Liberal Democrats › 2023
Liberal Democrats in 2023
Polling day: 4 May 2023. 230 councils held elections.
Summary
- Contested in 221 of 230 councils; ran for 7,685 seats.
- Won 1,632 seats (21.2% of seats up) on 19.1% of the vote.
- Net change vs each council's last appearance in this dataset: +964 seats across 136 councils up, 23 councils down, 60 flat, 2 new to the window.
- Council-control change: 21 gained, 3 lost.
Where Liberal Democrats led, as of 2023
Councils where Liberal Democrats was the largest single party in the most recent composition snapshot at or before 2023. Greens ring councils gained at this election; reds ring those lost. Click any hex to drill in.
As of 2023
56 councils led
+21 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 (21)
- Wealden from Conservative Party
- Waverley from Conservative Party
- Tewkesbury from Conservative Party
- Elmbridge from Other
- Wokingham from Conservative Party
- Guildford from Other
- Horsham from Conservative Party
- Stratford On Avon from Conservative Party
- Mid Sussex from Conservative Party
- Surrey Heath from Conservative Party
- Mid Devon from Conservative Party
- West Berkshire from Conservative Party
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole from Conservative Party
- Windsor and Maidenhead from Conservative Party
- South Hams from Conservative Party
- Dacorum from Conservative Party
- Chichester from Conservative Party
- Derbyshire Dales from Conservative Party
- Rutland from Conservative Party
- West Lindsey from Conservative Party
- West Oxfordshire from Conservative Party
Lost (3)
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 2023 — usually the result of a boundary reorganisation or being a county outside our 2021 LEH coverage.
Seats gained (136 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid Devon | 33 | 1 (2021) | +32 | 46.9% | 78.6% |
| Chelmsford | 33 | 4 (2021) | +29 | 41.5% | 57.9% |
| Horsham | 28 | 3 (2021) | +25 | 35.2% | 58.3% |
| Vale Of White Horse | 34 | 10 (2021) | +24 | 54.6% | 89.5% |
| Dacorum | 28 | 4 (2021) | +24 | 42.0% | 54.9% |
| Surrey Heath | 24 | 0 (2021) | +24 | 48.8% | 68.6% |
| Chichester | 25 | 2 (2021) | +23 | 50.9% | 69.4% |
| Stratford On Avon | 25 | 2 (2021) | +23 | 42.4% | 61.0% |
| Mole Valley | 30 | 8 (2022) | +22 | 48.4% | 76.9% |
| Teignbridge | 26 | 4 (2021) | +22 | 38.4% | 55.3% |
| North Norfolk | 25 | 4 (2021) | +21 | 43.9% | 62.5% |
| Stockport | 30 | 10 (2022) | +20 | 38.4% | 47.6% |
| Guildford | 25 | 5 (2021) | +20 | 30.7% | 52.1% |
| Hinckley & Bosworth | 22 | 3 (2021) | +19 | 48.0% | 64.7% |
| North Devon | 21 | 2 (2021) | +19 | 39.2% | 51.2% |
| Cotswold | 22 | 4 (2021) | +18 | 46.2% | 64.7% |
| Waverley | 22 | 4 (2021) | +18 | 30.1% | 44.0% |
| East Devon | 18 | 0 (2021) | +18 | 28.5% | 30.0% |
| South Oxfordshire | 21 | 4 (2021) | +17 | 35.9% | 58.3% |
| Mid Sussex | 20 | 3 (2021) | +17 | 36.9% | 41.7% |
| South Hams | 19 | 2 (2021) | +17 | 43.2% | 61.3% |
| Oadby & Wigston | 19 | 4 (2021) | +15 | 51.1% | 73.1% |
| West Lindsey | 18 | 3 (2021) | +15 | 47.1% | 51.4% |
| Test Valley | 17 | 2 (2021) | +15 | 45.7% | 39.5% |
| Tewkesbury | 16 | 2 (2021) | +14 | 32.2% | 42.1% |
| East Hampshire | 14 | 0 (2021) | +14 | 32.2% | 32.6% |
| West Berkshire | 29 | 16 (2019) | +13 | 48.9% | 67.4% |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole | 28 | 15 (2019) | +13 | 31.3% | 36.8% |
| Windsor & Maidenhead | 22 | 9 (2019) | +13 | 45.4% | 53.7% |
| Eastbourne | 19 | 6 (2021) | +13 | 49.7% | 70.4% |
| Sevenoaks | 14 | 1 (2021) | +13 | 28.1% | 25.9% |
| Lewes | 15 | 3 (2021) | +12 | 27.8% | 36.6% |
| New Forest | 14 | 2 (2021) | +12 | 29.1% | 29.2% |
