2009 United Kingdom local elections

The 2009 United Kingdom local elections were elections held to all 27 County Councils, three existing Unitary Authorities and five new Unitary Authorities, all in England, on 4 June 2009.[2][3] The elections were due to be held on 7 May 2009, but were delayed in order to coincide with elections to the European Parliament.[4][5]

2009 United Kingdom local elections

4 June 2009
35 English Local Authorities
First party Second party Third party   Leader David Cameron Nick Clegg Gordon Brown Party Conservative Liberal Democrats Labour Leader since 6 December 2005 18 December 2007 24 June 2007 Percentage 38%[1] 28% 23% Swing 6% 3% 1% Councils 30 1 0 Councils +/– 7 1 4 Councillors 1,531 484 178 Councillors +/– 244 2 291
Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.

The elections produced a political landscape on the map of England that was a sea of Conservative blue. The party snatched Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and Lancashire from Labour, as well as Devon and Somerset from the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrats did however win a majority in Bristol. Despite the optimism for the Conservatives in seat and council gains, their share of the vote at 38% was 6% down on 2008. That said, they had a clear 10% lead over the Liberal Democrats who achieved a respectable second place on 28%.

Labour, taking the blame in government from a worsening economic climate, soaring unemployment and the expenses scandal, lost all of its councils, with some authorities being swept clear of any Labour councillors at all. Its showing in the same day's European elections was similarly dismal, and although four years had passed since the last general election, there would be no general election in 2009; opinion polls all pointed at a heavy Labour defeat at the time.