19 of the 57 seats to Plymouth City Council 29 seats needed for a majority
First party
Second party
Third party
Leader
Tudor Evans
Ian Bowyer
None
Party
Labour
Conservative
UKIP
Seats before
28
26
3
Seats won
11
8
0
Seats after
27
27
3
Seat change
1
1
Popular vote
21,394
20,797
9,577
Percentage
36.5%
35.5%
16.3%
Map showing the results of contested wards in the 2016 Plymouth City Council elections.
Council control before election
No overall control
Council control after election
No overall control
The 2016 Plymouth City Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Plymouth City Council in England. The Conservatives gained one seat from Labour, resulting in both parties having twenty-seven members of the council. A coalition of Conservative and UKIP members took overall control of the Council, having thirty members in total and a working majority.
Background
Plymouth City Council held local elections on 5 May 2016 along with councils across the United Kingdom as part of the 2016 local elections.[1][2] The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year.[3][4] Councillors defending their seats in this election were previously elected in 2012. In that election, twelve Labour candidates and seven Conservative candidates were elected.[5]
Ahead of this election, the council was under no overall control with Labour running a minority administration. The party had the largest number of seats, but was one seat short of a majority.
The election was also contested by the Plymouth Independents, a new political party formed by former UKIP members.[6] The party won no seats, and has subsequently been dissolved having contested no further elections.[7]
After the election, the Conservatives and Labour held twenty-seven seats on the council each, with the other three held by UKIP councillors.[8] Labour group leader Tudor Evans had led the council before the election, but the result cast control of the council into doubt.[9] A coalition between the Conservatives and UKIP took control, with Conservative group leader Ian Bowyer becoming the new leader of the council.[10][11]
References
^"Guide to May 2016 elections in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland". BBC News. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
^ abc"Local Election 2016". Plymouth City Council. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
^"Local government structure and elections". GOV.UK. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
^"Election Timetable in England" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Archived (PDF) from the original on 28 April 2018.
^"Past election results | PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK". www.plymouth.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 28 April 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
^"Former UKIP members form new 'independent' party to challenge Plymouth's 'cosy council cartel'". Plymouth Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2016.[permanent dead link]
^"PLYMOUTH INDEPENDENTS LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK".
^"Plymouth City Council: Conservatives gain seat leading to hung council". ITV News. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
^"Labour's majority increased after gains". BBC News. 6 May 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
^Sam Blackledge (16 May 2016). "Conservatives and UKIP form coalition to run Plymouth City Council". Plymouth Herald. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
^"Polish family 'scared to go outside' after arson attack". ITV News. Retrieved 17 November 2018.