| Broadland | 14 | 2 (2021) | +12 | 24.3% | 29.8% |
| Arun | 14 | 2 (2021) | +12 | 21.1% | 25.9% |
| Harborough | 13 | 1 (2021) | +12 | 36.0% | 38.2% |
| Wealden | 13 | 1 (2021) | +12 | 18.5% | 29.5% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 12 | 1 (2021) | +11 | 34.2% | 35.3% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 13 | 3 (2021) | +10 | 39.7% | 46.4% |
| Tonbridge & Malling | 11 | 1 (2021) | +10 | 24.6% | 25.0% |
| South Norfolk | 11 | 1 (2021) | +10 | 22.0% | 23.9% |
| East Suffolk | 11 | 1 (2021) | +10 | 15.8% | 20.0% |
| Spelthorne | 10 | 0 (2021) | +10 | 18.6% | 25.6% |
| Liverpool | 15 | 6 (2021) | +9 | 21.6% | 17.6% |
| Chesterfield | 12 | 3 (2021) | +9 | 32.6% | 30.0% |
| Rutland | 11 | 2 (2019) | +9 | 49.5% | 44.0% |
| East Hertfordshire | 10 | 1 (2021) | +9 | 15.7% | 20.0% |
| Warwick | 10 | 2 (2021) | +8 | 22.6% | 22.7% |
| Blaby | 9 | 1 (2021) | +8 | 32.2% | 26.5% |
| Canterbury | 9 | 1 (2021) | +8 | 22.0% | 23.1% |
| Hertsmere | 9 | 1 (2021) | +8 | 21.6% | 23.1% |
| Torridge | 8 | 0 (2021) | +8 | 23.3% | 22.2% |
| Ribble Valley | 8 | 0 (2021) | +8 | 15.6% | 22.2% |
| Oldham | 10 | 3 (2022) | +7 | 17.4% | 16.7% |
| Central Bedfordshire | 10 | 3 (2019) | +7 | 15.4% | 15.9% |
| Lichfield | 7 | 0 (2021) | +7 | 12.2% | 15.2% |
| Lancaster | 7 | 0 (2021) | +7 | 10.1% | 11.5% |
| Wychavon | 7 | 1 (2021) | +6 | 25.7% | 16.3% |
| Bracknell Forest | 7 | 1 (2019) | +6 | 15.8% | 17.1% |
| Rother | 7 | 1 (2021) | +6 | 15.6% | 18.4% |
| Maldon | 6 | 0 (2021) | +6 | 21.6% | 20.0% |
| Herefordshire | 12 | 7 (2019) | +5 | 24.2% | 22.6% |
| Babergh | 5 | 0 (2021) | +5 | 15.8% | 15.6% |
| North West Leicestershire | 5 | 0 (2021) | +5 | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| Bath & North East Somerset | 41 | 37 (2019) | +4 | 41.8% | 69.5% |
| Winchester | 13 | 9 (2022) | +4 | 50.1% | 81.3% |
| Wirral | 6 | 2 (2022) | +4 | 10.7% | 9.1% |
| Trafford | 6 | 2 (2022) | +4 | 10.7% | 9.5% |
| Bolton | 6 | 2 (2022) | +4 | 9.8% | 10.0% |
| Bromsgrove | 5 | 1 (2021) | +4 | 19.3% | 16.1% |
| South Ribble | 5 | 1 (2021) | +4 | 18.9% | 10.0% |
| Broxtowe | 5 | 1 (2021) | +4 | 18.2% | 11.4% |
| Swale | 5 | 1 (2021) | +4 | 13.0% | 10.6% |
| Epsom & Ewell | 4 | 0 (2021) | +4 | 16.7% | 11.4% |
| Uttlesford | 4 | 0 (2021) | +4 | 14.7% | 10.3% |
| South Staffordshire | 4 | 0 (2019) | +4 | 13.9% | 9.5% |
| West Devon | 4 | 0 (2021) | +4 | 13.3% | 13.3% |
| Tendring | 4 | 0 (2021) | +4 | 12.5% | 8.3% |
| Gedling | 4 | 0 (2021) | +4 | 9.8% | 9.8% |
| South Kesteven | 4 | 0 (2021) | +4 | 5.4% | 7.7% |
| South Gloucestershire | 20 | 17 (2019) | +3 | 33.9% | 32.8% |
| Luton | 15 | 12 (2019) | +3 | 36.3% | 33.3% |
| Newcastle Upon Tyne | 10 | 7 (2022) | +3 | 27.8% | 37.0% |
| North Hertfordshire | 8 | 5 (2022) | +3 | 32.4% | 50.0% |
| Newark & Sherwood | 3 | 0 (2021) | +3 | 12.5% | 7.7% |
| North East Derbyshire | 3 | 0 (2021) | +3 | 10.8% | 5.7% |
| Kings Lynn & West Norfolk | 3 | 0 (2021) | +3 | 6.0% | 5.6% |
| Slough | 3 | 0 (2022) | +3 | 4.5% | 7.1% |
| Torbay | 15 | 13 (2019) | +2 | 36.6% | 41.7% |
| Wokingham | 11 | 9 (2022) | +2 | 41.5% | 61.1% |
| Sheffield | 11 | 9 (2022) | +2 | 25.9% | 37.9% |
| Elmbridge | 9 | 7 (2022) | +2 | 38.9% | 56.3% |
| Portsmouth | 7 | 5 (2022) | +2 | 29.1% | 50.0% |
| Gateshead | 7 | 5 (2022) | +2 | 27.4% | 31.8% |
| Telford & Wrekin | 6 | 4 (2019) | +2 | 9.4% | 11.1% |
| Sefton | 4 | 2 (2022) | +2 | 16.0% | 18.2% |
| Derby | 4 | 2 (2022) | +2 | 14.7% | 7.8% |
| Mid Suffolk | 4 | 2 (2021) | +2 | 10.9% | 11.8% |
| Malvern Hills | 3 | 1 (2021) | +2 | 16.3% | 9.7% |
| Southampton | 3 | 1 (2022) | +2 | 12.7% | 5.9% |
| Forest Of Dean | 3 | 1 (2021) | +2 | 10.2% | 7.9% |
