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    2021 local elections handbook

    Final edition

    Scheduled council elections held between April and June 2021, from our ward results. This is the final edition. Where our results for a council are incomplete, its figures will be too low.

    Councils
    306
    Wards
    5,063
    Seats
    6,573
    Candidates
    25,655
    Votes
    20,240,431

    Seats won by party

    PartySeatsCandidatesVotesVote share*
    Conservative
    3,4506,4418,498,98942.6%
    Labour
    1,6366,1615,264,57526.4%
    Liberal Democrats
    8404,9563,108,19615.6%
    Independent
    2221,467775,0163.9%
    Green
    2043,9601,733,7568.7%
    RES
    386979,0040.4%
    SWIND
    112228,9350.1%
    WICK IND
    104527,1820.1%
    Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales
    104915,7000.1%
    C Ind
    82516,9890.1%
    ND
    76925,9730.1%
    Ashfield Independents
    6611,4420.1%
    B and D IND
    61111,0020.1%
    THORN IND
    5179,8960.0%
    MK
    5208,9560.0%

    *Note on vote share: this is each party's share of the votes cast in the wards we hold for 2021. 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 2021. Built from 4,971 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.

    PartyOur estimateElections Centre
    CON
    38.9%40%
    LAB
    25.5%30%
    LD
    14.9%15%
    GRN
    9.3%—
    IND
    5.8%—
    SNP
    1.6%—

    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 (47)

    Winner, runner-up and first-round votes. Where a second count was held, its votes are shown in brackets.

