2007 United Kingdom local elections

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The 2007 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 3 May 2007. These elections took place in most of England and all of Scotland. There were no local government elections in Wales though the Welsh Assembly had a general election on the same day. There were no local government elections in Northern Ireland. Just over half of English councils and almost all the Scottish councils began the counts on Friday, rather than Thursday night, because of more complex arrangements regarding postal votes.

2007 United Kingdom local elections

← 2006 3 May 2007 2008 →

All 36 metropolitan boroughs, 45 out of 46 unitary authorities,
231 out of 238 English districts, all 32 Scottish council areas, and 3 directly elected mayors
  First party Second party
  David Cameron Tony Blair
Leader David Cameron Tony Blair
Party Conservative Labour
Leader since 6 December 2005 21 July 1994
Percentage 40% 27%
Swing Increase1% Increase1%
Councils 165 36
Councils +/- Increase39 Decrease18
Councillors 5,458 2,225
Councillors +/- Increase932 Decrease665

  Third party Fourth party
  Menzies Campbell Alex Salmond
Leader Menzies Campbell Alex Salmond
Party Liberal Democrats SNP
Leader since 2 March 2006 3 September 2004
Percentage 26%
Swing Increase1%
Councils 23 0
Councils +/- Decrease4 Decrease1
Councillors 2,337 363
Councillors +/- Decrease255 Increase182

Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.
Entrance to a polling station in the market town of Haverhill, Suffolk on 3 May 2007. The posters on the left are lists of the candidates in wards contested (St Edmundsbury BC and Haverhill TC) and information about rules and laws about voting.
A polling station in a temporary cabin in position in the South of Coventry for the UK council elections on 3 May 2007.

These elections were a landmark in the United Kingdom as it was the first time that 18- to 20-year-olds could stand as candidates for council seats. The change was due to an alteration of the Electoral Administration Act. At least fourteen 18- to 20-year-olds are known to have stood as candidates for council seats[1] and as a result William Lloyd became the youngest person to be elected to official office in Britain. There were also a number of councils which used new voting methods such as internet and telephone voting in addition to the traditional methods of polling stations and postal votes.

These were the final elections to be overseen by Labour leader and prime minister Tony Blair, who resigned the following month after a decade as prime minister to be succeeded by chancellor Gordon Brown. His party only finished in second place with a narrow lead over the third-placed Liberal Democrats, whose leader Menzies Campbell would also resign later in the year, while it was a strong showing for the Conservatives under David Cameron.

Summary of results

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There was a suggestion in February 2006 that many of the 2007 local elections in England would be cancelled due to a reform of local government.[2] However, since then possible reforms are still in the consultation stage and no decisions have yet been made.

312 English district councils, nearly all districts in England held some form of election – either thirds or full – on Thursday, 3 May 2007.

The final results are summarised below; firstly, with a table ranked by the party with the greatest number of councillors elected.

Party Councils Councillors
Number Change Number Change
Conservative 165  39 5,458  932
Liberal Democrats 23  4 2,337  255
Labour 36  18 2,225  665
SNP 0  1 363  182
Residents 1   67  19
Green 0   62  17
BNP 0   10  1
Liberal 0   9  1
Scottish Green 0   8  8
Mebyon Kernow 0   7  1
UKIP 0   5  1
Health Concern 0   4  1
Respect 0   3  
Solidarity 0   1  1
Scottish Socialist 0   0  1
Socialist Alternative 0   0  1
Other 4   949  162
No overall control 85  27 n/a n/a

Source BBC BBC NEWS | Politics | Vote 2007 | English councils map

England

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All 36 English Metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Barnsley Labour Labour hold Details
Birmingham No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bolton No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bradford No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bury No overall control No overall control hold Details
Calderdale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Coventry Conservative Conservative hold Details
Doncaster No overall control No overall control hold Details
Dudley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gateshead Labour Labour hold Details
Kirklees No overall control No overall control hold Details
Knowsley Labour Labour hold Details
Leeds No overall control No overall control hold Details
Liverpool Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Manchester Labour Labour hold Details
Newcastle upon Tyne Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
North Tyneside No overall control No overall control hold Details
Oldham Labour No overall control Details
Rochdale No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Rotherham Labour Labour hold Details
Salford Labour Labour hold Details
Sandwell Labour Labour hold Details
Sefton No overall control No overall control hold Details
Sheffield Labour No overall control gain Details
Solihull Conservative No overall control gain Details
South Tyneside Labour Labour hold Details
St Helens No overall control No overall control hold Details
Stockport Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Sunderland Labour Labour hold Details
Tameside Labour Labour hold Details
Trafford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wakefield Labour Labour hold Details
Walsall Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wigan Labour Labour hold Details
Wirral No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wolverhampton Labour Labour hold Details


