Liberal Democrats › 2025
Liberal Democrats in 2025
Polling day: 1 May 2025. 115 councils held elections.
Summary
- Contested in 112 of 115 councils; ran for 1,620 seats.
- Won 370 seats (22.8% of seats up) on 16.5% of the vote.
- Net change vs each council's last appearance in this dataset: -522 seats across 8 councils up, 78 councils down, 26 flat, 0 new to the window.
- Council-control change: 2 gained, 1 lost.
Where Liberal Democrats led, as of 2025
Councils where Liberal Democrats was the largest single party in the most recent composition snapshot at or before 2025. Greens ring councils gained at this election; reds ring those lost. Click any hex to drill in.
As of 2025
65 councils led
+2 gained this cycle
−1 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 (2)
- Shropshire from Conservative Party
- Wiltshire from Conservative Party
Lost (1)
- Dacorum 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 2025 — usually the result of a boundary reorganisation or being a county outside our 2021 LEH coverage.
Seats gained (8 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shropshire | 42 | 14 (2021) | +28 | 34.2% | 56.8% |
| Wiltshire | 43 | 27 (2021) | +16 | 33.9% | 43.9% |
| Cornwall | 26 | 13 (2021) | +13 | 24.4% | 29.9% |
| Buckinghamshire | 27 | 15 (2021) | +12 | 26.4% | 27.8% |
| Cherwell | 10 | 8 (2024) | +2 | 26.8% | 62.5% |
| Cambridge | 5 | 3 (2024) | +2 | 23.8% | 41.7% |
| West Northamptonshire | 6 | 5 (2021) | +1 | 11.6% | 7.9% |
| North Northamptonshire | 1 | 0 (2021) | +1 | 4.1% | 1.5% |
Seats lost (78 councils)
| Council | Won | Last cycle | Net | Vote share | Seat share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid Devon | 5 | 33 (2023) | -28 | 36.5% | 83.3% |
| Cheltenham | 9 | 36 (2024) | -27 | 44.9% | 90.0% |
| Dacorum | 4 | 28 (2023) | -24 | 27.6% | 40.0% |
| Vale Of White Horse | 11 | 34 (2023) | -23 | 43.7% | 78.6% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 15 | 37 (2022) | -22 | 40.1% | 100.0% |
| Teignbridge | 5 | 26 (2023) | -21 | 30.7% | 50.0% |
| Stratford On Avon | 7 | 25 (2023) | -18 | 32.0% | 53.8% |
| Cotswold | 5 | 22 (2023) | -17 | 38.9% | 62.5% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 5 | 22 (2024) | -17 | 32.5% | 83.3% |
| Hinckley & Bosworth | 5 | 22 (2023) | -17 | 31.5% | 55.6% |
| North Devon | 5 | 21 (2023) | -16 | 35.8% | 62.5% |
| Oadby & Wigston | 3 | 19 (2023) | -16 | 35.4% | 60.0% |
| North Hertfordshire | 4 | 19 (2024) | -15 | 27.0% | 44.4% |
| West Lindsey | 3 | 18 (2023) | -15 | 22.7% | 33.3% |
| South Hams | 5 | 19 (2023) | -14 | 35.8% | 71.4% |
| East Devon | 5 | 18 (2023) | -13 | 25.7% | 45.5% |
| Gloucester | 4 | 17 (2024) | -13 | 26.5% | 40.0% |
| Sevenoaks | 1 | 14 (2023) | -13 | 20.1% | 16.7% |
| South Oxfordshire | 9 | 21 (2023) | -12 | 33.2% | 60.0% |
| Harborough | 2 | 13 (2023) | -11 | 21.9% | 28.6% |
| Maidstone | 1 | 12 (2024) | -11 | 18.5% | 11.1% |
| Derbyshire Dales | 1 | 12 (2023) | -11 | 17.9% | 16.7% |
| Chesterfield | 2 | 12 (2023) | -10 | 20.5% | 25.0% |
| Tonbridge & Malling | 1 | 11 (2023) | -10 | 13.5% | 14.3% |
| St Albans | 8 | 17 (2024) | -9 | 45.6% | 80.0% |
| Tewkesbury | 7 | 16 (2023) | -9 | 36.6% | 87.5% |
| East Hertfordshire | 2 | 10 (2023) | -8 | 14.1% | 20.0% |
| Hertsmere | 1 | 9 (2023) | -8 | 17.0% | 14.3% |
| Blaby | 1 | 9 (2023) | -8 | 13.4% | 12.5% |
| Ribble Valley | 0 | 8 (2023) | -8 | 9.0% | 0.0% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 6 | 13 (2023) | -7 | 36.5% | 75.0% |
| Canterbury | 2 | 9 (2023) | -7 | 16.6% | 25.0% |
| Torridge | 1 | 8 (2023) | -7 | 31.8% | 20.0% |
| Lichfield | 0 | 7 (2023) | -7 | 11.7% | 0.0% |
| Lancaster | 0 | 7 (2023) | -7 | 11.1% | 0.0% |
| Watford | 5 | 11 (2024) | -6 | 45.1% | 83.3% |
| Wychavon | 1 | 7 (2023) | -6 | 18.5% | 8.3% |
