2001 United Kingdom local elections
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All 34 non-metropolitan counties, 11 out of 46 unitary authorities, 1 sui generis authority and all 26 Northern Irish districts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Local elections took place in some parts of the UK on 7 June 2001. Elections took place for all of the English shire counties, some English unitary authorities and all of the Northern Ireland districts. The elections were delayed from the usual date of the first Thursday in May due to the 2001 UK foot and mouth crisis and were held on the same day as the general election.
While the results were overshadowed by the re-election of the Labour government, they did provide some comfort to the Conservative party. The Conservatives consolidated their position as the largest party on the English county councils.
Summary of results
The results of the English local elections saw the Conservative party make significant progress, gaining control of a further five councils. The Labour party lost control of Cumbria and Warwickshire county councils, while the Liberal Democrats suffered losses of both of their councils and councillors.
The results in a number of these councils were mostly in line with the general election results.
The Conservatives gain of Cheshire county council coincided with their gain of the Tatton constituency, while their gain of Norfolk county council coincided with a gain in North West Norfolk and a big swing to them in South West Norfolk (although there was a Lib Dem gain in North Norfolk but only on a small swing). The Lib Dem loss of Somerset coincided with them narrowly losing Taunton to the Conservatives, and falling back in key target seats such as Wells and Bridgwater, which fall under the county council's area.
Some bucked trends, however. Labour lost Cumbria despite holding up relatively well in their four parliamentary seats in the county, though the Conservative majority was eroded by the Lib Dems in Westmorland and Lonsdale, which the Lib Dems eventually won in 2005 and have held ever since. Warwickshire was lost by Labour, which was admittedly on a knife-edge, though this was despite swings in their favour in key Conservative targets such as Rugby & Kenilworth and Warwick & Leamington.
The Conservatives gained Dorset. Despite the fact in 1997 when they won every constituency in Dorset (some by small margins admittedly), the council remained in no overall control. Whereas this time when they gained control of it, they lost two parliamentary seats: Dorset South to Labour and Mid-Dorset & Poole North to the Lib Dems by small margins. Despite those gains and some swings to the Lib Dems in other seats in Dorset, there was a big swing to the Conservatives in Christchurch.
The Lib Dem loss of Devon county council coincided with the Lib Dems actually gaining Teignbridge from the Conservatives and significantly increasing their majority in Torbay, a key Conservative target. There were smaller swings away in the Conservatives' favour in their marginal seats such as Tiverton & Honiton and Totnes, and they achieved a small swing in one of their targets, Devon West & Torridge.
| Party | Councils | Councillors | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gain | Loss | Change | Total | Gain | Loss | Change | Total | ||
| Conservative | +5 | 18 | +120 | 1,093 | |||||
| Labour | -2 | 14 | +7 | 843 | |||||
| Liberal Democrats | -2 | 0 | -80 | 449 | |||||
| Independent | 0 | 0 | -25 | 67 | |||||
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 28 | |||
| No overall control | -1 | 13 | — | — | — | — | |||
England
Non-metropolitan county councils
In all 34 English county councils the whole council was up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Buckinghamshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Cambridgeshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Cheshire ‡
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative gain | Details | ||
| Cornwall
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control hold | Details | ||
| Cumbria ‡
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control gain | Details | ||
| Derbyshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Devon
style="width: 2px; background-color: #FAA61A;" data-sort-value="Liberal Democrats (UK)" | |
Liberal Democrats
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control gain | Details | ||
| Dorset
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative gain | Details | ||
| Durham
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| East Sussex
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative gain | Details | ||
| Essex
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Gloucestershire
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control hold | Details | ||
| Hampshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Hertfordshire ‡
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Kent
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Lancashire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Leicestershire
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative gain | Details | ||
| Lincolnshire ‡
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Norfolk
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative gain | Details | ||
| North Yorkshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Northamptonshire ‡
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Northumberland ‡
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Nottinghamshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Oxfordshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control hold | Details | ||
| Shropshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control hold | Details | ||
| Somerset ‡
style="width: 2px; background-color: #FAA61A;" data-sort-value="Liberal Democrats (UK)" | |
Liberal Democrats
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control gain | Details | ||
| Staffordshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Suffolk
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control hold | Details | ||
| Surrey
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Warwickshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control gain | Details | ||
| West Sussex
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Wiltshire
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
| Worcestershire
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control hold | Details | ||
‡ New ward boundaries
Unitary authorities
In two English unitary authorities the whole council was up for election while a further nine unitary authorities had one third of the council up for election.
Whole council
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isle of Wight ‡
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control hold | Details | ||
| Southend-on-Sea ‡
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative
style="width: 2px; background-color: #0087DC;" data-sort-value="Conservative Party (UK)" | |
Conservative hold | Details | ||
‡ New ward boundaries
Third of council
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn with Darwen
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Bristol
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Halton
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Peterborough
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control hold | Details | ||
| Reading
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Slough
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Thurrock
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Warrington
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour
style="width: 2px; background-color: #E4003B;" data-sort-value="Labour Party (UK)" | |
Labour hold | Details | ||
| Wokingham
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control hold | Details | ||
Sui generis
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isles of Scilly | Details | ||||
Northern Ireland
In all 26 Northern Ireland districts the whole council was up for election. They were elected by Single Transferable Vote. They saw the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin make gains at the expense of the other parties.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Ards
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Armagh
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Ballymena
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Ballymoney
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: #D46A4C;" data-sort-value="Democratic Unionist Party" | |
DUP | Details | ||
| Banbridge
style="width: 2px; background-color: #48A5EE;" data-sort-value="Ulster Unionist Party" | |
Ulster Unionist
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Belfast
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Carrickfergus
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Castlereagh
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Coleraine
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Cookstown
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Craigavon
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Derry
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Down
style="width: 2px; background-color: #2AA82C;" data-sort-value="Social Democratic and Labour Party" | |
SDLP
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Dungannon and South Tyrone
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Fermanagh
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Larne
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Limavady
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Lisburn
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Magherafelt
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Moyle
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Newry and Mourne
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Newtownabbey
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| North Down
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Omagh
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
| Strabane
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control
style="width: 2px; background-color: black;" data-sort-value="No overall control" | |
No overall control | Details | ||
References
- Vote 2001 BBC News
- The local elections of 7 June 2001. House of Commons Library Research Paper 01/71.
- Northern Ireland local election results
