Elections
See also: Wakefield local elections| Party | Seats | Current Council (2012) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Labour | 33 | 40 | 52 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conservative | 24 | 20 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Independent | 5 | 3 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lib Dems | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The city was the safest Labour council in England in 2003, but there was a short-lived swing against Labour in recent years. After the 2008 election results the Labour Party had a majority of just one. However the death of Labour councillor Graham Phelps meant that the authority was for a time in no overall control. Labour did however, hold the seat in the by-election in January 2010 restoring their majority.
In the May 2010 local elections Labour held all of their seats and made a net gain of one seat from the Independents increasing Labour's majority on the Council to three. Following the defection of an Independent to Labour, Labour's majority was increased to 5. In January 2011 a Conservative Councillor defected to become an independent Councillor, leaving the Tories with 23 seats.
In May 2011 Labour increased their majority on the council to 15 making 5 gains, taking 3 seats from the Conservatives (Horbury and South Ossett, Pontefract South and Wrenthorpe and Outwood West), and 2 from the Independents (Featherstone and South Elmsall and South Kirkby). The Conservatives gained Ossett from the Liberal Democrats, which means there are no Liberal Democrat councillors in Wakefield.
The current Council make up is Labour 52, Conservatives 11 following the 2012 local elections held on May 3, 2012.
Read more about this topic: City Of Wakefield
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