The 2002 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 2 May 2002. All London borough council seats were elected as well a third of the seats on each of the metropolitan boroughs. Many unitary authorities and district councils also had elections. There were no local elections in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. This was the last time that Labour had the largest number of councillors in local government until 2023.
Results Simon Parker of The Guardian described the elections as "a round of embarrassing [sic] defeats for Labour in a set of council elections that also saw opposition parties making minor inroads into the party's dominant position in local government. [...] But the night really belonged to independents and the smaller parties, who made some high-profile gains as the voters expressed their dissatisfaction with mainstream politics."
England
London boroughs In all 32 London boroughs, the whole council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBarking and Dagenham ‡ holdDetailsBarnet ‡ gainDetailsBexley ‡ gainDetailsBrent ‡ holdDetailsBromley ‡ holdDetailsCamden ‡ holdDetailsCroydon ‡ holdDetailsEaling ‡ holdDetailsEnfield ‡ gainDetailsGreenwich ‡ holdDetailsHackney ‡ holdDetailsHammersmith and Fulham ‡ holdDetailsHaringey ‡ holdDetailsHarrow ‡ gainDetailsHavering ‡ holdDetailsHillingdon ‡ holdDetailsHounslow ‡ holdDetailsIslington ‡ holdDetailsKensington and Chelsea ‡ holdDetailsKingston upon Thames ‡ gainDetailsLambeth ‡ gainDetailsLewisham ‡ holdDetailsMerton ‡ holdDetailsNewham ‡ holdDetailsRedbridge ‡ gainDetailsRichmond upon Thames ‡ gainDetailsSouthwark ‡ holdDetailsSutton ‡ holdDetailsTower Hamlets ‡ holdDetailsWaltham Forest ‡ gainDetailsWandsworth ‡ holdDetailsWestminster ‡ holdDetails ‡ New ward boundaries
Metropolitan boroughs All 36 English Metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBarnsley holdDetailsBirmingham holdDetailsBolton holdDetailsBradford holdDetailsBury holdDetailsCalderdale gain (Conservative Minority)DetailsCoventry holdDetailsDoncaster holdDetailsDudley holdDetailsGateshead holdDetailsKirklees holdDetailsKnowsley holdDetailsLeeds holdDetailsLiverpool holdDetailsManchester holdDetailsNewcastle upon Tyne holdDetailsNorth Tyneside holdDetailsOldham gainDetailsRochdale holdDetailsRotherham holdDetailsSalford holdDetailsSandwell holdDetailsSefton holdDetailsSheffield gainDetailsSolihull holdDetailsSouth Tyneside holdDetailsSt Helens holdDetailsStockport holdDetailsSunderland holdDetailsTameside holdDetailsTrafford holdDetailsWakefield holdDetailsWalsall holdDetailsWigan holdDetailsWirral holdDetailsWolverhampton holdDetails
Unitary authorities
Whole council In six English Unitary authorities, the whole council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsDerby ‡ holdDetailsKingston upon Hull ‡ gainDetailsMilton Keynes ‡ gainDetailsPortsmouth ‡ holdDetailsSouthampton ‡ holdDetailsStoke-on-Trent ‡ gainDetails ‡ New ward boundaries
Third of council In 12 English Unitary authorities, one third of the council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBlackburn with Darwen holdDetailsBristol holdDetailsHalton holdDetailsHartlepool holdDetailsPeterborough gainDetailsReading holdDetailsSlough holdDetailsSouthend-on-Sea holdDetailsSwindon holdDetailsThurrock holdDetailsWarrington holdDetailsWokingham gainDetails
District councils
Whole council In 46 English district authorities, the whole council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBasildon ‡ holdDetailsBasingstoke and Deane ‡ holdDetailsBassetlaw ‡ holdDetailsBedford ‡ holdDetailsBrentwood ‡ holdDetailsBurnley ‡ hold DetailsCannock Chase ‡ holdDetailsCheltenham ‡ gainDetailsCherwell ‡ holdDetailsChorley ‡ holdDetailsColchester ‡ holdDetailsCraven ‡ holdDetailsEastbourne ‡ gainDetailsEastleigh ‡ holdDetailsEpping Forest ‡ holdDetailsFareham ‡ holdDetailsGloucester ‡ holdDetailsGosport ‡ holdDetailsHarlow ‡ gainDetailsHarrogate ‡ gainDetailsHart ‡ gainDetailsHastings ‡ holdDetailsHavant ‡ gainDetailsHyndburn ‡ gainDetailsIpswich ‡ holdDetailsMaidstone ‡ holdDetailsNewcastle-under-Lyme ‡ gainDetailsNuneaton and Bedworth ‡ holdDetailsOxford ‡ gainDetailsPendle ‡ holdDetailsPreston ‡ holdDetailsRochford ‡ gainDetailsRossendale ‡ gainDetailsRugby ‡ holdDetailsRushmoor ‡ holdDetailsShrewsbury and Atcham ‡ gainDetailsSouth Bedfordshire ‡ holdDetailsStratford-on-Avon ‡ holdDetailsStroud ‡ gainDetailsSwale ‡ gainDetailsTamworth ‡ holdDetailsTunbridge Wells ‡ holdDetailsWaveney ‡ gainDetailsWest Lancashire ‡ gainDetailsWest Oxfordshire ‡ holdDetailsWinchester ‡ holdDetails ‡ New ward boundaries
Third of council In 42 English district authorities, one third of the council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsAdur gainDetailsAmber Valley holdDetailsBarrow-in-Furness holdDetailsBroadland holdDetailsBroxbourne holdDetailsCambridge holdDetailsCarlisle holdDetailsChester holdDetailsCongleton holdDetailsCrawley holdDetailsCrewe and Nantwich holdDetailsDaventry holdDetailsEllesmere Port and Neston holdDetailsElmbridge gainDetailsExeter holdDetailsGreat Yarmouth holdDetailsHertsmere holdDetailsHuntingdonshire holdDetailsLincoln holdDetailsMacclesfield holdDetailsMole Valley holdDetailsNorth Hertfordshire holdDetailsNorwich gainDetailsPenwith holdDetailsPurbeck holdDetailsRedditch gainDetailsReigate and Banstead holdDetailsRunnymede holdDetailsSouth Cambridgeshire holdDetailsSouth Lakeland holdDetailsSt Albans holdDetailsStevenage holdDetailsTandridge holdDetailsThree Rivers holdDetailsWatford holdDetailsWelwyn Hatfield gainDetailsWest Lindsey holdDetailsWeymouth and Portland holdDetailsWoking holdDetailsWorcester holdDetailsWorthing gainDetailsWyre Forest gainDetails
Mayoral elections There were seven elections for directly elected mayors.
Local Authority Previous Mayor Mayor-elect DetailsDoncaster New Post Martin Winter (Labour)Hartlepool New Post Stuart Drummond (Independent)DetailsLewisham New Post Steve Bullock (Labour)Middlesbrough New Post Ray Mallon (Independent)Newham New Post Robin Wales (Labour)North Tyneside New Post Chris Morgan (Conservative)Watford New Post Dorothy Thornhill (Liberal Democrat)Details
Notes
References
Vote 2002 BBC News Local elections in England: 2 May 2002. House of Commons Library Research Paper 02/33. Full 2002 ward results The Guardian local election coverage