Who won the local elections 2023? Find your council results with our interactive map

Use our interactive map to find out the 2023 local election results in England in your area.
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The Tories suffered major losses in Rishi Sunak’s first electoral test as Prime Minister, with Labour claiming the results suggest they will win the next general election.

The Liberal Democrats also made gains as the Tories lost control of a series of councils across England. Labour took Medway off the Tories and will run the Kent council for the first time since 1998.

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Labour gained control of Plymouth, where the Tories had run a minority administration – a result branded “terrible” by government minister and local MP Johnny Mercer – then did the same in Stoke-on-Trent, another general election battleground.

More than 8,000 councillors were up for grabs across England, in the biggest local elections ahead of the next general election in around 18 months time. By 6 May, with results declared from 229 of 230 councils, the Conservatives have lost control of 48 councils, with Labour gaining 22, the Liberal Democrats 12, Greens one, with others comprising of independents or no overall control. The Conservatives have lost 960 seats, with Labour gaining 635, the Lib Dems 416 and the Greens 200. Ukip lost all its six seats, and Reform UK lost eight of its 16 seats.

Find our the results in your area with our interactive map below.

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Key local election results 2023

South East

Medway Council (Lab gain from Con)

Labour had this Kent council firmly in its sights, with leader Sir Keir Starmer visiting the area on the final day of the election campaign. The party ended up gaining 13 seats, enough to take full control of Medway for the first time since 1998. The Conservatives lost 11 seats and overall control. The new council sees Labour on 33 and the Tories on 22, with four independents.

Windsor & Maidenhead Council (Lib Dem gain from Con)

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In another big setback for the Tories, the party lost 15 seats and overall control, while the Liberal Democrats clocked up 12 gains. It is the first time since 2007 the council has a Lib Dem majority.

Portsmouth City Council (Con loss to no overall control)

The Conservatives suffered a significant defeat in Thursday's Portsmouth City Council elections, leaving the Lib Dems as the largest group but still lacking an overall majority. Most of these defeats were at the hands of a surging Portsmouth Independents' Party which doubled its total number of councillors to six, leaving it at a similar standing to both the Conservatives and Labour.

Reflecting on the defeat, Councillor Simon Bosher, the leader of the city council's Conservative group, told our sister site the Portsmouth News that he hoped the parliamentary Conservative Party "reflected on and learned from" the loss. "We've lost a number of very talented councillors because of their mess," he said. "We will dust ourselves down and go again but ultimately we were punished for what's happening nationally - not our track record in Portsmouth."

Havant Council (Con hold)

The Conservatives held on to Havant, despite losing five seats unexpectedly to opposition parties. The Tories remain the largest party, with 30 out of 36 seats, however council leader Councillor Alex Rennie told our sister site the Portsmouth News that "it was a tough night" for Conservatives.

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"I wouldn’t want to pin it on one thing, there clearly were issues with sewage, it came up a lot on the doorstep, and as a council, we’re working really hard to address that. There’s a real sense of dissatisfaction from some of our national politics, I think that’s also a big challenge. We’re seeing here locally people are really dissatisfied with what’s happening with national politics."

Slough (Lab loss to no overall control)

Labour has lost control of Slough, where the Conservatives have become the biggest party, with 21 of the 42 seats. Labour lost 17 seats, with the Conservatives gaining 16 in the Berkshire council.

West Midlands

Stoke-on-Trent Council (Lab gain from no overall control)

This was a key Labour target in what will be one of the main battlegrounds at the next general election. Labour gained a hefty 17 seats on the council, while the Conservatives lost eight and independents lost nine. Stoke was once solid Labour territory at general elections but the Tories won all three constituencies in the city in 2019.

Tamworth (Con lose to no overall control)

Labour made seven gains in Tamworth while the Tories lost five. This was enough to deprive the Tories of full control of the council and, although they remain the largest party with 14 seats, Labour is now close behind on 10 while independents have six.

Worcester (no overall control)

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Worcester has remained in no overall control but the result shows the Conservatives, who were the largest party, faced a challenge from all sides. They lost a total of seven seats while the Greens gained four, the Liberal Democrats two and Labour one. The new council sees Labour the largest party with most seats (13), followed by the Greens (10), the Tories (eight) and Lib Dems (four).

East Staffordshire (Lab gain from Con)

Labour has claimed victory in East Staffordshire, saying the “hugely significant” win from the Tories proves it is on course for a majority at the next general election. A party spokeswoman said: “A hugely significant result that confirms we are on course for a majority Labour government. We have been going backwards in Staffordshire in recent general elections. With this gain and our win in Stoke, we are making real progress in the places we need to win the next election.”