    PostWinnerVotesRunner-upVotes
    Mayor of Cambridgeshire and PeterboroughMayorNik Johnson Labour76,106 (113,994)James Palmer Conservative93,942 (108,195)
    Mayor of Greater ManchesterMayorAndy Burnham Labour473,024Laura Evans Conservative137,753
    Mayor of Liverpool City RegionMayorSteve Rotheram Labour198,736Jade Marsden Conservative66,702
    Mayor of LondonMayorSadiq Khan Labour1,013,721 (1,206,034)Shaun Bailey Conservative893,051 (977,601)
    Mayor of Tees ValleyMayorBen Houchen Conservative121,964Jessie Joe Jacobs Labour45,641
    Mayor of West MidlandsMayorAndy Street Conservative299,318 (314,669)Liam Byrne Labour244,009 (267,626)
    Mayor of West of EnglandMayorDan Norris Labour84,434 (125,482)Samuel Williams Conservative72,415 (85,389)
    Mayor of West YorkshireMayorTracy Brabin Labour261,170 (310,923)Matt Robinson Conservative176,167 (209,137)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and SomersetPCCMark Shelford Conservative136,988 (161,319)Kerry Barker Labour93,495 (146,293)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for BedfordshirePCCFestus Akinbusoye Conservative51,700 (59,793)David Michael Labour42,708 (50,815)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for CambridgeshirePCCDarryl Preston Conservative99,034 (114,053)Nicky Massey Labour72,313 (102,195)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for CheshirePCCJohn Dwyer Conservative99,565 (111,962)David Keane Labour83,329 (99,463)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for ClevelandPCCSteve Turner Conservative74,023Matt Storey Labour39,467
    Police and Crime Commissioner for CumbriaPCCPeter McCall Conservative56,753Barbara Cannon Labour27,687
    Police and Crime Commissioner for DerbyshirePCCAngelique Foster Conservative137,884 (149,749)Hardyal Dhindsa Labour104,700 (117,564)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon & CornwallPCCAlison Hernandez Conservative247,173 (275,217)Gareth Derrick Labour99,894 (146,979)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for DorsetPCCDavid Sidwick Conservative64,071 (70,353)Dan Hardy Independent31,112 (43,427)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for DurhamPCCJoy Allen Labour71,084 (80,510)George Jabbour Conservative69,748 (77,352)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-PowysPCCDafydd Llywelyn Plaid Cymru68,208 (94,488)Jon Burns Conservative69,112 (77,408)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for GloucestershirePCCChris Nelson Conservative79,086 (91,097)Chris Coleman Liberal Democrats37,024 (59,838)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for GwentPCCJeff Cuthbert Labour75,775 (92,616)Hannah Jarvis Conservative52,313 (60,536)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for HampshirePCCDonna Jones Conservative262,667 (312,993)Tony Bunday Labour101,832 (145,751)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for HertfordshirePCCDavid Lloyd Conservative155,144 (167,905)Sam North Liberal Democrats87,524 (135,696)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for HumbersidePCCJonathan Evison Conservative71,554 (79,534)Keith Hunter Labour61,859 (71,615)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for KentPCCMatthew Scott Conservative237,278Lola Oyewusi Labour103,807
    Police and Crime Commissioner for LancashirePCCAndrew Snowden Conservative166,202 (181,354)Clive Grunshaw Labour154,195 (172,362)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for LeicestershirePCCRupert Matthews Conservative121,252 (135,566)Ross Willmott Labour81,898 (102,211)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for LincolnshirePCCMarc Jones Conservative102,813Rosanne Kirk Labour34,310
    Police and Crime Commissioner for MerseysidePCCEmily Spurrell Labour178,875Bob Teesdale Conservative71,961
    Police and Crime Commissioner for NorfolkPCCGiles Rackley Orpen-Smellie Conservative103,980 (119,994)Michael Rosen Labour51,056 (69,552)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for North WalesPCCAndy Dunbobbin Labour69,459 (98,034)Pat Astbury Conservative75,472 (90,149)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for NorthumbriaPCCKim McGuinness Labour179,021 (206,467)Duncan Crute Conservative118,543 (139,875)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for NottinghamshirePCCCaroline Henry Conservative131,318 (138,658)Paddy Tipping Labour119,271 (131,302)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for South WalesPCCAlun Michael Labour177,110 (225,463)Steve Gallagher Conservative102,465 (127,844)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for South YorkshirePCCAlan Billings Labour165,442David Chinchen Conservative98,851
    Police and Crime Commissioner for SuffolkPCCTim Passmore Conservative112,139Elizabeth Hughes Labour47,159
    Police and Crime Commissioner for SurreyPCCLisa Townsend Conservative112,260 (155,116)Paul Kennedy Liberal Democrats69,412 (112,215)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for SussexPCCKaty Bourne Conservative214,523 (244,810)Paul Richards Labour84,736 (128,259)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames ValleyPCCMatthew Barber Conservative267,404 (313,148)Laetisia Carter Labour175,123 (233,446)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for WarwickshirePCCPhilip Seccombe Conservative85,963Ben Twomey Labour45,768
    Police and Crime Commissioner for West MerciaPCCJohn-Paul Campion Conservative179,411Kuldip Sahota Labour77,664
    Police and Crime Commissioner for West MidlandsPCCSimon Foster Labour276,743 (301,406)Jay Singh-Sohal Conservative239,288 (259,839)
    Police and Crime Commissioner for WiltshirePCCJonathon Seed Conservative84,885 (100,003)Liz Webster Liberal Democrats35,013 (58,074)
    Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for EssexPCCRoger Hirst Conservative235,246Chris Vince Labour99,712
    Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North YorkshirePCCPhilip Allott Conservative73,656 (83,737)Alison Hume Labour40,803 (53,442)
    Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for NorthamptonshirePCCStephen Mold Conservative102,752Clare Pavitt Labour53,166
    Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for StaffordshirePCCBen Adams Conservative136,024Tony Kearon Labour67,050

    Councils changing hands (36)

