2018 local elections handbook
Scheduled council elections held between April and June 2018, from our ward results. This is the final edition. Where our results for a council are incomplete, its figures will be too low.
- Councils
- 153
- Wards
- 2,747
- Seats
- 4,478
- Candidates
- 16,287
- Votes
- 13,207,178
Seats won by party
| Party | Seats | Candidates | Votes | Vote share* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 2,391 | 4,428 | 5,889,520 | 45.5% | |
| Conservative | 1,348 | 4,452 | 4,085,615 | 31.6% | |
| Liberal Democrats | 546 | 3,363 | 1,828,293 | 14.1% | |
| Independent | 64 | 394 | 192,804 | 1.5% | |
| Green | 40 | 2,193 | 712,171 | 5.5% | |
| Independent Loughton Residents Association | 5 | 5 | 3,500 | 0.0% | |
| Rainham Resident's Association | 5 | 6 | 6,838 | 0.1% | |
| Hornchurch Residents Association | 4 | 7 | 12,320 | 0.1% | |
| St. Neots Independent Group | 4 | 4 | 3,873 | 0.0% | |
| Upminster and Cranham Residents Association | 3 | 3 | 9,068 | 0.1% | |
| CIIP | 3 | 3 | 2,528 | 0.0% | |
| Community Campaign (Hart) | 3 | 3 | 3,882 | 0.0% | |
| Harold Wood Hill Park Residents Association | 3 | 5 | 8,345 | 0.1% | |
| Merton Park Ward Independent Residents | 3 | 3 | 5,898 | 0.0% | |
| UK Independence Party (UKIP) | 3 | 663 | 114,023 | 0.9% |
*Note on vote share: this is each party's share of the votes cast in the wards we hold for 2018. It is not an estimate for the whole country: many councils did not vote this year, some of our results may be missing, and in wards with several seats each voter had several votes.
National Equivalent Vote — our estimate
What each party's share might have been if the whole of Great Britain had voted in 2018. Built from 2,724 wards that did vote, compared like-for-like with the last time each ward voted, then carried across the places that didn't vote using the change in their region. Shown beside the Elections Centre's published figure where we hold it.
| Party | Our estimate | Elections Centre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CON | 39.9% | 37% | |
| LAB | 29.2% | 36% | |
| LD | 14.6% | 14% | |
| GRN | 5.7% | — | |
| IND | 4.7% | — | |
| UK Independence Party (UKIP) | 2.5% | — | |
| SNP | 1.4% | — |
How far to trust this: it is an estimate, not a count. It uses each party's best-placed candidate in each ward, so multi-seat wards don't inflate anyone. Parties that stand in only a few places stay in those places. Where our ward records are incomplete for a year, the estimate is less reliable — compare it with the Elections Centre column.
Mayors and police and crime commissioners (1)
Winner, runner-up and first-round votes. Where a second count was held, its votes are shown in brackets.
