Embed from Getty Images
Here are the final May 2nd council election results, now that all the results are in.
The Lib Dems are UP by a stonking 703 (net) seats, with 688 holds, 683 gains and 7 losses. We’ve gained control of 11 councils. We have become the largest party in a “no overall control” situation in 5 further councils.
The Tories are down by 1,334 councillors and have lost control of a net 45 councils. (Yes – count them – control of forty five councils, net, has been lost by the Tories. That’s FOUR FIVE!! You can check it here if you don’t believe me).
Labour are down by 82 councillors and have lost control of a net 6 councils.
The BBC say we are on 19% of the national vote with the Tories and Labour tied on 28%.
We’ve gained control of these councils:
FROM THE TORIES:
BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET
CHELMSFORD
COTSWOLD
HINCKLEY AND BOSWORTH
MOLE VALLEY
SOMERSET WEST AND TAUNTON
VALE OF THE WHITE HORSE
WINCHESTER
FROM NOC:
NORTH NORFOLK
NORTH DEVON
TEIGNBRIDGE
We are also now the largest party, with no overall control, at Arun, Mendip, St Albans and South Oxfordshire – all from previous Tory control.
We have now become the largest party in York in a no overall control situation. Labour were the largest party before yesterday.
In Stockport we are the equal largest party, with Labour, with no overall control.
We’ve also held control of Eastborne, Eastleigh, Oadby and Wigston, Three Rivers, South Lakeland, South Somerset and Watford.
We remain the largest party with no overall control in Bedford and Portsmouth.
We held the Mayoralty in Bedford. Well done Dave!
Jacob Rees-Mogg now has a Lib Dem councillor representing him.
After Paddy Ashdown, Vince Cable is now second in the league table of Lib Dem leaders relative to councillor increases that they presided over. Hat-tip to Dr Mark Pack for this information.
Vince Cable this evening hailed the best ever gains of councillors in one set of local elections in the party’s history.
With the party on track to secure a national equivalent vote share of 19% – the best since 2010 – Vince hailed the result as a clear sign the Liberal Democrats are the strongest party for remain going into the European Elections.
Vince Cable said:
These are spectacularly good results, stemming from the hard work and the commitment of our campaigners all around the country.
This is a springboard to the European elections in three weeks’ time, when we hope to do well again.
Ours is the strongest Remain voice in British politics. Every Liberal Democrat vote is a vote to stop Brexit.
The biggest story of election day is you! Thank you for everything you did, for all the tenacity, persistence and sheer guts that it took to work so hard to bring about this stunning set of results!
Please let me know if I have made any errors or omitted something important in this post. There’s a lot to take in!
The final word goes to newly elected Councillor Mark Clark of New Forest Council:
Canvassing can be brilliant sometimes. pic.twitter.com/Xn8bQMJBs3
— Mark W. Clark (@Coastguard) April 29, 2019
This post was updated at 06:20 on 4th May 2019 to bring the total councillor figures into line with those quoted by the BBC. Previously I had gone with the Guardian figures but they quoted one thing in their headline articles and another in their detail.
* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
Follow @libdemvoice.org on Bluesky
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
Alan Bennett on Dudley Moore and jazz
West End ward surgeries today #dundeewestend
Speculation over Labour's benefit cuts
Joseph Bourke
Nonconformistradical
Tim Leunig
Craig Levene
Christian de Vartava
7 Comments
Superb results across England – but spare a thought for the Northern Mets where simply holding a seat still requires huge commitment and hard graft. West Yorkshire could only manage a net gain of 6. We look with envy at places where a three figure vote can deliver a seat!
BBC says net 703 gains. Who is correct? (Sorry Paul, I prefer the BBC!)
Geoff, Yes, I need new shoes after that campaign in Almondbury!
Thank you Andrew.
I previously relied on the Guardian figures. But then they started quoting one figure in their articles and another in their detailed database.
So I have no BBC-ified the numbers above, which means it now says we gained 703 seats.
703, 699 – who cares? Yes, for once, the Lib Dems were the ‘winners’ on Thursday night. So stop worrying about whose stats are correct and concentrate on the real battles ahead, like how to sort out Brexit and how to became THE party of local government!
I have to care because otherwise my post would be in disagreement with our esteemed Editor’s post – and I don’t want to go there!
I have been a member of this party and its Liberal Party predecessor and can confidently say we never achieved such a result before in my 55 years in the party.
What a great night! We locally would have done even better if we’d fielded more candidates, especially at town and parish level. Perhaps headquarters could do more to persuade member, especially newish ones to consider standing.