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Leeds City Council elections

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One third of Leeds City Council in the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England is elected each year, followed by no election in one year out of every four years. A total of 99 councillors have been elected from 33 electoral wards across Leeds since 1980.[1]

Political control

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Seat totals, 1973–2026

From 1889 until 1974 Leeds was a county borough, independent from any county council. Under the Local Government Act 1972 it had its territory enlarged and became a metropolitan borough, with West Yorkshire County Council providing county-level services. The first election to the reconstituted city council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its revised powers on 1 April 1974. West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986 and Leeds became a unitary authority. Political control of the council since 1974 has been held by the following parties:[2][3]

Party in controlYears
No overall control1974–1976
Conservative1976–1979
No overall control1979–1980
Labour1980–2004
No overall control2004–2011
Labour2011–2026
No overall control2026–present

Leadership

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The first leader of the reformed council in 1974, Albert King, had been the last leader of the old county borough council. The leaders of the council since 1974 have been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Albert King[4]Labour19741975
Irwin Bellow[5]Conservative19751979
Peter Sparling[6]Conservative19791980
George Mudie[7]Labour19801989
Jon Trickett[8]Labour19891996
Brian Walker[9]Labour1996May 2003
Keith Wakefield[10][11]Labour200328 June 2004
Mark Harris[11]Liberal Democrats28 June 200430 November 2004
Andrew Carter[11]Conservative1 December 200423 May 2005
Mark Harris[12]Liberal Democrats24 May 200530 November 2005
Andrew Carter[12]Conservative1 December 200522 May 2006
Mark Harris[13]Liberal Democrats23 May 200630 November 2006
Andrew Carter[13]Conservative1 December 200621 May 2007
Mark Harris[14]Liberal Democrats24 May 200730 November 2007
Andrew Carter[14]Conservative1 December 200722 May 2008
Richard Brett[15]Liberal Democrats22 May 200830 November 2008
Andrew Carter[15]Conservative1 December 200821 May 2009
Richard Brett[16]Liberal Democrats21 May 200930 November 2009
Andrew Carter[16][17]Conservative1 December 200927 May 2010
Keith Wakefield[18][10]Labour27 May 201021 May 2015
Judith Blake[19][20]Labour21 May 201524 February 2021
James Lewis[21]Labour24 February 2021incumbent

From 2004 until 2010 a coalition agreement between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats saw the leadership formally alternate every six months between their party leaders, an arrangement was sometimes described as being joint leaders.[17]

Council elections

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Summary of the council composition after council elections, click on the year for full details of each election. Boundary changes took place for the 1980 election which increased the number of seats by 3, leading to the whole council being elected in that year. Further boundary changes made in 2004 again required the full council to be elected.[22]

Popular vote shares, 1973–2026


Year Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats Independent Greens Morley Borough Independents SDP BNP
1973 44 38 14 0 0 0 0 0
1975 41 43 12 0 0 0 0 0
1976 38 50 8 0 0 0 0 0
1978 39 50 7 0 0 0 0 0
1979 44 45 7 0 0 0 0 0
1980 62 29 8 0 0 0 0 0
1982 56 32 11 0 0 0 0 0
1983 54 33 11 1 0 0 0 0
1984 53 33 12 1 0 0 0 0
1986 58 28 11 2 0 0 0 0
1987 58 25 14 2 0 0 0 0
1988 59 25 14 1 0 0 0 0
1990 66 21 11 1 0 0 0 0
1991 68 21 9 1 0 0 0 0
1992 67 23 8 1 0 0 0 0
1994 67 23 8 1 0 0 0 0
1995 75 15 8 1 0 0 0 0
1996 83 8 8 0 0 0 0 0
1998 80 9 9 0 1 0 0 0
1999 71 12 14 1 1 0 0 0
2000 61 16 19 1 2 0 0 0
2002 57 18 20 1 3 0 0 0
2003 52 22 20 2 3 0 0 0
2004 40 24 26 0 3 6 0 0
2006 40 24 26 0 3 5 0 1
2007 43 22 24 1 3 5 0 1
2008 43 22 24 1 3 5 0 1
2010 48 22 21 0 2 6 0 0
2011 55 21 16 0 2 5 0 0
2012 63 19 10 0 2 5 0 0
2014 63 18 9 1 3 5 0 0
2015 63 19 9 0 3 5 0 0
2016 63 19 9 0 3 5 0 0
2018 61 22 6 3 2 5 0 0
2019 57 23 8 3 3 5 0 0
2021 54 24 8 4 3 6 0 0
2022 58 21 7 3 3 6 1 0
2023 61 18 6 3 3 6 2 0
2024 61 15 6 5 5 4 3 0

Borough result maps

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By-election results

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Following the death, removal or resignation of an incumbent councillor between council elections, by-elections occur to elect a successor to fill the vacant council seat. The next by-election will take place on 12 June 2025 in Morley South to replace Wyn Kidger.

