# 2016 United Kingdom local elections

The 2016 United Kingdom local elections held on Thursday 5 May 2016 were a series of local elections which were held in 124 local councils and also saw 4 mayoral elections in England which also coincided with elections to the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the London Assembly, the London mayoral election and the England and Wales Police and crime commissioners. By-elections for the Westminster seats of Ogmore and Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough were also held. These proved to be David Cameron's last local elections as leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister as he resigned two months later following the defeat of Remain in the referendum on Britain's continuing membership of the European Union which was held seven weeks later.

## Results

Full results as reported by BBC News.
| Party | Party | Councils | Councils | Councillors | Councillors |
| Party | Party | Number | Change | Number | Change |
| | Labour | 58 | | 1,326 | 18 |
| | Conservative | 38 | 1 | 842 | 48 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 4 | 1 | 378 | 45 |
| | Independent | 0 | | 77 | 3 |
| | UKIP | 0 | | 58 | 25 |
| | Green | 0 | | 45 | 3 |
| | Residents | 0 | | 39 | 8 |
| | Liberal | 0 | | 4 | 1 |
| | Respect | 0 | | 0 | 5 |
| | No overall control | 24 | | n/a | n/a |
As these local elections were held in 124 English councils, out of 418 in the whole of the UK, the BBC calculated a Projected National Vote Share (PNV), which aims to assess what the council results indicate the UK-wide vote would be "if the results were repeated at a general election".
The BBC's Projected National Vote Share was 31% for Labour, 30% for the Conservatives, 15% for the Liberal Democrats and 12% for UKIP. These results are included in the infobox for this article. Longstanding elections analysts Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher of Plymouth University estimate a National Equivalent Vote (NEV) share, and in 2016 put Labour on 33%, the Conservatives on 31%, the Liberal Democrats on 14% and UKIP on 12%.

### Analysis

David Cameron celebrated the results, stating that his party did well despite being in office for six years up to that point. The results were viewed as mixed or poor for Labour. Jeremy Corbyn claimed that the results were better than anticipated, given that Labour was expected to lose more councillors and councils. The Liberal Democrats failed to win back areas where they lost seats in prior elections, though they did make a slight recovery after heavy losses in 2015. UKIP was also assessed to have underperformed, given its association with the upcoming 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.

## Metropolitan boroughs
### Whole metropolitan council

Three of 36 metropolitan boroughs had all of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Knowsley | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Rotherham | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Sheffield | Labour | Labour | Details |

#### One-third of metropolitan council

32 of 36 metropolitan boroughs had one-third of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Barnsley | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Birmingham | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Bolton | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Bradford | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Bury | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Calderdale | No overall control (Labour minority) | No overall control (Labour minority) | Details |
| Coventry | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Dudley | Labour | No overall control (Labour minority) | Details |
| Gateshead | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Kirklees | No overall control (Labour minority) | No overall control (Labour minority) | Details |
| Leeds | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Liverpool | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Manchester | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Labour | Labour | Details |
| North Tyneside | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Oldham | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Rochdale | Labour | Labour | Details |
| St Helens | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Salford | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Sandwell | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Sefton | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Solihull | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| South Tyneside | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Stockport | No overall control (Lib Dem–Ind minority) | No overall control (Labour minority) | Details |
| Sunderland | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Tameside | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Trafford | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Wakefield | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Walsall | No overall control (Con–UKIP–Ind) | No overall control (Lab–Lib Dem) | Details |
| Wigan | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Wirral | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Wolverhampton | Labour | Labour | Details |

## Unitary authorities
### Whole unitary council

3 unitary authorities had all of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Bristol | No overall control (Labour minority) | Labour | Details |
| Peterborough | No overall control (Con minority) | Conservative | Details |
| Warrington | Labour | Labour | Details |

### One-third of unitary council

16 unitary authorities had one-third of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Blackburn with Darwen | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Derby | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Halton | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Hartlepool | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Kingston upon Hull | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Milton Keynes | No overall control (Lab minority) | No overall control (Lab-LibDem Coalition) | Details |
| North East Lincolnshire | No overall control (Lab minority) | No overall control (Lab minority) | Details |
| Plymouth | No overall control (Lab–Con coalition) | No overall control (Con-UKIP coalition) | Details |
| Portsmouth | No overall control (Con with UKIP support) | No overall control (Con minority) | Details |
| Reading | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Slough | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Southampton | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Southend-on-Sea | No overall control (Ind–Lab–Lib Dem coalition) | No overall control (Con minority) | Details |
| Swindon | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Thurrock | No overall control (Lab minority) | No overall control (Con minority) | Details |
| Wokingham | Conservative | Conservative | Details |

## District Councils
### Whole district councils

12 District Councils had all of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Cherwell | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Colchester | No overall control (Lib Dem–Lab–Ind coalition) | No overall control (Lib Dem-Lab-Ind coalition) | Details |
| Elmbridge | Conservative | No overall control (Residents-Lib Dem coalition) | Details |
| Exeter | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Gloucester | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Lincoln | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Rochford | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Stroud | No overall control (Lab–Green–Lib Dem coalition) | No overall control (Lab-Green-Lib Dem coalition) | Details |
| Watford | No overall control (Lib Dem minority) | Liberal Democrats | Details |
| Welwyn Hatfield | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Winchester | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Woking | Conservative | Conservative | Details |

### Half of councils

7 non-metropolitan district councils had half of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Adur | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Cheltenham | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats | Details |
| Fareham | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Gosport | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Hastings | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Oxford | Labour | Labour | Details |

### One-third of district councils

51 non-metropolitan district councils had one-third of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Amber Valley | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Basildon | No overall control (Con minority) | No overall control (Con minority) | Details |
| Basingstoke and Deane | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Brentwood | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Broxbourne | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Burnley | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Cambridge | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Cannock Chase | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Carlisle | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Castle Point | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Chorley | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Craven | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Crawley | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Daventry | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Eastleigh | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats | Details |
| Epping Forest | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Great Yarmouth | No overall control (Con minority) | No overall control (Con minority) | Details |
| Harlow | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Harrogate | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Hart | No overall control (Con minority) | No overall control (Con minority) | Details |
| Havant | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Huntingdonshire | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Hyndburn | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Ipswich | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Maidstone | No overall control (Lib Dem–Ind minority) | No overall control (Lib Dem-Ind minority) | Details |
| Mole Valley | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | No overall control (Lab minority) | No overall control (Lab minority) | Details |
| North Hertfordshire | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Norwich | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Pendle | No overall control (Labour–Lib Dem coalition) | No overall control (Labour–Lib Dem coalition) | Details |
| Preston | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Redditch | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Reigate and Banstead | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Rossendale | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Rugby | No overall control (Con minority) | No overall control (Con minority) | Details |
| Runnymede | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Rushmoor | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| St Albans | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| South Cambridgeshire | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| South Lakeland | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats | Details |
| Stevenage | Labour | Labour | Details |
| Tamworth | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Tandridge | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Three Rivers | No overall control (Lib Dem minority) | No overall control (Lib Dem minority) | Details |
| Tunbridge Wells | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| West Lancashire | Labour | Labour | Details |
| West Oxfordshire | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Weymouth and Portland | No overall control (Con minority) | No overall control (Con minority) | Details |
| Worcester | Conservative | No overall control (Lab minority) | Details |
| Worthing | Conservative | Conservative | Details |
| Wyre Forest | Conservative | Conservative | Details |

## Mayoral elections

Four direct mayoral elections were held.
| Local Authority | Previous Mayor | Mayor-elect | Details |
| London | Boris Johnson (Conservative) | Sadiq Khan (Labour) | Details |
| Bristol | George Ferguson (Bristol 1st) | Marvin Rees (Labour) | Details |
| Liverpool | Joe Anderson (Labour) | Joe Anderson (Labour) | Details |
| Salford | Ian Stewart (Labour) | Paul Dennett (Labour) | Details |

## Police and Crime Commissioner elections

40 elections for Police and Crime Commissioners were held.

### Results - English PCC Elections

| Party | Votes | % | PCCs | % |
| Labour | 2,719,315 | 34.3% | 15 | 32.4% |
| Conservative | 2,390,678 | 30.2% | 20 | 58.8% |
| UKIP | 1,169,314 | 14.8% | 0 | 0% |
| Liberal Democrats | 721,148 | 9.1% | 0 | 0% |
| Independent | 618,688 | 7.8% | 3 | 8.8% |
| Zero Tolerance Policing | 120,720 | 1.5% | 0 | 0% |
| Green | 113,957 | 1.4% | 0 | 0% |
| English Democrat | 54,680 | 0.7% | 0 | 0% |
| Lincolnshire Independent | 18,497 | 0.2% | 0 | 0% |

