Local Elections 2019
This Commons Library briefing analyses the results of local elections held in England and Northern Ireland on 2 May 2019.
Local elections took place in England and Northern Ireland on 2 May 2019.
EnglandAn interactive map showing the results of the 2019 local elections in England is published on the Commons Library website.
The Conservatives won the highest number of seats up for election (3,559). They won or retained 93 of the councils which had elections on 2 May 2019, and now control a total of 143 councils overall in England – a decrease of 55 compared to 2018.
The Conservatives gained six councils, two from Labour (North East Derbyshire and Redditch) and four that were previously without overall control. They lost control of 51 councils: four to Labour, nine to the Liberal Democrats, one to the Residents of Uttlesford, and 37 to no overall control.
The Labour Party won 2,020 of the seats up for election. They won or retained control of 60 councils at this year’s elections, taking their total council control to 91 (seven fewer than last year).
Labour gained eight councils, four from the Conservatives and four that were previously without overall control. They lost 18 councils: two to the Conservatives, 15 to no overall control, and one to the Ashfield Independents. Labour candidates won in two out of the five local council mayoral elections, as well as the North of Tyne metro-mayor election.
The Liberal Democrats won 1,351 of the seats up for election and won or retained 18 councils, taking their overall council control to 23. This is the highest it has been since 2010.
The Liberal Democrats gained 13 councils, nine from the Conservatives and four where there was no overall control. The Liberal Democrats did not lose control of any council. The Liberal Democrat candidate won in the Bedford council mayoral election.
The Green Party won 263 seats at the local elections, around 3% of all seats up for election. This is the highest number of seats the party has won in more than 20 years. The Green Party does not currently control any council in Great Britain.
UKIP won 34 seats at this year's local elections, 31 more than in 2018 but substantially fewer than the 201 seats won in 2015. The highest percentage of seats up for election won by UKIP was in 2013 (6%). UKIP does not have control of any council.
Voter ID pilot schemeThere were pilots for voter ID schemes in 10 local authorities. The Electoral Commission and the Cabinet Office will publish their evaluation of the pilots in the summer.
The Local Government Chronicle reported that in the voter ID pilot areas, more than 800 people were turned away from polling stations for not having the required proof of ID and did not return to vote. This meant that on average, 102 voters in each pilot area failed to vote, compared with 70 per pilot area in 2018.
Northern IrelandThe Democratic Unionist Party remained the largest party in Northern Ireland, winning 122 seats (26% of all seats up for election). This was 8 fewer than in the previous elections, held in 2014.
Sinn Féin was the second largest party, winning 105 seats (23%), the same as in 2014. The Ulster Unionist Party came third with 75 seats (16%), 13 fewer than in 2014.