This article needs to beupdated. The reason given is:Recent local elections have significantly shifted the political landscape. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2025)

This article documents the strengths of political parties in the 317local authorities of England,^[1] 32local authorities of Scotland,^[2] 22principal councils of Wales^[3] and 11local councils of Northern Ireland.^[4]

England's 317 local authorities are made up of: 32London borough councils, 21county councils and 164district councils (two tiers of local government which share responsibility for the same physical area), 36metropolitan district councils, 62unitary authorities, and 2sui generis authorities, theCity of London Corporation andCouncil of the Isles of Scilly.^[1]

This article does not cover theGreater London Authority or the 15combined authorities of England (and their respective mayors).^[1] It also doesn't cover the 35police and crime commissioners or the fourpolice, fire and crime commissioners in England and Wales.^[5] And it also doesn't include the thousands ofparish/local councils of England,^[6]community councils of Scotland^[7] andcommunity councils of Wales.^[3]

English local authorities have a choice ofexecutive arrangements out of a mayor and cabinet executive, a leader and cabinet executive, a committee system or alternative arrangements approved by theSecretary of State.^[1] Councils in England^[1] and Northern Ireland^[8] run on four year cycles, while councils in Scotland^[9] and, from 2022, in Wales^[10] run on five year cycles. An English local authority's councillors may be elected all at once, by halves or by thirds.^[1] Because of this disparate system, various local elections take place every year, but changes in party representation arise frequently regardless due to resignations, deaths, by-elections, co-options and changes of affiliation.

Last full update: 20 August 2025^{[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]}

This article needs to beupdated. The reason given is:Recent local elections have significantly shifted the political landscape. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(May 2025)

The table below shows who has political control of each of the 21non-metropolitan county councils (NMC), the 62unitary authorities (UA), the 36metropolitan districts (MD), the 32London boroughs (LB) as well as the 2sui generis entities: theCity of London (CL) and theIsles of Scilly (IS). In total,153 local government councils.

The table differentiates between councils fully controlled by one party and others where a certain party leads a coalition that governs the council. All parties apart from theConservatives (CON),Labour (LAB),Liberal Democrats (LDM) andReform UK (RFM); as well as independents, are grouped in the category: OTHER.

Last full update: 21 August 2025^[19]

Last full update: 13 January 2026

Last full update: 7 January 2026

Last full update: 21 January 2026

Last full update: 21 January 2026

Last full update: 30 October 2025

Last full update: 16 July 2025

All 32 ScottishCouncils had all their seats up for election bySingle Transferable Vote inMay 2022. Elections are on a five-year cycle and are next due in May 2027. Only two mainland councils are controlled by majority administrations: West Dumbartonshire and Dundee, which are controlled byScottish Labour and theScottish National Party, respectively. The three island councils (Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles) are each controlled by local independents.

Political control may be held by minority governments (min), coalitions (co), joint leadership arrangements (j.l.) or partnership working arrangements (p.w.).^[22]

Last update 27 October 2025^[23][24]