No overall control

In the context of local authorities in the United Kingdom, no overall control (NOC; ) is a situation in which no single political group achieves a majority of seats, comparable to a hung parliament. Of the 248 councils who had members up for election in the 2019 local elections, 73 (over a quarter) resulted in a NOC administration. In the 2021 local elections, 14 resulted in no overall control. Outside of the UK, the term may be applied to other local authorities, such as the local councils of Malta and the General Assembly of Budapest in Hungary.

Administration Typically, if no party achieves overall control of a council, the largest grouping will form alliances to create an ad hoc governing coalition. Often local authorities have larger proportions of smaller party and independent members than the House of Commons, and when there is no overall control this often results in minor groups having more influence than their numbers alone would suggest.

In a result of no overall control, the largest party may attempt to govern as a minority administration. Parties may also work together to create a formal deal, which can range from a confidence and supply deal to full coalition. Deals, especially the looser kind, can occur between parties which are not traditionally aligned on a national level. For example, a minority Conservative administration was formed in 2019 in Bolton supported by the Liberal Democrats and UKIP, whilst a Labour-UKIP formal coalition existed in Basildon. Following the 2017 Aberdeen City Council election, all nine Labour councillors were expelled from the party for entering into a coalition with the Conservatives.

It is possible for a council to be under no overall control even when there appears to be an overall majority, in particular in the case of a majority of independents, who commonly have no collective policies when elected. This can also arise when the council members divide on other than party lines. For instance, the 2004 elections to the Isle of Anglesey County Council returned more independents than all others put together, but only Plaid Cymru maintained a party group within the council, and not all of its elected members joined the group. The remainder of the council, including some members of other political parties, formed four non-partisan groups, none of which held a majority. The 2008 elections resulted in a group called the Original Independents gaining an overall majority.

No overall control is more common in Northern Ireland and Scotland, in part due to their usage of single transferable vote as opposed to the plurality block voting system used in England and Wales. Following the 2022 Scottish local elections, twenty-seven of the thirty-two councils were under no overall control, with a further three having a majority of independents. Following the 2023 Northern Ireland local elections, all eleven councils were under no overall control.

Local authorities County councils CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControlSeatsDevon6027Liberal Democrats/Green coalition33East Sussex5022Conservative minority22Gloucestershire5527Liberal Democrats minority27Hertfordshire7832Liberal Democrats minority32Leicestershire5525Reform UK minority25Surrey8139Conservative minority39Warwickshire5722Reform UK minority22Worcestershire5726Reform UK minority26

Metropolitan boroughs CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControlSeatsBolton6025Labour minority25Dudley7233Conservative minority33Kirklees6923Labour minority23Newcastle upon Tyne7837Labour minority37Oldham6027Labour minority27Sheffield8435Labour/Liberal Democrats/Green coalition76South Tyneside5427Labour minority27Stockport6330Liberal Democrats minority30Wirral6627Labour minority27

Unitary authorities CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControlSeatsBedford4614 + mayorConservative mayor14 + mayorBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole7629Liberal Democrats/Christchurch Independents/Poole People/Independent coalition47Bracknell Forest4120Labour minority20Bristol7035Green/Liberal Democrats coalition43Buckinghamshire9748Conservative minority48Central Bedfordshire6328Independent minority28Cheshire East8234Labour/Independent coalition45Cheshire West and Chester7035Labour minority35Cornwall8726Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition42Darlington5023Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition25Derby5124Labour minority24East Riding of Yorkshire6725Conservative minority25Herefordshire5320Conservative minority20Isle of Wight3913Independent/Green/Our Island coalition12North East Lincolnshire4218Conservative minority18North Somerset5015Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green/Portishead Independents/Independent coalition35North Yorkshire9043Conservative minority43Northumberland6927Conservative minority27Peterborough6015Labour minority15Portsmouth4218Liberal Democrats minority18Redcar and Cleveland5919Labour minority19Rutland2711Liberal Democrats/Green coalition12Slough4220Conservative/Liberal Democrats coalition30South Gloucestershire6123Liberal Democrats/Labour Party coalition34Southend-on-Sea5119Labour/Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition28Stockton-on-Tees5625Labour minority22Torbay3617Conservative minority17Wiltshire9843Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition50

London boroughs CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControlSeatsCroydon7134Conservative mayor33Havering5525Havering Residents Association/Labour coalition33Tower Hamlets4521 + mayorAspire mayor21 + mayor

