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{{Short description|Elections to local councils and mayoralties}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox election
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2020 United Kingdom local elections
| election_name = 2021 United Kingdom local elections
| country =
| country = United Kingdom
| type = parliamentary
| type = parliamentary
| ongoing = yes
| ongoing = yes
| party_colour =
| party_colour =
| previous_election = 2019 United Kingdom local elections
| previous_election = 2019 United Kingdom local elections
| previous_year = 2019
| previous_year = 2019
| next_election = 2021 United Kingdom local elections
| next_election = 2022 United Kingdom local elections
| next_year = 2021
| next_year = 2022
| seats_for_election = {{plainlist|
| seats_for_election = 118 councils in England <br>8 directly elected mayors in England <br>36 Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales <br>4 Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales
* 21 county councils in England
| election_date = 7 May 2020
* 124 English unitary, district and borough councils
| 1blank = Councils
* 13 directly elected mayors in England
| 2blank = Councils&nbsp;+/–
* 35 [[police and crime commissioners|PCCs]] in England
| 3blank = Councillors
* 4 [[police and crime commissioners|PCCs]] in Wales
| 4blank = Councillors&nbsp;+/–
<!-- Conservative -->
| image1 =
| colour1 =
| leader1 = [[2020 Labour Party leadership election|TBD]]
| leader_since1 = –
| leaders_seat1 =
| party1 = Labour Party (UK)
| last_election1 = 1,326 seats <br> <small>15 PCCs <br> 58 councils</small>
| seats1 =
| seat_change1 =
| popular_vote1 =
| swing1 =
<!-- Labour -->
| image2 = [[File:Boris Johnson official portrait (cropped).jpg|160x160px]]
| colour2 =
| leader2 = {{nowrap|[[Boris Johnson]]}}
| leader_since2 = {{nowrap|23 July 2019}}
| leaders_seat2 =
| party2 = Conservative Party (UK)
| last_election2 = 842 seats <br> <small>20 PCCs <br> 38 councils</small>
| seats2 =
| seat_change2 =
| popular_vote2 =
| swing2 =
<!-- Liberal Democrats -->
| image3 = [[File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Sir Edward Davey MP crop 2.jpg|160x160px]]
| colour3 =
| leader3 = [[Ed Davey]] & [[Mark Pack]] <small>(acting)</small>
| leader_since3 = {{nowrap|13 December 2019}}
| leaders_seat3 =
| party3 = Liberal Democrats (UK)
| last_election3 = 378 seats <br> <small>0 PCCs <br> 4 councils</small>
| seats3 =
| seat_change3 =
| popular_vote3 =
| swing3 =
| 1data3 =
| 2data3 =
| 3data3 =
| 4data3 =
<!-- Greens -->
| image4 = {{CSS image crop
|Image = Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley, 2018.jpg
|bSize = 271
|cWidth = 120
|cHeight = 160
|oLeft = 72
|Location = center
|Alt = Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley
}}
}}
| election_date = 6 May 2021
| colour4 =
| 1blank = Projected vote-share{{refn|group=n|name=VoteShareNote|All vote shares in the infobox are projected national vote shares calculated by the BBC.}}
| leader4 = [[Jonathan Bartley]] and [[Siân Berry]]
| 2blank = Swing{{refn|group=n|name=SwingNote|Swing figures are between the BBC national projected vote share extrapolation from [[2019 United Kingdom local elections|2019 local elections]], and the BBC equivalent vote share projection from these local elections held in different areas.}}
| leader_since4 = {{nowrap|4 September 2018}}
| 3blank = Councils
| leaders_seat4 =
| 4blank = Councils&nbsp;+/–
| party4 = Green Party of England and Wales
| 5blank = Councillors
| last_election4 = 45 seats <br> <small>0 PCCs <br> 0 councils</small>
| 6blank = Councillors&nbsp;+/–
| seats4 =
| 7blank = Mayors
| seat_change4 =
| 8blank = Mayors&nbsp;+/–
| swing4 =

| 1data4 =
<!-- Conservative -->| image1 = [[File:Boris Johnson election infobox.jpg|x180px|Boris Johnson]]
| 2data4 =
| leader1 = [[Boris Johnson]]
| 3data4 =
| party1 = Conservative Party (UK)
| 4data4 =
| leader_since1 = [[2019 Conservative Party leadership election|23 July 2019]]
| map = [[File:United Kingdom local elections 2020 map.svg|400px]]
| last_election1 =
| map_caption = Map showing areas of England which will hold an election in 2020 (cyan). Areas in white will not hold an election, whilst those in light grey are [[Wales]] and [[Scotland]].
| 1data1 = '''36%'''
| 2data1 = '''{{increase}} 8%'''
| 3data1 = '''63'''
| 4data1 = '''{{increase}} 13'''
| 5data1 = '''2,345'''
| 6data1 = '''{{increase}} 235'''
| 7data1 = '''2'''
| 8data1 = '''{{decrease}} 2'''

<!-- Labour -->| image2 = [[File:Official portrait of Keir Starmer crop 2.jpg|x180px|Keir Starmer]]
| leader2 = [[Keir Starmer]]
| party2 = Labour Party (UK)
| leader_since2 = [[2020 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|4 April 2020]]
| last_election2 =
| 1data2 = 29%
| 2data2 = {{increase}} 1%
| 3data2 = 44
| 4data2 = {{decrease}} 8
| 5data2 = 1,345
| 6data2 = {{decrease}} 327
| 7data2 = 11
| 8data2 = '''{{increase}} 2'''

<!-- Liberal Democrats -->| image4 = [[File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Sir Edward Davey MP crop 2.jpg|x180px|Ed Davey]]
| leader4 = [[Ed Davey]]
| party4 = Liberal Democrats (UK)
| leader_since4 = [[2020 Liberal Democrats leadership election|27 August 2020]]{{refn|name=Davey|group=n|Davey served as Acting Leader from 13 December 2019 to 27 August 2020 alongside the Party Presidents Baroness [[Sal Brinton]] and [[Mark Pack]], following [[Jo Swinson]]'s election defeat in the 2019 general election. Davey was elected Leader in August 2020.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/aug/27/ed-davey-elected-liberal-democrat-leader|title='Wake up and smell the coffee': Ed Davey elected Lib Dem leader|last=Stewart|first=Heather|date=27 August 2020|work=The Guardian}}</ref>}}
| last_election4 =
| 1data4 = 17%
| 2data4 = {{decrease}} 2%
| 3data4 = 7
| 4data4 = {{increase}} 1
| 5data4 = 588
| 6data4 = {{increase}} 8
| 7data4 = 0
| 8data4 = {{steady}}

<!-- Greens -->| image5 = [[File:Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley, 2018 (Cropped GE 2019).png|Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley, 2018 (Cropped GE 2019)|x180px]]
| leader5 = [[Jonathan Bartley]]<br>and [[Siân Berry]]
| party5 = Green Party of England and Wales
| last_election5 =
| leader_since5 = {{ubl|class=nowrap|
|[[2016 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election|2 September 2016]]<br>(Jonathan Bartley)
|[[2018 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election|31 August 2018]]<br>(Siân Berry)}}
| 1data5 =
| 2data5 =
| 3data5 = 0
| 4data5 = {{steady}}
| 5data5 = 151
| 6data5 = {{increase}} 88
| 7data5 = 0
| 8data5 = {{steady}}
| map = [[File:2021 United Kingdom local elections in district, borough and unitary councils.svg|180px]]
| map_caption = District, borough, and unitary councils
| map2 = [[File:2021 United Kingdom local elections in county councils.svg|180px]]
| map2_caption = County councils
| map3 = [[File:2021 United Kingdom local elections for mayors.svg|180px]]
| map3_caption = Mayors
| map4 = [[File:2021 United Kingdom local elections for police and crime commissioners and police, fire and crime commissioners.svg|180px]]
| map4_caption = Police and crime commissioners
}}
}}


{{maplink|
'''Local elections in the [[United Kingdom]]''' are scheduled to be held on Thursday 7 May 2020, contesting about 118 [[Local government in England|English local councils]], eight [[Directly elected mayors in England and Wales|directly elected mayors in England]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/devolution/directly-elected-mayors|title=Directly elected mayors|website=www.local.gov.uk}}</ref> 36 [[2020 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections|police and crime commissioner]]s in [[England]] and [[Wales]] and 4 Police, Fire and Crime Commissioners in England<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/elections-and-referendums/past-elections-and-referendums/police-and-crime-commissioner-elections|title=Electoral Commission &#124; Police and Crime Commissioner elections|website=www.electoralcommission.org.uk}}</ref> There will also be an [[2020 London Assembly election|election to the London Assembly]] in conjunction with the London mayoral election.
|from=UK local elections/2021/results/Shire Districts/North and West.map
|from2=UK local elections/2021/results/Shire Districts/East.map
|from3=UK local elections/2021/results/Shire Districts/Midlands.map
|from4=UK local elections/2021/results/Shire Districts/South.map
|from5=UK local elections/2021/results/Unitary Authorities/South.map
|from6=UK local elections/2021/results/Unitary Authorities/North and Midlands.map
|from7=UK local elections/2021/results/Metropolitan Boroughs.map
|from8=UK local elections/2021/results/London Boroughs.map
|text=Results in district, borough, and unitary councils|frame=yes|frame-height=450|frame-width=351|zoom=5}}


[[File:Postal voting pack for the 2021 United Kingdom local elections.jpg|thumb|300px|Postal voting pack used in the 2021 local elections: white for local councillors, yellow for mayoral elections and green for police and crime commissioner|alt=Two envelopes, a postal voting slip and three differently coloured ballot papers on a table]]
With the exception of those areas that have had boundary changes, the seats up for election were last contested in the [[2016 United Kingdom local elections|2016 local elections]]. New unitary authorities to replace the county and district councils in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire are due to hold their inaugural elections this year.


The '''2021 United Kingdom local elections''' were held on Thursday 6 May 2021. More than 145 [[Local government in England|English local councils]], around 5,000 councillor seats (including by-elections),<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56286643|title=2021 elections: A really simple guide|work=BBC News |date=23 March 2021}}</ref> thirteen [[directly elected mayors in England]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.local.gov.uk/topics/devolution/directly-elected-mayors|title=Directly elected mayors|website=www.local.gov.uk}}</ref> and [[2021 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections|39 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales]] were contested.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/find-information-by-subject/elections-and-referendums/past-elections-and-referendums/police-and-crime-commissioner-elections|title=Electoral Commission &#124; Police and Crime Commissioner elections|website=www.electoralcommission.org.uk}}</ref> On the same day, the [[2021 Hartlepool by-election]] took place, and there were also elections to the [[2021 Scottish Parliament election|Scottish Parliament]] (129 seats), [[2021 Senedd election|Senedd (Welsh Parliament)]] (60 seats) and [[2021 London Assembly election|London Assembly]] (25 seats), the last in conjunction with the [[2021 London mayoral election|London mayoral election]].
==Voters and voting systems==
All residents of the areas covered that are 18 years or over and is a British or Irish citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the European Union is eligible to vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=Local councils |url=https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/types-elections/local-councils |publisher=Electoral Commission (United Kingdom) |accessdate=3 February 2020 |language=en |date=1 November 2019}}</ref> A resident can be registered to vote in two different local authorities, such as a student, but can only vote in one.<ref name="Typesofelect-LocalGov">{{cite web |title=Types of election, referendums, and who can vote: Local government |url=https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/local-government |publisher=[[GOV.UK]] |accessdate=3 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref>


In March 2020, the government announced that the elections scheduled for 7 May 2020 would be delayed for a year due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]]. They were now held at the same time as the elections previously scheduled for 2021.<ref name="BBC-COVID19delay"/> The seats up for election were those last contested in [[2016 United Kingdom local elections|2016]] and [[2017 United Kingdom local elections|2017]]. New [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authorities]] to replace the county and district councils in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire held their inaugural elections this year. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 local elections, these were the first local elections the three main parties contested under the leaderships of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Boris Johnson]] of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]], [[Keir Starmer]] of [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]], and [[Ed Davey]] of the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]].
Because this wave of local elections incorporates different positions, voters will use different voting systems to elect politicians. Councillors will be elected using [[First Past The Post]], meaning that the councillor with the most votes in a ward is elected.<ref name="Typesofelect-LocalGov"/> Councils having "all-up" elections will have [[Plurality-at-large voting|block voting]], where voters have a vote for each seat the ward represents and the top councillors are elected. All [[Directly elected mayors in England and Wales|mayors of England]] and [[Police and Crime Commissioners]] of England and Wales are elected using the [[supplementary vote]] system- which means voters select a first and second choice when you vote. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote all except for the top two are eliminated. If your first choice candidate is eliminated, and your second choice is for one of the top 2, then your second choice is counted.<ref name="Typesofelect-Mayors&London">{{cite news |title=Types of election, referendums, and who can vote: Local mayors, Mayor of London and London Assembly |url=https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/local-mayors-mayor-of-london-and-london-assembly |accessdate=3 February 2020 |publisher=[[GOV.UK]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Types of election, referendums, and who can vote: Police and Crime Commissioner |url=https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/police-and-crime-commissioner |publisher=[[GOV.UK]] |accessdate=3 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Whilst the [[Mayor of London]] is elected using the supplementary vote system too, the [[London Assembly]] uses the [[Additional member system]]. You vote once for your [[List of London Assembly constituencies|single member constituency]] and once for a London-wide representative.<ref name="Typesofelect-Mayors&London"/>

The governing Conservative Party made significant gains in the elections. Despite initial predictions that the party would perform better in the seats last contested in 2016, but worse in the ones contested in 2017 (when the party benefited from the then-exceptionally high approval ratings of [[Theresa May]]'s government in the run-up to [[2017 United Kingdom general election|that year's general election]]), they in fact performed even better in both sets of seats. Many observers attributed their performance to the successful rollout of the country's [[COVID-19 vaccination in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 vaccination programme]]. Conversely, Labour's poor performance was generally ascribed to the party still being viewed by much of the working class as having been discredited by its prior [[opposition to Brexit]], as well as Starmer's perceived opportunism in attacking Johnson over the [[Downing Street refurbishment controversy]]. The Liberal Democrats made some minor gains despite a loss in their popular vote share, while the [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green Party]] made more substantial gains.