Whole council

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In 25 English unitary authorities the whole council was up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Bath and North East Somerset No overall control No overall control hold Details
Blackpool Labour Conservative gain Details
Bournemouth Liberal Democrats Conservative gain Details
Bracknell Forest Conservative Conservative hold Details
Brighton & Hove No overall control No overall control hold Details
Darlington Labour Labour hold Details
East Riding of Yorkshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
Herefordshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
Leicester No overall control Labour gain Details
Luton No overall control Labour gain Details
Medway Conservative Conservative hold Details
Middlesbrough Labour Labour hold Details
North Lincolnshire Conservative Labour gain Details
North Somerset No overall control Conservative gain Details
Nottingham Labour Labour hold Details
Poole Conservative Conservative hold Details
Redcar and Cleveland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Rutland Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Gloucestershire No overall control No overall control hold Details
Stockton-on-Tees No overall control No overall control hold Details
Telford and Wrekin No overall control No overall control hold Details
Torbay Liberal Democrats Conservative gain Details
West Berkshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Windsor and Maidenhead Liberal Democrats Conservative gain Details
York Liberal Democrats No overall control gain Details

Third of council

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In 20 English unitary authorities one third of the council was up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Blackburn with Darwen Labour No overall control gain Details
Bristol No overall control No overall control hold Details
Derby No overall control No overall control hold Details
Halton Labour Labour hold Details
Hartlepool Labour Labour hold Details
Kingston upon Hull No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Milton Keynes No overall control No overall control hold Details
North East Lincolnshire No overall control No overall control hold Details
Peterborough Conservative Conservative hold Details
Plymouth No overall control Conservative gain Details
Portsmouth No overall control No overall control hold Details
Reading Labour Labour hold Details
Slough No overall control No overall control hold Details
Southampton No overall control No overall control hold Details
Southend-on-Sea Conservative Conservative hold Details
Stoke-on-Trent No overall control No overall control hold Details
Swindon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Thurrock Conservative No overall control Details
Warrington No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wokingham Conservative Conservative hold Details


District councils

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Whole council

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In 153 English district authorities the whole council was up for election.[3]

