Sheffield City Council elections

Sheffield City Council elections usually take place by thirds, three years out of every four. Sheffield City Council is the local authority for the metropolitan borough of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. 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. 1967, 1973, 2004 and 2016 saw new ward boundaries and therefore all seats were contested.

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 Conservative–Liberal 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.J. Mendelson, W. Owen, S. Pollard and V. M. Thornes, The Sheffield Trades and Labour Council 1858 - 1958

Year Conservative Liberal Liberal Unionist Lib-Lab Labour OthersDischarged 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.18813430----18823430----18833628----18843430----18853331----188631294---188730304---188829305---188930305---189029314---189130313---189231303---18933625-3--18943724-3--18953922-3--18963822-4--18973623-6--1898Some seats were vacant during this session.3225-5--18993425-5--19003523-6--19012929-6--19023226-6--19033226-5--19043424-6--19053026-71-19063025-63-19073124-54-19083522-43-19093522-43-19103323-52-19112930-41-19123130-3--19133227-32-19192622--13319202421--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.

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. 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 OthersDischarged Soldiers and Sailors Association, Middle Classes Union and National Democratic and Labour Party in the 1920s and some independents later.1921193812--819222040-2--61923224013--21924243833---1925243932---1926382531--11927392431--119284123?---1192963229?--?193057???--?193149???1-?193241???1-?193350???--?193456???--?193557???--?1936????--?1937????--?193853???--?19455939---1119466336----1194768???--?19496436??--? Year Labour Liberal Conservative Independent Ratepayers 1950640360019516303700195267033001953680320019547003000195572028001956720280019577202800195872028001959720280019606703201196167032011962670320119637302700196473027001965720280019667202800196759048101968520560019695705100197063144001971801270019728412300

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.

YearLabourConservativeLiberal and SDP (before 1990)Liberal Democrat(after 1990)GreensIndependentUKIPReform UK 1973 69 18 3 0 0 0 0 1975 66 20 4 0 0 0 0 1976 63 22 5 0 0 0 0 1978 60 24 6 0 0 0 0 1979 62 22 6 0 0 0 0 1980 60 18 9 0 0 0 0 1982 60 18 9 0 0 0 0 1983 60 18 9 0 0 0 0 1984 61 17 9 0 0 0 0 1986 63 15 9 0 0 0 0 1987 65 13 9 0 0 0 0 1988 66 12 9 0 0 0 0 1990 69 10 7 0 0 0 0 1991 70 11 6 0 0 0 0 1992 67 11 9 0 0 0 0 1994 56 8 22 0 0 0 0 1995 58 4 25 0 0 0 0 1996 55 1 31 0 0 0 0 1998 50 1 36 0 0 0 0 1999 39 1 47 0 0 0 0 2000 37 1 49 0 1 (Liberal) 0 0 2002 43 2 42 0 0 0 0 2003 49 1 37 0 0 0 0 2004 44 2 37 1 0 0 0 2006 44 2 36 2 0 0 0 2007 41 1 39 2 1 0 0 2008 36 0 45 3 0 0 0 2010 39 0 42 2 1 0 0 2011 50 0 32 2 0 0 0 2012 60 0 22 2 0 0 0 2014 59 0 18 4 0 3 0 2015 59 0 17 4 0 4 0 2016 57 0 19 4 0 4 0 2018 53 0 22 6 0 3 0 2019 49 0 26 8 0 1 0 2021 41 1 29 13 0 0 0 2022 39 1 29 14 1 0 0 2023 39 1 29 14 1 0 0 2024 36 0 27 14 7 0 0 2026 25 0 22 20 4 0 13

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 partyEcclesall by-election28 January 1977 Nether Edge by-election28 January 1977 Manor by-election12 August 1977 Brightside by-election8 October 1992 Dore by-election8 October 1992 Walkley by-election26 November 1992 Walkley by-election14 January 1993 Park by-election14 January 1999 Chapel Green by-election7 July 1999 Park by-election19 October 2000 Southey Green by-election19 October 2000 Birley by-election5 May 2005 East Ecclesfield by-election30 April 2009 Woodhouse by-election26 August 2010 Manor Castle by-election21 October 2010 Fulwood by-election2 May 2013 Arbourthorne by-election6 February 2014 Mosborough by-election8 September 2016 Southey by-election4 May 2017 Nether Edge and Sharrow by-election22 June 2017 Beighton by-election12 October 2017 Firth Park by-election16 September 2021 Stannington by-election18 January 2024 Woodhouse by-election28 November 2024 Stocksbridge and Upper Don by-election26 June 2025 Southey by-election27 August 2026 Walkley by-election17 September 2026

See also Sheffield City Council

References

External links Sheffield City Council Members of Sheffield City Council 1974–present