Bristol City Council is the local authority for the city of Bristol, in South West England. Bristol has had a council from medieval times, which has been reformed on numerous occasions. Since 1996 the council has been a unitary authority, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council. Bristol has also formed its own ceremonial county since 1996. Since 2017 the council has been a member of the West of England Combined Authority.
Barbara Lilian Janke, Baroness Janke is a British former teacher and politician. She was the Liberal Democrat leader of Bristol City Council from 2005 to 2007 and from 2009 to 2012. She was first elected councillor for Clifton ward in 1995. She became leader of the Liberal Democrat group in 1997, with a break from 2007 to 2008. In August 2014 Cllr Janke was named as one of six new Liberal Democrat working peers.
The city of Bristol, England, is a unitary authority, represented by four MPs representing seats wholly within the city boundaries. The overall trend of both local and national representation became left of centre during the latter 20th century. The city has a tradition of local activism, with environmental issues and sustainable transport being prominent issues in the city.
Ronald Richard Thomas was a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament (MP) who represented Bristol North West from 1974 to 1979. He was also a councillor on Bristol City Council and Avon County Council.
The 1986 Bristol City Council election took place on 8 May 1986 to elect members of Bristol City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of seats in the 1986 Council Elections in the English city of Bristol were up for election. The election in Brislington West was a by-election. There was a small swing away from the Conservatives and Labour regained a majority on the Council, which they kept until 2003.
The 1988 Bristol City Council election took place on 5 May 1988 to elect members of Bristol City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of seats were up for election. This was the first election following the merger of the Liberal Party and SDP to form the Social & Liberal Democrats. There were also several candidates representing the continuing SDP. There was a general small swing to Labour.
The 1991 Bristol City Council election took place on 2 May 1991 to elect members of Bristol City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of seats were up for election. Two seats were contested in Windmill Hill due to an extra vacancy occurring. There was a general swing against the Conservatives. In Lockleaze, the Labour Party failed to field a candidate because of a nomination papers error.
The 1992 Bristol City Council election took place on 7 May 1992 to elect members of Bristol City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. One third of seats were up for election. Two seats were contested in Hartcliffe due to an extra vacancy occurring. The elections were held just weeks after John Major's unexpected 1992 General election victory, and mirroring that result there was a strong swing from Labour to Conservative.
The 1995 Bristol City Council election took place on 4 May 1995 with all seats being up for election, in preparation for Bristol City Council becoming a Unitary Authority following the abolition of Avon County Council. The same ward boundaries were used, however these are elections to a new authority and cannot be considered gains or losses compared to previously held seats.
Bristol City Council is a unitary authority and ceremonial county in England. Originally formed on 1 April 1974 as a non-metropolitan district as a result of the Local Government Act 1972. It was envisaged that Bristol would share power with Avon County Council, an arrangement that lasted until 1996 when it was made into a unitary authority by the Local Government Commission for England, which abolished the county of Avon and gave Bristol City Council control of Avon Council's responsibilities.
The 2016 Bristol City Council election took place on Thursday 5 May 2016, alongside nationwide local elections. Following a boundary review, the number of wards in the city was reduced to 34, with each electing one, two or three Councillors. The overall number of Councillors remained 70, with all seats up for election at the same time. Elections would then be held every 4 years.
The 1973 Bristol City Council election took place on 7 June 1973 to elect members of Bristol City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. Voting took place across 28 wards, each electing 3 Councillors. Following the Local Government Act 1972, this was the first election to the new non-metropolitan district council for Bristol, which came into being on 1 April the following year. Labour took control of the Council after winning a comfortable majority of seats.
The 1976 Bristol City Council election took place on 6 May 1976 to elect members of Bristol City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. Labour retained overall control of the council despite losing 9 seats to the Conservatives.
The 1979 Bristol City Council election took place on 3 May 1979 to elect members of Bristol City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections and the 1979 general election. In contrast to the Conservative landslide in the national election, the Conservatives in Bristol lost 6 seats to Labour, who maintained overall control of the council.
The 1999 Bristol City Council election took place on 6 May 1999, on the same day as other local elections. All seats were up for election due to boundary changes, with each ward electing 2 councillors. The total number of seats on the council increased by 2 due to the creation of a new ward: Clifton East.
The 2002 Bristol City Council election took place on 2 May 2002, on the same day as other local elections. Despite suffering some losses, the Labour Party managed to retain a slim majority.
The 2003 Bristol City Council election took place on 1 May 2003, on the same day as other local elections in the UK. The Labour Party made a number of losses, mainly to the Liberal Democrats, and lost overall control of the council. Loses included Council leader Diane Bunyan, who lost her Windmill Hill seat to the Liberal Democrats. This year also saw elections contested by the new Bristolian Party, founded by the local 'scandal sheet' The Bristolian, though they failed to win any seats.
The 2006 Bristol City Council election took place on 4 May 2006, on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party continued to lose seats, but the Liberal Democrats failed to gain enough to form an overall majority. This election saw the first election of a Green Councillor to Bristol City Council – the first time four parties had been represented since the Council’s creation.
The 2007 Bristol City Council election took place on 3 May 2007, on the same day as other local elections. The Liberal Democrats lost two seats to Labour, but remained the largest party on the Council. No party gained overall control.
The 2021 Bristol City Council election took place on 6 May 2021 to elect members of Bristol City Council in England. It coincided with nationwide local elections. Voters in the city also voted for the mayor of Bristol, the mayor of the West of England and for Avon and Somerset's police and crime commissioner. The election was originally due to take place in May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Council elections in Bristol 
