Sheffield City Council elections

Sheffield City Council elections usually take place by thirds, three years out of every four. Each of Sheffield's 28 wards is represented by three positions on the council, meaning there are usually 28 seats contested in each local election. 2004 saw new ward boundaries and therefore all seats were contested.

Political control

Party in control Years
Labour 1973–1999
Liberal Democrats 1999–2002
No overall control 2002–2003
Labour 2003–2007
No overall control 2007–2008
Liberal Democrats 2008–2010
No overall control 2010–2011
Labour 2011–present

Council elections

Before 1974, elections were by thirds annually for a three-year term, with Aldermen elected from the body of councillors every three years. In 1974, Aldermen were abolished, and elections to Sheffield City Council are by thirds, in three years of every four, for a four-year term.

For twenty years from 1846, Isaac Ironside's Central Democratic Association was a force on the council. It then returned to typical ConservativeLiberal rivalry. Labour made little impact in its early years; by 1918, there were only three Labour councillors (and two Liberal-Labour, plus one Lib-Lab alderman). That all changed in 1919; Labour won almost all the seats up for election that year, giving them 12 and their coalition partners the Co-operative Party two. In response to their losses, the Conservative and Liberal groups merged to form the Citizens Association, retaining control with 32 councillors and 15 aldermen. The Lib-Labs remained unchanged in numbers and politically between the two groups.[1]

Year Conservative Liberal Liberal Unionist Lib-Lab Labour Others[2]
18813430----
18823430----
18833628----
18843430----
18853331----
188631294---
188730304---
188829305---
188930305---
189029314---
189130313---
189231303---
18933625-3--
18943724-3--
18953922-3--
18963822-4--
18973623-6--
1898[3]3225-5--
18993425-5--
19003523-6--
19012929-6--
19023226-6--
1903[3]3226-5--
19043424-6--
19053026-71-
19063025-63-
19073124-54-
19083522-43-
19093522-43-
1910[3]3323-52-
19112930-41-
19123130-3--
19133227-32-
19192622--133
19202421--136

Labour continued to advance at the expense of the Citizens Association. By 1922, there were 18 Labour councillors and one alderman; by 1925, 22 councillors and one alderman. At the 1926 elections, Labour rose to 29 councillors. A majority on the council and a large number of retiring aldermen finally enabled them to take 8 positions on the aldermanic bench.[1]

The seats were redistributed into 24 wards in 1930, and the Citizens Association renamed itself the Progressive Party, and a further seat was added for Norton in 1934, taking the total number of positions to 75 councillors and 25 aldermen. That year, Labour briefly lost control, but regained it in 1934, with an increased majority of 12. This rose to 14 the following year. In 1945, Labour had 59 total seats to the Progressive's 39, one independent and one Communist. Labour continued to build its majority, to 34 in 1952 and 42 by 1958.[1] However, it lost control to the Conservative Party, again standing on its own, in 1968-9.

Year Labour Citizens' Association /
Municipal Progressive
Ind. Conservative Ind. Liberal Ind. Labour Party Communist Others[4]
1921193812--8
19222040-2--6
1923224013--2
1924243833---
1925243932---
1926382531--1
1927392431--1
19284123?---1
192963229?--?
193057???--?
193149???1-?
193241???1-?
193350???--?
193456???--?
193557???--?
1936????--?
1937????--?
193853???--?
19455939---11
19466336----1
194768???--?
19496436??--?
Year Labour Liberal Conservative Independent Ratepayers
19506403600
19516303700
19526703300
19536803200
19547003000
19557202800
19567202800
19577202800
19587202800
19597202800
19606703201
19616703201
19626703201
19637302700
19647302700
19657202800
19667202800
19675904810
19685205600
19695705100
19706314400
19718012700
19728412300

Boundary changes took place for the 2004 election which reduced the number of seats by 3, leading to the whole council being elected in that year.

Popular vote numbers, 1973-2012
Popular vote share, 1973-2012
Year Labour Conservative Liberal and SDP (before 1990)
Liberal Democrat
(after 1990)
Greens Independent UKIP
1973 69 18 3 0 0 0
1975 66 20 4 0 0 0
1976 63 22 5 0 0 0
1978 60 24 6 0 0 0
1979 62 22 6 0 0 0
1980 60 18 9 0 0 0
1982 60 18 9 0 0 0
1983 60 18 9 0 0 0
1984 61 17 9 0 0 0
1986 63 15 9 0 0 0
1987 65 13 9 0 0 0
1988 66 12 9 0 0 0
1990 69 10 7 0 0 0
1991 70 11 6 0 0 0
1992 67 11 9 0 0 0
1994 56 8 22 0 0 0
1995 58 4 25 0 0 0
1996 55 1 31 0 0 0
1998 50 1 36 0 0 0
1999 39 1 47 0 0 0
2000 37 1 49 0 1 (Liberal) 0
2002 43 2 42 0 0 0
2003 49 1 37 0 0 0
2004 44 2 37 1 0 0
2006 44 2 36 2 0 0
2007 41 1 39 2 1 0
2008 36 0 45 3 0 0
2010 39 0 42 2 1 0
2011 50 0 32 2 0 0
2012 60 0 22 2 0 0
2014 59 0 18 4 0 3
2015 59 0 17 4 0 4

Borough result maps

By-election results

By-elections occur when seats become vacant between council elections. Below is a summary of recent by-elections; full by-election results can be found by clicking on the by-election name.

By-election Date Incumbent party Winning party
Ecclesall by-election 28 January 1977 Conservative Conservative
Nether Edge by-election 28 January 1977 Conservative Conservative
Manor by-election 12 August 1977 Labour Labour
Brightside by-election 8 October 1992 Labour Liberal Democrat
Dore by-election 8 October 1992 Conservative Conservative
Walkley by-election 26 November 1992 Labour Liberal Democrat
Walkley by-election 14 January 1993 Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Park by-election 14 January 1999 Labour Liberal Democrat
Chapel Green by-election 7 July 1999 Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Park by-election 19 October 2000 Labour Labour
Southey Green by-election 19 October 2000 Labour Labour
Birley by-election 5 May 2005 Labour Labour
East Ecclesfield by-election 30 April 2009 Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Woodhouse by-election 26 August 2010 Labour Labour
Manor Castle by-election 21 October 2010 Labour Labour
Fulwood by-election 2 May 2013 Liberal Democrat Liberal Democrat
Arbourthorne by-election 6 February 2014 Labour Labour

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 J. Mendelson, W. Owen, S. Pollard and V. M. Thornes, The Sheffield Trades and Labour Council 1858 - 1958
  2. Discharged Soldiers and Sailors Association, Middle Classes Union, National Democratic and Labour Party and one candidate elected in 1920 after the formation of the Citizen's Association.
  3. 1 2 3 Some seats were vacant during this session.
  4. Discharged Soldiers and Sailors Association, Middle Classes Union and National Democratic and Labour Party in the 1920s and some independents later.

External links

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