The 2004 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 10 June 2004, along with the European elections and the London mayoral and Assembly elections.

The councils of all the metropolitan boroughs in England and all the principal areas of Wales were all up for re-election, along with many other district and unitary authorities throughout England. No local elections were held in Scotland.

Overall These were the first elections since Michael Howard became leader of the Conservative Party. Howard was looking for a good result in the election to confirm that the Conservatives were back on the road to being able to seriously consider winning the next general election.

Early results confirmed that the Labour Party was having a bad time. Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said that, "Iraq was a cloud, or indeed a shadow, over these elections. I am not saying we haven't had a kicking. It's not a great day for Labour".

However the Conservatives were not making many of the gains that would have indicated a complete change of electoral fortune. The national equivalent share of the vote in the election was found by academics Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher to be 37% to the Conservatives, 27% to the Liberal Democrats and 26% to Labour. For one of the two major parties to come third in local elections was unheard of in the post-1945 period, let alone for a governing party with such a large majority to come third.

Even in the North, Labour's traditional heartland, Labour did not do too well, losing control of Doncaster, Leeds, Newcastle and St Helens. However, they did pick up several councils, notably Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taff from Plaid Cymru in Wales.

Despite an increase in their vote and number of councillors, the Liberal Democrats saw a net loss of councils to NOC. The loss to the Conservatives of Eastbourne was in a single-seat by-election. This was partially offset by victories in Newcastle upon Tyne and Pendle.

The British National Party made a net gain of four seats, and held 14. This left them with a total 21 councillors in the country, including six in Burnley and four in Bradford. In the wards they contested, they averaged 16.1% of the vote.

It was to prove a false dawn for the Conservatives; when Britain went to the polls for the following year's general election, Labour was re-elected, although its majority was greatly reduced and the Conservatives did make gains.

England Metropolitan boroughs

Council Previous control Result Details Barnsley ‡ hold Details Birmingham ‡ hold Details Bolton ‡ hold Details Bradford ‡ holdDetails Bury ‡ holdDetails Calderdale ‡ holdDetails Coventry ‡ holdDetails Doncaster ‡ gainDetails Dudley ‡ gainDetails Gateshead ‡ holdDetails Kirklees ‡ holdDetails Knowsley ‡ holdDetails Leeds ‡ gainDetails Liverpool ‡ holdDetails Manchester ‡ holdDetails Newcastle upon Tyne ‡ gainDetails North Tyneside ‡ holdDetails Oldham ‡ holdDetails Rochdale ‡ holdDetails Rotherham ‡ holdDetails St Helens ‡ gainDetails Salford ‡ holdDetails Sandwell ‡ holdDetails Sefton ‡ holdDetails Sheffield ‡ holdDetails Solihull ‡ holdDetails South Tyneside ‡ holdDetails Stockport ‡ holdDetails Sunderland ‡ holdDetails Tameside ‡ holdDetails Trafford ‡ gainDetails Wakefield ‡ holdDetails Walsall ‡ gainDetails Wigan ‡ holdDetails Wirral ‡ holdDetails Wolverhampton ‡ holdDetails ‡ New ward boundaries

Unitary authorities Whole council

Council Previous control Result Details Blackburn with Darwen ‡ holdDetails Halton ‡ holdDetails Hartlepool ‡ gainDetails Peterborough ‡ gainDetails Reading ‡ holdDetails Slough ‡ gainDetails Thurrock ‡ gainDetails Warrington ‡ holdDetails Wokingham ‡ holdDetails ‡ New ward boundaries

Third of council

Council Previous control Result Details Derby holdDetails Kingston upon Hull holdDetails Milton Keynes holdDetails North East Lincolnshire holdDetails Plymouth holdDetails Portsmouth holdDetails Southampton holdDetails Southend-on-Sea holdDetails Stoke-on-Trent gainDetails Swindon gainDetails

District councils Whole council

Council Previous control Result Details Adur ‡ holdDetails Broadland ‡ holdDetails Cambridge ‡ holdDetails Crawley ‡ holdDetails Great Yarmouth ‡ holdDetails Huntingdonshire ‡ holdDetails Norwich ‡ gainDetails Penwith ‡ holdDetails Redditch ‡ gain Details South Cambridgeshire ‡ holdDetails Weymouth & Portland ‡ holdDetails Worcester ‡ holdDetails Worthing ‡ gainDetails Wyre Forest ‡ holdDetails ‡ New ward boundaries

Half of council

Council Previous control Result Details Cheltenham gainDetails Fareham holdDetails Gosport holdDetails Hastings gainDetails Nuneaton & Bedworth holdDetails Oxford gainDetails

Third of council

Council Previous control Result Details Amber Valley holdDetails Barrow-in-Furness holdDetails Basildon holdDetails Basingstoke & Deane holdDetails Bassetlaw gainDetails Bedford holdDetails Brentwood gainDetails Broxbourne holdDetails Burnley gainDetails Cannock Chase holdDetails Carlisle holdDetails Castle Point holdDetails Cherwell holdDetails Chester holdDetails Chorley holdDetails Colchester holdDetails Congleton holdDetails Craven holdDetails Crewe & Nantwich holdDetails Daventry holdDetails Eastbourne gainDetails Eastleigh holdDetails Ellesmere Port & Neston holdDetails Elmbridge holdDetails Epping Forest holdDetails Exeter holdDetails Gloucester holdDetails Harlow holdDetails Harrogate holdDetails Hart holdDetails Havant holdDetails Hertsmere holdDetails Hyndburn holdDetails Ipswich gainDetails Lincoln holdDetails Macclesfield holdDetails Maidstone holdDetails Mole Valley holdDetails Newcastle-under-Lyme gainDetails North Hertfordshire holdDetails Pendle gainDetails Preston holdDetails Purbeck holdDetails Reigate and Banstead holdDetails Rochford holdDetails Rossendale gainDetails Rugby holdDetails Runnymede holdDetails Rushmoor holdDetails St Albans holdDetails Shrewsbury & Atcham holdDetails South Bedfordshire holdDetails South Lakeland holdDetails Stevenage holdDetails Stratford-on-Avon holdDetails Stroud holdDetails Swale holdDetails Tamworth gainDetails Tandridge holdDetails Three Rivers holdDetails Tunbridge Wells holdDetails Watford holdDetails Waveney holdDetails Welwyn Hatfield holdDetails West Lancashire holdDetails West Lindsey gainDetails West Oxfordshire holdDetails Winchester gainDetails Woking holdDetails

Mayoral elections

Local Authority Previous Mayor Mayor-elect DetailsLondon Ken Livingstone (Labour) Ken Livingstone (Labour) holdDetails

Wales

Council Previous control Result Details Anglesey holdDetails Blaenau Gwent holdDetails Bridgend gainDetails Caerphilly gainDetails Cardiff gainDetails Carmarthenshire holdDetails Ceredigion holdDetails Conwy holdDetails Denbighshire holdDetails Flintshire holdDetails Gwynedd Details Merthyr Tydfil gainDetails Monmouthshire gainDetails Neath Port Talbot holdDetails Newport holdDetails Pembrokeshire holdDetails Powys holdDetails Rhondda Cynon Taff gainDetails Swansea gainDetails Torfaen holdDetails Vale of Glamorgan holdDetails Wrexham holdDetails

References

Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26.