Political Control
The council was run by a Labour administration between 1984 and 2004, with Sir Dick Knowles as Council Leader from 1984 to 1993, followed in turn by Theresa Stewart and Sir Albert Bore. They lost overall control in 2003 but continued to run the council as a minority administration for the following year. At the election of 10 June 2004, the 121 seats were divided between the Labour, (53 councillors), Conservative (39) and Liberal Democrat (28) parties. The Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups then formed a governing coalition, moving Labour into opposition.
In 2005, Richard Mawrey QC (as an election commissioner) ruled invalid Birmingham City Council elections in two wards, Aston and Bordesley Green, held the year before, and required re-votes. He blamed most of the electoral fraud on absentee ballot manipulation, and implicated the returning officer and six Labour councillors. By-elections and defections in 2005 altered the distribution of seats within the council with Labour holding 46 seats, Conservatives holding 40, Liberal Democrats holding 30, the People's Justice Party holding 2 and independent councillors holding a further 2.
In 2006, the People's Justice Party disbanded, with their two councilors joining the Liberal Democrats, and Councillor Ann Holtom defected from Labour to the Liberal Democrats. In the 2006 local elections the British National Party initially gained a seat, but it soon transpired their candidate's election had been caused by a counting error and the result was subsequently overturned in favour of the previously third-placed Labour party candidate following an election petition.
After the local elections on 1 May 2008, there remained no overall control, with the 120 seats divided between Conservative (49 councillors), Labour, (36), Liberal Democrat (32) and Respect (3). After the 2010 elections the seats were divided between Conservative (45 councillors), Labour, (41), Liberal Democrat (31) and Respect (3). The Conservatives' main local strongholds are in the Sutton Coldfield and Edgbaston constituencies. In the local elections on 5 May 2011, Labour won an extra 14 seats on the council but there continued to be no overall control, with the seats divided between Conservative (39 councillors), Labour, (55), Liberal Democrat (24) and Respect (3).
Labour regained overall control in May 2012.
| Year | Conservative | Labour | Lib Dems | Other | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 28 | 77 | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2011 | 39 | 55 | 24 | 2 | |||
| 2010 | 45 | 41 | 31 | 3 | |||
| 2008 | 49 | 36 | 32 | 3 | |||
| 2007 | 44 | 41 | 32 | 3 | |||
| 2006 | 41 | 44 | 33 | 2 | |||
| 2004 | 39 | 53 | 28 | 0 | |||
| 2003 | 35 | 57 | 23 | 2 | |||
| 2002 | 31 | 67 | 15 | 4 | |||
| 2000 | 28 | 66 | 18 | 5 | |||
| 1999 | 20 | 77 | 16 | 4 | |||
Read more about this topic: Birmingham City Council
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