==Overall==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|+ Results of the 2021 council elections in England<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local Elections 2021 in England |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election/2021/england/results |access-date=2023-02-10 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Party
! colspan="2" | Councillors
! colspan="2" | Councils
! colspan="2" | Mayors
|-
! Number
! Change
! Number
! Change
! Number
! Change
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| 2,345
| +235
| 63
| +13
| 2
| -2
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| 1,345
| -327
| 44
| -8
| 11
| +5
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
| 588
| +8
| 7
| +1
| 0
| 0
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Green Party of England and Wales}}
| 151
| +88
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Mebyon Kernow}}
| 5
| +1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Reform UK}}
| 2
| +2
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Party (UK, 1989)}}
| 1
| -1
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern}}
| 0
| -2
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|-
| {{Party name with colour|UK Independence Party}}
| 0
| −48
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|-
! colspan="2" | Other parties
| 3
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Residents' association]]
| 42
| +5
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Independent (politician)|Independents]]
| 255
| +39
| 0
| 0
| 0
| 0
|-
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}}
| colspan="2" {{N/A}}
| 29
| -6
| colspan="2" {{N/A}}
|- class=sortbottom
! colspan="2" | Total
! 4,737
!
! 143
!
! 13
! +3
|}


==Background==
==Background==
The [[2019 United Kingdom local elections|local elections in May 2019]] across a majority of councils in England saw the [[Conservative party (UK)|Conservative party]] suffer significant losses to the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]], who regained councils they lost to the Conservatives in [[2015 United Kingdom local elections|2015]]. The [[Labour party (UK)|Labour party]], despite making some gains, had a net loss of over eighty seats in areas that had traditionally voted for them, particularly to independent candidates. Local elections also took place at the same time in [[2019 Northern Ireland local elections|Northern Ireland]], which saw a rise in the [[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland|Alliance Party's]] representation across the region. At the [[2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom]], a few weeks after, the Conservatives had their lowest share of the vote in a nation-wide election in their history, with the [[Brexit party]] and the Liberal Democrats coming first and second, respectively.
The [[2019 United Kingdom local elections|local elections in May 2019]] across a majority of councils in England saw the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] suffer significant losses to the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]], who regained councils they lost to the Conservatives in [[2015 United Kingdom local elections|2015]]. The [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], despite making some gains, had a net loss of over eighty seats in areas that had traditionally voted for them, particularly to independent candidates. Local elections also took place at the same time in [[2019 Northern Ireland local elections|Northern Ireland]], which saw a rise in the [[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland|Alliance Party's]] representation across the region. At the [[2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|2019 European Parliament election]], a few weeks later, the Conservatives had their lowest share of the vote in a nationwide election in their history, with the [[Brexit Party]] and the Liberal Democrats coming first and second, respectively.


On 12 December 2019, the UK had a [[2019 United Kingdom general election|snap general election]] that lead to the Conservative party winning a majority of eighty in the [[House of Commons]]. The Labour party, achieved their worst share of the seats since the [[1935 United Kingdom general election|1935 general election]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Who will be Labour's next leader? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-50781341 |accessdate=16 December 2019 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=15 December 2019}}</ref> Following the election result the [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|leader of the Labour Party]] [[Jeremy Corbyn]] announced he would be stepping down from his position, though remain an MP. The results of party's [[2020 Labour Party leadership election|leadership]] and [[2020 Labour Party deputy leadership election|deputy leadership election]] will be unveiled in April.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mason |first1=Rowena |last2=Pidd |first2=Helen |title=Labour leadership race begins as senior figures back Rebecca Long-Bailey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/15/labour-leadership-race-begins-as-senior-figures-back-rebecca-long-bailey |accessdate=16 December 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=15 December 2019}}</ref> The Liberal Democrats will also have a [[2020 Liberal Democrats leadership election|leadership election]], with the results being announced in July, following [[Jo Swinson]] losing her seat.<ref>{{cite news |title=Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson to step down |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50771123 |accessdate=16 December 2019 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=13 December 2019}}</ref> During this period, the party's Deputy Leader [[Ed Davey]] and party President [[Mark Pack]] will act as co-leaders.<ref>{{cite web |title=Timetable agreed for Liberal Democrat leadership election |url=https://www.markpack.org.uk/160765/timetable-agreed-for-liberal-democrat-leadership-election/ |website=Mark Pack |accessdate=31 January 2020 |date=18 January 2020}}</ref>
On 12 December 2019, the UK held a [[2019 United Kingdom general election|snap general election]] that led to the Conservatives winning a majority of eighty in the [[House of Commons]], while Labour had their worst share of the seats since the [[1935 United Kingdom general election|1935 general election]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Who will be Labour's next leader? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-50781341 |access-date=16 December 2019 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=15 December 2019}}</ref> Following the election result, [[Jeremy Corbyn]] announced that he would step down as [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|leader of the Labour Party]];<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mason |first1=Rowena |last2=Pidd |first2=Helen |title=Labour leadership race begins as senior figures back Rebecca Long-Bailey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/15/labour-leadership-race-begins-as-senior-figures-back-rebecca-long-bailey |access-date=16 December 2019 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=15 December 2019}}</ref> [[Keir Starmer]] [[2020 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|was elected]] the new leader on 4 April 2020.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sir Keir Starmer elected as next leader of the Labour Party |url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/04/sir-keir-starmer-elected-next-leader-labour-party-12507626/ |access-date=6 April 2020 |work=Metro |date=4 April 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The Liberal Democrats also held a [[2020 Liberal Democrats leadership election|leadership election]] after [[Jo Swinson]] lost her seat in the general election;<ref>{{cite news |title=Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson to step down |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50771123 |access-date=16 December 2019 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=13 December 2019}}</ref> in the interim, the party's deputy leader [[Ed Davey]] and party president [[Mark Pack]] acted as co-leaders, and in August Davey was elected as leader.<ref>{{cite web |title=Timetable agreed for Liberal Democrat leadership election |url=https://www.markpack.org.uk/160765/timetable-agreed-for-liberal-democrat-leadership-election/ |website=Mark Pack |access-date=31 January 2020 |date=18 January 2020}}</ref>

Prior to the elections, [[2019–2023 structural changes to local government in England|structural changes to local government in England]] merged some district and county councils into [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authorities]], which meant more power was consolidated; an example is [[Buckinghamshire Council]], which replaced five councils in April 2020. In addition, new [[Combined authority|combined authorities]] (institutions which cover two or more local authorities) are being created, with the electorate of the [[West Yorkshire Combined Authority]] electing their [[Mayor of West Yorkshire|mayor]] at this election. Intentions to reorganise councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset caused elections in those areas to be rescheduled for 2022.<ref name="BBC-posponedSCNY"/> More combined authorities and significant reorganisations were planned, but in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the government's devolution program for England.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bounds|first1=Andy|last2=Picard|first2=Jim|last3=Thomas|first3=Daniel|date=30 September 2020|title=Plans for further English devolution shelved until next year|work=[[Financial Times]]|url=https://www.ft.com/content/e1e2c392-a2e6-4ac5-9f0e-51e2926b1785|url-access=subscription|access-date=1 October 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Action on left behind parts of England 'delayed' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-54359931 |access-date=1 October 2020 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=30 September 2020}}</ref>

=== Postponement to 2021 ===
A [[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]] of a new strand of coronavirus spread across the world from February 2020. On 1 March, [[Secretary of State for Health and Social Care|Health Secretary]] [[Matt Hancock]] issued a warning that "all options" were being considered if the virus spread further, including delaying the local elections, for the first time since the [[2001 United Kingdom local elections|2001 elections]] which were delayed by a month due to the [[2001 United Kingdom foot-and-mouth outbreak|foot-and-mouth outbreak]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Busby |first1=Mattha |title=Local elections could be delayed by coronavirus outbreak |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/01/local-elections-could-be-delayed-by-coronavirus-outbreak |access-date=3 March 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=1 March 2020}}</ref> On 12 March, the Association of Electoral Administrators asked the government to consider postponing the elections should the situation in the UK deteriorate.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Buchan |first1=Lizzy |title=Elections chiefs urge government to consider 'legal basis' for postponing local elections over coronavirus |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-news-local-elections-postpone-legal-aea-a9394906.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200312091238/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-news-local-elections-postpone-legal-aea-a9394906.html |archive-date=2020-03-12 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=12 March 2020 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=11 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The same day, the [[Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)|Electoral Commission]] recommended that the elections be delayed till the autumn.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Duncan |first1=Conrad |title=Electoral Commission recommends May local elections should be cancelled amid coronavirus outbreak |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-news-electoral-commission-may-local-elections-cancelled-a9398131.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714082358/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/coronavirus-news-electoral-commission-may-local-elections-cancelled-a9398131.html |archive-date=2020-07-14 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=12 March 2020 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=12 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

A day later, Prime Minister [[Boris Johnson]] decided to postpone the 2020 UK local elections until May 2021.<ref name="BBC-COVID19delay">{{cite news |title=Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51876269 |access-date=13 March 2020 |work=BBC News |date=13 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="itvvirus">{{cite news |title=May's local and mayoral elections postponed for a year due to coronavirus |url=https://www.itv.com/news/2020-03-13/may-s-local-and-mayoral-elections-postponed-for-a-year-due-to-coronavirus |access-date=13 March 2020 |work=[[ITV News]] |date=13 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref> This decision was legislated for in the [[Coronavirus Act 2020]], which was enacted on 25 March.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/7/contents/enacted/data.htm|title=Coronavirus Act 2020|date=25 March 2020|website=legislation.gov.uk|access-date=2020-03-27}}</ref> The bill gave the government the power to postpone any elections, including by-elections, which would otherwise have been held between 16 March 2020 and 5 May 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gyrlls |first1=George |title=Five things you really ought to know about the Coronavirus Bill |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2020/03/coronavirus-bill-laws-police-government-power |access-date=27 March 2020 |work=[[New Statesman]] |language=en}}</ref> To preserve the four-year electoral cycle, those elected in 2021 would serve three-year terms.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8856/CBP-8856.pdf|title=Coronavirus Bill: Elections|last=Johnston|first=Neil|date=24 March 2020|website=House of Commons Library|access-date=27 March 2020}}</ref>

On 4 November 2020, the [[Cabinet Office]] ruled out any further delays to local elections, after suggestions from some local authorities to defer the elections by a couple of weeks, in order to allow enough time to get the electoral roll in order without having to knock on doors during the second wave of the pandemic.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.themj.co.uk/EXCLUSIVE-Cabinet-Office-rules-out-elections-delay/219026|title=EXCLUSIVE: Cabinet Office rules out elections delay
|last=Jameson|first=Heather|date=4 November 2020|work=[[The Municipal Journal|TheMJ]] |access-date=5 November 2020}}</ref> After the country went into a third national lockdown in January 2021, the [[County Councils Network]] called on Johnson to declare "as soon as possible" whether the elections would go ahead as planned. Suggestions had been put forward include delaying the elections until June or July; delaying them until the Autumn; and conducting them in May but entirely via postal voting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55561556|title=Local elections: Council leaders call for urgent decision on May 6 polls|work=BBC News|date=6 January 2021|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-55616339|title=Covid: May elections 'will almost certainly be delayed'|work=BBC News|date=11 January 2021|access-date=15 January 2021}}</ref> On 9 January election officials stated that the local elections will take place as planned. However Johnson said this remains "under review".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Peter |title=May elections to go ahead in UK despite coronavirus concerns |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/09/may-elections-to-go-ahead-in-uk-despite-coronavirus-concerns |access-date=20 January 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=9 January 2021 |language=en}}</ref> It was confirmed in February by [[Chloe Smith]] and the [[Cabinet Office]] that the elections would in fact take place in line with the government's target to vaccinate all over 50s by the beginning of May.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-02-05|title=Covid: Local elections to go ahead in England|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55938380|access-date=2021-02-06}}</ref>

=== By-elections ===
The Coronavirus Act 2020 also postponed by-elections to fill casual vacancies occurring because a sitting councillor resigned or died.<ref name=":0" /> On 15 March 2021, it was reported that more than 260 by-elections would take place alongside the planned council elections.<ref name="Gu-vaccinebounce032021" />

