Norwich City Council elections

Last updated

One third of the Norwich City Council in Norfolk, England is elected each year. Since the last boundary changes in 2019, 39 councillors have been elected from 13 wards. [1]

Contents

Council history

For the majority of its history, the council has been under Labour control, with the party having held a majority of seats from 1973-2000, and again from 2012-2023. Between the 2023 and 2024 election, 3 Labour councillors resigned from the party to sit as Independents, citing the direction of the party under the leadership of Keir Starmer. While remaining the largest party, this caused Labour to lose its majority for the first time since 2011, pushing the council to no overall control.

The Liberal Party (a predecessor party to the Liberal Democrats) first gained representation on the council following the 1980 election, with a single seat. After the Liberal Party and SDP merged to form the Liberal Democrats (then SLD) in 1988, the party made steady gains in both seats and vote share, culminating in them winning a majority of seats at the 2002 and 2003 elections.

However, the ascendancy of the Liberal Democrats was cut short, as the Green Party began winning seats on the council at the 2002 election. Rapid growth over the next decade increased the number of Green councillors from 2 in 2002, to 15 in 2012. This was primarily at the expense of the Liberal Democrats, whose seat numbers collapsed, and ultimately led to the Greens replacing them as a leading party on the council.

The Conservative Party won representation on the council from the inaugural 1973 election, providing the principal opposition to Labour from 1973-1986. However, their seat count began to decline from the 1983 election, and they were eventually usurped by the Liberal Democrats. They lost representation on the council at the 1996 election. Regaining seats in the 2000 election, they were again represented on the council until the 2012 election, when they lost all their seats. Since then, they have failed to win any seats and remain an extra-parliamentary opposition.

Council elections

Council composition

Year Labour Liberal Democrats [a] Green Conservative Independents
& Others
Council control
after election
Local government reorganisation; council established (48 seats)
1973 370110Labour
1976 3600120Labour
New ward boundaries
1979 390090Labour
1980 371091Labour
1982 381090Labour
1983 372090Labour
1984 392070Labour
1986 382040Labour
1987 369030Labour
1988 379020Labour
1990 379020Labour
1991 387030Labour
1992 369030Labour
1994 3610020Labour
1995 3710010Labour
1996 3711000Labour
1998 3513000Labour
1999 3315000Labour
2000 2621010Labour
2002 1926210Liberal Democrats
2003 1530210Liberal Democrats
New ward boundaries; seats reduced from 48 to 39
2004 1518510No overall control
2006 1612920No overall control
2007 15111030No overall control
2008 1561350No overall control
2010 1651440No overall control
2011 1841520No overall control
2012 2131500Labour
2014 2131500Labour
2015 2231400Labour
2016 2631000Labour
2018 313500Labour
New ward boundaries
2019 273900Labour
2021 2631000Labour
2022 2531100Labour
2023 2331300Labour
2024 1931502No overall control

Result maps

By-election results

1994-1998

Lakenham By-Election 3 October 1996
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour 95652.7
Liberal Democrats 63735.1
Conservative 22012.1
Majority31917.6
Turnout 1,81332.6
Labour hold Swing

    References

    1. "How the council works". Norwich City Council. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
    2. The City of Norwich (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977
    3. "Norwich council". * BBC News Online . Retrieved 17 September 2009.
    4. legislation.gov.uk - The City of Norwich (Electoral Changes) Order 2002. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
    5. "September by-elections for Exeter and Norwich". BBC. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
    6. "Lib Dems celebrate by-election win". Eastern Daily Press . 27 July 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
    7. "Bowthorpe ward by-election results". Norwich City Council. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
    8. 1 2 "By-elections results December 2012". Norwich City Council. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
    9. "Local Elections Archive Project — Mancroft Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
    10. 1 2 3 "Norwich City Council by-election results - 1 May 2025". www.norwich.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
    Henderson By-Election 1 May 1997
    PartyCandidateVotes%±%
    Labour 2,08856.0−8.1
    Liberal Democrats 1,22632.9+15.9
    Green 41311.0+1.1
    1. Includes totals for the predecessors of the Liberal Democrats, the Liberal Party and SDP (both of which participated in the Alliance).