Council Previous control Result Details
Allerdale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Alnwick No overall control No overall control hold Details
Arun Conservative Conservative hold Details
Ashfield Labour No overall control Details
Ashford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Aylesbury Vale Conservative Conservative hold Details
Babergh No overall control No overall control hold Details
Berwick-upon-Tweed No overall control No overall control hold Details
Blaby Conservative Conservative hold Details
Blyth Valley Labour Labour hold Details
Bolsover Labour Labour hold Details
Boston No overall control Boston Bypass Independents gain Details
Braintree No overall control Conservative gain Details
Breckland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bridgnorth No overall control No overall control hold Details
Broadland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bromsgrove Conservative Conservative hold Details
Broxtowe No overall control No overall control hold Details
Canterbury No overall control Conservative gain Details
Caradon No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Carrick Liberal Democrats No overall control Details
Castle Morpeth No overall control No overall control hold Details
Charnwood No overall control Conservative gain Details
Chelmsford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chester-le-Street Labour Labour hold Details
Chesterfield Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Chichester Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chiltern Conservative Conservative hold Details
Christchurch Conservative Conservative hold Details
Copeland Labour Labour hold Details
Corby Labour Labour hold Details
Cotswold Conservative Conservative hold Details
Dacorum Conservative Conservative hold Details
Dartford No overall control Conservative gain Details
Derbyshire Dales Conservative Conservative hold Details
Derwentside Labour Labour hold Details
Dover No overall control Conservative gain Details
Durham Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold
Easington Labour Labour hold Details
Eastbourne Conservative Liberal Democrats gain Details
East Cambridgeshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
East Devon Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Dorset Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Hampshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Hertfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Lindsey No overall control No overall control hold Details
East Northamptonshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Staffordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Eden Independent No overall control Details
Epsom and Ewell Residents Association Residents Association hold Details
Erewash No overall control Conservative gain Details
Fenland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Forest Heath Conservative Conservative hold Details
Forest of Dean No overall control Conservative gain Details
Fylde Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gedling No overall control Conservative gain Details
Gravesham Labour Conservative gain Details
Guildford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hambleton Conservative Conservative hold Details
Harborough No overall control Conservative gain Details
High Peak No overall control Conservative gain Details
Hinckley and Bosworth Conservative Liberal Democrats gain Details
Horsham Conservative Conservative hold Details
Kennet Conservative Conservative hold Details
Kerrier Independent No overall control Details
Kettering Conservative Conservative hold Details
King's Lynn and West Norfolk Conservative Conservative hold Details
Lancaster No overall control No overall control hold Details
Lewes Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Lichfield Conservative Conservative hold Details
Lincoln Labour Conservative gain Details
Maldon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Malvern Hills No overall control Conservative gain Details
Mansfield Independent Independent hold Details
Melton Conservative Conservative hold Details
Mendip Conservative Conservative hold Details
Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Mid Devon No overall control No overall control hold Details
Mid Suffolk No overall control Conservative gain Details
Mid Sussex No overall control Conservative gain Details
New Forest Conservative Conservative hold Details
Newark and Sherwood No overall control Conservative gain Details
North Cornwall No overall control No overall control hold Details
North Devon Liberal Democrats Conservative gain Details
North Dorset No overall control Conservative gain Details
North East Derbyshire Labour Labour hold Details
North Hertfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
North Kesteven No overall control Conservative gain Details
North Norfolk Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
North Shropshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
North Warwickshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
North West Leicestershire Labour Conservative gain Details
North Wiltshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
Northampton No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Oadby and Wigston Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Oswestry No overall control Conservative gain Details
Restormel No overall control No overall control hold Details
Ribble Valley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Richmondshire Independent No overall control Details
Rother Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rushcliffe Conservative Conservative hold Details
Ryedale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Salisbury Conservative No overall control Details
Scarborough Conservative No overall control Details
Sedgefield Labour Labour hold Details
Sedgemoor Conservative Conservative hold Details
Selby Conservative Conservative hold Details
Sevenoaks Conservative Conservative hold Details
Shepway No overall control Conservative gain Details
South Bucks Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Derbyshire Labour Conservative gain Details
South Hams Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Holland Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Kesteven Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Norfolk Liberal Democrats Conservative gain Details
South Northamptonshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Oxfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Ribble No overall control Conservative gain Details
South Shropshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
South Somerset Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
South Staffordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Spelthorne Conservative Conservative hold Details
St Edmundsbury Conservative Conservative hold Details
Stafford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Staffordshire Moorlands No overall control Conservative gain Details
Suffolk Coastal Conservative Conservative hold Details
Surrey Heath Conservative Conservative hold Details
Taunton Deane Conservative No overall control Details
Teesdale Independent Independent hold Details
Teignbridge No overall control No overall control hold Details
Tendring No overall control No overall control hold Details
Test Valley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tewkesbury No overall control No overall control hold Details
Thanet Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tonbridge and Malling Conservative Conservative hold Details
Torridge Independent No overall control Details
Tynedale Conservative Conservative hold Details
Uttlesford Liberal Democrats Conservative gain Details
Vale of White Horse Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Vale Royal No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wansbeck Labour Labour hold Details
Warwick No overall control Conservative gain Details
Waverley No overall control Conservative gain Details
Wealden Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wear Valley Labour No overall control Details
Wellingborough Conservative Conservative hold Details
West Devon No overall control No overall control hold Details
West Dorset Conservative Conservative hold Details
West Somerset Conservative Independent gain Details
West Wiltshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
Wychavon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wycombe Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wyre Conservative Conservative hold Details

[3]

