2001 United Kingdom local elections

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2001 United Kingdom local elections

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| ← 2000 | 7 June 2001 | 2002 →

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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
|   | Majority party  | Minority party  | Third party

|
|
|

|  |  |
Leader  | William Hague | Tony Blair | Charles Kennedy
Party  | Conservative | Labour | Liberal Democrats
Leader since  | 19 June 1997  | 21 July 1994  | 9 August 1999
Percentage  | 40% | 31%  | 25%
Swing  | 8%  | 1%  | 1%
Councils  | 18 | 14  | 0
Councils +/-  | 5  | 2  | 2
Councillors  | 1,093 | 843  | 449
Councillors +/-  | 120  | 7  | 80

* * *

Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.

The 2001 United Kingdom local elections took place on Thursday 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 foot and mouth crisis and were held on the same day as the 2001 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

### Non-metropolitan county councils

[edit]

In all 34 English county councils the whole council was up for election.

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Bedfordshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Buckinghamshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Cambridgeshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Cheshire ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Cornwall |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Cumbria ‡  |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Derbyshire |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Devon |  | Liberal Democrats |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Dorset |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Durham |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
East Sussex |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Essex |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Gloucestershire |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Hampshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Hertfordshire ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Kent |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Lancashire |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Leicestershire |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Lincolnshire ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Norfolk |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
North Yorkshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Northamptonshire ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Northumberland ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Nottinghamshire |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Oxfordshire |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold (Con/Lib Dem coalition)[1] | Details
Shropshire |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Somerset ‡  |  | Liberal Democrats |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Staffordshire |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Suffolk |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Surrey |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Warwickshire |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
West Sussex |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Wiltshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Worcestershire |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details

‡ New ward boundaries

### Unitary authorities

[edit]

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

[edit]

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Isle of Wight ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Southend-on-Sea ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details

‡ New ward boundaries

#### Third of council

[edit]

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Blackburn with Darwen |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Bristol |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Halton |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Peterborough |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Reading |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Slough |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Thurrock |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Warrington |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Wokingham |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details

### Sui generis

[edit]

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Isles of Scilly |  |  |  |  | Details

## Northern Ireland

[edit]

Main article: 2001 Northern Ireland local elections

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 |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Ards |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Armagh |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Ballymena |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Ballymoney |  | No overall control |  | DUP | Details
Banbridge |  | UUP |  | No overall control | Details
Belfast |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Carrickfergus |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Castlereagh |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Coleraine |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Cookstown |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Craigavon |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Derry |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Down |  | SDLP |  | No overall control | Details
Dungannon and South Tyrone |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Fermanagh |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Larne |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Limavady |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Lisburn |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Magherafelt |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Moyle |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Newry and Mourne |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Newtownabbey |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
North Down |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Omagh |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details
Strabane |  | No overall control |  | No overall control | Details

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Former Council Leader Keith Mitchell CBE (1946–2020)".

## External links

[edit]

* Vote 2001 BBC News
* The local elections of 7 June 2001. House of Commons Library Research Paper 01/71.
* Northern Ireland local election results

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See also
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* v
* t
* e

(2000 ←)   2001 United Kingdom local elections   (→ 2002)

County councils|

* Bedfordshire
* Buckinghamshire
* Cambridgeshire
* Cheshire
* Cornwall
* Cumbria
* Derbyshire
* Devon
* Dorset
* Durham
* East Sussex
* Essex
* Gloucestershire
* Hampshire
* Hertfordshire
* Kent
* Lancashire
* Leicestershire
* Lincolnshire
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* North Yorkshire
* Northamptonshire
* Northumberland
* Nottinghamshire
* Oxfordshire
* Shropshire
* Somerset
* Staffordshire
* Suffolk
* Surrey
* Warwickshire
* West Sussex
* Wiltshire
* Worcestershire

Unitary authorities|

* Blackburn with Darwen
* Bristol
* Halton
* Isle of Wight
* Peterborough
* Reading
* Slough
* Southend-on-Sea
* Thurrock
* Warrington
* Wokingham

District councils
(Northern Ireland)|

* Antrim
* Ards
* Armagh
* Ballymena
* Ballymoney
* Banbridge
* Belfast
* Carrickfergus
* Castlereagh
* Coleraine
* Cookstown
* Craigavon
* Derry
* Down
* Dungannon and South Tyrone
* Fermanagh
* Larne
* Limavady
* Lisburn
* Magherafelt
* Moyle
* Newry and Mourne
* Newtownabbey
* North Down
* Omagh
* Strabane

Sui generis|

* Isles of Scilly

* See also: UK General election

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