No overall control

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In the context of local authorities in the United Kingdom, no overall control (abbreviated to NOC; Welsh : dim rheolaeth gyffredinol) [1] is a situation in which no single political group achieves a majority of seats, analogous to a hung parliament. Of the 248 councils who had members up for election in the 2019 local elections, 73 (over a quarter) resulted in a NOC administration. In the 2021 election, 14 resulted in no overall control. The term can still be used for several other countries, such as for two local councils of Malta and the General Assembly of Budapest in Hungary.

Contents

Administration

Typically, if no party achieves overall control of a council, the largest grouping will form alliances to create an ad hoc governing coalition. Often local authorities have larger proportions of smaller party and independent members than the House of Commons, and when there is no overall control this often results in minor groups having more influence than their numbers alone would suggest.

In a result of no overall control, the largest party may attempt to govern as a minority administration, such as the Conservatives in Dudley and Thurrock or Labour in Stockport and Brighton and Hove. Parties may also work together to create a formal deal, which can range from a confidence and supply deal to full coalition. Deals, especially the looser kind, can occur between parties which are not traditionally aligned on a national level. For example, a minority Conservative administration was formed in 2019 in Bolton supported by the Liberal Democrats and UKIP whilst a Labour-UKIP formal coalition exists in Basildon. Following the 2017 Aberdeen City Council election, all nine Labour councillors were expelled from the party for entering into a coalition with the Conservatives. Conversely, the two parties formed a coalition administration in Worcester following the 2019 elections.

It is possible for a council to be under no overall control even when there appears to be an overall majority, in particular in the case of a majority of independents, who commonly have no collective policies when elected. This can also arise when the council members divide on other than party lines. For instance, the 2004 elections to the Isle of Anglesey County Council returned more independents than all others put together, but only Plaid Cymru maintained a party group within the council, and not all of its elected members joined the group. The remainder of the council, including some members of other political parties, formed four non-partisan groups, none of which held a majority. The 2008 elections resulted in a group called the Original Independents gaining an overall majority.

No overall control is more common in Northern Ireland and Scotland, in part due to their usage of single transferable vote as opposed to the plurality block voting system used in England and Wales. Following the 2022 Scottish local elections, twenty-seven of the thirty-two councils were under no overall control, with a further three having a majority of independents. [2] Following the 2023 Northern Ireland local elections, all eleven councils were under no overall control.

Local authorities

County councils

CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControl [3] Seats
Cambridgeshire 61 Conservative 26 Liberal Democrats/Labour/St Neots Independent/Independent coalition34
East Sussex 50 Conservative 25 Conservative minority25
Gloucestershire 53 Conservative 26 Conservative minority26
Oxfordshire 63 Conservative 21Negotiations ongoing [lower-alpha 1]
Liberal Democrats

Metropolitan boroughs

CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControl [5] Seats
Bolton 60 Labour 26
Dudley 72 Conservative 34
Kirklees 69 Labour 31
Oldham 60 Labour 27
Sheffield 84 Labour 35
Stockport 63 Liberal Democrats 31
Wirral 66 Labour 30 Labour minority30