Third of council

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In 78 English district authorities one third of the council was up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Amber Valley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Barrow-in-Furness No overall control No overall control hold Details
Basildon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Basingstoke and Deane Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bassetlaw Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bedford No overall control No overall control hold Details
Brentwood Conservative Conservative hold Details
Broxbourne Conservative Conservative hold Details
Burnley No overall control No overall control hold Details
Cambridge Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Cannock Chase No overall control No overall control hold Details
Carlisle No overall control No overall control hold Details
Castle Point Conservative Conservative hold Details
Cherwell Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chester No overall control Conservative gain Details
Chorley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Colchester No overall control No overall control hold Details
Congleton Conservative Conservative hold Details
Craven No overall control No overall control hold Details
Crawley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Crewe and Nantwich No overall control No overall control hold Details
Daventry Conservative Conservative hold Details
Eastleigh Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Ellesmere Port and Neston Labour Labour hold Details
Elmbridge No overall control No overall control hold Details
Epping Forest Conservative Conservative hold Details
Exeter No overall control No overall control hold Details
Gloucester No overall control No overall control hold Details
Great Yarmouth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Harlow No overall control No overall control hold Details
Harrogate No overall control No overall control hold Details
Hart No overall control No overall control hold Details
Havant Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hertsmere Conservative Conservative hold Details
Huntingdonshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hyndburn Conservative Conservative hold Details
Ipswich No overall control No overall control hold Details
Macclesfield Conservative Conservative hold Details
Maidstone No overall control No overall control hold Details
Mole Valley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Newcastle-under-Lyme No overall control No overall control hold Details
Norwich No overall control No overall control hold Details
Pendle Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Penwith No overall control No overall control hold Details
Preston No overall control No overall control hold Details
Purbeck Conservative Conservative hold Details
Redditch No overall control No overall control hold Details
Reigate and Banstead Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rochford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rossendale Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rugby No overall control Conservative gain Details
Runnymede Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rushmoor Conservative Conservative hold Details
Shrewsbury and Atcham Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Cambridgeshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
South Lakeland Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
St Albans Liberal Democrats No overall control Details
Stevenage Labour Labour hold Details
Stratford-on-Avon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Stroud Conservative Conservative hold Details
Swale Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tamworth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tandridge Conservative Conservative hold Details
Three Rivers Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Tunbridge Wells Conservative Conservative hold Details
Watford Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Waveney Conservative Conservative hold Details
Welwyn Hatfield Conservative Conservative hold Details
West Lancashire Conservative Conservative hold Details
West Lindsey Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
West Oxfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Weymouth and Portland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Winchester Conservative Conservative hold Details
Woking No overall control Conservative gain Details
Worcester Conservative Conservative hold Details
Worthing Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wyre Forest No overall control No overall control hold Details

Mayoral elections

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Council Independent Conservative Labour Liberal Democrat Green Elected Result
Bedford 15,967 10,710 4,757 10,551 1,538 Frank Branston Independent hold
Mansfield 13,756 2,770 8,774 1,944 1,489 Tony Egginton Independent hold
Middlesbrough 17,455 1,733 3,539 7,026 no candidate Ray Mallon Independent hold

Scotland

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All 32 Scottish councils had all their seats up for election - all Scottish councils are unitary authorities. These local elections were held on the same day as the Scottish Parliament general election. They were the first election for local government in mainland Great Britain to use the Single transferable vote (the system is used in Northern Ireland), as implemented by the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004.[4]

Summary of results

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Party Councils - majority Councils - in coalition/minority Councillors
SNP 0 11 363
Labour 2 11 348
Liberal Democrats 0 12 166
Conservative 0 8 143
Scottish Green 0 0 8
Scottish Socialist Party 0 0 1
Solidarity 0 0 1
Other 3 9 193
No overall control 27 - -

Councils

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The notional results in the following table are based on a document that John Curtice and Stephen Herbert (Professors at the University of Strathclyde) produced on 3 June 2005, calculating the effect of the introduction of the Single Transferable Vote on the 2003 Scottish Local Elections.[5]

