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Norwich City Council elections

One third of the Norwich City Council in Norfolk, England is elected each year. Since the last boundary changes in 2019, 39 councillors have been elected from 13 wards.[1]

Council history

For the majority of its history, the council has been under Labour control, with the party having held a majority of seats from 1973-2000, and again from 2012-2023. Between the 2023 and 2024 election, 3 Labour councillors resigned from the party to sit as Independents, citing the direction of the party under the leadership of Keir Starmer. While remaining the largest party, this caused Labour to lose its majority for the first time since 2011, pushing the council to no overall control.

The Liberal Party (a predecessor party to the Liberal Democrats) first gained representation on the council following the 1980 election, with a single seat. After the Liberal Party and SDP merged to form the Liberal Democrats (then SLD) in 1988, the party made steady gains in both seats and vote share, culminating in them winning a majority of seats at the 2002 and 2003 elections.

However, the ascendancy of the Liberal Democrats was cut short, as the Green Party began winning seats on the council at the 2002 election. Rapid growth over the next decade increased the number of Green councillors from 2 in 2002, to 15 in 2012. This was primarily at the expense of the Liberal Democrats, whose seat numbers collapsed, and ultimately led to the Greens replacing them as a leading party on the council.

The Conservative Party won representation on the council from the inaugural 1973 election, providing the principal opposition to Labour from 1973-1986. However, their seat count began to decline from the 1983 election, and they were eventually usurped by the Liberal Democrats. They lost representation on the council at the 1996 election. Regaining seats in the 2000 election, they were again represented on the council until the 2012 election, when they lost all their seats. Since then, they have failed to win any seats and remain an extra-parliamentary opposition.

Council elections

Council composition

Year Labour Liberal Democrats[a] Green Conservative Independents
& Others 		Council control
after election
Local government reorganisation; council established (48 seats)
1973 37 0 – 11 0 Labour
1976 36 0 0 12 0 Labour
New ward boundaries
1979 39 0 0 9 0 Labour
1980 37 1 0 9 1 Labour
1982 38 1 0 9 0 Labour
1983 37 2 0 9 0 Labour
1984 39 2 0 7 0 Labour
1986 38 2 0 4 0 Labour
1987 36 9 0 3 0 Labour
1988 37 9 0 2 0 Labour
1990 37 9 0 2 0 Labour
1991 38 7 0 3 0 Labour
1992 36 9 0 3 0 Labour
1994 36 10 0 2 0 Labour
1995 37 10 0 1 0 Labour
1996 37 11 0 0 0 Labour
1998 35 13 0 0 0 Labour
1999 33 15 0 0 0 Labour
2000 26 21 0 1 0 Labour
2002 19 26 2 1 0 Liberal Democrats
2003 15 30 2 1 0 Liberal Democrats
New ward boundaries; seats reduced from 48 to 39
2004 15 18 5 1 0 No overall control
2006 16 12 9 2 0 No overall control
2007 15 11 10 3 0 No overall control
2008 15 6 13 5 0 No overall control
2010 16 5 14 4 0 No overall control
2011 18 4 15 2 0 No overall control
2012 21 3 15 0 0 Labour
2014 21 3 15 0 0 Labour
2015 22 3 14 0 0 Labour
2016 26 3 10 0 0 Labour
2018 31 3 5 0 0 Labour
New ward boundaries
2019 27 3 9 0 0 Labour
2021 26 3 10 0 0 Labour
2022 25 3 11 0 0 Labour
2023 23 3 13 0 0 Labour
2024 19 3 15 0 2 No overall control

Result maps

  • 1980 results map
    1980 results map
  • 1982 results map
    1982 results map
  • 1983 results map
    1983 results map
  • 1984 results map
    1984 results map
  • 1986 results map
    1986 results map
  • 1987 results map
    1987 results map
  • 1988 results map
    1988 results map
  • 1990 results map
    1990 results map
  • 1991 results map
    1991 results map
  • 1992 results map
    1992 results map
  • 1994 results map
    1994 results map
  • 1995 results map
    1995 results map
  • 1996 results map
    1996 results map
  • 1998 results map
    1998 results map
  • 1999 results map
    1999 results map
  • 2000 results map
    2000 results map
  • 2002 results map
    2002 results map
  • 2003 results map
    2003 results map
  • 2004 results map
    2004 results map
  • 2006 results map
    2006 results map
  • 2007 results map
    2007 results map
  • 2008 results map
    2008 results map
  • 2010 results map
    2010 results map
  • 2011 results map
    2011 results map
  • 2012 results map
    2012 results map
  • 2014 results map
    2014 results map
  • 2015 results map
    2015 results map
  • 2016 results map
    2016 results map
  • 2018 results map
    2018 results map
  • 2019 results map
    2019 results map
  • 2021 results map
    2021 results map
  • 2022 results map
    2022 results map
  • 2023 results map
    2023 results map
  • 2024 results map
    2024 results map