    CouncilBeforeAfter
    Amber ValleyLabourConservative
    Basingstoke and DeaneNo overall controlConservative
    BolsoverNo overall controlLabour
    Bristol, City ofLabourNo overall control
    CambridgeshireConservativeNo overall control
    Cannock ChaseNo overall controlConservative
    ChichesterConservativeNo overall control
    CornwallNo overall controlConservative
    County DurhamLabourNo overall control
    DudleyNo overall controlConservative
    East DevonOtherNo overall control
    HarlowLabourConservative
    HartlepoolOtherNo overall control
    Isle Of WightConservativeNo overall control
    KirkleesLabourNo overall control
    MaidstoneNo overall controlConservative
    MaldonConservativeOther
    North KestevenOtherConservative
    NorthumberlandNo overall controlConservative
    NottinghamshireNo overall controlConservative
    Nuneaton and BedworthNo overall controlConservative
    PendleNo overall controlConservative
    PlymouthLabourNo overall control
    RossendaleLabourNo overall control
    RotherhamLabourNo overall control
    SheffieldLabourNo overall control
    South DerbyshireConservativeNo overall control
    SouthamptonLabourConservative
    SpelthorneConservativeNo overall control
    St AlbansNo overall controlLiberal Democrats
    TeignbridgeLiberal DemocratsNo overall control
    ThurrockNo overall controlConservative
    Tunbridge WellsConservativeNo overall control
    Welwyn HatfieldNo overall controlConservative
    West LancashireLabourNo overall control
    WorcesterNo overall controlConservative

    Every council (306)

