Cardiff Council elections take place for the whole council every five years, to Cardiff Council (officially the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff) in south Wales. It came into being as a unitary authority on 1 April 1996, after the passing of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. In 2014 the National Assembly for Wales deferred all local elections in Wales to 2017. The council is composed of 75 councillors.
Between 1974 and 1996 Cardiff Council was a district council of South Glamorgan (the city also electing councillors to the county council). Prior to 1974 Cardiff Council governed a county borough, separate from the county of Glamorgan.
Political control Since the current council was established as a unitary authority in 1995, political control has been held by the following parties:
Party in controlParty in minority leadLabour 1995–2004No overall control 2004–2012 Liberal Democrats 2004–2012Labour 2012-
Leadership The leaders of Cardiff Council since 1996 have been:
Councillor Party From To Russell Goodway 1 April 1996 1 Jul 2004 Rodney Berman 1 Jul 2004 6 May 2012 Heather Joyce 17 May 2012 27 Mar 2014 Phil Bale 27 Mar 2014 25 May 2017 Huw Thomas 25 May 2017
Council elections 1987 Cardiff City Council election 1991 Cardiff City Council election 1995 Cardiff Council election 1999 Cardiff Council election 2004 Cardiff Council election 2008 Cardiff Council election 2012 Cardiff Council election 2017 Cardiff Council election 2022 Cardiff Council election
City result maps
By-election results 1995–1999 Fairwater
Plasnewydd
The by-election was called following the election of Cllr. Julie Morgan as the Member for the Parliamentary constituency of Cardiff North.
Rhiwbina
1999–2004 Cyncoed
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Jenny Randerson.
Canton
The by-election was called following the election of Cllr. Kevin Brennan as the Member for the Parliamentary constituency of Cardiff West.
Llandaff North
Gabalfa
Pentwyn
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Bill Cookson.
2004–2008 There were no by-elections.
2008–2012 Pentyrch
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Simon Roberts.
Riverside
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Gwenllian Lansdown.
2012–2017 Riverside
The by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour councillor Phil Hawkins for personal reasons.
Splott
A by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour councillor Luke Holland following accusations of non-attendance at council meetings. He stated that he planned to move to London.
Canton
The by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour Councillor Cerys Furlong on 30 December 2013.
Llandaff North
The by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour councillor Siobhan Corria for personal reasons.
Pentyrch
The by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour Councillor Craig Williams, following his election as MP for Cardiff North.
Riverside
The by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour councillor Cecilia Love for family reasons.
Plasnewydd
The by-election was caused by the death of Labour councillor Mohammed Javed.
Grangetown
The by-election was caused by the death of Labour councillor Chris Lomax.
2017–2022 Ely
The by-election was caused by the death of Labour councillor Jim Murphy on 1 December 2018.
Cyncoed
The by-election was caused by the death of Liberal Democrat Councillor Wendy Congreve on 14 May 2019.
Whitchurch & Tongwynlais
The by-election was caused by the death of Conservative councillor Tim Davies on 4 June 2019.
Llanishen
The by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour councillor Phil Bale in Autumn 2019.
Heath
The by-election was called following the resignation of Cllr. Fenella Bowden who resigned for health reasons.
2022–2026
Grangetown (2024)
The by-election was caused by the death of Labour councillor Abdul Sattar on 15 February 2024.
Splott (2024)
The by-election was caused by the death of Labour councillor Jane Henshaw on 22/23 September 2024.
Her daughter succeeded her as Councillor.
Llanrumney (2025)
The by-election was caused by the resignation, for health reasons, of Labour councillor Heather Joyce, after representing Llanrumney for 17 years.
Grangetown (2025)
The by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour councillor, Sara Robinson.
Trowbridge (2025)
There were 9 rejected ballot papers. 8 unmarked or void for uncertainty and one for voting for more than one candidate.
The by-election was caused by the resignation of Labour councillor, Chris Lay.
Splott (2026)
The by-election was called following the election of Cardiff Council leader, Huw Thomas, to the Senedd in May 2026.
See also 1889 Cardiff County Borough Council election
References