The 2025 Gloucestershire County Council election took place on 1 May 2025 to elect members to Gloucestershire County Council in England. New boundaries applied and 55 seats were elected, two more than previously. This occurred on the same day as other local elections. The council was under no overall control prior to the election, being run by a Conservative minority administration. Following the election, the council remained under no overall control, but with the Liberal Democrats as the largest party. A minority Liberal Democrat administration subsequently formed to run the council.
Background In the 2021 election, the Conservatives won 28 seats, giving them a slim majority and control of the council. The Liberal Democrats were the second biggest party with 16 seats, followed by Labour with 5 seats and the Greens with 4 seats.
One by-election took place between the 2021 and 2025 elections:
+By-electionDivisionDateIncumbentWinnerCauseHighnam4 May 2023Phil AwfordPaul McLainDeath
In February 2022, councillor Alastair Chambers of Coney Hill and Matson left the Conservative Party following legal proceedings alleging he had breached the Animal Welfare Act, serving the rest of his term as an independent conservative. In May 2024, councillor Sue Williams of Bisley and Painswick left the Conservatives and joined the Green Party, citing disagreements on key policy positions such as the treatment of asylum seekers and the inaccessibility of the benefits system. Williams' resignation reduced the Conservatives to 26 seats and brought the council into no overall control. Williams rejoined the Conservatives in February 2025.
In the 2024 general election, the Conservatives lost all but one of their Gloucestershire seats, retaining North Cotswolds and losing five seats to Labour, who gained Forest of Dean, Gloucester and Stroud, and the Liberal Democrats, who gained Cheltenham and Tewkesbury as well as winning the new South Cotswolds seat. In October 2024, councillor Nick Housden of Stonehouse was suspended from the Conservative Party following undisclosed serious allegations against him, which he has denied. It was claimed that he had moved to the Netherlands, but in December, Housden refused to resign and stated that he was considering standing for election again, but that he was undecided where he would run and for what party.
The Local Government Boundary Commission for England began a review in 2023, since there was excessive variation in the number of electors per councillor. Their recommendations, which came into effect at the 2025 election, increased the number of councillors from 53 to 55 and changed the boundaries of 39 electoral divisions.
Previous council composition After 2021 election Before 2025 election Party Seats Party Seats 28 26 16 16 5 4 4 4 0 2 Vacant N/A Vacant 1
Changes February 2022: Alastair Chambers (Conservative) suspended from party March 2023: Phil Awford (Conservative) dies; by-election held May 2023 May 2023: Paul McLain (Conservative) wins by-election May 2024: Sue Williams (Conservative) joins Green Party November 2024: Nicholas Housden (Conservative) suspended from party February 2025: Sue Williams (Green) re-joins Conservatives; David Drew (Labour) resigns – seat left vacant until 2025 election
Summary Prior to the election the council was under no overall control, being run by a Conservative minority administration led by Stephen Davies. The council remained under no overall control following the election, but with the Liberal Democrats becoming the largest party. The Conservatives were left with just six seats, falling back to be the fourth largest party on the council after the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK and the Green Party. A minority Liberal Democrat administration formed with informal support from Labour (whose only councillor was made chairman of the council) and the Greens. Liberal Democrat councillor Lisa Spivey was formally appointed as the new leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 21 May 2025.
Election result
Results by district Cheltenham District summary +Cheltenham district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Liberal Democrats 9 3 14,831 44.9 +2.8Reform UK 0 6,686 20.3 N/AConservative 0 4 6,672 20.2 –19.4Green 1 1 3,451 10.5 –2.0Labour 0 1,169 3.5 –2.4Independent 0 110 0.3 N/ATUSC 0 76 0.2 N/ACPA 0 22 0.1 N/ATotal1033,017
Division results
Cotswold
District summary +Cotswolds district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Liberal Democrats 5 1 10,903 38.9 +2.2Conservative 3 1 8,509 30.4 –16.7Reform UK 0 5,928 21.1 +19.7Green 0 1,913 6.8 –1.2Labour 0 781 2.8 –3.6Total828,034
Division results
Forest of Dean
District summary +Forest of Dean district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Reform UK 5 5 8,312 33.0 N/AGreen 2 5,582 22.1 +1.5Conservative 0 4 4,474 17.7 –24.0Labour 0 1 2,421 9.6 –7.6Liberal Democrats 1 2,342 9.3 +1.0Independent 0 2,079 8.2 –3.3Total825,210
Division results
Gloucester
District summary +Gloucester district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Reform UK 3 3 8,263 28.3 N/ALiberal Democrats 4 2 7,721 26.5 +2.8Conservative 2 6 6,880 23.6 –24.7Labour 0 3,313 11.4 –8.5Green 0 1,551 5.3 +1.6Independent 1 1 1,325 4.5 +0.6TUSC 0 67 0.2 +0.1Workers Party 0 34 0.1 N/ASocialist Labour 0 30 0.1 N/ATotal1029,184
Division results
Stroud
District summary +Stroud district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Green 6 5 12,152 31.1 +10.4Reform UK 2 2 8,785 22.5 N/ALabour 1 3 6,878 17.6 –10.8Conservative 1 3 6,570 16.8 –24.3Liberal Democrats 1 3,727 9.5 +1.5Independent 0 927 2.4 +1.5TUSC 0 58 0.1 ±0.0Socialist (GB) 0 25 0.1 N/ATotal11 139,122
Division results
Tewkesbury
District summary +Tewkesbury district summaryPartySeats+/-Votes%+/-Liberal Democrats 7 5 10,041 36.6 +6.0Reform UK 1 1 7,930 28.9 N/AConservative 0 4 4,710 17.2 –30.2Green 0 1 2,461 9.0 –2.1Labour 0 870 3.2 –7.4TTI 0 785 2.9 N/AIndependent 0 638 2.3 N/ATotal8 127,444
Division results
By-elections between 2025 and 2029
St Mark's and St Peter's
Cirencester Park
See also Gloucestershire County Council elections
References