# 2012 United Kingdom local elections

The 2012 United Kingdom local elections were held across England, Scotland and Wales on 3 May 2012. Elections were held in 128 English local authorities, all 32 Scottish local authorities and 21 of the 22 Welsh unitary authorities, alongside three mayoral elections including the London mayoralty and the London Assembly. Referendums were also held in 11 English cities to determine whether or not to introduce directly elected mayors.
The BBC's projected national vote share put Labour on 38%, the Conservatives on 31%, the Liberal Democrats on 16% and others on 15%. Rallings and Thrasher of Plymouth University estimated 39% for Labour, 33% for the Conservatives, 15% for the Liberal Democrats, and 13% for others.
The inaugural election of police and crime commissioners for 41 of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales took place separately, in November 2012.

## Electoral process

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) who were aged 18 or over on Thursday 3 May 2012 were entitled to vote in the local elections. Those who were temporarily away from their ordinary address (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) were also entitled to vote in the local elections, although those who had moved abroad and registered as overseas electors cannot vote in the local elections. It is possible to register to vote at more than one address (such as a university student who had a term-time address and lives at home during holidays) at the discretion of the local Electoral Register Office, but it remains an offence to vote more than once in the same local government election.
The deadline to register to vote in the election was midnight on Wednesday 18 April 2012, though anyone who qualified as an anonymous elector had until midnight on Thursday 26 April 2012 to register.

## Results
### Overall results - Great Britain

| Party | Party | Councils | Councils | Councillors | Councillors |
| Party | Party | Number | Change | Number | Change |
| | Labour | 75 | 32 | 2,158 | 823 |
| | Conservative | 32 | 12 | 1,005 | 405 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 6 | 1 | 431 | 336 |
| | SNP | 2 | 2 | 424 | 57 |
| | Plaid Cymru | 0 | 1 | 158 | 41 |
| | Green | 0 | | 26 | 5 |
| | Residents | 0 | | 21 | 5 |
| | Scottish Green | 0 | | 14 | 6 |
| | UKIP | 0 | | 9 | |
| | Health Concern | 0 | | 5 | 3 |
| | Respect | 0 | | 5 | 5 |
| | Liberal | 0 | | 4 | 6 |
| | Others | 5 | 2 | 596 | 151 |
| | No overall control | 51 | 18 | n/a | n/a |

## England

The local authorities having elections in 2012 (excluding mayoral elections) covered about 40% of the total English electorate, with 15.9 million electors entitled to vote. Turnout overall was 31.0%.
In summary, the accumulated local authority vote and seats won by political party was:
English National vote and seat share :
| Party | Vote | Seats |
| Labour | 43.1% | 49.4% |
| Conservative | 27.5% | 32.5% |
| Liberal Democrats | 14.0% | 11.9% |
| Green | 4.2% | 1.1% |
| Independent | 3.2% | 2.8% |
| Other | 8.0% | 2.3% |
Note the equivalent of these figures may not be commonly available for other election years. They represent the actual numbers of votes cast and should not be falsely compared to the more commonly available figures based on the projections for the whole of Great Britain.

### Metropolitan boroughs

All 36 Metropolitan boroughs had one third of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Barnsley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Birmingham | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Bolton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Bradford | No overall control | No overall control hold (Labour Minority with Green support) | Details |
| Bury | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Calderdale | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Coventry | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Doncaster | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Dudley | Conservative | Labour gain | 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 | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Manchester | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| North Tyneside | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Oldham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Rochdale | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Rotherham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| St Helens | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Salford | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Sandwell | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Sefton | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Sheffield | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Solihull | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| South Tyneside | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Stockport | No overall control | No overall control hold (Lib Dem Minority) | Details |
| Sunderland | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Tameside | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Trafford | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Wakefield | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Walsall | No overall control | No overall control hold (Conservative Minority with Lib Dem Support) | Details |
| Wigan | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Wirral | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Wolverhampton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |

### Unitary authorities
#### Whole council up for election

Two unitary authorities that would usually have had a third of their seats up for election, actually had elections for all their seats because of the implementation of boundary changes.
| Council | Previous control | Previous control | Result | Result | Details |
| Hartlepool | | Labour | | Labour hold | Details |
| Swindon | | Conservative | | Conservative hold | Details |

#### One third of council up for election

In 16 English unitary authorities, one third of the council was up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Blackburn with Darwen | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Derby | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Halton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kingston upon Hull | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Milton Keynes | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| North East Lincolnshire | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Peterborough | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Plymouth | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Portsmouth | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Reading | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Slough | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Southampton | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Southend-on-Sea | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Thurrock | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Warrington | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Wokingham | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |

### District councils
#### Whole council up for election

Four district councils that would usually have had one-third of their seats due for election, actually had full council elections as a result of the implementation of new ward boundaries.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Broxbourne | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Daventry | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Rugby | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Rushmoor | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |

#### Half of council up for election

7 district councils had half of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Adur | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Cheltenham | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Fareham | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Gosport | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Hastings | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Oxford | Labour | Labour hold | Details |

#### One third of council up for election

In 63 district authorities, one third of the seats were up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Amber Valley | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Basildon | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Basingstoke and Deane | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Bassetlaw | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Brentwood | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Burnley | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Cambridge | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold (casting vote of the Mayor) | Details |
| Cannock Chase | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Carlisle | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Castle Point | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Cherwell | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Chorley | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Colchester | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Craven | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Crawley | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Eastleigh | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Elmbridge | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Epping Forest | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Exeter | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Gloucester | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Great Yarmouth | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Harlow | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Harrogate | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Hart | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Havant | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Hertsmere | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Huntingdonshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Hyndburn | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Ipswich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Lincoln | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Maidstone | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Mole Valley | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| North Hertfordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Norwich | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Pendle | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Preston | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Purbeck | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Redditch | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Reigate and Banstead | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Rochford | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Rossendale | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Runnymede | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| St Albans | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| South Cambridgeshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| South Lakeland | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Stevenage | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Stratford-on-Avon | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Stroud | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Tamworth | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Tandridge | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Three Rivers | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Tunbridge Wells | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Watford | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Welwyn Hatfield | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| West Lancashire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| West Oxfordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Weymouth and Portland | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Winchester | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Woking | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Worcester | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Worthing | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Wyre Forest | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |

### Mayoral elections

Three direct mayoral elections were held.
| Local Authority | Previous Mayor | Previous Mayor | Mayor-elect | Details |
| London | | Boris Johnson (Conservative) | Boris Johnson (Conservative) | Details |
| Salford | none | none | Ian Stewart (Labour) | Details |
| Liverpool | none | none | Joe Anderson (Labour) | Details |

### Mayoral referendums

Referendums were also held in 11 English cities to determine whether or not to introduce the position of a directly elected mayor. These polls took place in Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Coventry, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Sheffield and Wakefield. Of these 11 cities, only Bristol chose direct election (rather than council appointment) of a mayor. In addition, the citizens of Doncaster voted on the same day to continue electing their mayors directly.

## Scotland

All council seats were up for election in the 32 Scottish authorities.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Aberdeen City | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Aberdeenshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Angus | No overall control | SNP gain | Details |
| Argyll and Bute | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Clackmannanshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Dumfries and Galloway | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Dundee City | No overall control | SNP gain | Details |
| East Ayrshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| East Dunbartonshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| East Lothian | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| East Renfrewshire | No overall control | No overall control | Details |
| City of Edinburgh | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Falkirk | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Fife | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Glasgow City | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Highland | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Inverclyde | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Midlothian | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Moray | No overall control | No overall control | Details |
| Na h-Eileanan Siar | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| North Ayrshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| North Lanarkshire | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Orkney | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Perth and Kinross | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Renfrewshire | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Scottish Borders | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Shetland | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| South Ayrshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| South Lanarkshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Stirling | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| West Dunbartonshire | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| West Lothian | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |

## Wales

| Party | Votes | % | +/- | Councils | +/- | Seats | +/- |
| Labour | 304,296 | 36.0% | 9.4% | 10 | 8 | 577 | 237 |
| Plaid Cymru | 133,961 | 15.8% | 1.1% | 0 | | 158 | 39 |
| Conservative | 108,365 | 12.8% | 2.8% | 0 | 2 | 105 | 67 |
| Liberal Democrats | 68,619 | 8.1% | 4.8% | 0 | | 72 | 92 |
| Independent/Others | 231,026 | 27.3% | 0.7% | 2 | 1 | 329 | 40 |
| No overall control | n/a | n/a | n/a | 9 | 5 | n/a | n/a |
In 21 out of 22 Welsh authorities, the whole council was up for election. On 17 January 2012, the Welsh Government announced that elections for Anglesey council have been postponed to May 2013.
| Council | 2008 Result | 2012 Result | Details |
| Blaenau Gwent | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Bridgend | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Caerphilly | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Cardiff | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Carmarthenshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Ceredigion | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Conwy | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Denbighshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Flintshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Gwynedd | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Independent | Labour gain | Details |
| Monmouthshire | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Neath Port Talbot | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Newport | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Pembrokeshire | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Powys | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Rhondda Cynon Taff | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Swansea | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Torfaen | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Vale of Glamorgan | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Wrexham | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |