2024 Coventry City Council election

The 2024 Coventry City Council election was held predominately on 2 May 2024 alongside the other local elections across the United Kingdom being held on the same day, with one ward's election additionally being held a month later on 20 June 2024. The results mirrored Labour's strong showing across the country, taking three seats from the Conservatives and increasing their comfortable majority on the council.

Originally the Labour-held seat in Radford ward was meant to be contested on the same day as the other wards, but was delayed to 20 June 2024 due to the death of the ward's Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidate a week before the election. The incumbent Labour councillor Mal Mutton unoffically remained in the seat between 4 May and 20 June 2024 before being re-elected. This was counted by the council as part of the local election rather than as a by-election.

Background

The Local Government Act 1972 created a two-tier system of metropolitan counties and districts covering Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, the West Midlands, and West Yorkshire starting in 1974. Coventry was a district of the West Midlands metropolitan county. The Local Government Act 1985 abolished the metropolitan counties, with metropolitan districts taking on most of their powers as metropolitan boroughs. The West Midlands Combined Authority was created in 2016 and began electing the mayor of the West Midlands from 2017, which was given strategic powers covering a region coterminous with the former West Midlands metropolitan county.

Coventry Council has variously been under Labour control, Conservative control and no overall control since it was established. Labour most recently gained control of the council in the 2010 election, when they gained six seats at the expense of the Conservatives and Socialist Alternative. Labour continued to make gains to consolidate its majority on the council in the 2011 and 2012 elections, since when the party's position has remained stable. In the most recent election in 2023, Labour won 13 of the seats up for election with 50.4% of the vote, the Conservatives won four seats with 29.5% of the vote, and the Greens won one seat with 9.3% of the vote. Labour maintained its majority on the council.

Seats up for election in 2023 were last elected in 2021. This election was originally scheduled for 2020, but was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In that election, Labour won thirteen seats and the Conservatives won six seats.

Electoral process

The council elects its councillors in thirds, with a third being up for election every year for three years, with no election in the fourth year. The election will take place by first-past-the-post voting, with wards being represented by three councillors, with one councillor elected in each ward each election year to serve a four-year term.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) living in Coventry aged 18 or over will be entitled to vote in the election. People who live at two addresses in different councils, such as university students with different term-time and holiday addresses, are entitled to be registered for and vote in elections in both local authorities. Voting in-person at polling stations will take place from 07:00 to 22:00 on election day, and voters will be able to apply for postal votes or proxy votes in advance of the election. People voting in this election in Coventry only vote for a councillor in the ward they reside.

Previous council composition

Changes:

• 8 September 2023: Becky Gittins (Labour) resigns to stand as the Labour candidate for Clwyd East at the 2024 general election. A by-election is scheduled for 26 October 2023.
• 26 October 2023: The Earlsdon by-election is won by Lynette Kelly; Labour holds the seat.

Summary

Election result

Ward results

Bablake

Binley and Willenhall

Cheylesmore

Earlsdon

Foleshill

Henley

Holbrook

Longford

Lower Stoke

Radford

Sherbourne

St. Michael's

Upper Stoke

Wainbody

Westwood

Whoberley

Woodlands

Wyken

References