Local elections

Local election results summary (8pm Friday 8th May 2024)

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by Stephen Fisher

What we know at 8pm on Friday 3rd May 2024, after 1 by-election, 98 out of 107 councils, 2199 councillors, 4 Mayoralties, and 27 out of 37 Police and Crime Commissioners declared so far.

Bad for the Conservatives. Good for Labour and Lib Dems. Very good for Greens. Mixed for Reform UK.

Conservatives:

  • Lost the Blackpool South by-election on a 26% swing (the third biggest by-election swing largest in post-war period).
  • Lost control of 8 councils net (Adur, Basildon, Dudley, Havant, North East Lincolnshire, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Redditch and Rushmoor), out of 13 defended
  • Lost 424 council seats net, out of 877 defended and declared so far
  • Won only 1 of the 4 directly elected Mayoralties declared so far
  • Lost 9 of the 21 Police and Crime Commissioners defended and declared so far, with an average drop in vote share of 9 points

Labour:

  • Won the Blackpool South by-election on a 26% swing (the third biggest by-election swing largest in post-war period).
  • Gained control of 8 councils net (gains were Adur, Cannock Chase, Hartlepool, Hyndburn, Milton Keynes, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Redditch, Rushmoor, Tamworth and Thurrock, but lost Kirklees and Oldham)
  • Gained 169 council seats net 
  • Won 3 of the 4 Mayoralties
  • Gained 9 Police and Crime Commissioners and held all 5 of those they were defending, with an average vote share increase of +8 points

Liberal Democrats:

  • Gained control of Tunbridge Wells and held all 10 councils they were defending
  • Gained 79 council seats net 
  • Increased vote share +5 points on average across the Police and Crime Commissioners declared so far

Green Party:

  • Gained 60 council seats net
  • Increased vote share, averaging 13 points where they stood, despite also contesting more seats than before. 
  • Averaged 8% in the 3 PCCs they contested that have declared so far

Reform UK Party:

  • Came 3rd on 17%, narrowly behind the Conservatives, at the Blackpool South by-election
  • Won just 2 council seats out of 2160 declared so far.
  • Averaged 12% of the vote, in the wards they contested. That is up 6 points on last year, but they contested just 12% of seats.
  • Put in a much more limited effort and less good performance than UKIP in local elections before 2015.

See analysis by John Curtice and the rest of the BBC team for further detail.

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