The 2021 Norfolk County Council election took place alongside the other 2021 local elections. Eighty-three of the 84 seats on Norfolk County Council were elected on 6 May. The election in Sewell division was postponed following the death of Conservative candidate Evelyn Collishaw and was held on 17 July.
The Conservative Party retained control of the council and increased its majority, winning 58 seats with around the same vote share as in the 2017 election: the Liberal Democrats lost three seats in the north of the county, and Labour took losses to the Conservatives in the port towns of King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth as well as three losses to the Green Party who regained ground in southern and central Norwich.
Summary 2017 election Party Seats 55 17 11 1Total84
Composition of council seats before election Party Seats 52 16 9 5Vacant 2Total84
Changes between elections
In between the 2017 election and the 2021 election, the following council seats changed hands:
Division Date Previous Party New Party Cause Resulting Council Composition Con Lab LDem IndYarmouth North and Central17 November 2017 Councillor quit party to sit as an independent member.5516112Marshland North27 November 2017 Councillor quit party to sit as an independent member.5416113Freebridge Lynn5 March 2020 Sitting councillor resigned.No by-election was held.5316113Mundesley9 September 2020 Councillor quit party to sit as an independent member.531610 4North Walsham West and Erpingham20 November 2020 Sitting Liberal Democrats Councillor defected to Conservatives.5416 9 4Thetford East2 March 2021 Sitting councillor resigned.No by-election was held as the resignation was sufficiently close to the upcoming County election.531694West Depwade15 March 2021 Councillor quit party to sit as an independent member.52169 5
Election result
Results by division
Breckland
+Breckland District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 11 19,315 61.6–1.6Labour 1 7,207 23.0 +0.4Liberal Democrat 0 2,573 8.2 +0.6Green 0 2,076 6.6 +4.5UKIP 0 105 0.3–4.3Independent 0 91 0.3N/ATotal1231,56329.2Registered electors108,021–
Division results
Broadland +Broadland District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 11 19,600 52.6–2.8Liberal Democrat 2 7,347 19.7 +0.2Labour 0 6,721 18.1–1.7Green 0 3,486 9.4 +8.5Independent 0 78 0.2N/ATotal1337,232100.0
Division results
Great Yarmouth
+Great Yarmouth Borough SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 7 1 12,428 58.8 +13.9Labour 2 1 5,821 27.5 –1.2Green 0 1,627 7.7 +5.7Independent 0 566 2.7 N/ALiberal Democrat 0 500 2.4 +0.7UKIP 0 121 0.6 –22.1Reform UK 0 74 0.4 N/ATotal921,137100.0
Division results
King's Lynn and West Norfolk
+King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 12 19,527 56.5 –1.9Independent 2 1 6,026 17.4 +13.8Labour 0 1 5,390 15.6 –4.1Liberal Democrat 0 1,997 5.8 –3.9Green 0 1,418 4.1 +2.7UKIP 0 160 0.5 –6.9Reform UK 0 56 0.2 N/ATotal1434,574100.0
Division results
North Norfolk
+North Norfolk District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 6 2 14,637 44.4 +5.1Liberal Democrat 4 3 11,751 35.7 –6.0Independent 1 1 1,868 5.7 +5.4Labour 0 2,374 7.2 –2.7Green 0 2,275 6.9 +3.8MRLP 0 45 0.1 N/ATotal 11 32,950 100.0
Norwich
+Norwich City SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Labour 9 3 17,576 44.9 –0.8Green 3 3 9,432 24.1 +7.6Liberal Democrat 1 2,956 7.6 –3.4Conservative 0 8,882 22.7 +0.6Independent 0 292 0.7 +0.2Total 13 39,138 100.0
Division results
Due to the death of Evelyn Collishaw, the Conservative candidate, after the close of nominations, the election for Sewell division was delayed until 17 July.
South Norfolk
+South Norfolk District SummaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Conservative 11 20,551 50.2 –7.6Liberal Democrat 1 8,168 19.9 –4.7Labour 0 7,324 17.9 +1.0Green 0 3,948 9.6 +8.8Independent 0 888 2.2 N/AReform UK 0 64 0.2 N/ATotal 12 40,943 100.0
Division results
Changes 2021–2025
Affiliation changes
In November 2023, two Labour councillors in Norwich wards, Emma Corlett and Maxine Webb, left the party to sit as independents.
By-elections
Gaywood South
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Conservative councillor Thomas Smith, less than a month after he had been re-elected in May 2021.
Gaywood North and Central
The by-election was triggered by the resignation of Conservative councillor Graham Middleton.
Swaffham
The by-election followed the resignation of Conservative councillor Ed Colman, who stood down from both the county and district councils following a change in circumstances.
West Depwade
The by-election was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Barry Duffin.
Freebridge Lynn (August 2023)
The by-election was triggered by the death of Conservative councillor Nick Daubney.
Freebridge Lynn (September 2024)
The by-election was triggered by the death of Liberal Democrat councillor John Crofts. Vote-share changes are relative to the 2021 election, rather than the August 2023 by-election.
Mancroft
The by-election followed the resignation of Green councillor Jamie Osborn from his city and county council seats.
Marshland North
The by-election was caused by Conservative councillor Julian Kirk's resignation after he joined Reform UK; Kirk then regained the seat for his new party.
Thetford West
The by-election followed the resignation of Labour councillor Terry Jermy after he was elected as the member of Parliament for South West Norfolk in July 2024.
References