In [[Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole]], by-elections were held in the wards of [[Canford Heath (ward)|Canford Heath]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Canford Heath ward by-election 2021|url=https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/Councillors-committees-and-elections/Elections-and-voting/Elections-and-referendums/Upcoming-elections-and-referendums/Canford-Heath-ward-by-election-2021.aspx|access-date=2021-05-08|website=www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410173736/https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/Councillors-committees-and-elections/Elections-and-voting/Elections-and-referendums/Upcoming-elections-and-referendums/Canford-Heath-ward-by-election-2021.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Commons (ward)|Commons]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Commons ward by-election results 2021|url=https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/Councillors-committees-and-elections/Elections-and-voting/Elections-and-referendums/Commons-Ward-by-election-2021/Commons-ward-by-election-results-2021.aspx|access-date=2021-05-08|website=www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk|archive-date=9 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509062037/https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/Councillors-committees-and-elections/Elections-and-voting/Elections-and-referendums/Commons-Ward-by-election-2021/Commons-ward-by-election-results-2021.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> Four [[Lewisham London Borough Council elections#2021 by-elections|by-elections]] in the [[London Borough of Lewisham]] were also held.<ref>{{Cite web |title='I will do everything I can to repay that trust' - New councillors in Lewisham on their wins |url=https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/19300984.lewisham-gets-four-new-councillors-by-elections/ |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=This Is Local London |date=13 May 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Restrictions on campaigns ===
In January 2021, government guidance on activity during the national lockdown was issued by the [[Minister for the Cabinet Office#Ministers of State for the Cabinet Office|Minister of State for the Constitution and Devolution]], [[Chloe Smith]], stating that door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual political party activists was not possible under the restriction "You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary".<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=22 January 2021|title=Minister for the Constitution and Devolution letter to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-parliamentary-parties-panel-on-lockdown-campaigning/minister-for-the-constitution-and-devolution-letter-to-members-of-the-parliamentary-parties-panel|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122155047/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-parliamentary-parties-panel-on-lockdown-campaigning/minister-for-the-constitution-and-devolution-letter-to-members-of-the-parliamentary-parties-panel |archive-date=22 January 2021 |access-date=2021-02-02|website=GOV.UK|publisher=Cabinet Office|language=en}}</ref> Labour suspended leafleting and urged other parties to do the same, but the Liberal Democrats' leader [[Ed Davey]] defended the party's leafleting activities, arguing that the party had taken legal advice and that leafleting was allowed under an exemption for volunteer organisations.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-01-23|title=Covid-19: Parties urged to suspend doorstep campaigning|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-55775306|access-date=2021-02-27}}</ref> Rights and democracy groups criticised the restrictions on campaigning, claiming that there was no leafleting ban in the coronavirus regulations and raising concerns it could interfere with the right to free expression and the functioning of democracy.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021-02-19|title=Democracy groups call for government to drop ban on political leafleting|url=https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news/westminster-news/coronavirus-ban-leaflets-7564816|url-status=dead|access-date=2021-02-27|website=The New European|language=en-UK|archive-date=2 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302165739/https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/brexit-news/westminster-news/coronavirus-ban-leaflets-7564816}}</ref>

On 26 February, the UK government said the restrictions in England would be changed to allow door-to-door campaigns from 8 March, and that similar guidance would be published by the Welsh and Scottish governments. Campaigners would be able to deliver leaflets and speak to electors on their doorsteps.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-02-26|title=Local elections: Door-to-door campaigning to be allowed|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56217215|access-date=2021-02-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=26 February 2021|title=The Government's approach to elections and referendums during COVID-19|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-governments-approach-to-elections-and-referendums-during-covid-19/the-governments-approach-to-elections-and-referendums-during-covid-19|url-status=live|access-date=2021-02-27|website=GOV.UK|publisher=Cabinet Office|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227040120/https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-governments-approach-to-elections-and-referendums-during-covid-19/the-governments-approach-to-elections-and-referendums-during-covid-19 |archive-date=27 February 2021 }}</ref>

==Campaign==
Going into the short campaign period, the Conservative Party started to develop a [[Opinion polling for the 2024 United Kingdom general election|6–7% poll lead]] on the Labour Party.<ref name="Gu-vaccinebounce032021">{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Peter |title=Tories could benefit from 'vaccine bounce' in May's local elections in England |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/mar/15/tories-could-benefit-from-vaccine-bounce-in-mays-local-elections-in-england |access-date=15 March 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=15 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

On Thursday 11 March, Labour launched its local election campaign, with the party's leader [[Keir Starmer]], deputy leader [[Angela Rayner]], [[Mayor of London]] [[Sadiq Khan]], [[First Minister of Wales]] [[Mark Drakeford]], [[Scottish Labour leader]] [[Anas Sarwar]] and West Yorkshire metro-mayor candidate [[Tracy Brabin]] as speakers. The party focused its election priorities on giving nurses a pay rise.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Craig |first1=Jon |date=11 March 2021 |title=Vote Labour to 'support our nurses,' says Starmer in Labour campaign launch for local elections |url=https://news.sky.com/story/vote-labour-to-support-our-nurses-says-starmer-in-labour-campaign-launch-for-local-elections-12242072 |work=[[Sky News]] |language=en |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=English local elections: Starmer targets NHS pay in Labour launch |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56359771 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=11 March 2021 |access-date=15 March 2021}}</ref>

Following the [[Death and funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]], political parties halted campaigning for local and devolved elections for a period of mourning of a few days.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wheeler |first1=Richard |date=9 April 2021 |title=Election campaigns suspended following Duke of Edinburgh's death |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/duke-of-edinburgh-liberal-democrats-conservative-party-scottish-parliament-england-b928825.html |website=Evening Standard |access-date=9 April 2021}}</ref>

==Voters and voting systems==
In England, all residents of the areas covered who are 18 years or over and are a British or Irish citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the European Union were eligible to vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=Local councils |url=https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/types-elections/local-councils |publisher=Electoral Commission (United Kingdom) |access-date=3 February 2020 |language=en |date=1 November 2019}}</ref> A resident can be registered to vote in two local authorities, such as a student living away from home, and they may vote in both.<ref name="Typesofelect-LocalGov">{{cite web |title=Types of election, referendums, and who can vote: Local government |url=https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/local-government |publisher=[[GOV.UK]] |access-date=3 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref> In Wales, all residents who are 16 years or over and are registered to vote, regardless of citizenship, will be eligible to vote.<ref name="BBC-Senedd"/> The deadline to be registered to vote in the May 2021 elections is 11:59pm on 19 April 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote |title= Register to vote |website= GOV.UK |access-date= 24 March 2021}}</ref>

Because this wave of local elections incorporates different positions, voters used different voting systems to elect politicians. Councillors were elected using [[First-past-the-post voting|first-past-the-post]], meaning that the candidate with the most votes in a ward was elected.<ref name="Typesofelect-LocalGov"/> Councils having "all-up" elections had [[Plurality block voting|block voting]], where voters have a vote for each seat the ward represents and the top candidates are elected. All [[Directly elected mayors in England|mayors of England]] and [[Police and crime commissioners]] of England and Wales were elected using the [[supplementary vote]] system, where voters select a first and second choice. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote, all except the top two are eliminated. If a voter's first choice candidate is eliminated, and their second choice is for one of the top two, then the second choice is counted.<ref name="Typesofelect-Mayors&London">{{cite news |title=Types of election, referendums, and who can vote: Local mayors, Mayor of London and London Assembly |url=https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/local-mayors-mayor-of-london-and-london-assembly |access-date=3 February 2020 |publisher=[[GOV.UK]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Types of election, referendums, and who can vote: Police and Crime Commissioner |url=https://www.gov.uk/elections-in-the-uk/police-and-crime-commissioner |publisher=[[GOV.UK]] |access-date=3 February 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

The Welsh and Scottish parliaments used the [[additional member system]], or AMS. This means voters vote once in a single member constituency and once for party representation in their electoral region.<ref>{{cite news |title=Additional Member System |url=https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/voting-systems/types-of-voting-system/additional-member-system/ |access-date=14 March 2020 |work=[[Electoral Reform Society]]}}</ref> London uses two systems: the [[Mayor of London]] is elected using the supplementary vote system while the [[London Assembly]] uses AMS.<ref name="Typesofelect-Mayors&London"/>


==England==
==England==
On 13 March 2020, the Government announced that the 2020 elections would be postponed until 2021 in response to growing concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.<ref name="BBC-COVID19delay"/><ref name="itvvirus"/>
===Metropolitan boroughs===
====Whole metropolitan council====
Two of 36 metropolitan boroughs have all of its seats up for election.


=== County councils ===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="valign:top"
{{maplink
! rowspan="2" | Council
|from=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Counties/North.map, UK local elections/2021/previous control/Counties/North.map
! colspan="2" | Seats
|from2=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Counties/West.map, UK local elections/2021/previous control/Counties/West.map
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Previous control
|from3=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Counties/South.map, UK local elections/2021/previous control/Counties/South.map
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Result
|from4=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Counties/East.map, UK local elections/2021/previous control/Counties/East.map
|from5=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Counties/Midlands.map, UK local elections/2021/previous control/Counties/Midlands.map
|text=Click or tap on the map to show the party in control of each council before and after the election<br>{{Legend|{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}|Conservative}}{{Legend|{{party color|No overall control}}|No overall control}}{{Legend|#CCCCCC|No election}}
|switch=control of councils after the election, control of councils before the election
|frame=yes|frame-height=400|frame-width=300|zoom=5}}

County councils are elected in full every four years, with the last election having been in 2017. County councils are the upper part of a two-tier system of local government, with the area each covers subdivided into district councils with different responsibilities. These are first-past-the-post elections with a mixture of single-member and multi-member electoral divisions.

There were previously twenty-six county councils, but there will only be twenty-four by the time of the election. [[Buckinghamshire County Council]] was replaced with a unitary authority, [[Buckinghamshire Council]], on 1 April 2020.<ref name="Bucks-elections">{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2019/957/part/2/made/data.htm|title=The Buckinghamshire (Structural Changes) Order 2019|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref> [[Northamptonshire County Council]] "declared itself effectively bankrupt" in February 2018<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jan/29/northamptonshire-bankrupt-council-two-percent-tax-hike-james-brokenshire-local-government-secretary|title=Northamptonshire's bankrupt council given OK for 2% tax hike|date=2019-01-29|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref> and two new unitary authorities, [[North Northamptonshire]] and [[West Northamptonshire]] replaced it on 1 April 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/156/article/20/made/data.htm|title=The Northamptonshire (Structural Changes) Order 2020|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|access-date=2020-03-16}}</ref>

In late February 2021 the government confirmed that council elections in Cumbria, North Yorkshire, and Somerset were to be rescheduled for May 2022 because of plans to re-organise the structure of local government in those areas. This meant that council elections for [[Cumbria County Council]], [[North Yorkshire County Council]] and [[Somerset County Council]] were postponed until the [[2022 United Kingdom local elections|May 2022 local elections]].<ref name="BBC-posponedSCNY">{{cite news |title=Local elections postponed in three English counties |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-56168977 |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=BBC News |date=23 February 2021}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
! Council
!up
! Seats
!of
! Original year
! colspan="2" | Previous control
! colspan="2" | Result
! Details
|-
|-
| [[Cambridgeshire County Council|Cambridgeshire]]
| [[2020 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council election|Rotherham]]
|63
| 61
| [[2021 Cambridgeshire County Council election|2021]]
|''63''
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem/Labour/independent coalition)
| [[2021 Cambridgeshire County Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Salford City Council election|Salford]]
| [[Derbyshire County Council|Derbyshire]]
|60
| 64
| [[2021 Derbyshire County Council election|2021]]
|''60''
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Derbyshire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Devon County Council|Devon]]
| 60
| [[2021 Devon County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Devon County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[East Sussex County Council|East Sussex]]
| 50
| [[2021 East Sussex County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 East Sussex County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Essex County Council|Essex]]
| 75
| [[2021 Essex County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Essex County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Gloucestershire County Council|Gloucestershire]]
| 53
| [[2021 Gloucestershire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Gloucestershire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Hampshire County Council|Hampshire]]
| 78
| [[2021 Hampshire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Hampshire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Hertfordshire County Council|Hertfordshire]]
| 78
| [[2021 Hertfordshire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Hertfordshire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Kent County Council|Kent]]
| 81
| [[2021 Kent County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Kent County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Lancashire County Council|Lancashire]]
| 84
| [[2021 Lancashire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Lancashire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Leicestershire County Council|Leicestershire]]
| 55
| [[2021 Leicestershire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Leicestershire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Lincolnshire County Council|Lincolnshire]]
| 70
| [[2021 Lincolnshire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Lincolnshire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Norfolk County Council|Norfolk]]
| 84
| [[2021 Norfolk County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Norfolk County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Nottinghamshire County Council|Nottinghamshire]]
| 66
| [[2021 Nottinghamshire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative/Mansfield Independent Forum coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Nottinghamshire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Oxfordshire County Council|Oxfordshire]]
| 63
| [[2021 Oxfordshire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative/independent coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem/Labour/Green coalition)
| [[2021 Oxfordshire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Staffordshire County Council|Staffordshire]]
| 62
| [[2021 Staffordshire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Staffordshire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Suffolk County Council|Suffolk]]
| 75
| [[2021 Suffolk County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Suffolk County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Surrey County Council|Surrey]]
| 81
| [[2021 Surrey County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Surrey County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Warwickshire County Council|Warwickshire]]
| 57
| [[2021 Warwickshire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Warwickshire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[West Sussex County Council|West Sussex]]
| 70
| [[2021 West Sussex County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 West Sussex County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Worcestershire County Council|Worcestershire]]
| 57
| [[2021 Worcestershire County Council election|2021]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Worcestershire County Council election|Details]]
|-
| ''All 21 councils''
| ''1,632''
| colspan="6" |
|}
|}
{{notelist}}


=== Metropolitan boroughs ===
====One-third of metropolitan council====
{{maplink
33 of 36 metropolitan boroughs have one-third of their seats up for election.
|from=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Metropolitan Boroughs.map,UK local elections/2021/previous control/Metropolitan Boroughs.map
|text=Click or tap on the map to show the party in control of each council before and after the election<br>{{Legend|{{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}|Labour}}{{Legend|{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}|Conservative}}{{Legend|{{party color|No overall control}}|No overall control}}{{Legend|#CCCCCC|No election}}
|frame=yes|frame-height=400|frame-width=301|zoom=6|switch=control of councils after the election, control of councils before the election}}


There are thirty-six metropolitan boroughs, which are single-tier local authorities. Thirty-three of them elect a third of their councillors every year for three years, with no election in each fourth year. These councils hold their elections on the same timetable, and were due to hold an election in 2020 but not in 2021. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the May 2020 elections were postponed to May 2021. The remaining three metropolitan boroughs elect their councillors in full every four years. [[Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council]] was due to hold an election for all councillors in May 2020, but this was postponed to 2021. [[Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council]] was due to elect its councillors in 2021. [[Birmingham City Council]] holds its elections on a four-year cycle from 2018, so was not due to hold an election until 2022; there were, however, by-elections in 4 wards.<ref name="Northans-elections">{{Cite web|url=https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/news/article/863/city_council_by-election_results_%E2%80%93_6_may_2021|title=City Council by-election results – 6 May 2021|website=www.birmingham.gov.uk|access-date=2020-05-07}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="valign:top"

Due to boundary changes, [[Salford City Council]] also elected all of its councillors in 2021, and subsequently returned to the thirds schedule. The remaining thirty-two metropolitan borough councils that elect their councillors in thirds did so as usual at this election.