    CouncilWardsSeatsBeforeAfter
    Adur1824ConservativeConservative
    Allerdale11No overall controlNo overall control
    Amber Valley2732LabourConservative
    Arun1213No overall controlNo overall control
    Ashfield710OtherOther
    Ashford57ConservativeConservative
    Babergh99No overall controlNo overall control
    Barnsley2122LabourLabour
    Basildon1827No overall controlNo overall control
    Basingstoke and Deane36101No overall controlConservative
    Bassetlaw911LabourLabour
    Blaby78ConservativeConservative
    Blackburn with Darwen1718LabourLabour
    Bolsover56No overall controlLabour
    Bolton2324No overall controlNo overall control
    Boston56No overall controlNo overall control
    Bradford3033LabourLabour
    Braintree88ConservativeConservative
    Breckland1012ConservativeConservative
    Brentwood1319ConservativeConservative
    Bristol, City of3471LabourNo overall control
    Broadland1313ConservativeConservative
    Bromsgrove79ConservativeConservative
    Broxbourne1216ConservativeConservative
    Broxtowe79No overall controlNo overall control
    Buckinghamshire49172ConservativeConservative
    Burnley1921No overall controlNo overall control
    Bury1721LabourLabour
    Calderdale1719LabourLabour
    Cambridge1557LabourLabour
    Cambridgeshire5961ConservativeNo overall control
    Cannock Chase1825No overall controlConservative
    Canterbury68ConservativeConservative
    Castle Point1523ConservativeConservative
    Charnwood1214ConservativeConservative
    Chelmsford79Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Cheltenham3036Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Cherwell2330ConservativeConservative
    Chesterfield99LabourLabour
    Chichester710ConservativeNo overall control
    Chorley2053LabourLabour
    Colchester2528No overall controlNo overall control
    Cornwall8891No overall controlConservative
    Cotswold88Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    County Durham63140LabourNo overall control
    Coventry1819LabourLabour
    Crawley1723No overall controlNo overall control
    Cynon Valley11——
    Dacorum610ConservativeConservative
    Dartford56ConservativeConservative
    Derby1719No overall controlNo overall control
    Derbyshire6164ConservativeConservative
    Derbyshire Dales55ConservativeConservative
    Devon5860ConservativeConservative
    Doncaster2257LabourLabour
    Dover57ConservativeConservative
    Dudley2528No overall controlConservative
    East Cambridgeshire68ConservativeConservative
    East Devon911OtherNo overall control
    East Hampshire67ConservativeConservative
    East Hertfordshire710ConservativeConservative
    East Lindsey1113ConservativeConservative
    East Staffordshire78ConservativeConservative
    East Suffolk1825ConservativeConservative
    East Sussex5051ConservativeConservative
    Eastbourne77Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Eastleigh1619Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Elmbridge2525No overall controlNo overall control
    Enfield12LabourLabour
    England33——
    Epping Forest2935ConservativeConservative
    Epsom And Ewell55OtherOther
    Erewash79ConservativeConservative
    Essex7076ConservativeConservative
    Exeter2224LabourLabour
    Fareham2328ConservativeConservative
    Fenland69ConservativeConservative
    Folkestone And Hythe56No overall controlNo overall control
    Forest Of Dean88No overall controlNo overall control
    Fylde46ConservativeConservative
    Gateshead2226LabourLabour
    Gedling49LabourLabour
    Glasgow City11No overall controlNo overall control
    Gloucester2556ConservativeConservative
    Gloucestershire5354ConservativeConservative
    Gosport2023ConservativeConservative
    Gravesham35No overall controlNo overall control
    Great Yarmouth89ConservativeConservative
    Guildford710No overall controlNo overall control
    Hackney44LabourLabour
    Halton1858LabourLabour
    Hampshire7072ConservativeConservative
    Harborough88ConservativeConservative
    Harlow1518LabourConservative
    Hart1617No overall controlNo overall control
    Hartlepool1238OtherNo overall control
    Hastings2424LabourLabour
    Havant2022ConservativeConservative
    Hertfordshire7878ConservativeConservative
    Hertsmere56ConservativeConservative
    High Peak78LabourLabour
    Hinckley And Bosworth99Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Horsham1112ConservativeConservative
    Huntingdonshire1717ConservativeConservative
    Hyndburn1619LabourLabour
    Ipswich2032LabourLabour
    Isle Of Wight3841ConservativeNo overall control
    Isles of Scilly416OtherOther
    Kent7183ConservativeConservative
    King's Lynn And West Norfolk1314ConservativeConservative
    Kingston Upon Hull1919LabourLabour
    Kingston Upon Hull, City of1717LabourLabour
    Kirklees2326LabourNo overall control
    Knowsley1517LabourLabour
    Lancashire8285ConservativeConservative
    Lancaster710No overall controlNo overall control
    Leeds3334LabourLabour
    Leicestershire5356ConservativeConservative
    Lewes89No overall controlNo overall control
    Lewisham44LabourLabour
    Lichfield38ConservativeConservative
    Lincoln1318LabourLabour
    Lincolnshire7070ConservativeConservative
    Liverpool3135LabourLabour
    Maidstone2430No overall controlConservative
    Maldon33ConservativeOther
    Malvern Hills88No overall controlNo overall control
    Manchester3234LabourLabour
    Mansfield39OtherOther
    Mayor of Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council11——
    Mayor of North Tyneside Council11——
    Melton34ConservativeConservative
    Mid Devon56No overall controlNo overall control
    Mid Suffolk910No overall controlNo overall control
    Mid Sussex1112ConservativeConservative
    Milton Keynes1922No overall controlNo overall control
    Mole Valley1923Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    New Forest1010ConservativeConservative
    Newark And Sherwood910ConservativeConservative
    Newcastle Upon Tyne2629LabourLabour
    Newcastle-under-Lyme99No overall controlNo overall control
    Newham11LabourLabour
    Norfolk8485ConservativeConservative
    North Devon88No overall controlNo overall control
    North East Derbyshire68ConservativeConservative
    North East Lincolnshire1214ConservativeConservative