Unitary authorities

CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControl [6] Seats
Bedford 46 Labour 14 [lower-alpha 2] Conservative mayor13 [lower-alpha 3]
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole 76 Liberal Democrats 28 Liberal Democrats/Christchurch Independents/Poole People/Independent coalition44
Bristol 70 Green 34
Central Bedfordshire 63 Independent 28 Independent minority28
Cheshire East 82 Conservative 33 Labour/Independent coalition45 [7]
Darlington 50 Labour 24 Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition27
Derby 51 Labour 23 Labour minority23
Durham 126 Labour 55 Conservative/Liberal Democrats/Derwentside Independents/North East/Green/Independent coalition67
East Riding of Yorkshire 67 Conservative 29 Conservative minority29
Herefordshire 53 Conservative 21 Conservative minority21
Isle of Wight 39 Conservative 16 Independent/Green/Island Independent Network/Our Island coalition17
North East Lincolnshire 42 Conservative 19
North Somerset 50 Conservative 15 [lower-alpha 4] Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green/Portishead Independents/Independent coalition35
Northumberland 67 Conservative 33 Conservative minority33
Peterborough 60 Labour 19
Portsmouth 42 Liberal Democrats 19
Redcar and Cleveland 59 Labour 23 Labour minority23
Rutland 27 Liberal Democrats 11 Liberal Democrats/Green coalition12
Slough 42 Conservative 21 Conservative/Liberal Democrats coalition24
South Gloucestershire 61 Conservative 23 Liberal Democrats/Labour Party coalition37
Southend-on-Sea 51 Labour 20
Stockton-on-Tees 56 Conservative 25 Labour minority22
Wokingham 54 Liberal Democrats 27

London boroughs

CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControl [8] Seats
Croydon 71 Conservative 34 Conservative mayor 34
Labour 34
Havering 55 Havering Residents Association 22 Havering Residents Association/Labour coalition31

Welsh principal areas

CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControl [9] Seats
Conwy 55 Independent 23 Independent/Labour/Plaid Cymru coalition [lower-alpha 5] 38
Denbighshire 48 Labour 17 Labour/Plaid Cymru coalition25
Flintshire 67 Labour 31 Labour minority31
Merthyr Tydfil 30 Independent 15 Independent minority15
Monmouthshire 46 Labour 22 Labour minority22
Neath Port Talbot 60 Labour 27 Independent/Plaid Cymru coalition [lower-alpha 6] 30
Pembrokeshire 60 Independent 36 Independent/Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition29
Powys 68 Independent 21 Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition30
Vale of Glamorgan 54 Labour 25 Labour/Llantwit First Independents/Independent coalition30
Wrexham 56 Independent 23 Independent/Conservative/Liberal Democrats coalition31

District councils

CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControl [11] Seats
Arun 54 Conservative 20 Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition28
Ashford 47 Conservative 19 Conservative minority19
Babergh 32 Green 10 Green/Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition26
Basildon 42 Labour 18
Basingstoke and Deane 54 Conservative 16Basingstoke and Deane Independents/Liberal Democrats/Green/Independent coalition21
Brentwood 37 Conservative 19
Broadland 47 Conservative 21 Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition26
Bromsgrove 31 Conservative 11 Conservative/Independent coalition18
Burnley 45 Labour 15
Canterbury 39 Labour 18 Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition27
Charnwood 52 Labour 20 Labour minority20
Cherwell 48 Liberal Democrats 17
Colchester 51 Conservative 19
Derbyshire Dales 34 Liberal Democrats 12 Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition22
East Devon 60 Liberal Democrats 18 Liberal Democrats/Green/Independent coalition29
East Hampshire 43 Conservative 19 Conservative/Whitehill and Bordon Community Party coalition25
East Hertfordshire 50 Green 19 Green/Liberal Democrats coalition29
East Lindsey 55 Conservative 26 Conservative minority26
East Suffolk 55 Green 17 Green/Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition29
Elmbridge 48 Liberal Democrats 23
Folkestone and Hythe 30 Green 11 Green/Liberal Democrats coalition13
Forest of Dean 38 Green 15 Green minority15
Gloucester 39 Liberal Democrats 17
Great Yarmouth 39 Conservative 19 Conservative minority19
Harborough District Council 34 Conservative 15 Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition19
Hart 33 Liberal Democrats 12
Hastings 32 Green 12
Havant 36 Conservative 13
Hertsmere 39 Conservative 16 Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition23
Huntingdonshire 52 Conservative 21 Liberal Democrats/Labour/St Neots Independent Group/Green/Independent coalition31
King's Lynn and West Norfolk 55 Conservative 21 Independent/Liberal Democrats/Green coalition23
Lancaster 61 Labour 24 Labour/Liberal Democrats/Green coalition52
Lewes 41 Green 17 Green/Labour coalition26
Lichfield 47 Conservative 23 Conservative minority23
Maidstone 49 Conservative 13
Maldon 31 Conservative 9Maldon District Independent Group minority [12] 6
Malvern Hills 31 Independent 11 Independent/Green coalition18
Melton 28 Conservative 11 Independent/Labour coalition15
Mid Sussex 48 Liberal Democrats 20 Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition25
Newark and Sherwood 39 Conservative 13 Labour minority11
North Hertfordshire 51 Labour 25
North Warwickshire 35 Conservative 17 Conservative minority17
North West Leicestershire 38 Labour 17 Conservative/Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition19 [13]
Norwich 39 Labour 19
Oxford 48 Labour 20
Pendle 33 Conservative 13
Reigate and Banstead 45 Conservative 18
Ribble Valley 40 Conservative 18 Conservative minority18
Rochford 39 Liberal Democrats 11
Rother 38 Conservative 10Rother Association of Independent Councillors/Labour/Liberal Democrats/Green coalition26
Rugby 42 Conservative 17
Runnymede 41 Conservative 13
South Kesteven 56 Conservative 24 Independent/Liberal Democrats/Green/Labour coalition29
South Norfolk 46 Conservative 23 Conservative minority23
Spelthorne 39 Conservative 12 Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition17
Stafford 40 Conservative 14 Labour/Stafford Borough Independents/Green coalition25
Staffordshire Moorlands 56 Labour 24 Labour minority24
Stroud 51 Green 22
Swale 47 Labour 15 Labour/Swale Independents/Green coalition30
Tandridge 43 Liberal Democrats 11
Tendring 48 Conservative 19 Independent/Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition28
Tewkesbury 38 Liberal Democrats 16 Liberal Democrats/Independent/Green coalition29
Tonbridge and Malling 44 Conservative 20 Conservative minority20
Torridge 36 Independent 16 Independent minority16
Warwick 44 Green 14 Green/Labour coalition25
Waverley 50 Liberal Democrats 22 Liberal Democrats/Farnham Residents Party/Labour/Green coalition38
Wealden 45 Liberal Democrats 13 Liberal Democrats/Green coalition24
Welwyn Hatfield 48 Labour 20
West Devon 31 Conservative 11 Independent/Green/Liberal Democrats/Labour coalition20
West Lindsey 36 Liberal Democrats 18 Liberal Democrats minority18
West Oxfordshire 49 Liberal Democrats 21
West Suffolk 64 Conservative 26 Labour/Liberal Democrats/Green/Independent coalition29
Worcester 35 Labour 17

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Labour withdrew from the previous Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition in September 2023. [4]
  2. ↑ Including the mayor, the Conservatives match this number.
  3. ↑ 14 including mayor.
  4. ↑ Includes 2 independents who sit with the Conservative Party and Independents Group on the council.
  5. ↑ Conwy's sole Green councillor is in a group with Plaid Cymru. [10]
  6. ↑ Liberal Democrats and Green confidence and supply.
  1. ↑ "OGWR". BBC News. May 8, 2007.
  2. ↑ "Scottish Council Elections 2022". BBC News. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "County Councils". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Labour Party quits coalition running Oxfordshire County Council". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "Metropolitan Boroughs". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "Unitary Authorities". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "Cheshire East Council to be run by coalition after deal is struck". BBC News. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "London Boroughs". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "Welsh Councils". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Political Make-up of the Council". Conwy County Borough Council. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  11. ↑ "District Councils". Open Council Data UK. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  12. ↑ Meyler, Piers (14 June 2023). "Councillor who quit after suffering homophobic abuse is now leader of council". Maldon and Burnham Standard. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "New alliance administration for North West Leicestershire District Council". North West Leicestershire District Council. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
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