Ward by-electionDateIncumbent partyWinning party
Headingley by-election 28 February 1974 Conservative Conservative
Burley by-election 21 November 1974 Conservative Labour
Burley by-election 8 January 1975 Labour Labour
Beeston by-election 27 September 1984 Labour Labour
Aireborough by-election 18 August 1986 Conservative Alliance
Armley by-election 8 December 1988 SLD Labour
Burmantofts by-election 15 June 1989 SLD Labour
Morley North by-election Labour Labour
City & Holbeck by-election 30 November 1989 Labour Labour
Wetherby by-election 23 July 1992 Conservative Conservative
Richmond Hill by-election 26 October 1995 Labour Labour
Beeston by-election 14 November 1996 Labour Labour
Headingley by-election 10 July 1997 Labour Labour
Whinmoor by-election 21 August 1997 Labour Labour
Bramley by-election 6 August 1998 Labour Liberal Democrats
Harehills by-election 13 April 2000 Labour Liberal Democrats
Morley North by-election 7 June 2001 Labour Labour
University by-election Labour Labour
Moortown by-election 19 July 2001 Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats
Headingley by-election 28 July 2005 Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats
Farnley & Wortley by-election 18 September 2008 Green Green
Temple Newsam by-election 2 April 2009 Labour Conservative
Hyde Park & Woodhouse by-election 18 February 2010 Liberal Democrats Labour
Guiseley & Rawdon by-election 14 October 2010 Conservative Conservative
Cross Gates & Whinmoor by-election 2 May 2013 Labour Labour
Wetherby by-election 12 December 2019 Conservative Conservative
Farnley & Wortley by-election 10 October 2024 Labour Green
Morley South by-election 12 June 2025 Morley Borough Independents Reform

References

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  1. ↑ "Councillors' roles and responsibilities". Leeds City Council. Archived from the original on 19 February 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  2. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 21 May 2025. (Put "Leeds" in search box to see specific results.)
  3. ↑ "Leeds". BBC News Online. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  4. ↑ "Rates rise 'to average 25 pc'". Liverpool Daily Post. 18 February 1975. p. 10. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  5. ↑ Roth, Andrew (30 March 2001). "Obituary: Lord Bellwin". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Tributes to former Leeds City Council leader and Leeds Grammar School governor Peter Sparling". Yorkshire Evening Post. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  7. ↑ "Leeds City Councillors 1980–2021" (PDF). The Thoresby Society. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  8. ↑ Foster, Dawn (16 September 2015). "A rough guide to Jon Trickett, the new shadow communities secretary". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Labour's leader defeated". BBC News. 2 May 2003. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  10. 1 2 "Keith Wakefield to stand down as Leeds City Council leader". BBC News. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 "Council minutes, 28 June 2004" (PDF). Leeds City Council. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Council minutes, 23 May 2005" (PDF). Leeds City Council. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  13. 1 2 "Council minutes, 22 May 2006". Leeds City Council. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  14. 1 2 "Council minutes, 24 May 2007". Leeds City Council. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  15. 1 2 "Council minutes, 22 May 2008". Leeds City Council. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  16. 1 2 "Council minutes, 21 May 2009". Leeds City Council. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  17. 1 2 "Leeds leads Westminster coalition". BBC. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  18. ↑ "Council minutes, 27 May 2010". Leeds City Council. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  19. ↑ "Council minutes, 21 May 2015". Leeds City Council. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  20. ↑ Hill, Jessica (25 January 2021). "Leeds set to get new leader as Blake becomes peer". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  21. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 February 2021" (PDF). Leeds City Council. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  22. ↑ "Leeds council". BBC Online. Retrieved 24 September 2008.
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