Who is my local councillor? How to find out who won the 2023 election in your area and the results explained
There has been a significant shift in England’s local political landscape after the Conservatives lost more than 1,000 seats in last week’s votes.
Labour gained 537 councillors across England and took control of another 22 local authorities as Rishi Sunak’s party lost 1,063 seats and 48 councils.
It was also a good day for the Lib Dems, who gained 12 local authorities and 407 seats.
Who are my local councillors?
You can find out who your councillors are on your local council’s website. If you are unsure of your local council, enter your postcode into the government website here and it will tell you, and provide a link to the relevant site.
Alternatively, you can enter your postcode into the Write To Them website, and it will show you who your local councillors and MP are. It will also allow you to email them directly through the site.
Each local authority has multiple councillors, who are elected for four-year terms by the local community to represent its views.
These councillors will often come from different parties, but if most councillors in one authority belong to the same party, that party is said to have overall control.
What happened in the local elections?
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer blamed heavy Tory losses in the local elections on the pandemic and the Ukraine war, while also noting the party had been in power for “a long time”.
She conceded that voters were “frustrated and angry”, but claimed the Prime Minister was starting to regain the public’s trust, despite some Tories blaming him for shedding 1,063 councillors in last Thursday’s poll.
She told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme: “If we could look at the context for the whole local election, we’ve been in power for a long time.
“We’ve just had a pandemic which has disrupted many people’s lives and has had consequences for the economy, as has the war in Ukraine.”
Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, warned his Shadow Cabinet the “hardest part lies ahead” as he welcomed signs that voters are returning to Labour following the last general election.
“The fact that Labour won in all parts of the country was a sign of the strides we have made. People who turned away from us during the Corbyn years and the Brexit years are coming back,” he said.
“But there is understandably a lot of scepticism about politics out there and now we need to go from reassurance to hope. We need to show that we will be a big reforming government bringing hope of a better life for working people.”
Mr Sunak has promised to work “night and day” to deliver on the priorities he has set for the nation as he comes under pressure over the results.
Former levelling up secretary Simon Clarke said the Prime Minister’s “major mistake” of dropping housebuilding had played a role in the poor performance.