Stratford-on-Avon council (Lib Dem gain from Con)

The Liberal Democrats took overall control of Stratford-on-Avon council, where former Tory Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi is MP, after making 13 gains. The Conservatives lost seven seats, leaving the new council comprising of Lib Dems 25, Conservatives 12, Green three and one independent.

East Midlands

North West Leicestershire Council (Con lose to no overall control)

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Labour gained 10 seats here, enough to leave them the largest party but short of an overall majority. The Lib Dems gained a seat, while the Conservatives lost 10 and the Greens lost one. This is the area of the country represented at Westminster by Andrew Bridgen MP, who was recently expelled from the Conservatives for comparing Covid vaccines to the Holocaust.

High Peak (Labour from no overall control)

Labour have taken High Peak from no overall control after gaining eight seats in the Derbyshire council, with the Conservatives losing six. The new council is Labour 29, Conservative 10, Green two, Lib Dem one, independent one.

South West

Swindon Council (Lab gain from Con)

Labour have taken their number one target council Swindon. Sir Keir Starmer launched the party's local elections campaign in the key battleground council.

Plymouth Council (Lab gain from no overall control)

This was one of Labour’s top targets in southern England. The party will be pleased with the result, taking overall control with seven gains. The council had been run by a minority Conservative administration, which came in for criticism after chopping down 110 healthy city centre trees overnight – a decision that may be linked to the Tories losing five seats.

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South Gloucestershire Council (Con lose to no overall control)

Conservatives have lost control of South Gloucestershire, where they previously held 33 of the 61 seats, losing 10 of them, with Labour gaining six and the Liberal Democrats three. The new council is under no overall control, with 23 Conservatives, 20 Lib Dems, 17 Labour and one independent.

Torbay Council (Con gain from no overall control)

The Conservatives gained Torbay from no overall control after gaining five seats in the Devon council, with Lib Dems gaining three and independents losing eight. The new council is Conservative 19, Lib Dem 15 and independent two.

South Hams (Lib Dem gain from no overall control)

The Lib Dems have gained controlled of South Hams from the Conservatives, after gaining nine seats in the Devon council. The new councils has 19 Lib Dems, seven Conservatives, three Greens and one independent, after the Conservatives lost nine seats.

East of England

Brentwood (Con lose to no overall control)

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This is another council where the Conservatives lost control, although here it was the Liberal Democrats who made the running, gaining three seats while the Tories lost three. The new council sees the Lib Dems and Tories tied on 17 seats, with two for Labour and one independent.

Hertsmere (Con lose to no overall control)

The Conservatives may have faced a pincer movement in Hertsmere. The party lost 13 seats, while Labour gained seven and the Lib Dems gained six. The new council sees the Tories and Labour on an almost level-pegging, on 16 and 14 seats respectively, with the Lib Dems on nine.

South Kesteven (Con lose to no overall control)

The Conservatives lost control of in Lincolnshire, a council where the party had 36 of the 56 seats before polling day. They lost 12 seats, leaving the council under no overall control, with 24 Conservatives, 22 independents, four Liberal Democrats, four Greens and two Labour.

Dacorum (Lib Dem gain from Con)

The Liberal Democrats took control of their key target council Dacorum, where party leader Sir Ed Davey launched their campaign by driving a yellow tractor through a “blue wall” of painted hay bales. The party chalked up the seven gains they needed to take control of the Hertfordshire council, where before polling day the Conservatives had 31 of the 51 seats.

Mid Suffolk (Green gain from Con)

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Greens have taken control of rural Mid Suffolk, winning 18 of the council’s 34 seats, with eight more results to be declared. It is the first council they have controlled outright.

North West

Bolton (no overall control)

Every seat in Bolton was up for grabs this year, and while it remains in no overall control there has been a big change in the numbers. Before the election the Tories were the largest party and had run the council as a minority administration. They have now lost nine seats and dropped into second place behind Labour, who gained seven seats. The line-up of the new council is Labour 26, Conservative 17, independents 11, Lib Dems six.

North East

Middlesbrough Mayor (Lab gain from Ind)

Labour’s Chris Cooke was elected mayor of Middlesbrough, winning by a narrow margin of less than 1,000 votes from independent Andy Preston. A visibly exhaused Cooke said very little, noting that many of those still left at the count will be returning in a few hours, before thanking the other candidates and everyone involved in administering the election. “I am thoroughly looking forward to getting on with the job,” he said, to cheers from the large Labour contingent in the room.

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