2002 United Kingdom local elections

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|

2002 United Kingdom local elections

* * *

| <- 2001 | 2 May 2002 | 2003 ->

|
|

* * *

All 32 London boroughs, all 36 metropolitan boroughs,
18 unitary authorities, 88 English districts
and 7 directly elected mayors
|  | Majority party  | Minority party  | Third party

|
|
|

|  |  |
Leader  | Tony Blair | Iain Duncan Smith | Charles Kennedy
Party  | Labour | Conservative | Liberal Democrats
Leader since  | 21 July 1994  | 13 September 2001  | 9 August 1999
Percentage  | 33%[a] | 34% | 27%
Swing  | 2%  | 6%  | 2%
Councils  | 64 | 42  | 15
Councils +/-  | 7  | 9  | 2
Councillors  | 2,416 | 2,007  | 1,250
Councillors +/-  | 334  | 238  | 37

* * *

Colours denote council control following elections, as shown in the main table of results.

The 2002 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 2 May 2002. All London borough council seats were elected as well a third of the seats on each of the Metropolitan Boroughs. Many unitary Authorities and District councils also had elections. There were no local elections in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. This was the last time that Labour was the majority in local government until 2023.

## Summary of results

[edit]

Simon Parker of The Guardian described the elections as "a round of embarrassing [sic] defeats for Labour in a set of council elections that also saw opposition parties making minor inroads into the party's dominant position in local government. [...] But the night really belonged to independents and the smaller parties, who made some high-profile gains as the voters expressed their dissatisfaction with mainstream politics."[1]

## England

[edit]

### London boroughs

[edit]

In all 32 London boroughs, the whole council was up for election.

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Barking and Dagenham ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Barnet ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Bexley ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Brent ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Bromley ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Camden ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Croydon ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Ealing ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Enfield ‡  |  | Labour |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Greenwich ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Hackney ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Hammersmith and Fulham ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Haringey ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Harrow ‡  |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Havering ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Hillingdon ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Hounslow ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Islington ‡  |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Liberal Democrats hold  | Details
Kensington and Chelsea ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Kingston upon Thames ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Liberal Democrats gain  | Details
Lambeth ‡  |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Lewisham ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Merton ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Newham ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Redbridge ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Richmond upon Thames ‡  |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Southwark ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Sutton ‡  |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Liberal Democrats hold  | Details
Tower Hamlets ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Waltham Forest ‡  |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Wandsworth ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Westminster ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details

‡ New ward boundaries

### Metropolitan boroughs

[edit]

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 |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Bolton |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Bradford |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Bury |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Calderdale |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain (Conservative Minority)  | Details
Coventry |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Doncaster |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Dudley |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Gateshead |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Kirklees |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Knowsley |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Leeds |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Liverpool |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Liberal Democrats hold  | Details
Manchester |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Newcastle upon Tyne |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
North Tyneside |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Oldham |  | Liberal Democrats |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Rochdale |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | 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 |  | Liberal Democrats |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Solihull |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
South Tyneside |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
St Helens |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Stockport |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Liberal Democrats hold  | Details
Sunderland |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Tameside |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Trafford |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Wakefield |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Walsall |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Wigan |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Wirral |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Wolverhampton |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details

### Unitary authorities

[edit]

#### Whole council

[edit]

In six English Unitary authorities, the whole council was up for election.

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Derby ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Kingston upon Hull ‡  |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Milton Keynes ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Liberal Democrats gain  | Details
Portsmouth ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Southampton ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Stoke-on-Trent ‡  |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details

‡ New ward boundaries

#### Third of council

[edit]

In 12 English Unitary authorities, one third of the council was up for election.

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Blackburn with Darwen |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Bristol |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Halton |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Hartlepool |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Peterborough |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Reading |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Slough |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Southend-on-Sea |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Swindon |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Thurrock |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Warrington |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Wokingham |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details

### District councils

[edit]

#### Whole council

[edit]

In 46 English district authorities, the whole council was up for election.

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Basildon ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Basingstoke and Deane ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Bassetlaw ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Bedford ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Brentwood ‡  |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Liberal Democrats hold  | Details
Burnley ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Cannock Chase ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Cheltenham ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Liberal Democrats gain  | Details
Cherwell ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Chorley ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Colchester ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Craven ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Eastbourne ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Liberal Democrats gain  | Details
Eastleigh ‡  |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Liberal Democrats hold  | Details
Epping Forest ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Fareham ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Gloucester ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Gosport ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Harlow ‡  |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Harrogate ‡  |  | Liberal Democrats |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Hart ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Hastings ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Havant ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Hyndburn ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Ipswich ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Maidstone ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Newcastle-under-Lyme ‡  |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Nuneaton and Bedworth ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Oxford ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Pendle ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Preston ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Rochford ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Rossendale ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Rugby ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Rushmoor ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Shrewsbury and Atcham ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
South Bedfordshire ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Stratford-on-Avon ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Stroud ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Swale ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Tamworth ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Tunbridge Wells ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Waveney ‡  |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
West Lancashire ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
West Oxfordshire ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Winchester ‡  |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Liberal Democrats hold  | Details

‡ New ward boundaries

#### Third of council

[edit]

In 42 English district authorities, one third of the council was up for election.