| Post | Winner | Votes | Runner-up | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor of the Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and SheffieldMayor | Dan Jarvis Labour | 122,635 (144,154) | Walker I.G. Conservative | 37,738 (50,619) |
Councils changing hands (21)
| Council | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Basildon | No overall control | Conservative |
| Boston | No overall control | Conservative |
| Derby | Labour | No overall control |
| Great Yarmouth | No overall control | Conservative |
| Hartlepool | Labour | Other |
| Havering | Other | No overall control |
| Kingston upon Thames | Conservative | Liberal Democrats |
| Kirklees | No overall control | Labour |
| Mole Valley | Conservative | No overall control |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | Labour | No overall control |
| Pendle | No overall control | Conservative |
| Plymouth | No overall control | Labour |
| Redditch | Labour | Conservative |
| Richmond upon Thames | Conservative | Liberal Democrats |
| Rugby | No overall control | Conservative |
| South Cambridgeshire | Conservative | Liberal Democrats |
| Southend-On-Sea | No overall control | Conservative |
| Three Rivers | Liberal Democrats | No overall control |
| Trafford | Conservative | No overall control |
| Woking | Conservative | No overall control |
| Worcester | No overall control | Conservative |
Every council (153)
| Council | Wards | Seats | Before | After |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adur | 14 | 17 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Amber Valley | 15 | 15 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Barking and Dagenham | 16 | 48 | Labour | Labour |
| Barnet | 21 | 64 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Barnsley | 21 | 21 | Labour | Labour |
| Basildon | 14 | 15 | No overall control | Conservative |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 20 | 20 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Bexley | 17 | 45 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Birmingham | 69 | 101 | Labour | Labour |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 17 | 51 | Labour | Labour |
| Bolton | 20 | 21 | Labour | Labour |
| Boston | 1 | 1 | No overall control | Conservative |
| Bradford | 30 | 30 | Labour | Labour |
| Brent | 21 | 63 | Labour | Labour |
| Brentwood | 13 | 13 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Bromley | 22 | 61 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Broxbourne | 10 | 10 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Burnley | 15 | 15 | Labour | Labour |
| Bury | 17 | 18 | Labour | Labour |
| Calderdale | 17 | 17 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Cambridge | 14 | 15 | Labour | Labour |
| Camden | 18 | 55 | Labour | Labour |
| Cannock Chase | 13 | 13 | Labour | Labour |
| Carlisle | 17 | 17 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Castle Point | 14 | 14 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Cheltenham | 20 | 21 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Cherwell | 16 | 17 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Chorley | 17 | 18 | Labour | Labour |
| Colchester | 17 | 17 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Coventry | 18 | 18 | Labour | Labour |
| Craven | 9 | 9 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Crawley | 12 | 12 | Labour | Labour |
| Croydon | 28 | 70 | Labour | Labour |
| Daventry | 12 | 13 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Derby | 17 | 17 | Labour | No overall control |
| Dudley | 24 | 24 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Ealing | 23 | 69 | Labour | Labour |
| Eastleigh | 14 | 42 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Elmbridge | 16 | 16 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Enfield | 21 | 64 | Labour | Labour |
| England | 5 | 5 | — | — |
| Epping Forest | 19 | 21 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Exeter | 13 | 15 | Labour | Labour |
| Fareham | 15 | 19 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Gateshead | 22 | 23 | Labour | Labour |
| Gosport | 17 | 18 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Great Yarmouth | 13 | 15 | No overall control | Conservative |
| Greenwich | 17 | 51 | Labour | Labour |
| Hackney | 21 | 58 | Labour | Labour |
| Halton | 17 | 18 | Labour | Labour |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 16 | 46 | Labour | Labour |
| Haringey | 19 | 57 | Labour | Labour |
| Harlow | 11 | 11 | Labour | Labour |
| Harrogate | 40 | 40 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Harrow | 21 | 64 | Labour | Labour |
| Hart | 11 | 11 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Hartlepool | 11 | 11 | Labour | Other |
| Hastings | 16 | 32 | Labour | Labour |
| Havant | 14 | 16 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Havering | 18 | 57 | Other | No overall control |
| Hillingdon | 22 | 65 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Hounslow | 20 | 60 | Labour | Labour |
| Huntingdonshire | 26 | 53 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Hyndburn | 11 | 12 | Labour | Labour |
| Ipswich | 16 | 17 | Labour | Labour |