==== Elections for all councillors ====

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Council
! Seats
! Original year
! colspan="2" | Previous control
! colspan="2" | Result
! Details
|-
| [[Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council|Doncaster]]
| 55
| 2021
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council|Rotherham]]
| 59
| 2020
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Salford City Council|Salford]]
| 60
| 2020
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Salford City Council election|Details]]
|-
| ''All three councils''
| ''178''
| colspan="6" |
|}

==== Elections for one third of councillors ====

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Council
! rowspan="2" | Council
! colspan="2" | Seats
! colspan="2" | Seats
! rowspan="2" | Original year
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Previous control
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Previous control
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Result
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Result
! rowspan="2" | Details
|-
|-
!up
! up
!of
! of
|-
|-
| [[2020 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election|Barnsley]]
| [[Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council|Barnsley]]
|21
| 21
|''63''
| 63
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election|Bolton]]
| [[Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council|Bolton]]
|20
| 20
|''60''
| 60
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority with Lib Dem/UKIP/Independent support)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority with independent/Lib Dem/UKIP support)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority with independent/UKIP support)
| [[2021 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Bradford City Council election|Bradford]]
| [[City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council|Bradford]]
|30
| 30
|''90''
| 90
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council election|Bury]]
| [[Bury Metropolitan Borough Council|Bury]]
|17
| 17
|''51''
| 51
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Bury Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council election|Calderdale]]
| [[Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council|Calderdale]]
|17
| 17
|''51''
| 51
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Coventry City Council election|Coventry]]
| [[Coventry City Council|Coventry]]
|18
| 18
|''54''
| 54
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Coventry City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council election|Dudley]]
| [[Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council|Dudley]]
|24
| 24
|''72''
| 72
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council election|Gateshead]]
| [[Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council|Gateshead]]
|22
| 22
|''66''
| 66
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election|Kirklees]]
| [[Kirklees Council|Kirklees]]
|23
| 23
|''69''
| 69
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| [[2021 Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council election|Knowsley]]
| [[Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council|Knowsley]]
|15
| 15
|''45''
| 45
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Leeds City Council election|Leeds]]
| [[Leeds City Council|Leeds]]
|33
| 33
|''99''
| 99
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Leeds City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Liverpool City Council election|Liverpool]]
| [[Liverpool City Council|Liverpool]]
|30
| 30
|''90''
| 90
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Liverpool City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Manchester City Council election|Manchester]]
| [[Manchester City Council|Manchester]]
|32
| 32
|''96''
| 96
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Manchester City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Newcastle upon Tyne City Council election|Newcastle upon Tyne]]
| [[Newcastle City Council|Newcastle upon Tyne]]
|26
| 26
|''78''
| 78
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Newcastle City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
|[[North Tyneside Council|North Tyneside]]
| [[North Tyneside Council|North Tyneside]]
|20
| 20
|''60''
| 60
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council election|Oldham]]
| [[Oldham Council|Oldham]]
|20
| 20
|''60''
| 60
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council election|Rochdale]]
| [[Rochdale Borough Council|Rochdale]]
|20
| 20
|''60''
| 60
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election|Sandwell]]
| [[Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council|Sandwell]]
|24
| 24
|''72''
| 72
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council election|Sefton]]
| [[Sefton Council|Sefton]]
|22
| 22
|''66''
| 66
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Sheffield City Council election|Sheffield]]
| [[Sheffield City Council|Sheffield]]
|28
| 28
|''84''
| 84
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Green coalition)
| [[2021 Sheffield City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Solihill Metropolitan Borough Council election|Solihull]]
| [[Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council|Solihull]]
|17
| 17
|''51''
| 51
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election|South Tyneside]]
| [[South Tyneside Council|South Tyneside]]
|18
| 18
|''54''
| 54
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election|St Helens]]
| [[St Helens Council|St Helens]]
|16
| 16
|''48''
| 48
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election|Stockport]]
| [[Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council|Stockport]]
|21
| 21
|''63''
| 63
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| [[2021 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Sunderland City Council election|Sunderland]]
| [[Sunderland City Council|Sunderland]]
|25
| 25
|''75''
| 75
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Sunderland City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council election|Tameside]]
| [[Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council|Tameside]]
|19
| 19
|''57''
| 57
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council election|Trafford]]
| [[Trafford Council|Trafford]]
|21
| 21
|''63''
| 63
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election|Wakefield]]
| [[Wakefield Council|Wakefield]]
|21
| 21
|''63''
| 63
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Wakefield Metropolitan District Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Walsall City Council election|Walsall]]
| [[Walsall Council|Walsall]]
|20
| 20
|''60''
| 60
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election|Wigan]]
| [[Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council|Wigan]]
|25
| 25
|''75''
| 75
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election|Wirral]]
| [[Wirral Council|Wirral]]
|22
| 22
|''66''
| 66
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| [[2021 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
|[[2020 Wolverhampton City Council election|Wolverhampton]]
| [[City of Wolverhampton Council|Wolverhampton]]
|20
| 20
|''60''
| 60
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Wolverhampton City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
|'''All 33 councils'''
| ''All 32 councils''
|'''726'''
| ''729''
|''2,181''
| ''2,187''
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="6" |
|
|}
|}


===Unitary authorities===
=== Unitary authorities ===
====Whole unitary council====
Five unitary authorities have all of their seats up for election including three new unitary authorities, two in Northamptonshire and a single authority across [[Buckinghamshire]]. Due to [[Northamptonshire County Council]] going bankrupt, [[South Northamptonshire]], [[Northampton Borough Council|Northampton]], [[Daventry District|Daventry]] and [[Northamptonshire County Council]] will merge to create [[West Northamptonshire Council|West Northamptonshire]]; Whilst [[Corby]], [[East Northamptonshire]], [[Borough of Kettering|Kettering]] and [[Borough of Wellingborough|Wellingborough]] will merge to form [[North Northamptonshire]].<ref name="BBC-NthHantsrestructure">{{cite news |title=Northamptonshire County Council: No local elections for cash-crisis county |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-47967416 |accessdate=13 August 2019 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=1 May 2019}}</ref> An election for the new unitary Buckinghamshire Council will take place, replacing both the existing [[Buckinghamshire County Council|county council]] and the four district councils of [[Aylesbury Vale District Council|Aylesbury Vale]], [[Chiltern District Council|Chiltern]], [[South Bucks District Council|South Buckinghamshire]] and [[Wycombe District Council|Wycombe]].<ref name="WT-Bucks">{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Claire |title=New Buckinghamshire Council moves a step closer |url=http://wycombetoday.com/2019-05-25-new-buckinghamshire-council-moves-a-step-closer/ |website=Wycombe Today |accessdate=13 August 2019}}</ref> The unitary authorities of [[Borough of Halton|Halton]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Halton |url=http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/north-west/cheshire/halton |website=[[Local Government Boundary Commission for England|Local Government Boundary Commission]] |accessdate=18 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref> and [[Borough of Hartlepool|Hartlepool]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Hartlepool |url=http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/north-east/hartlepool/hartlepool |website=[[Local Government Boundary Commission for England|Local Government Boundary Commission]] |accessdate=18 December 2019 |language=en}}</ref> both within the thirds cycle, are having all-up elections due to boundary review.


{{maplink
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="valign:top"
|from=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Unitary Authorities/North and Midlands.map,UK local elections/2021/previous control/Unitary Authorities/North and Midlands.map
|from2=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Unitary Authorities/South.map,UK local elections/2021/previous control/Unitary Authorities/South.map
|text=Click or tap on the map to show the party in control of each council before and after the election<br>{{Legend|{{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}|Labour}}{{Legend|{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}|Conservative}}{{Legend|{{party color|No overall control}}|No overall control}}{{Legend|#CCCCCC|No election}}
|frame=yes|frame-height=400|frame-width=300|zoom=5|switch=control of councils after the election, control of councils before the election}}

There were previously fifty-five unitary authorities, but three more were created by the May elections. [[Buckinghamshire County Council]] was replaced with a unitary authority, [[Buckinghamshire Council]], on 1 April 2020;<ref name="WT-Bucks">{{cite web|url=http://wycombetoday.com/2019-05-25-new-buckinghamshire-council-moves-a-step-closer/|title=New Buckinghamshire Council moves a step closer|last1=Jones|first1=Claire|website=Wycombe Today|date=24 May 2019|access-date=13 August 2019}}</ref> the first election to the new unitary authority was scheduled for May 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic was rescheduled for May 2021. Subsequent elections are due to be held every four years from 2025.<ref name="Bucks-elections" /> [[Northamptonshire County Council]] was replaced with two unitary authorities, [[North Northamptonshire]] and [[West Northamptonshire]] on 1 April 2021.<ref name="BBC-NthHantsrestructure">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-47967416|title=Northamptonshire County Council: No local elections for cash-crisis county|date=1 May 2019|access-date=13 August 2019|work=BBC News}}</ref> The first elections to the shadow authorities (temporary council structures before the council formally begins) were planned to be held in May 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic have been rescheduled to May 2021. Subsequent elections will be held every four years from 2025.<ref name="Northans-elections" />

Of the resulting fifty-eight unitary authorities, thirty elect all their councillors every four years on the cycle from 2019, so are not due to hold elections until 2023. Six elect their councillors every four years and were originally planning to elect in 2021. The three new unitary authorities were scheduled to hold their elections in 2020 and then every four years from 2025, before the 2020 local elections were postponed to 2021. Two unitary authorities were scheduled to elect all their councillors in 2020 but these have also been postponed to 2021. Seventeen unitary authorities elect a third of their councillors every year for three years including 2020 but not 2021, and these elections have been postponed to 2021. Two of these, Halton and Hartlepool, have had boundary changes that mean they are electing all of their councillors in 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/north-west/cheshire/halton|title=Halton|website=[[Local Government Boundary Commission for England|Local Government Boundary Commission]]|language=en|access-date=18 December 2019|archive-date=18 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218064845/http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/north-west/cheshire/halton|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/north-east/hartlepool/hartlepool|title=Hartlepool|website=[[Local Government Boundary Commission for England|Local Government Boundary Commission]]|language=en|access-date=18 December 2019|archive-date=18 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218064843/http://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/north-east/hartlepool/hartlepool|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Elections for all councillors ====

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Council
! Council
!Seats
! Seats
! colspan=2| Previous control
! Original year
! colspan="2" | Previous control
! colspan=2| Result
! colspan="2" | Result
! Details
|-
|-
| [[2020 Bristol City Council election|Bristol]]
| [[Bristol City Council|Bristol]]
|70
| 70
| [[2021 Bristol City Council election|2020]]
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| [[2021 Bristol City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Buckinghamshire Council election|Buckinghamshire]]*<ref name="WT-Bucks"/>
| [[Buckinghamshire Council|Buckinghamshire]]{{efn|name=new|New unitary authority}}
|147
| 147
| 2020
{{Party colour|None}}
| colspan="2" | ''New unitary authority''
|''New council'' (predecessor authorities were all Conservative)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Buckinghamshire Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Halton Borough Council election|Halton]]
| [[Cornwall Council|Cornwall]]
| 87{{efn|name=newbound|New election boundaries}}
|54
| 2021
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem/independent coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Cornwall Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Hartlepool Borough Council election|Hartlepool]]
| [[Durham County Council|County Durham]]
| 126
|36
| 2021
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Brexit party/Conservative coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative/Lib Dem/independent coalition)
| [[2021 Durham County Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[Halton Borough Council|Halton]]
| [[2020 North Northamptonshire Council election|West Northamptonshire]]*<ref name="BBC-NthHantsrestructure"/>
| 54{{efn|name=newbound}}
|'''-'''
| 2020
{{Party colour|None}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|''New council'' (predecessor authorities were all Conservative)
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|-
| [[2020 West Northamptonshire Council election|North Northamptonshire]]*<ref name="BBC-NthHantsrestructure"/>
| [[2021 Halton Borough Council election|Details]]
|'''-'''
{{Party colour|None}}
|''New council'' (predecessor authorities were all Conservative except Corby which was Labour)
|-
|-
| [[2020 Warrington City Council election|Warrington]]
| [[Hartlepool Borough Council|Hartlepool]]
| 36{{efn|name=newbound}}
| 2020
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative/Independent Union/Veterans and People's Party coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative/independent coalition)
| [[2021 Hartlepool Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Isle of Wight Council|Isle of Wight]]
| 39{{efn|name=newbound}}
| 2021
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Independent/Green/Island Independents/Our Island coalition)
| [[2021 Isle of Wight Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[North Northamptonshire]]{{efn|name=new}}
| 78
| 2020
| colspan="2" | ''New unitary authority''
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 North Northamptonshire Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Northumberland County Council|Northumberland]]
| 67
| 2021
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Northumberland County Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Shropshire Council|Shropshire]]
| 74
| 2021
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Shropshire Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Warrington Borough Council|Warrington]]
| 58
| 58
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Warrington Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[West Northamptonshire]]{{efn|name=new}}
|'''All 7 councils'''
| 93
|'''-'''
| 2020
|''-''
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" | ''New unitary authority''
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|
| [[2021 West Northamptonshire Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Wiltshire Council|Wiltshire]]
| 98{{efn|name=newbound}}
| 2021
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Wiltshire Council election|Details]]
|-
| ''All thirteen councils''
| ''986''
| colspan="6" |
|}
|}
:<small>* ''New council (3)''</small>


====One-third of unitary council====
==== Elections for one third of councillors ====
Fifteen unitary authorities have one-third of their seats up for election.