    North Hertfordshire2127No overall controlNo overall control
    North Kesteven1011OtherConservative
    North Norfolk1010Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    North Northamptonshire2678—Conservative
    North Tyneside2024LabourLabour
    North Warwickshire77ConservativeConservative
    North West Leicestershire78ConservativeConservative
    Northumberland6778No overall controlConservative
    Norwich1327LabourLabour
    Nottinghamshire5667No overall controlConservative
    Nuneaton and Bedworth2330No overall controlConservative
    Oadby And Wigston45Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Oldham2025LabourLabour
    Oxford3668LabourLabour
    Oxfordshire5759No overall controlNo overall control
    Pendle1639No overall controlConservative
    Peterborough2224No overall controlNo overall control
    Plymouth1920LabourNo overall control
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Cambridgeshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon & Cornwall11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Durham11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Nottinghamshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Suffolk11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Warwickshire11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for West Midlands11——
    Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire11——
    Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex11——
    Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire11——
    Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Northamptonshire11——
    Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire11——
    Portsmouth1414No overall controlNo overall control
    Preston2026LabourLabour
    Reading1617LabourLabour
    Redditch1117ConservativeConservative
    Reigate & Banstead2328ConservativeConservative
    Rhondda Cynon Taf22LabourLabour
    Ribble Valley34ConservativeConservative
    Rochdale2124LabourLabour
    Rochford1521ConservativeConservative
    Rossendale1517LabourNo overall control
    Rother68No overall controlNo overall control
    Rotherham2560LabourNo overall control
    Rugby2027ConservativeConservative
    Runnymede1821ConservativeConservative
    Rushcliffe69ConservativeConservative
    Rushmoor1519ConservativeConservative
    Salford2061LabourLabour
    Sandwell2427LabourLabour
    Scotland12——
    Scottish Parliament elections (Constituencies)44——
    Sefton2224LabourLabour
    Senedd Cymru elections (Constituencies)11——
    Senedd Cymru elections (Regions)14——
    Sevenoaks56ConservativeConservative
    Sheffield2829LabourNo overall control
    Shropshire6384ConservativeConservative
    Slough1515LabourLabour
    Solihull1719ConservativeConservative
    South Cambridgeshire1314Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    South Derbyshire67ConservativeNo overall control
    South Hams77ConservativeConservative
    South Holland99ConservativeConservative
    South Kesteven1014ConservativeConservative
    South Norfolk1112ConservativeConservative
    South Oxfordshire1213No overall controlNo overall control
    South Ribble78No overall controlNo overall control
    South Staffordshire78ConservativeConservative
    South Tyneside1820LabourLabour
    Southampton1617LabourConservative
    Southend-On-Sea1719No overall controlNo overall control
    Spelthorne77ConservativeNo overall control
    St Albans2438No overall controlLiberal Democrats
    St. Helens1619LabourLabour
    Stafford79ConservativeConservative
    Staffordshire6062ConservativeConservative
    Staffordshire Moorlands77No overall controlNo overall control
    Stevenage1520LabourLabour
    Stockport2225No overall controlNo overall control
    Stratford-On-Avon1113ConservativeConservative
    Stroud3064No overall controlNo overall control
    Suffolk6380ConservativeConservative
    Sunderland2531LabourLabour
    Surrey8081ConservativeConservative
    Surrey Heath56No overall controlNo overall control
    Swale47No overall controlNo overall control
    Swindon1921ConservativeConservative
    Tameside1922LabourLabour
    Tamworth1316ConservativeConservative
    Tandridge1823No overall controlNo overall control
    Teignbridge910Liberal DemocratsNo overall control
    Tendring68No overall controlNo overall control
    Test Valley67ConservativeConservative
    Tewkesbury77ConservativeConservative
    Thanet57No overall controlNo overall control
    Three Rivers1819Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Thurrock1718No overall controlConservative
    Tonbridge And Malling57ConservativeConservative
    Torridge55No overall controlNo overall control
    Trafford2227LabourLabour
    Tunbridge Wells1926ConservativeNo overall control
    Uttlesford55OtherOther
    Vale Of White Horse912Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Wakefield2124LabourLabour
    Wales416——
    Walsall2022ConservativeConservative
    Wandsworth11ConservativeConservative
    Warrington2260LabourLabour
    Warwick1213No overall controlNo overall control
    Warwickshire5757ConservativeConservative
    Watford1819Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Waverley89No overall controlNo overall control
    Wealden1515ConservativeConservative
    Welwyn Hatfield1925No overall controlConservative
    West Devon44No overall controlNo overall control
    West Lancashire2230LabourNo overall control
    West Lindsey89No overall controlNo overall control
    West Northamptonshire31101—Conservative
    West Oxfordshire2627ConservativeConservative
    West Suffolk1316ConservativeConservative
    West Sussex7071ConservativeConservative
    Wigan2628LabourLabour
    Wiltshire98120ConservativeConservative
    Winchester1922Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
    Wirral2223No overall controlNo overall control
    Woking1617No overall controlNo overall control
    Wokingham1820ConservativeConservative
    Wolverhampton2024LabourLabour
    Worcester1624No overall controlConservative
    Worcestershire5259ConservativeConservative
    Worthing1722ConservativeConservative
    Wychavon1012ConservativeConservative
    Wyre88ConservativeConservative
    Wyre Forest910No overall controlNo overall control

    See also Election Health for 2021's competitiveness figures and Council Control.