| Huntingdonshire | 5 | 10 (2022) | -5 | 21.9% | 29.4% |
| Warwick | 5 | 10 (2023) | -5 | 18.4% | 35.7% |
| Stevenage | 1 | 6 (2024) | -5 | 14.6% | 16.7% |
| Broxtowe | 0 | 5 (2023) | -5 | 9.3% | 0.0% |
| North West Leicestershire | 0 | 5 (2023) | -5 | 8.5% | 0.0% |
| Three Rivers | 3 | 7 (2024) | -4 | 31.9% | 50.0% |
| South Ribble | 1 | 5 (2023) | -4 | 12.7% | 12.5% |
| Worcester | 1 | 5 (2024) | -4 | 11.8% | 10.0% |
| Swale | 1 | 5 (2023) | -4 | 9.6% | 14.3% |
| West Devon | 0 | 4 (2023) | -4 | 22.2% | 0.0% |
| Gedling | 0 | 4 (2023) | -4 | 8.8% | 0.0% |
| South Staffordshire | 0 | 4 (2023) | -4 | 8.4% | 0.0% |
| South Kesteven | 0 | 4 (2023) | -4 | 6.7% | 0.0% |
| Durham | 14 | 17 (2021) | -3 | 12.0% | 14.3% |
| West Oxfordshire | 4 | 7 (2024) | -3 | 30.0% | 36.4% |
| Preston | 3 | 6 (2024) | -3 | 23.8% | 33.3% |
| Bromsgrove | 2 | 5 (2023) | -3 | 18.2% | 22.2% |
| Oxford | 2 | 5 (2024) | -3 | 15.2% | 15.4% |
| Newark & Sherwood | 0 | 3 (2023) | -3 | 7.5% | 0.0% |
| North East Derbyshire | 0 | 3 (2023) | -3 | 2.5% | 0.0% |
| Pendle | 1 | 3 (2024) | -2 | 20.8% | 16.7% |
| Forest Of Dean | 1 | 3 (2023) | -2 | 9.3% | 12.5% |
| South Derbyshire | 0 | 2 (2023) | -2 | 11.0% | 0.0% |
| Fenland | 0 | 2 (2023) | -2 | 8.2% | 0.0% |
| Burnley | 0 | 2 (2024) | -2 | 7.1% | 0.0% |
| Wyre Forest | 0 | 2 (2023) | -2 | 6.5% | 0.0% |
| Fylde | 0 | 2 (2023) | -2 | 5.2% | 0.0% |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 3 | 4 (2024) | -1 | 21.6% | 37.5% |
| Rugby | 2 | 3 (2024) | -1 | 18.2% | 20.0% |
| Malvern Hills | 2 | 3 (2023) | -1 | 12.1% | 25.0% |
| Folkestone & Hythe | 1 | 2 (2023) | -1 | 10.9% | 16.7% |
| Stroud | 1 | 2 (2024) | -1 | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| Erewash | 0 | 1 (2023) | -1 | 7.6% | 0.0% |
| Stafford | 0 | 1 (2023) | -1 | 7.0% | 0.0% |
| Amber Valley | 0 | 1 (2023) | -1 | 5.1% | 0.0% |
| High Peak | 0 | 1 (2023) | -1 | 4.9% | 0.0% |
| East Lindsey | 0 | 1 (2019) | -1 | 4.5% | 0.0% |
| Melton | 0 | 1 (2023) | -1 | 4.5% | 0.0% |
| Boston | 0 | 1 (2023) | -1 | 3.9% | 0.0% |
| Rushcliffe | 0 | 1 (2023) | -1 | 3.8% | 0.0% |
| Staffordshire Moorlands | 0 | 1 (2023) | -1 | 2.8% | 0.0% |
No change (26)
- Northumberland 3 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Lincoln 2 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Exeter 1 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- North Kesteven 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Dover 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Newcastle-under-Lyme 0 seats (unchanged from 2022)
- Bassetlaw 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Ashford 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Redditch 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Broxbourne 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Thanet 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Charnwood 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- West Lancashire 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- South Holland 0 seats (unchanged from 2019)
- Nuneaton & Bedworth 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- Chorley 0 seats (unchanged from 2024)
- North Warwickshire 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- East Staffordshire 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Wyre 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Doncaster 0 seats (unchanged from 2021)
- Gravesham 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Bolsover 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Rossendale 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Ashfield 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Cannock Chase 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
- Dartford 0 seats (unchanged from 2023)
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.