Welsh principal areas CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControlSeatsCarmarthenshire7537Plaid Cymru minority37Conwy5523Independent/Labour/Plaid Cymru coalition39Denbighshire4815Labour/Plaid Cymru coalition23Flintshire6728Labour minority28Merthyr Tydfil3014Independent minority14Monmouthshire4621Labour minority21Neath Port Talbot6027Independent/Plaid Cymru coalition29Pembrokeshire6036Independent/Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition29Powys6822Liberal Democrats/Labour coalition31Vale of Glamorgan5424Labour/Llantwit First Independents/Independent coalition29Wrexham5627Independent/Conservative coalition30

District councils CouncilSeatsLargest partySeatsControlSeatsArun5419Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition28Ashford4717Conservative minority17Babergh3210Green/Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition24Basildon4219Labour minority19Basingstoke and Deane5415B&D Independents/Liberal Democrats/Green/Independent coalition28Brentwood3919Liberal Democrats/Labour coalition20Broadland4722Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition25Bromsgrove3111Conservative/Independent coalition18Broxtowe4418Broxtowe Independents minority18Burnley4515Independent/Liberal Democrats/Green coalition22Canterbury3918Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition27Charnwood5223Labour minority20Cherwell4817Liberal Democrats/Green coalition21Colchester5119Liberal Democrats minority14Derbyshire Dales3412Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition23Dover3216Labour minority16East Devon6018Liberal Democrats/Green/Independent coalition31East Hampshire4319Conservative/Whitehill and Bordon Community Party coalition25East Hertfordshire5017Green/Liberal Democrats coalition27East Lindsey5525Conservative minority25East Suffolk5516Green/Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition28Elmbridge4821Liberal Democrats/Residents Association coalition35Folkestone and Hythe3011Green/Liberal Democrats coalition13Forest of Dean3815Green minority15Gloucester3917Liberal Democrats minority17Great Yarmouth3919Conservative minority19Harborough District Council3415Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition19Hart3312Liberal Democrats/Community Campaign (Hart) coalition23Hastings3212Green/Independent coalition18Havant3613Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition21Hertsmere3916Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition23Huntingdonshire5219Liberal Democrats/Labour/St Neots Independent Group/Green/Independent coalition32King's Lynn and West Norfolk5521Independent/Liberal Democrats/Green coalition21Lancaster6122Green/Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition50Lewes4116Green/Labour coalition24Lichfield4721Conservative minority21Maidstone4913Liberal Democrats/Green/Independent coalition26Maldon3110Maldon District Independent Group minority6Malvern Hills3113Independent/Green coalition18Melton2810Independent/Labour coalition15Mid Sussex4820Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition24Newark and Sherwood3914Labour minority10North Hertfordshire5125Labour minority25North Warwickshire3517Conservative minority17North West Leicestershire3817Conservative/Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition19Norwich3919Labour minority19Oxford4820Labour minority20Pendle3313Independent/Liberal Democrats coalition18Reigate and Banstead4519Conservative minority19Ribble Valley4017Conservative minority17Rochford3911Liberal Democrats/Independent/Green coalition21Rother3810Labour/Rother Association of Independent Councillors/Liberal Democrats/Green coalition24Rugby4217Conservative minority17Runnymede4112Labour/Liberal Democrats/RIRG/Green/Independent coalition25South Kesteven5622Independent/Liberal Democrats/Green coalition28South Norfolk4623Conservative minority23Spelthorne3916Liberal Democrats/Independent coalition14Stafford4015Labour/Stafford Borough Independents/Green coalition24Staffordshire Moorlands5623Labour minority23Stroud5122Green minority22Swale4716Labour/Swale Independents/Green/Independent coalition30Tandridge4311Independent/Oxted and Limpsfield Residents Group coalition20Tendring4814Independent/Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition28Tewkesbury3816Liberal Democrats/Independent/Green coalition29Tonbridge and Malling4420Conservative minority20Torridge3616Independent minority16Warwick4414Green/Labour coalition24Waverley5022Liberal Democrats/Farnham Residents Party/Labour/Green coalition38Wealden4511Liberal Democrats/Green coalition2211Welwyn Hatfield4820Labour/Liberal Democrats coalition36West Devon3111Independent/Green/Liberal Democrats/Labour coalition20West Lancashire4813Conservative/Our West Lancashire coalition23West Lindsey3617Liberal Democrats minority17West Oxfordshire4921Liberal Democrats/Labour/Green coalition36West Suffolk6426Labour/Independent/West Suffolk Independent/Liberal Democrats/Green coalition28Worcester3517Labour minority17

No overall control

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