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Adur |  | No overall control |  | Conservative gain  | Details
Amber Valley |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Barrow-in-Furness |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Broadland |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Broxbourne |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Cambridge |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Liberal Democrats hold  | Details
Carlisle |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Chester |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Congleton |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Crawley |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Crewe and Nantwich |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Daventry |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Ellesmere Port and Neston |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Elmbridge |  | No overall control |  | Residents gain  | Details
Exeter |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Great Yarmouth |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Hertsmere |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Huntingdonshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Lincoln |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Macclesfield |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Mole Valley |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
North Hertfordshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Norwich |  | Labour |  | Liberal Democrats gain  | Details
Penwith |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Purbeck |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Redditch |  | Labour |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Reigate and Banstead |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Runnymede |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
South Cambridgeshire |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
South Lakeland |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
St Albans |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Stevenage |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Tandridge |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Three Rivers |  | Liberal Democrats |  | Liberal Democrats hold  | Details
Watford |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Welwyn Hatfield |  | Labour |  | Conservative gain  | Details
West Lindsey |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Weymouth and Portland |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Woking |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Worcester |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Worthing |  | Conservative |  | Liberal Democrats gain  | Details
Wyre Forest |  | No overall control |  | Health Concern gain  | Details

### Mayoral elections

[edit]

There were seven elections for directly elected mayors.

Local Authority  | Previous Mayor  | Mayor-elect  | Details

|
|
|

Doncaster |  | New Post |  | Martin Winter (Labour)  |
Hartlepool |  | New Post |  | Stuart Drummond (Independent)  | Details
Lewisham |  | New Post |  | Steve Bullock (Labour)  |
Middlesbrough |  | New Post |  | Ray Mallon (Independent)  |
Newham |  | New Post |  | Robin Wales (Labour)  |
North Tyneside |  | New Post |  | Chris Morgan (Conservative)  |
Watford |  | New Post |  | Dorothy Thornhill (Liberal Democrat)  | Details

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ All vote shares in the infobox are projected national vote shares, not total votes cast.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Parker, Simon (3 May 2002). "Labour avoids council meltdown despite mayoral embarrassments". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 14 July 2022.

* Vote 2002 BBC News
* Local elections in England: 2 May 2002. House of Commons Library Research Paper 02/33.
* Full 2002 ward results
* The Guardian local election coverage

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See also
Elections in England
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Great Britain

* v
* t
* e

(2001 <-)  2002 United Kingdom local elections (-> 2003)

London boroughs|

* Barking and Dagenham
* Barnet
* Bexley
* Brent
* Bromley
* Camden
* Croydon
* Ealing
* Enfield
* Greenwich
* Hackney
* Hammersmith and Fulham
* Haringey
* Harrow
* Havering
* Hillingdon
* Hounslow
* Islington
* Kensington and Chelsea
* Kingston upon Thames
* Lambeth
* Lewisham
* Merton
* Newham
* Redbridge
* Richmond upon Thames
* Southwark
* Sutton
* Tower Hamlets
* Waltham Forest
* Wandsworth
* Westminster

Metropolitan boroughs|

* Barnsley
* Birmingham
* Bolton
* Bradford
* Bury
* Calderdale
* Coventry
* Doncaster
* Dudley
* Gateshead
* Kirklees
* Knowsley
* Leeds
* Liverpool
* Manchester
* Newcastle upon Tyne
* North Tyneside
* Oldham
* Rochdale
* Rotherham
* Salford
* Sandwell
* Sefton
* Sheffield
* Solihull
* South Tyneside
* St Helens
* Stockport
* Sunderland
* Tameside
* Trafford
* Wakefield
* Walsall
* Wigan
* Wirral
* Wolverhampton

Unitary authorities|

* Blackburn with Darwen
* Bristol
* Derby
* Halton
* Hartlepool
* Kingston upon Hull
* Milton Keynes
* Peterborough
* Portsmouth
* Reading
* Slough
* Southampton
* Southend-on-Sea
* Stoke-on-Trent
* Swindon
* Thurrock
* Warrington
* Wokingham

District councils
(England)|

* Adur
* Amber Valley
* Barrow-in-Furness
* Basildon
* Basingstoke and Deane
* Bassetlaw
* Bedford
* Brentwood
* Broadland
* Broxbourne
* Burnley
* Cambridge
* Cannock Chase
* Carlisle
* Cheltenham
* Cherwell
* Chester
* Chorley
* Colchester
* Congleton
* Craven
* Crawley
* Crewe and Nantwich
* Daventry
* Eastbourne
* Eastleigh
* Ellesmere Port and Neston
* Elmbridge
* Epping Forest
* Exeter
* Fareham
* Gloucester
* Gosport
* Great Yarmouth
* Harlow
* Harrogate
* Hart
* Hastings
* Havant
* Hertsmere
* Huntingdonshire
* Hyndburn
* Ipswich
* Lincoln
* Macclesfield
* Maidstone
* Mole Valley
* Newcastle-under-Lyme
* North Hertfordshire
* Norwich
* Nuneaton and Bedworth
* Oxford
* Pendle
* Penwith
* Preston
* Purbeck
* Redditch
* Reigate and Banstead
* Rochford
* Rossendale
* Rugby
* Runnymede
* Rushmoor
* Shrewsbury and Atcham
* South Bedfordshire
* South Cambridgeshire
* South Lakeland
* St Albans
* Stevenage
* Stratford-on-Avon
* Stroud
* Swale
* Tamworth
* Tandridge
* Three Rivers
* Tunbridge Wells
* Watford
* Waveney
* Welwyn Hatfield
* West Lancashire
* West Lindsey
* West Oxfordshire
* Weymouth and Portland
* Winchester
* Woking
* Worcester
* Worthing
* Wyre Forest

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