{| class="wikitable sortable" style="valign:top"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Council
! rowspan="2" | Council
! colspan="2" | Seats
! colspan="2" | Seats
! rowspan="2" | Original year
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Previous control
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Previous control
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Result
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Result
! rowspan="2" | Details
|-
|-
!up
! up
!of
! of
|-
|-
| [[2020 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council election|Blackburn with Darwen]]
| [[Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council|Blackburn with Darwen]]
|17
| 17
|''51''
| 51
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Derby City Council election|Derby]]
| [[Derby City Council|Derby]]
|17
| 17
|''51''
| 51
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority with UKIP/Lib Dem support)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| [[2021 Derby City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Hull City Council election|Hull]]
| [[Hull City Council|Hull]]
|19
| 19
|''57''
| 57
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Hull City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Milton Keynes Council election|Milton Keynes]]
| [[Milton Keynes Council|Milton Keynes]]
|19
| 19
|''57''
| 57
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority with Lib Dem support)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority with Lib Dem support)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Lib Dem coalition)
| [[2021 Milton Keynes Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 North East Lincolnshire Council election|North East Lincolnshire]]
| [[North East Lincolnshire Council|North East Lincolnshire]]
|15
| 12
|''42''
| 42
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 North East Lincolnshire Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Peterborough City Council election|Peterborough]]
| [[Peterborough City Council|Peterborough]]
|20
| 22
|''60''
| 60
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority with Independent support)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority with independent support)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority with independent support)
| [[2021 Peterborough City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Plymouth City Council election|Plymouth]]
| [[Plymouth City Council|Plymouth]]
|19
| 19
|''57''
| 57
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| [[2021 Plymouth City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Portsmouth City Council election|Portsmouth]]
| [[Portsmouth City Council|Portsmouth]]
|14
| 14
|''42''
| 42
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem minority with Labour support)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem minority with Labour/Progressive Portsmouth People support)
| [[2021 Portsmouth City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Reading City Council election|Reading]]
| [[Reading Borough Council|Reading]]
|15
| 16
|''46''
| 46
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Reading Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Slough Borough Council election|Slough]]
| [[Slough Borough Council|Slough]]
|14
| 14
|''42''
| 42
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Slough Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Southampton City Council election|Southampton]]
| [[Southampton City Council|Southampton]]
|16
| 16
|''48''
| 48
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Southampton City Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council election|Southend-on-Sea]]
| [[Southend-on-Sea Borough Council|Southend]]
|17
| 17
|''51''
| 51
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Lib Dem/independent coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/independent/Lib Dem coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/independent/Lib Dem coalition)
| [[2021 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Swindon Borough Council election|Swindon]]
| [[Swindon Borough Council|Swindon]]
|19
| 19
|''57''
| 57
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Swindon Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Thurrock Council election|Thurrock]]
| [[Thurrock Council|Thurrock]]
|16
| 17
|''49''
| 49
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Thurrock Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[2020 Wokingham Council election|Wokingham]]
| [[Wokingham Borough Council|Wokingham]]
|18
| 18
|''54''
| 54
| 2020
{{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| [[2021 Wokingham Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|-
|'''All 15 councils'''
| ''All fifteen councils''
|''255'''
| ''255''
|''764''
| ''764''
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="6" |
|
|}
|}


===District Councils===
===District councils===

{{maplink
|from=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Shire Districts/North and West.map,UK local elections/2021/previous control/Shire Districts/North and West.map
|from2=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Shire Districts/East.map,UK local elections/2021/previous control/Shire Districts/East.map
|from3=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Shire Districts/Midlands.map,UK local elections/2021/previous control/Shire Districts/Midlands.map
|from4=SWITCH:UK local elections/2021/results/Shire Districts/South.map,UK local elections/2021/previous control/Shire Districts/South.map
|text=Click or tap on the map to show the party in control of each council before and after the election<br>{{Legend|{{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}|Labour}}{{Legend|{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}|Conservative}}{{Legend|{{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}|Liberal Democrats}}{{Legend|{{party color|No overall control}}|No overall control}}{{Legend|#CCCCCC|No election}}
|frame=yes|frame-height=400|frame-width=300|zoom=5|switch=control of councils after the election, control of councils before the election}}

62 out of the 182 [[non-metropolitan district|non-metropolitan district councils]] held council elections.

====Whole district councils====
====Whole district councils====
Seven district councils have all of their seats up for election. The seats for Gloucester and Stroud were last up for election in 2016. [[Basingstoke and Deane]], [[Cambridge City Council|Cambridge]], [[Chorley Borough Council|Chorley]], [[Oxford City Council|Oxford]] and [[Borough of Pendle|Pendle]] have all seats up for election due to ward boundary changes.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Electoral boundaries - Chorley Council|url=https://chorley.gov.uk/article/1257/Electoral-boundaries|access-date=2021-02-09|website=chorley.gov.uk|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=June 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
Twelve district councils have all of their seats up for election.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" | Council
! colspan=2 | Previous control
! colspan=2 | Result
! colspan=2 | Details
|-
| [[Basingstoke and Deane]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Cambridge City Council|Cambridge]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Cambridge City Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Chorley|Chorley]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Chorley Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Gloucester City Council|Gloucester]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Gloucester City Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Oxford City Council|Oxford]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Oxford City Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Pendle|Pendle]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Lib Dem coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Pendle Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Stroud District Council|Stroud]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Green/Lib Dem coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Green/Lib Dem coalition)
|[[2021 Stroud District Council election|Details]]
|-
|}


====Half of councils====
====Half of councils====
Six councils have half of their seats up for election. These seats were last up for election in 2016, and were due to be contested in 2020.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/920186/Election_Timetable_in_England_2019.pdf|title=Election Timetable|website=[[GOV.UK]]|access-date=12 November 2020}}</ref>
Six non-metropolitan district councils have half of their seats up for election.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" | Council
! colspan=2 | Previous control
! colspan=2 | Result
! colspan=2 | Details
|-
| [[Adur (district)|Adur]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Adur District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Cheltenham Borough Council|Cheltenham]]
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
|[[2021 Cheltenham Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Fareham (borough)|Fareham]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Fareham Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Gosport]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Gosport Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Hastings]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Hastings Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Nuneaton and Bedworth]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
|}


====One-third of district councils====
====One-third of district councils====
Forty-six councils have one-third of their seats up for election. These seats were last up for election in 2016, and were due to be contested in 2020.<ref name="auto"/> Elections in [[Craven (district)|Craven]], [[Carlisle City Council|Carlisle]] and [[South Lakeland]] have been postponed due to pending local government reorganisation. In July 2021 the government announced that these three district councils will be abolished in April 2023. The postponed elections will therefore not take place, and the councillors elected in 2016 will serve until 2023.
51 non-metropolitan district councils have one-third of their seats up for election.


{| class="wikitable"
===Mayoral elections===
|-
====Combined authority mayors====
! scope="col" | Council
Four combined authority mayors are up for election.
! colspan=2 | Previous control
! colspan=2 | Result
! colspan=2 | Details
|-
| [[Amber Valley]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Amber Valley Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Basildon|Basildon]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/independent coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Basildon Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Brentwood|Brentwood]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Brentwood Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Broxbourne|Broxbourne]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Broxbourne Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Burnley|Burnley]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Lib Dem coalition)
|[[2021 Burnley Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Cannock Chase District|Cannock Chase]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Cannock Chase District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Castle Point]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Castle Point Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Cherwell District|Cherwell]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Cherwell District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Colchester|Colchester]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Lib Dem coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative/independent coalition)
|[[2021 Colchester Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Crawley]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/independent coalition)
|[[2021 Crawley Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Eastleigh|Eastleigh]]
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
|[[2021 Eastleigh Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Elmbridge|Elmbridge]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem/Residents Associations coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem/Residents Association coalition)
|[[2021 Elmbridge Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Epping Forest District|Epping Forest]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Epping Forest District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[City of Exeter|Exeter]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Exeter City Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Harlow]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Harlow District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Hart District|Hart]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem/Community Campaign coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem/Community Campaign coalition)
|[[2021 Hart District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Havant|Havant]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Havant Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Hyndburn]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Hyndburn Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Ipswich|Ipswich]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Ipswich Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Lincoln, England|Lincoln]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 City of Lincoln Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Maidstone|Maidstone]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem/independent coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Maidstone Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Mole Valley]]
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
|[[2021 Mole Valley District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[North Hertfordshire]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Lib Dem coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour/Lib Dem coalition)
|[[2021 North Hertfordshire District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Norwich]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Norwich City Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[City of Preston, Lancashire|Preston]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Preston City Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Redditch|Redditch]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Redditch Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Reigate and Banstead]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Reigate and Banstead Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Rochford District|Rochford]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Rochford District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Rossendale|Rossendale]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
|[[2021 Rossendale Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Rugby|Rugby]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Rugby Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Runnymede|Runnymede]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Runnymede Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Rushmoor]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Rushmoor Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[St Albans City and District|St Albans]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Lib Dem minority)
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
|[[2021 St Albans City and District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Stevenage|Stevenage]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Stevenage Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Tamworth|Tamworth]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Tamworth Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Tandridge District|Tandridge]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Independent/Residents Group minority with Lib Dem support)
|[[2021 Tandridge District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Three Rivers District|Three Rivers]]
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
|[[2021 Three Rivers District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Tunbridge Wells|Tunbridge Wells]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
|[[2021 Tunbridge Wells Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Watford|Watford]]
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
|[[2021 Watford Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Welwyn Hatfield]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[West Lancashire]]
| {{Party name with colour|Labour Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Labour minority)
|[[2021 West Lancashire Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[West Oxfordshire]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 West Oxfordshire District Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[City of Winchester|Winchester]]
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}
|[[2021 Winchester City Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Borough of Woking|Woking]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative minority)
|[[2021 Woking Borough Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[City of Worcester|Worcester]]
| {{Party name with colour|No overall control}} (Conservative/Labour coalition)
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Worcester City Council election|Details]]
|-
| [[Worthing]]
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
| {{Party name with colour|Conservative Party (UK)}}
|[[2021 Worthing Borough Council election|Details]]
|}

=== London Assembly ===
{{main|2021 London Assembly election}}
The [[London Assembly]] consists of twenty-five elected members and acts as a scrutiny panel to the mayor. Members are elected using the [[additional member system]], which elects members using both constituencies and a London-wide electoral region.

=== City of London Corporation ===
{{main|2022 City of London Corporation election}}
The [[Court of Common Council]] is the main decision-making body of the [[City of London Corporation]], which governs the [[City of London]]. The 100 councillors are elected across twenty-five wards. Elections were due on 18 March 2021, but as a result of the coronavirus pandemic were delayed to March 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Forthcoming elections |url=https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-us/voting-elections/elections/forthcoming-elections |website=City of London |access-date=26 January 2021 |language=en |archive-date=29 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129013640/https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-us/voting-elections/elections/forthcoming-elections |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Council of the Isles of Scilly ===
{{main|2021 Council of the Isles of Scilly election}}The [[Council of the Isles of Scilly]] is the local government authority for the [[Isles of Scilly]]. It has sixteen seats, which in the previous [[2017 Council of the Isles of Scilly election|2017 election]] were all won by independent candidates.

=== Mayors ===

==== Mayor of London ====
{{main|2021 London mayoral election}}

The [[Mayor of London]] is normally elected for four years, although due to the rescheduling of the 2020 election, the election in 2021 will be for a three-year term. The incumbent mayor [[Sadiq Khan]], won re-election with 40.0% of first preference votes, and 55.2% of second preference votes. He will serve until 2024.