### Results Breakdown

| Police Force Area | Previous Commissioner | Commissioner-elect |
| Avon and Somerset | Sue Mountstevens (Independent) | Sue Mountstevens (Independent) |
| Bedfordshire | Olly Martins (Labour Co-op) | Kathryn Holloway (Conservative) |
| Cambridgeshire | Sir Graham Bright (Conservative) | Jason Ablewhite (Conservative) |
| Cheshire | John Dwyer (Conservative) | David Keane (Labour) |
| Cleveland | Barry Coppinger (Labour) | Barry Coppinger (Labour) |
| Cumbria | Richard Rhodes (Conservative) | Peter McCall (Conservative) |
| Derbyshire | Alan Charles (Labour) | Hardyal Dhindsa (Labour) |
| Devon and Cornwall | Tony Hogg (Conservative) | Alison Hernandez (Conservative) |
| Dorset | Martyn Underhill (Independent) | Martyn Underhill (Independent) |
| Durham | Ron Hogg (Labour) | Ron Hogg (Labour) |
| Essex | Nick Alston (Conservative) | Roger Hirst (Conservative) |
| Gloucestershire | Martin Surl (Independent) | Martin Surl (Independent) |
| Hampshire | Simon Hayes (Independent) | Michael Lane (Conservative) |
| Hertfordshire | David Lloyd (Conservative) | David Lloyd (Conservative) |
| Humberside | Matthew Grove (Conservative) | Keith Hunter (Labour Co-op) |
| Kent Police | Ann Barnes (Independent) | Matthew Scott (Conservative) |
| Lancashire | Clive Grunshaw (Labour) | Clive Grunshaw (Labour) |
| Leicestershire | Sir Clive Loader (Conservative) | Willy Bach (Labour) |
| Lincolnshire Police | Alan Hardwick (Independent) | Marc Jones (Conservative) |
| Merseyside | Jane Kennedy (Labour) | Jane Kennedy (Labour) |
| Norfolk | Stephen Bett (Independent) | Lorne Green (Conservative) |
| North Yorkshire | Julia Mulligan (Conservative) | Julia Mulligan (Conservative) |
| Northamptonshire | Adam Simmonds (Conservative) | Stephen Mold (Conservative) |
| Northumbria | Vera Baird (Labour) | Vera Baird (Labour) |
| Nottinghamshire | Paddy Tipping (Labour) | Paddy Tipping (Labour) |
| South Yorkshire | Alan Billings (Labour) | Alan Billings (Labour) |
| Staffordshire | Matthew Ellis (Conservative) | Matthew Ellis (Conservative) |
| Suffolk | Tim Passmore (Conservative) | Tim Passmore (Conservative) |
| Surrey | Kevin Hurley (Independent) | David Munro (Conservative) |
| Sussex | Katy Bourne (Conservative) | Katy Bourne (Conservative) |
| Thames Valley | Anthony Stansfeld (Conservative) | Anthony Stansfeld (Conservative) |
| Warwickshire | Ron Ball (Independent) | Philip Seccombe (Conservative) |
| West Mercia Police | Bill Longmore (Independent) | John-Paul Campion (Conservative) |
| West Midlands | David Jamieson (Labour) | David Jamieson (Labour) |
| West Yorkshire | Mark Burns-Williamson (Labour) | Mark Burns-Williamson (Labour) |
| Wiltshire | Angus Macpherson (Conservative) | Angus Macpherson (Conservative) |

### Results - Welsh PCC Elections

| Party | Votes | % | PCCs |
| Labour | 328,113 | 34.1% | 2 |
| Plaid Cymru | 228,334 | 23.7% | 2 |
| Conservative | 210,882 | 21.9% | 0 |
| Independent | 102,502 | 10.7% | 0 |
| UKIP | 46,813 | 4.9% | 0 |
| Liberal Democrats | 45,163 | 4.7% | 0 |

### Results Breakdown

| Police Force Area | Previous Commissioner | Commissioner-elect |
| Dyfed-Powys | Christopher Salmon (Conservative) | Dafydd Llywelyn (Plaid Cymru) |
| Gwent | Ian Johnston (Independent) | Jeffrey Cuthbert (Labour Co-op) |
| North Wales | Winston Roddick (Independent) | Arfon Jones (Plaid Cymru) |
| South Wales | Alun Michael (Labour Co-op) | Alun Michael (Labour Co-op) |