| Leicester | 3 | 1 (2019) | +2 | 9.7% | 5.6% |
| Havant | 2 | 0 (2022) | +2 | 20.6% | 20.0% |
| Wyre Forest | 2 | 0 (2021) | +2 | 11.5% | 6.1% |
| Folkestone & Hythe | 2 | 0 (2021) | +2 | 11.3% | 6.7% |
| Fylde | 2 | 0 (2021) | +2 | 7.7% | 5.4% |
| Middlesbrough | 2 | 0 (2019) | +2 | 7.1% | 4.3% |
| Fenland | 2 | 0 (2021) | +2 | 5.0% | 4.7% |
| South Derbyshire | 2 | 0 (2021) | +2 | 4.5% | 5.6% |
| Kingston Upon Hull | 11 | 10 (2022) | +1 | 48.6% | 55.0% |
| Woking | 8 | 7 (2022) | +1 | 50.0% | 80.0% |
| Brentwood | 7 | 6 (2022) | +1 | 42.6% | 58.3% |
| Colchester | 6 | 5 (2022) | +1 | 30.3% | 35.3% |
| Rochford | 4 | 3 (2022) | +1 | 25.0% | 30.8% |
| Cambridge | 4 | 3 (2022) | +1 | 22.1% | 25.0% |
| Barnsley | 4 | 3 (2022) | +1 | 17.5% | 19.0% |
| Kirklees | 4 | 3 (2022) | +1 | 13.6% | 16.7% |
| Epping Forest | 3 | 2 (2022) | +1 | 22.4% | 16.7% |
| Pendle | 3 | 2 (2022) | +1 | 15.9% | 25.0% |
| Runnymede | 2 | 1 (2022) | +1 | 19.2% | 14.3% |
| Lincoln | 2 | 1 (2022) | +1 | 16.7% | 18.2% |
| Worcester | 2 | 1 (2022) | +1 | 16.4% | 18.2% |
| Exeter | 2 | 1 (2022) | +1 | 12.2% | 15.4% |
| Manchester | 2 | 1 (2022) | +1 | 12.1% | 6.1% |
| Knowsley | 2 | 1 (2022) | +1 | 7.5% | 12.5% |
| Swindon | 1 | 0 (2022) | +1 | 7.9% | 5.3% |
| High Peak | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 7.4% | 2.3% |
| Erewash | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 6.8% | 2.1% |
| Boston | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 6.1% | 3.3% |
| Breckland | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 5.8% | 2.0% |
| Rushcliffe | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 5.1% | 2.3% |
| Amber Valley | 1 | 0 (2022) | +1 | 4.9% | 2.4% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 3.7% | 1.8% |
| West Suffolk | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 3.0% | 1.7% |
| Melton | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 2.7% | 3.6% |
| Stafford | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 2.5% | 2.5% |
Seats lost (23 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Albans | 15 | 50 (2022) | -35 | 50.3% | 83.3% |
| York | 19 | 21 (2019) | -2 | 30.5% | 40.4% |
| Bedford | 13 | 15 (2019) | -2 | 27.7% | 28.3% |
| Redcar & Cleveland | 11 | 13 (2019) | -2 | 17.7% | 18.6% |
| North Somerset | 9 | 11 (2019) | -2 | 23.0% | 18.0% |
| West Oxfordshire | 6 | 8 (2022) | -2 | 27.8% | 37.5% |
| Tandridge | 3 | 5 (2022) | -2 | 18.8% | 21.4% |
| Cheshire East | 2 | 4 (2019) | -2 | 8.0% | 2.4% |
| Rochdale | 1 | 3 (2022) | -2 | 11.9% | 5.0% |
| Reading | 1 | 3 (2022) | -2 | 9.7% | 5.9% |
| Salford | 0 | 2 (2022) | -2 | 8.1% | 0.0% |
| Eastleigh | 12 | 13 (2022) | -1 | 51.9% | 92.3% |
| Watford | 9 | 10 (2022) | -1 | 48.8% | 75.0% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 6 | 7 (2022) | -1 | 25.9% | 37.5% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 5 | 6 (2022) | -1 | 25.3% | 31.3% |
| Maidstone | 5 | 6 (2022) | -1 | 22.9% | 27.8% |
| Basingstoke & Deane | 3 | 4 (2022) | -1 | 20.2% | 16.7% |
| Burnley | 2 | 3 (2022) | -1 | 13.5% | 13.3% |
| Southend On Sea | 1 | 2 (2022) | -1 | 13.3% | 5.9% |
| Cheshire West & Chester | 1 | 2 (2019) | -1 | 12.9% | 1.4% |
| North East Lincolnshire | 1 | 2 (2022) | -1 | 6.9% | 6.7% |
| Bury | 0 | 1 (2022) | -1 | 5.3% | 0.0% |
| Cannock Chase | 0 | 1 (2022) | -1 | 2.1% | 0.0% |
Debut councils (2)
| Council | Won | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Riding Of Yorkshire | 22 | 29.6% | 32.8% |
| Rossendale | 0 | 0.6% | 0.0% |
No change (60)
- Three Rivers 8 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Milton Keynes 6 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Cherwell 5 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Sunderland 5 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Hart 4 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Peterborough 4 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Preston 3 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Rugby 3 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Solihull 3 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Darlington 3 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Stevenage 2 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Calderdale 2 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Leeds 2 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Reigate & Banstead 1 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Rushmoor 1 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Norwich 1 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Ipswich 1 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Halton 1 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Bradford 1 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Wakefield 1 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Basildon 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Worthing 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Broxbourne 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Redditch 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Dover 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Dudley 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Plymouth 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Blackburn with Darwen 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Medway 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Nottingham 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Walsall 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- North Kesteven 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Sandwell 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Wigan 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Ashford 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Braintree 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Brighton & Hove 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Coventry 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Wolverhampton 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Charnwood 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Gravesham 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- West Lancashire 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Bassetlaw 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Chorley 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- North Tyneside 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Hartlepool 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Great Yarmouth 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Crawley 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Harlow 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Tamworth 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Ashfield 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Blackpool 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Thanet 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Castle Point 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Tameside 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Bolsover 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Hyndburn 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- South Tyneside 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Wyre 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Dartford 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.