==== Combined authority mayors ====

Seven combined authority mayors were up for election.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! scope="col" | Combined authority
! Combined authority
! Original year
! scope="col" colspan=2 | Previous Mayor
! scope="col" <--colspan=2--!> | Mayor-elect
! colspan=2 | Previous mayor
! colspan=2 | Elected mayor
! scope="col"| Details
! | Details
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | [[Greater Manchester Combined Authority|Greater Manchester]]
| [[Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority|Cambridgeshire and Peterborough]]
| 2021
{{Elected official with party link|
{{Elected official with party link|
|name = [[Andy Burnham]]
| name = [[James Palmer (mayor)|James Palmer]]
|party = Labour Party (UK)
| party = Conservative Party (UK)
}}
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
| -
| name = [[Nik Johnson]]
|[[2020 Greater Manchester mayoral election|Details]]
| party = Labour and Co-operative Party
}}
| [[2021 Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayoral election|Details]]
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | [[Liverpool City Region Combined Authority|Liverpool City Region]]
| [[Greater Manchester Combined Authority|Greater Manchester]]
| 2020
{{Elected official with party link|
{{Elected official with party link|
|name = [[Steve Rotheram]]
| name = [[Andy Burnham]]
|party = Labour Party (UK)
| party = Labour and Co-operative Party
}}
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
| -
| name = [[Andy Burnham]]
|[[2020 Liverpool City Region mayoral election|Details]]
| party = Labour and Co-operative Party
}}
| [[2021 Greater Manchester mayoral election|Details]]
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | [[Tees Valley Combined Authority|Tees Valley]]
| [[Liverpool City Region Combined Authority|Liverpool City Region]]
| 2020
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Steve Rotheram]]
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Steve Rotheram]]
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
| [[2021 Liverpool City Region mayoral election|Details]]
|-
| [[Tees Valley Combined Authority|Tees Valley]]
| 2020
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Ben Houchen]]
| party = Conservative Party (UK)
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Ben Houchen]]
| party = Conservative Party (UK)
}}
|[[2021 Tees Valley mayoral election|Details]]
|-
| [[West Midlands Combined Authority|West Midlands]]
| 2020
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Andy Street]]
| party = Conservative Party (UK)
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Andy Street]]
| party = Conservative Party (UK)
}}
| [[2021 West Midlands mayoral election|Details]]
|-
| [[West of England Combined Authority|West of England]]
| 2021
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Tim Bowles (politician)|Tim Bowles]]
| party = Conservative Party (UK)
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
{{Elected official with party link|
|name = [[Ben Houchen]]
| name = [[Dan Norris]]
|party = Conservative Party (UK)
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
}}
| [[2021 West of England mayoral election|Details]]
| -
|[[2020 Tees Valley mayoral election|Details]]
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" | [[West Midlands Combined Authority|West Midlands]]
| [[West Yorkshire Combined Authority|West Yorkshire]]
| 2021
| colspan=2 style="text-align: center;" | ''Role established''
{{Elected official with party link|
{{Elected official with party link|
|name = [[Andy Street]]
| name = [[Tracy Brabin]]
|party = Conservative Party (UK)
| party = Labour and Co-operative Party
}}
}}
|[[2021 West Yorkshire mayoral election|Details]]
| -
|[[2020 West Midlands mayoral election|Details]]
|}
|}


====Single authority mayors====
==== Single authority mayors ====
Three single authority mayors are up for election.
Five single authority mayors were up for election.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! scope="col" | Local Authority
! Local authority
! Original year
! scope="col" colspan="2" | Previous Mayor
! scope="col" colspan=<--"2"--!> | Mayor-elect
! colspan="2" | Previous Mayor
! colspan="2" | Mayor-elect
! scope="col" colspan=2 | Details
! Details
|-
|-
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Bristol City Council|Bristol]]
| [[Bristol City Council|Bristol]]
| 2020
{{Elected official with party link|
{{Elected official with party link|
|name = [[Marvin Rees]]
| name = [[Marvin Rees]]
|party = Labour Party (UK)
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
| -
| name = [[Marvin Rees]]
|[[Mayor of Bristol#2020|Details]]
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
| [[Mayor of Bristol#2021|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster|Doncaster]]
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[Liverpool City Council|Liverpool]]
| 2021
{{Elected official with party link|
{{Elected official with party link|
|name = [[Joe Anderson (politician)|Joe Anderson]]
| name = [[Ros Jones]]
|party = Labour Party (UK)
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
| -
| name = [[Ros Jones]]
|[[Mayor of Liverpool#2020|Details]]
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
| [[Directly elected mayor of Doncaster|Details]]
|-
|-
| [[Liverpool City Council|Liverpool]]
! scope="row" style="text-align: left;" |[[City of Salford|Salford]]
| 2020
{{Elected official with party link|
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Joe Anderson (politician)|Joe Anderson]]{{efn|[[Joe Anderson (politician)|Joe Anderson]] stood aside as Mayor in December 2020 after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. He was replaced in an interim capacity by his deputy [[Wendy Simon]], and later announced he would not seek re-election.}}
|name = [[Paul Dennett]]
|party = Labour Party (UK)
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
| -
| name = [[Joanne Anderson]]
|[[Mayor of Salford#2020|Details]]
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
|[[Mayor of Liverpool#2021|Details]]
|-
| [[North Tyneside]]
| 2021
{{Elected official with party link|
|name = [[Norma Redfearn]]
|party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
|name = [[Norma Redfearn]]
|party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
| [[Mayor of North Tyneside|Details]]
|-
| [[City of Salford|Salford]]
| 2020
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Paul Dennett]]
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
{{Elected official with party link|
| name = [[Paul Dennett]]
| party = Labour Party (UK)
}}
| [[Mayor of Salford#2021|Details]]
|}
|}


===Police and Crime Commissioner elections===
===Police and crime commissioner elections===
{{main|2020 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections}}
{{main|2021 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections}}


36 Police and Crime Commissioners in England are up for election.
Thirty-five police and crime commissioners in England were up for election, together with four police, fire and crime commissioners.


===London===
==Wales==
====Mayor====
===Senedd===
{{main|2020 London mayoral election}}
{{main|2021 Senedd election}}
Elections took place to elect all 60 members of the [[Senedd]] (Welsh Parliament; {{Langx|cy|Senedd Cymru}}), which changed its name from the National Assembly for Wales in 2020.<ref name="BBC-Senedd"/> Voting rights were extended to foreign nationals that live in Wales, and residents aged 16 or over.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mosalski|first1=Ruth|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/assembly-votes-16-royal-assent-17570983|title=Over 16s will vote in the next Assembly election as the Queen says yes|date=15 January 2020|work=[[WalesOnline]]|access-date=13 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="BBC-Senedd">{{cite news |title=AMs back new bilingual name for Welsh Assembly |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-49973487 |access-date=13 March 2020 |work=BBC News |date=9 October 2019}}</ref>
[[Sadiq Khan]] is standing again for a second term as the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour party]] candidate for the [[Mayor of London]].


===Police and crime commissioner elections===
====Assembly====
{{main|2021 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections}}
{{main|2020 London Assembly election}}
All four [[police and crime commissioner]]s in Wales were up for election, to represent the four [[police area|police force areas]] of [[Dyfed-Powys Police|Dyfed-Powys]], [[Gwent Police|Gwent]], [[North Wales Police|North Wales]] and [[South Wales Police|South Wales]].
The [[London Assembly]] consists of the 25 members elected using the [[Additional member system]], which elects members using both constituencies and a London-wide electoral region.


==Wales==
==Scotland==
{{main|2021 Scottish Parliament election}}
===Police and Crime Commissioner elections===
Elections took place to elect all 129 members of the [[Scottish Parliament]].
{{main|2020 England and Wales police and crime commissioner elections}}

==UK Parliament by-elections==
A [[2021 Hartlepool by-election|by-election for Hartlepool]] was held on the same day as these local elections.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Drury|first=Colin|date=2021-03-21|title=Labour fears of losing Hartlepool grow ahead of 'defining' red wall by-election|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hartlepool-byelection-labour-paul-williams-b1819503.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-03-29|website=The Independent|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320101051/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hartlepool-byelection-labour-paul-williams-b1819503.html |archive-date=20 March 2021 }}</ref>

A [[2021 Airdrie and Shotts by-election|by-election for Airdrie and Shotts]] took place a week later on 13 May.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tonner|first=Judith|date=2021-03-26|title=Two elections in one week for Airdrie & Shotts voters|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/two-elections-one-week-airdrie-23800419|access-date=2021-03-29|website=Daily Record|language=en}}</ref>

A [[2021 Chesham and Amersham by-election|by-election for Chesham and Amersham]] took place on 17 June 2021.

A [[2021 Batley and Spen by-election|by-election for Batley and Spen]] took place on 1 July 2021.

A [[2021 Old Bexley and Sidcup by-election|by-election for Old Bexley and Sidcup]] took place on 2 December 2021.

A [[2021 North Shropshire by-election|by-election for North Shropshire]] took place on 16 December 2021.

==See also==
* [[2019–2023 structural changes to local government in England]]
* [[Absentee voting in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Elections in the United Kingdom]]
* [[List of political parties in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Politics of the United Kingdom]]


==Notes==
Four Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales are up for election.
{{reflist|group=n}}
{{notelist}}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}


==External links==
==External links==


{{United Kingdom local elections, 2020}}
{{United Kingdom local elections, 2021}}
{{United Kingdom elections}}
{{United Kingdom elections}}


[[Category:2020 United Kingdom local elections| ]]
[[Category:2021 United Kingdom local elections| ]]
[[Category:2020 elections in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2021 elections in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom local elections]]
[[Category:Council elections in the United Kingdom|2020]]
[[Category:Council elections in the United Kingdom|2021 United Kingdom local elections]]
[[Category:Elections postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic|United Kingdom local elections, 2021]]
[[Category:Premiership of Boris Johnson]]
[[Category:Keir Starmer]]
[[Category:Ed Davey]]

Latest revision as of 23:06, 8 November 2024

2021 United Kingdom local elections

← 2019 6 May 2021 2022 →

  • 21 county councils in England
  • 124 English unitary, district and borough councils
  • 13 directly elected mayors in England
  • 35 PCCs in England
  • 4 PCCs in Wales
  Boris Johnson Keir Starmer
Leader Boris Johnson Keir Starmer
Party Conservative Labour
Leader since 23 July 2019 4 April 2020
Projected vote-share[n 1] 36% 29%
Swing[n 2] Increase 8% Increase 1%
Councils 63 44
Councils +/– Increase 13 Decrease 8
Councillors 2,345 1,345
Councillors +/– Increase 235 Decrease 327

  Ed Davey Sian Berry and Jonathan Bartley, 2018 (Cropped GE 2019)
Leader Ed Davey Jonathan Bartley
and Siân Berry
Party Liberal Democrats Green
Leader since 27 August 2020[n 3]
Projected vote-share[n 1] 17%
Swing[n 2] Decrease 2%
Councils 7 0
Councils +/– Increase 1 Steady
Councillors 588 151
Councillors +/– Increase 8 Increase 88

District, borough, and unitary councils

County councils

Mayors

Police and crime commissioners
Map
Results in district, borough, and unitary councils
Two envelopes, a postal voting slip and three differently coloured ballot papers on a table
Postal voting pack used in the 2021 local elections: white for local councillors, yellow for mayoral elections and green for police and crime commissioner

The 2021 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 6 May 2021. More than 145 English local councils, around 5,000 councillor seats (including by-elections),[2] thirteen directly elected mayors in England,[3] and 39 police and crime commissioners in England and Wales were contested.[4] On the same day, the 2021 Hartlepool by-election took place, and there were also elections to the Scottish Parliament (129 seats), Senedd (Welsh Parliament) (60 seats) and London Assembly (25 seats), the last in conjunction with the London mayoral election.

In March 2020, the government announced that the elections scheduled for 7 May 2020 would be delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were now held at the same time as the elections previously scheduled for 2021.[5] The seats up for election were those last contested in 2016 and 2017. New unitary authorities to replace the county and district councils in Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire held their inaugural elections this year. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 local elections, these were the first local elections the three main parties contested under the leaderships of Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the Conservatives, Keir Starmer of Labour, and Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats.

The governing Conservative Party made significant gains in the elections. Despite initial predictions that the party would perform better in the seats last contested in 2016, but worse in the ones contested in 2017 (when the party benefited from the then-exceptionally high approval ratings of Theresa May's government in the run-up to that year's general election), they in fact performed even better in both sets of seats. Many observers attributed their performance to the successful rollout of the country's COVID-19 vaccination programme. Conversely, Labour's poor performance was generally ascribed to the party still being viewed by much of the working class as having been discredited by its prior opposition to Brexit, as well as Starmer's perceived opportunism in attacking Johnson over the Downing Street refurbishment controversy. The Liberal Democrats made some minor gains despite a loss in their popular vote share, while the Green Party made more substantial gains.

Overall

[edit]
Results of the 2021 council elections in England[6]
Party Councillors Councils Mayors
Number Change Number Change Number Change
Conservative 2,345 +235 63 +13 2 -2
Labour 1,345 -327 44 -8 11 +5
Liberal Democrats 588 +8 7 +1 0 0
Green 151 +88 0 0 0 0
Mebyon Kernow 5 +1 0 0 0 0
Reform UK 2 +2 0 0 0 0
Liberal 1 -1 0 0 0 0
Health Concern 0 -2 0 0 0 0
UKIP 0 −48 0 0 0 0
Other parties 3 0 0 0 0 0
Residents' association 42 +5 0 0 0 0
Independents 255 +39 0 0 0 0
No overall control 29 -6
Total 4,737 143 13 +3

Background

[edit]

The local elections in May 2019 across a majority of councils in England saw the Conservative Party suffer significant losses to the Liberal Democrats, who regained councils they lost to the Conservatives in 2015. The Labour Party, despite making some gains, had a net loss of over eighty seats in areas that had traditionally voted for them, particularly to independent candidates. Local elections also took place at the same time in Northern Ireland, which saw a rise in the Alliance Party's representation across the region. At the 2019 European Parliament election, a few weeks later, the Conservatives had their lowest share of the vote in a nationwide election in their history, with the Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats coming first and second, respectively.