Council 2003 result
(control before May 2007, if different)
Notional control
(based on 2003 results)
2007 result Details
Aberdeen City No overall control (LD + Con) NOC No overall control (LD + SNP) Details
Aberdeenshire No overall control (LD + Ind) NOC No overall control (LD + Con) Details
Angus SNP NOC No overall control (Ind + Con + LD + Lab) Details
Argyll and Bute Independent Independent No overall control (Ind + SNP) Details
Clackmannanshire Labour NOC No overall control (Lab minority) Details
Dumfries and Galloway No overall control (Lab[6]) NOC No overall control (Con + LD) Details
Dundee City No overall control (Lab + LD+ Con) NOC No overall control (Lab + LD) Details
East Ayrshire Labour Labour No overall control (SNP minority) Details
East Dunbartonshire No overall control (LD[7]) NOC No overall control (Lab + Con) Details
East Lothian Labour NOC No overall control (SNP + LD) Details
East Renfrewshire No overall control (Lab + LD) NOC No overall control (Lab + LD + Ind + Con) Details
City of Edinburgh Labour (NOC: Lab[8]) NOC No overall control (LD + SNP) Details
Falkirk No overall control (SNP + Ind + Con) NOC No overall control (Lab + Ind + Con) Details
Fife No overall control (Lab[9]) NOC No overall control (LD + SNP) Details
Glasgow City Labour Labour Labour Details
Highland Independent Independent No overall control (Ind + SNP) Details
Inverclyde Liberal Democrats NOC No overall control (Lab minority) Details
Midlothian Labour NOC No overall control (Lab minority) Details
Moray Independent Independent No overall control (Ind + Con) Details
Na h-Eileanan Siar Independent Independent Independent Details
North Ayrshire Labour Labour No overall control (Lab minority) Details
North Lanarkshire Labour Labour Labour Details
Orkney Independent Independent Independent Details
Perth and Kinross No overall control (SNP + LD + Ind) NOC No overall control (SNP + LD) Details
Renfrewshire Labour NOC No overall control (SNP + LD) Details
Scottish Borders No overall control (Ind + Con) NOC No overall control (Ind + Con + LD) Details
Shetland Independent Independent Independent Details
South Ayrshire No overall control (Con[10]) NOC No overall control (Con minority) Details
South Lanarkshire Labour Labour No overall control (Lab minority) Details
Stirling Labour (NOC: Lab[11]) NOC No overall control (Lab minority) Details
West Dunbartonshire Labour Labour No overall control (SNP + Ind) Details
West Lothian Labour NOC No overall control (SNP + Ind) Details

Pre-election predictions

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A Newsnight poll by the analysts Rallings and Thrasher some days before the election predicted the following results for the English council elections:

Con 38% (Conservatives gaining 330 seats and losing 2% of the vote on 2006)

Lab 24% (Labour losing 500 seats and losing 2% of the vote on 2006)

LD 29% (Liberal Democrats gaining 110 seats and gaining 2% of the vote on 2006)

However, these predictions, as in 2006, were largely inaccurate, underestimating Conservative support and grossly overestimating the Lib Dems' performance. However, it did accurately predict the number of seats Labour would lose.

Notes and references

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  1. ^ "Teenagers to run as councillors". BBC News. 4 April 2007.
  2. ^ "Council polls could be scrapped". BBC News. 8 February 2006.
  3. ^ a b Young, Ross (19 July 2007). "Local and Mayoral elections 2007" (PDF). House of Commons Library. SOCIAL AND GENERAL STATISTICS SECTION (RESEARCH PAPER 07/47). Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Electoral Panorama / Panorama Electoral". electionresources.org.
  5. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 September 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Labour minority control. The council was previously run by a coalition of Scottish Liberal Democrats, Independents and the SNP.
  7. ^ Liberal Democrats lack a majority (LD: 12 councillors; opposition: 12 councillors)
  8. ^ Labour lack a majority, after by election loss to Scottish National Party (Lab: 29 councillors; opposition: 29 councillors)
  9. ^ Labour minority administration
  10. ^ Conservative and Unionist control, on a cut of the cards (Con: 15 councillors; opposition: 15 councillors)
  11. ^ Labour lack a majority, after by election loss to Scottish National Party (Lab: 11 councillors; opposition: 11 councillors)
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