| Islington | 16 | 48 | Labour | Labour |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 18 | 50 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Kingston Upon Hull | 21 | 57 | Labour | Labour |
| Kingston upon Thames | 16 | 48 | Conservative | Liberal Democrats |
| Kirklees | 23 | 25 | No overall control | Labour |
| Knowsley | 15 | 15 | Labour | Labour |
| Lambeth | 21 | 63 | Labour | Labour |
| Leeds | 33 | 100 | Labour | Labour |
| Lewisham | 18 | 54 | Labour | Labour |
| Lincoln | 10 | 10 | Labour | Labour |
| Liverpool | 30 | 31 | Labour | Labour |
| Maidstone | 18 | 18 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Manchester | 32 | 97 | Labour | Labour |
| Merton | 20 | 61 | Labour | Labour |
| Milton Keynes | 19 | 20 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Mole Valley | 14 | 15 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Newcastle Upon Tyne | 26 | 78 | Labour | Labour |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 21 | 47 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Newham | 20 | 61 | Labour | Labour |
| North East Lincolnshire | 15 | 16 | No overall control | No overall control |
| North Hertfordshire | 18 | 19 | Conservative | Conservative |
| North Tyneside | 20 | 21 | Labour | Labour |
| Norwich | 13 | 13 | Labour | Labour |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 17 | 18 | Labour | No overall control |
| Oldham | 20 | 22 | Labour | Labour |
| Oxford | 24 | 28 | Labour | Labour |
| Pendle | 16 | 16 | No overall control | Conservative |
| Peterborough | 18 | 18 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Plymouth | 19 | 19 | No overall control | Labour |
| Portsmouth | 14 | 14 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Preston | 19 | 23 | Labour | Labour |
| Reading | 15 | 18 | Labour | Labour |
| Redbridge | 22 | 64 | Labour | Labour |
| Redditch | 10 | 10 | Labour | Conservative |
| Reigate & Banstead | 17 | 18 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Richmond upon Thames | 18 | 54 | Conservative | Liberal Democrats |
| Rochdale | 20 | 20 | Labour | Labour |
| Rochford | 13 | 14 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Rossendale | 12 | 13 | Labour | Labour |
| Rugby | 14 | 14 | No overall control | Conservative |
| Runnymede | 14 | 17 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Rushmoor | 13 | 14 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Salford | 20 | 20 | Labour | Labour |
| Sandwell | 24 | 26 | Labour | Labour |
| Sefton | 22 | 24 | Labour | Labour |
| Sheffield | 28 | 28 | Labour | Labour |
| Slough | 14 | 14 | Labour | Labour |
| Solihull | 17 | 17 | Conservative | Conservative |
| South Cambridgeshire | 26 | 45 | Conservative | Liberal Democrats |
| South Lakeland | 18 | 51 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| South Tyneside | 18 | 18 | Labour | Labour |
| Southampton | 16 | 16 | Labour | Labour |
| Southend-On-Sea | 17 | 17 | No overall control | Conservative |
| Southwark | 23 | 65 | Labour | Labour |
| St Albans | 20 | 20 | Conservative | Conservative |
| St. Helens | 16 | 17 | Labour | Labour |
| Stevenage | 13 | 13 | Labour | Labour |
| Stockport | 21 | 21 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Sunderland | 25 | 27 | Labour | Labour |
| Sutton | 18 | 54 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Swindon | 19 | 19 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Tameside | 19 | 19 | Labour | Labour |
| Tamworth | 10 | 10 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Tandridge | 14 | 14 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Three Rivers | 13 | 13 | Liberal Democrats | No overall control |
| Thurrock | 16 | 17 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Tower Hamlets | 20 | 45 | Labour | Labour |
| Trafford | 21 | 23 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Tunbridge Wells | 16 | 16 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Wakefield | 21 | 24 | Labour | Labour |
| Walsall | 20 | 22 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Waltham Forest | 20 | 60 | Labour | Labour |
| Wandsworth | 20 | 62 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Warwickshire | 2 | 4 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Watford | 12 | 12 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 16 | 19 | Conservative | Conservative |
| West Lancashire | 18 | 18 | Labour | Labour |
| West Oxfordshire | 16 | 17 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Westminster | 19 | 58 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Wigan | 25 | 25 | Labour | Labour |
| Winchester | 15 | 15 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Wirral | 22 | 23 | Labour | Labour |
| Woking | 10 | 10 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Wokingham | 18 | 18 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Wolverhampton | 20 | 22 | Labour | Labour |
| Worcester | 12 | 13 | No overall control | Conservative |
| Worthing | 13 | 13 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Wyre Forest | 11 | 11 | Conservative | Conservative |
See also Election Health for 2018's competitiveness figures and Council Control.