On 12 December 2019, the UK held a snap general election that led to the Conservatives winning a majority of eighty in the House of Commons, while Labour had their worst share of the seats since the 1935 general election.[7] Following the election result, Jeremy Corbyn announced that he would step down as leader of the Labour Party;[8] Keir Starmer was elected the new leader on 4 April 2020.[9] The Liberal Democrats also held a leadership election after Jo Swinson lost her seat in the general election;[10] in the interim, the party's deputy leader Ed Davey and party president Mark Pack acted as co-leaders, and in August Davey was elected as leader.[11]

Prior to the elections, structural changes to local government in England merged some district and county councils into unitary authorities, which meant more power was consolidated; an example is Buckinghamshire Council, which replaced five councils in April 2020. In addition, new combined authorities (institutions which cover two or more local authorities) are being created, with the electorate of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority electing their mayor at this election. Intentions to reorganise councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset caused elections in those areas to be rescheduled for 2022.[12] More combined authorities and significant reorganisations were planned, but in 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the government's devolution program for England.[13][14]

Postponement to 2021

[edit]

A pandemic of a new strand of coronavirus spread across the world from February 2020. On 1 March, Health Secretary Matt Hancock issued a warning that "all options" were being considered if the virus spread further, including delaying the local elections, for the first time since the 2001 elections which were delayed by a month due to the foot-and-mouth outbreak.[15] On 12 March, the Association of Electoral Administrators asked the government to consider postponing the elections should the situation in the UK deteriorate.[16] The same day, the Electoral Commission recommended that the elections be delayed till the autumn.[17]

A day later, Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided to postpone the 2020 UK local elections until May 2021.[5][18] This decision was legislated for in the Coronavirus Act 2020, which was enacted on 25 March.[19] The bill gave the government the power to postpone any elections, including by-elections, which would otherwise have been held between 16 March 2020 and 5 May 2021.[20] To preserve the four-year electoral cycle, those elected in 2021 would serve three-year terms.[21]

On 4 November 2020, the Cabinet Office ruled out any further delays to local elections, after suggestions from some local authorities to defer the elections by a couple of weeks, in order to allow enough time to get the electoral roll in order without having to knock on doors during the second wave of the pandemic.[22] After the country went into a third national lockdown in January 2021, the County Councils Network called on Johnson to declare "as soon as possible" whether the elections would go ahead as planned. Suggestions had been put forward include delaying the elections until June or July; delaying them until the Autumn; and conducting them in May but entirely via postal voting.[23][24] On 9 January election officials stated that the local elections will take place as planned. However Johnson said this remains "under review".[25] It was confirmed in February by Chloe Smith and the Cabinet Office that the elections would in fact take place in line with the government's target to vaccinate all over 50s by the beginning of May.[26]

By-elections

[edit]

The Coronavirus Act 2020 also postponed by-elections to fill casual vacancies occurring because a sitting councillor resigned or died.[19] On 15 March 2021, it was reported that more than 260 by-elections would take place alongside the planned council elections.[27]

In Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, by-elections were held in the wards of Canford Heath[28] and Commons.[29] Four by-elections in the London Borough of Lewisham were also held.[30]

Restrictions on campaigns

[edit]

In January 2021, government guidance on activity during the national lockdown was issued by the Minister of State for the Constitution and Devolution, Chloe Smith, stating that door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual political party activists was not possible under the restriction "You must not leave, or be outside of your home except where necessary".[31] Labour suspended leafleting and urged other parties to do the same, but the Liberal Democrats' leader Ed Davey defended the party's leafleting activities, arguing that the party had taken legal advice and that leafleting was allowed under an exemption for volunteer organisations.[32] Rights and democracy groups criticised the restrictions on campaigning, claiming that there was no leafleting ban in the coronavirus regulations and raising concerns it could interfere with the right to free expression and the functioning of democracy.[33]

On 26 February, the UK government said the restrictions in England would be changed to allow door-to-door campaigns from 8 March, and that similar guidance would be published by the Welsh and Scottish governments. Campaigners would be able to deliver leaflets and speak to electors on their doorsteps.[34][35]

Campaign

[edit]

Going into the short campaign period, the Conservative Party started to develop a 6–7% poll lead on the Labour Party.[27]

On Thursday 11 March, Labour launched its local election campaign, with the party's leader Keir Starmer, deputy leader Angela Rayner, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and West Yorkshire metro-mayor candidate Tracy Brabin as speakers. The party focused its election priorities on giving nurses a pay rise.[36][37]

Following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, political parties halted campaigning for local and devolved elections for a period of mourning of a few days.[38]

Voters and voting systems

[edit]

In England, all residents of the areas covered who are 18 years or over and are a British or Irish citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the European Union were eligible to vote.[39] A resident can be registered to vote in two local authorities, such as a student living away from home, and they may vote in both.[40] In Wales, all residents who are 16 years or over and are registered to vote, regardless of citizenship, will be eligible to vote.[41] The deadline to be registered to vote in the May 2021 elections is 11:59pm on 19 April 2021.[42]

Because this wave of local elections incorporates different positions, voters used different voting systems to elect politicians. Councillors were elected using first-past-the-post, meaning that the candidate with the most votes in a ward was elected.[40] Councils having "all-up" elections had block voting, where voters have a vote for each seat the ward represents and the top candidates are elected. All mayors of England and Police and crime commissioners of England and Wales were elected using the supplementary vote system, where voters select a first and second choice. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote, all except the top two are eliminated. If a voter's first choice candidate is eliminated, and their second choice is for one of the top two, then the second choice is counted.[43][44]

The Welsh and Scottish parliaments used the additional member system, or AMS. This means voters vote once in a single member constituency and once for party representation in their electoral region.[45] London uses two systems: the Mayor of London is elected using the supplementary vote system while the London Assembly uses AMS.[43]

England

[edit]

On 13 March 2020, the Government announced that the 2020 elections would be postponed until 2021 in response to growing concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.[5][18]

County councils

[edit]
Map
Map
Click or tap on the map to show the party in control of each council before and after the election
  Conservative
  No overall control
  No election

County councils are elected in full every four years, with the last election having been in 2017. County councils are the upper part of a two-tier system of local government, with the area each covers subdivided into district councils with different responsibilities. These are first-past-the-post elections with a mixture of single-member and multi-member electoral divisions.

There were previously twenty-six county councils, but there will only be twenty-four by the time of the election. Buckinghamshire County Council was replaced with a unitary authority, Buckinghamshire Council, on 1 April 2020.[46] Northamptonshire County Council "declared itself effectively bankrupt" in February 2018[47] and two new unitary authorities, North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire replaced it on 1 April 2021.[48]

In late February 2021 the government confirmed that council elections in Cumbria, North Yorkshire, and Somerset were to be rescheduled for May 2022 because of plans to re-organise the structure of local government in those areas. This meant that council elections for Cumbria County Council, North Yorkshire County Council and Somerset County Council were postponed until the May 2022 local elections.[12]

Council Seats Original year Previous control Result Details
Cambridgeshire 61 2021 Conservative No overall control (Lib Dem/Labour/independent coalition) Details
Derbyshire 64 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Devon 60 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
East Sussex 50 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Essex 75 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Gloucestershire 53 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Hampshire 78 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Hertfordshire 78 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Kent 81 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Lancashire 84 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Leicestershire 55 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Lincolnshire 70 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Norfolk 84 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Nottinghamshire 66 2021 No overall control (Conservative/Mansfield Independent Forum coalition) Conservative Details
Oxfordshire 63 2021 No overall control (Conservative/independent coalition) No overall control (Lib Dem/Labour/Green coalition) Details
Staffordshire 62 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Suffolk 75 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Surrey 81 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Warwickshire 57 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
West Sussex 70 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Worcestershire 57 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
All 21 councils 1,632

Metropolitan boroughs

[edit]
Map
Map
Click or tap on the map to show the party in control of each council before and after the election
  Labour
  Conservative
  No overall control
  No election

There are thirty-six metropolitan boroughs, which are single-tier local authorities. Thirty-three of them elect a third of their councillors every year for three years, with no election in each fourth year. These councils hold their elections on the same timetable, and were due to hold an election in 2020 but not in 2021. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the May 2020 elections were postponed to May 2021. The remaining three metropolitan boroughs elect their councillors in full every four years. Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council was due to hold an election for all councillors in May 2020, but this was postponed to 2021. Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council was due to elect its councillors in 2021. Birmingham City Council holds its elections on a four-year cycle from 2018, so was not due to hold an election until 2022; there were, however, by-elections in 4 wards.[49]

Due to boundary changes, Salford City Council also elected all of its councillors in 2021, and subsequently returned to the thirds schedule. The remaining thirty-two metropolitan borough councils that elect their councillors in thirds did so as usual at this election.

Elections for all councillors

[edit]
Council Seats Original year Previous control Result Details
Doncaster 55 2021 Labour Labour Details
Rotherham 59 2020 Labour Labour Details
Salford 60 2020 Labour Labour Details
All three councils 178

Elections for one third of councillors

[edit]
Council Seats Original year Previous control Result Details
up of
Barnsley 21 63 2020 Labour Labour Details
Bolton 20 60 2020 No overall control (Conservative minority with independent/Lib Dem/UKIP support) No overall control (Conservative minority with independent/UKIP support) Details
Bradford 30 90 2020 Labour Labour Details
Bury 17 51 2020 Labour Labour Details
Calderdale 17 51 2020 Labour Labour Details
Coventry 18 54 2020 Labour Labour Details
Dudley 24 72 2020 No overall control (Conservative minority) Conservative Details
Gateshead 22 66 2020 Labour Labour Details
Kirklees 23 69 2020 No overall control (Labour minority) No overall control (Labour minority) Details
Knowsley 15 45 2020 Labour Labour Details
Leeds 33 99 2020 Labour Labour Details
Liverpool 30 90 2020 Labour Labour Details
Manchester 32 96 2020 Labour Labour Details
Newcastle upon Tyne 26 78 2020 Labour Labour Details
North Tyneside 20 60 2020 Labour Labour Details
Oldham 20 60 2020 Labour Labour Details
Rochdale 20 60 2020 Labour Labour Details
Sandwell 24 72 2020 Labour Labour Details
Sefton 22 66 2020 Labour Labour Details
Sheffield 28 84 2020 Labour No overall control (Labour/Green coalition) Details
Solihull 17 51 2020 Conservative Conservative Details
South Tyneside 18 54 2020 Labour Labour Details
St Helens 16 48 2020 Labour Labour Details
Stockport 21 63 2020 No overall control (Labour minority) No overall control (Labour minority) Details
Sunderland 25 75 2020 Labour Labour Details
Tameside 19 57 2020 Labour Labour Details
Trafford 21 63 2020 Labour Labour Details
Wakefield 21 63 2020 Labour Labour Details
Walsall 20 60 2020 Conservative Conservative Details
Wigan 25 75 2020 Labour Labour Details
Wirral 22 66 2020 No overall control (Labour minority) No overall control (Labour minority) Details
Wolverhampton 20 60 2020 Labour Labour Details
All 32 councils 729 2,187

Unitary authorities

[edit]
Map
Map
Click or tap on the map to show the party in control of each council before and after the election
  Labour
  Conservative
  No overall control
  No election

There were previously fifty-five unitary authorities, but three more were created by the May elections. Buckinghamshire County Council was replaced with a unitary authority, Buckinghamshire Council, on 1 April 2020;[50] the first election to the new unitary authority was scheduled for May 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic was rescheduled for May 2021. Subsequent elections are due to be held every four years from 2025.[46] Northamptonshire County Council was replaced with two unitary authorities, North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire on 1 April 2021.[51] The first elections to the shadow authorities (temporary council structures before the council formally begins) were planned to be held in May 2020, but due to the coronavirus pandemic have been rescheduled to May 2021. Subsequent elections will be held every four years from 2025.[49]

Of the resulting fifty-eight unitary authorities, thirty elect all their councillors every four years on the cycle from 2019, so are not due to hold elections until 2023. Six elect their councillors every four years and were originally planning to elect in 2021. The three new unitary authorities were scheduled to hold their elections in 2020 and then every four years from 2025, before the 2020 local elections were postponed to 2021. Two unitary authorities were scheduled to elect all their councillors in 2020 but these have also been postponed to 2021. Seventeen unitary authorities elect a third of their councillors every year for three years including 2020 but not 2021, and these elections have been postponed to 2021. Two of these, Halton and Hartlepool, have had boundary changes that mean they are electing all of their councillors in 2021.[52][53]

Elections for all councillors

[edit]
Council Seats Original year Previous control Result Details
Bristol 70 2020 Labour No overall control (Labour minority) Details
Buckinghamshire[a] 147 2020 New unitary authority Conservative Details
Cornwall 87[b] 2021 No overall control (Lib Dem/independent coalition) Conservative Details
County Durham 126 2021 Labour No overall control (Conservative/Lib Dem/independent coalition) Details
Halton 54[b] 2020 Labour Labour Details
Hartlepool 36[b] 2020 No overall control (Conservative/Independent Union/Veterans and People's Party coalition) No overall control (Conservative/independent coalition) Details
Isle of Wight 39[b] 2021 Conservative No overall control (Independent/Green/Island Independents/Our Island coalition) Details
North Northamptonshire[a] 78 2020 New unitary authority Conservative Details
Northumberland 67 2021 No overall control (Conservative minority) Conservative Details
Shropshire 74 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
Warrington 58 2020 Labour Labour Details
West Northamptonshire[a] 93 2020 New unitary authority Conservative Details
Wiltshire 98[b] 2021 Conservative Conservative Details
All thirteen councils 986

Elections for one third of councillors

[edit]
Council Seats Original year Previous control Result Details
up of
Blackburn with Darwen 17 51 2020 Labour Labour Details
Derby 17 51 2020 No overall control (Conservative minority) No overall control (Conservative minority) Details
Hull 19 57 2020 Labour Labour Details
Milton Keynes 19 57 2020 No overall control (Labour minority with Lib Dem support) No overall control (Labour/Lib Dem coalition) Details
North East Lincolnshire 12 42 2020 Conservative Conservative Details
Peterborough 22 60 2020 No overall control (Conservative minority with independent support) No overall control (Conservative minority with independent support) Details
Plymouth 19 57 2020 Labour No overall control (Conservative minority) Details
Portsmouth 14 42 2020 No overall control (Lib Dem minority) No overall control (Lib Dem minority with Labour/Progressive Portsmouth People support) Details
Reading 16 46 2020 Labour Labour Details
Slough 14 42 2020 Labour Labour Details
Southampton 16 48 2020 Labour Conservative Details
Southend 17 51 2020 No overall control (Labour/independent/Lib Dem coalition) No overall control (Labour/independent/Lib Dem coalition) Details
Swindon 19 57 2020 Conservative Conservative Details
Thurrock 17 49 2020 Conservative Conservative Details
Wokingham 18 54 2020 Conservative Conservative Details
All fifteen councils 255 764

District councils

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Map
Map
Click or tap on the map to show the party in control of each council before and after the election
  Labour
  Conservative
  Liberal Democrats
  No overall control
  No election

62 out of the 182 non-metropolitan district councils held council elections.

Whole district councils

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Seven district councils have all of their seats up for election. The seats for Gloucester and Stroud were last up for election in 2016. Basingstoke and Deane, Cambridge, Chorley, Oxford and Pendle have all seats up for election due to ward boundary changes.[54][55]

Council Previous control Result Details
Basingstoke and Deane No overall control (Conservative minority) Conservative Details
Cambridge Labour Labour Details
Chorley Labour Labour Details
Gloucester No overall control (Conservative minority) Conservative Details
Oxford Labour Labour Details
Pendle No overall control (Labour/Lib Dem coalition) Conservative Details
Stroud No overall control (Labour/Green/Lib Dem coalition) No overall control (Labour/Green/Lib Dem coalition) Details

Half of councils

[edit]

Six councils have half of their seats up for election. These seats were last up for election in 2016, and were due to be contested in 2020.[54]

Council Previous control Result Details
Adur Conservative Conservative Details
Cheltenham Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats Details
Fareham Conservative Conservative Details
Gosport Conservative Conservative Details
Hastings Labour Labour Details
Nuneaton and Bedworth No overall control (Labour minority) Conservative Details
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Forty-six councils have one-third of their seats up for election. These seats were last up for election in 2016, and were due to be contested in 2020.[54] Elections in Craven, Carlisle and South Lakeland have been postponed due to pending local government reorganisation. In July 2021 the government announced that these three district councils will be abolished in April 2023. The postponed elections will therefore not take place, and the councillors elected in 2016 will serve until 2023.

Council Previous control Result Details
Amber Valley Labour Conservative Details
Basildon No overall control (Labour/independent coalition) Conservative Details
Brentwood Conservative Conservative Details
Broxbourne Conservative Conservative Details
Burnley No overall control (Labour minority) No overall control (Labour/Lib Dem coalition) Details
Cannock Chase No overall control (Labour minority) Conservative Details
Castle Point Conservative Conservative Details
Cherwell Conservative Conservative Details
Colchester No overall control (Labour/Lib Dem coalition) No overall control (Conservative/independent coalition) Details
Crawley No overall control (Labour minority) No overall control (Labour/independent coalition) Details
Eastleigh Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats Details
Elmbridge No overall control (Lib Dem/Residents Associations coalition) No overall control (Lib Dem/Residents Association coalition) Details
Epping Forest Conservative Conservative Details
Exeter Labour Labour Details
Harlow Labour Conservative Details
Hart No overall control (Lib Dem/Community Campaign coalition) No overall control (Lib Dem/Community Campaign coalition) Details
Havant Conservative Conservative Details
Hyndburn Labour Labour Details
Ipswich Labour Labour Details
Lincoln Labour Labour Details
Maidstone No overall control (Lib Dem/independent coalition) Conservative Details
Mole Valley Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats Details
North Hertfordshire No overall control (Labour/Lib Dem coalition) No overall control (Labour/Lib Dem coalition) Details
Norwich Labour Labour Details
Preston Labour Labour Details
Redditch Conservative Conservative Details
Reigate and Banstead Conservative Conservative Details
Rochford Conservative Conservative Details
Rossendale Labour No overall control (Labour minority) Details
Rugby Conservative Conservative Details
Runnymede Conservative Conservative Details
Rushmoor Conservative Conservative Details
St Albans No overall control (Lib Dem minority) Liberal Democrats Details
Stevenage Labour Labour Details
Tamworth Conservative Conservative Details
Tandridge No overall control (Conservative minority) No overall control (Independent/Residents Group minority with Lib Dem support) Details
Three Rivers Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats Details
Tunbridge Wells Conservative No overall control (Conservative minority) Details
Watford Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats Details
Welwyn Hatfield No overall control (Conservative minority) Conservative Details
West Lancashire Labour No overall control (Labour minority) Details
West Oxfordshire Conservative Conservative Details
Winchester Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats Details
Woking No overall control (Conservative minority) No overall control (Conservative minority) Details
Worcester No overall control (Conservative/Labour coalition) Conservative Details
Worthing Conservative Conservative Details

London Assembly

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The London Assembly consists of twenty-five elected members and acts as a scrutiny panel to the mayor. Members are elected using the additional member system, which elects members using both constituencies and a London-wide electoral region.

City of London Corporation

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The Court of Common Council is the main decision-making body of the City of London Corporation, which governs the City of London. The 100 councillors are elected across twenty-five wards. Elections were due on 18 March 2021, but as a result of the coronavirus pandemic were delayed to March 2022.[56]

Council of the Isles of Scilly

[edit]

The Council of the Isles of Scilly is the local government authority for the Isles of Scilly. It has sixteen seats, which in the previous 2017 election were all won by independent candidates.

Mayors

[edit]

Mayor of London

[edit]

The Mayor of London is normally elected for four years, although due to the rescheduling of the 2020 election, the election in 2021 will be for a three-year term. The incumbent mayor Sadiq Khan, won re-election with 40.0% of first preference votes, and 55.2% of second preference votes. He will serve until 2024.

Combined authority mayors

[edit]

Seven combined authority mayors were up for election.

Combined authority Original year Previous mayor Elected mayor Details
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough 2021 James Palmer (Con) Nik Johnson (Labour Co-op) Details
Greater Manchester 2020 Andy Burnham (Labour Co-op) Andy Burnham (Labour Co-op) Details
Liverpool City Region 2020 Steve Rotheram (Lab) Steve Rotheram (Lab) Details
Tees Valley 2020 Ben Houchen (Con) Ben Houchen (Con) Details
West Midlands 2020 Andy Street (Con) Andy Street (Con) Details
West of England 2021 Tim Bowles (Con) Dan Norris (Lab) Details
West Yorkshire 2021 Role established Tracy Brabin (Labour Co-op) Details

Single authority mayors

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Five single authority mayors were up for election.

Local authority Original year Previous Mayor Mayor-elect Details
Bristol 2020 Marvin Rees (Lab) Marvin Rees (Lab) Details
Doncaster 2021 Ros Jones (Lab) Ros Jones (Lab) Details
Liverpool 2020 Joe Anderson[c] (Lab) Joanne Anderson (Lab) Details
North Tyneside 2021 Norma Redfearn (Lab) Norma Redfearn (Lab) Details
Salford 2020 Paul Dennett (Lab) Paul Dennett (Lab) Details

Police and crime commissioner elections

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Thirty-five police and crime commissioners in England were up for election, together with four police, fire and crime commissioners.

Wales

[edit]

Senedd

[edit]

Elections took place to elect all 60 members of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru), which changed its name from the National Assembly for Wales in 2020.[41] Voting rights were extended to foreign nationals that live in Wales, and residents aged 16 or over.[57][41]

Police and crime commissioner elections

[edit]

All four police and crime commissioners in Wales were up for election, to represent the four police force areas of Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales.

Scotland

[edit]

Elections took place to elect all 129 members of the Scottish Parliament.

UK Parliament by-elections

[edit]

A by-election for Hartlepool was held on the same day as these local elections.[58]

A by-election for Airdrie and Shotts took place a week later on 13 May.[59]

A by-election for Chesham and Amersham took place on 17 June 2021.

A by-election for Batley and Spen took place on 1 July 2021.

A by-election for Old Bexley and Sidcup took place on 2 December 2021.

A by-election for North Shropshire took place on 16 December 2021.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ All vote shares in the infobox are projected national vote shares calculated by the BBC.
  2. ^ Swing figures are between the BBC national projected vote share extrapolation from 2019 local elections, and the BBC equivalent vote share projection from these local elections held in different areas.
  3. ^ Davey served as Acting Leader from 13 December 2019 to 27 August 2020 alongside the Party Presidents Baroness Sal Brinton and Mark Pack, following Jo Swinson's election defeat in the 2019 general election. Davey was elected Leader in August 2020.[1]
  1. ^ a b c New unitary authority
  2. ^ a b c d e New election boundaries
  3. ^ Joe Anderson stood aside as Mayor in December 2020 after being arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit bribery and witness intimidation. He was replaced in an interim capacity by his deputy Wendy Simon, and later announced he would not seek re-election.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Stewart, Heather (27 August 2020). "'Wake up and smell the coffee': Ed Davey elected Lib Dem leader". The Guardian.
  2. ^ "2021 elections: A really simple guide". BBC News. 23 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Directly elected mayors". www.local.gov.uk.
  4. ^ "Electoral Commission | Police and Crime Commissioner elections". www.electoralcommission.org.uk.
  5. ^ a b c "Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus". BBC News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Local Elections 2021 in England". BBC News. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Who will be Labour's next leader?". BBC News. 15 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  8. ^ Mason, Rowena; Pidd, Helen (15 December 2019). "Labour leadership race begins as senior figures back Rebecca Long-Bailey". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  9. ^ "Sir Keir Starmer elected as next leader of the Labour Party". Metro. 4 April 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson to step down". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Timetable agreed for Liberal Democrat leadership election". Mark Pack. 18 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Local elections postponed in three English counties". BBC News. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  13. ^ Bounds, Andy; Picard, Jim; Thomas, Daniel (30 September 2020). "Plans for further English devolution shelved until next year". Financial Times. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  14. ^ "Action on left behind parts of England 'delayed'". BBC News. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  15. ^ Busby, Mattha (1 March 2020). "Local elections could be delayed by coronavirus outbreak". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  16. ^ Buchan, Lizzy (11 March 2020). "Elections chiefs urge government to consider 'legal basis' for postponing local elections over coronavirus". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  17. ^ Duncan, Conrad (12 March 2020). "Electoral Commission recommends May local elections should be cancelled amid coronavirus outbreak". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  18. ^ a b "May's local and mayoral elections postponed for a year due to coronavirus". ITV News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  19. ^ a b "Coronavirus Act 2020". legislation.gov.uk. 25 March 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  20. ^ Gyrlls, George. "Five things you really ought to know about the Coronavirus Bill". New Statesman. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  21. ^ Johnston, Neil (24 March 2020). "Coronavirus Bill: Elections" (PDF). House of Commons Library. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  22. ^ Jameson, Heather (4 November 2020). "EXCLUSIVE: Cabinet Office rules out elections delay". TheMJ. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  23. ^ "Local elections: Council leaders call for urgent decision on May 6 polls". BBC News. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Covid: May elections 'will almost certainly be delayed'". BBC News. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  25. ^ Walker, Peter (9 January 2021). "May elections to go ahead in UK despite coronavirus concerns". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  26. ^ "Covid: Local elections to go ahead in England". BBC News. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  27. ^ a b Walker, Peter (15 March 2021). "Tories could benefit from 'vaccine bounce' in May's local elections in England". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  28. ^ "Canford Heath ward by-election 2021". www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  29. ^ "Commons ward by-election results 2021". www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  30. ^ "'I will do everything I can to repay that trust' - New councillors in Lewisham on their wins". This Is Local London. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  31. ^ "Minister for the Constitution and Devolution letter to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel". GOV.UK. Cabinet Office. 22 January 2021. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  32. ^ "Covid-19: Parties urged to suspend doorstep campaigning". BBC News. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  33. ^ "Democracy groups call for government to drop ban on political leafleting". The New European. 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  34. ^ "Local elections: Door-to-door campaigning to be allowed". BBC News. 26 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  35. ^ "The Government's approach to elections and referendums during COVID-19". GOV.UK. Cabinet Office. 26 February 2021. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  36. ^ Craig, Jon (11 March 2021). "Vote Labour to 'support our nurses,' says Starmer in Labour campaign launch for local elections". Sky News. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  37. ^ "English local elections: Starmer targets NHS pay in Labour launch". BBC News. 11 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  38. ^ Wheeler, Richard (9 April 2021). "Election campaigns suspended following Duke of Edinburgh's death". Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  39. ^ "Local councils". Electoral Commission (United Kingdom). 1 November 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  40. ^ a b "Types of election, referendums, and who can vote: Local government". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  41. ^ a b c "AMs back new bilingual name for Welsh Assembly". BBC News. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  42. ^ "Register to vote". GOV.UK. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  43. ^ a b "Types of election, referendums, and who can vote: Local mayors, Mayor of London and London Assembly". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  44. ^ "Types of election, referendums, and who can vote: Police and Crime Commissioner". GOV.UK. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  45. ^ "Additional Member System". Electoral Reform Society. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  46. ^ a b "The Buckinghamshire (Structural Changes) Order 2019". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  47. ^ "Northamptonshire's bankrupt council given OK for 2% tax hike". The Guardian. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  48. ^ "The Northamptonshire (Structural Changes) Order 2020". www.legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  49. ^ a b "City Council by-election results – 6 May 2021". www.birmingham.gov.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  50. ^ Jones, Claire (24 May 2019). "New Buckinghamshire Council moves a step closer". Wycombe Today. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  51. ^ "Northamptonshire County Council: No local elections for cash-crisis county". BBC News. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  52. ^ "Halton". Local Government Boundary Commission. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  53. ^ "Hartlepool". Local Government Boundary Commission. Archived from the original on 18 December 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  54. ^ a b c "Election Timetable" (PDF). GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  55. ^ "Electoral boundaries - Chorley Council". chorley.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 February 2021.[permanent dead link]
  56. ^ "Forthcoming elections". City of London. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  57. ^ Mosalski, Ruth (15 January 2020). "Over 16s will vote in the next Assembly election as the Queen says yes". WalesOnline. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  58. ^ Drury, Colin (21 March 2021). "Labour fears of losing Hartlepool grow ahead of 'defining' red wall by-election". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  59. ^ Tonner, Judith (26 March 2021). "Two elections in one week for Airdrie & Shotts voters". Daily Record. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
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