Eastleigh 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Mid Sussex 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Tewkesbury 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- West Devon 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Chelmsford 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Teignbridge 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Tandridge 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Vale Of White Horse 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- New Forest 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Test Valley 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Eastbourne 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Stratford On Avon 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Elmbridge 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Wealden 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Maldon 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- North Devon 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- North Norfolk 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Uttlesford 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Cotswold 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Hart 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Cheltenham 0 seats (unchanged from 2018)
- Mole Valley 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Winchester 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- South Holland 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.