By-election results

1994-1998

Lakenham By-Election 3 October 1996
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour 956 52.7
Liberal Democrats 637 35.1
Conservative 220 12.1
Majority 319 17.6
Turnout 1,813 32.6
Labour hold Swing
Henderson By-Election 1 May 1997
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour 2,088 56.0 −8.1
Liberal Democrats 1,226 32.9 +15.9
Green 413 11.0 +1.1
Majority 862 13.1
Turnout 3,727
Labour hold Swing

1998-2002

Thorpe Hamlet By-Election 9 April 2001 (2)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats 755
Liberal Democrats 738
Labour 431
Labour 407
Conservative 144
Conservative 142
Green 81
Green 74
Turnout 2,772 22.0
Liberal Democrats hold Swing

2006-2010

Mile Cross By-Election 27 July 2006[6]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats Carl Mayhew 789 46.1 +11.7
Labour Barbara James 702 41.0 −0.7
Green Susan Curran 115 6.7 −5.6
Conservative David Mackie 106 6.2 −5.4
Majority 87 5.1
Turnout 1,712 24.4
Liberal Democrats hold Swing
Bowthorpe By-Election 12 March 2009[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Wiltshire 915 35.8 −10.2
Labour Jo Storie 761 29.8 −5.7
Liberal Democrats Dave Thomas 686 26.8 +19.8
Green Christine Way 193 7.6 −3.9
Majority 154 6.0
Turnout 2,555 31.0
Conservative hold Swing

2010-2014

Crome By-Election 19 December 2012[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Marion Frances Maxwell 884 59.3 −2.5
Conservative Evelyn Jean Collishaw 259 17.4 −1.5
UKIP Glenn Stuart Tingle 232 15.6 +15.6
Green Judith Ford 73 4.9 −8.4
Liberal Democrats Michael Anthony Sutton-Croft 42 2.8 −3.3
Majority 625
Turnout
Labour hold Swing
Nelson By-Election 19 December 2012[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Andrew Boswell 1,121 56.0 −3.5
Labour Layla Dickerson 599 29.9 +4.7
Liberal Democrats Helen Anne Whitworth 174 8.7 +2.4
Conservative Alexandra Rhiannon Davies 108 5.4 −3.6
Majority 522
Turnout
Green hold Swing
Mancroft By-Election 7 May 2013[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Simeon Jackson 1,152 46.1 +3.3
Labour Tony Waring 861 34.5 −3.0
Conservative Samuel Stringer 308 12.3 +0.8
Liberal Democrats Jeremy Hooke 177 7.1 −1.1
Majority 291 11.6
Turnout 2,498
Green hold Swing
Bowthorpe By-Election 1 May 2025[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Richard Lawes 689 31.5 −30.4
Reform UK Nick Taylor 688 31.4 New
Green Tony Arthur Park 430 19.6 +8.0
Conservative Anthony Daniel Little 281 12.8 −4.8
Liberal Democrats Sean Timothy Bennett 102 4.7 −4.2
Majority 1 0.1
Turnout 2,190
Labour hold Swing Decrease31.0
Mancroft By-Election 1 May 2025[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Ian Clifford Stutely 1,087 54.6 −7.3
Reform UK Craig Barker 381 19.1 New
Labour George Andrew Heaney 312 15.7 −10.8
Conservative Edith Jones 106 5.3 −2.9
Liberal Democrats Gordon Richard Dean 105 5.3 +1.8
Majority 706 35.5
Turnout 1,991
Green hold Swing Decrease13.2


Sewell By-Election 1 May 2025[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Jenny Knight 1,280 54.0 −4.4
Labour Paul Guille 525 22.2 −8.6
Reform UK Valerie Brind 367 15.5 +11.8
Liberal Democrats Marlowe North 99 4.2 +1.6
Conservative Simon Mark Jones 85 3.6 −0.9
Independent His Excellency Freeman 13 0.5 New
Majority 755 31.8
Turnout 2,369
Green hold Swing Increase6.5

Notes

  1. ^ Includes totals for the predecessors of the Liberal Democrats, the Liberal Party and SDP (both of which participated in the Alliance).

References

  1. ^ "How the council works". Norwich City Council. Archived from the original on 26 April 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  2. ^ The City of Norwich (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1977
  3. ^ "Norwich council". * BBC News Online. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  4. ^ legislation.gov.uk - The City of Norwich (Electoral Changes) Order 2002. Retrieved on 4 October 2015.
  5. ^ "September by-elections for Exeter and Norwich". BBC. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Lib Dems celebrate by-election win". Eastern Daily Press. 27 July 2006. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  7. ^ "Bowthorpe ward by-election results". Norwich City Council. Archived from the original on 23 March 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  8. ^ a b "By-elections results December 2012". Norwich City Council. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Local Elections Archive Project — Mancroft Ward". www.andrewteale.me.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Norwich City Council by-election results - 1 May 2025". www.norwich.gov.uk. Retrieved 1 May 2025.