Conservatives back as largest party in the LGA

12 May 15
The Conservatives have retaken control of the Local Government Association following Thursday’s council elections, the umbrella group of local authorities has confirmed today

The Conservatives have retaken control of the Local Government Association following Thursday’s council elections, the umbrella group of local authorities has confirmed today.

After the party gained control of 30 councils and won 498 extra councillors, it is once again the biggest party in the group. Control is calculated based on the proportion of the electorate represented by the councillors of each party, and the Conservatives now represent 40.6% of people in England and Wales, compared to 40% for Labour, 9.4% for the Liberal Democrats and 10.1% for independent and other councillors.

This means the leader of the Conservatives in local government, Gary Porter, is in line to succeed David Sparks as the chair of the LGA at its annual conference next month.

Labour only became the largest party after last May’s elections, when it formed the largest grouping for the first time since 2004.

Confirming the change in leadership today, Sparks said the LGA's strength lies in its ability to speak with one voice on behalf of local government and to seek consensus, regardless of political leadership.

‘The LGA will continue to be a united voice for councils and press the new government on the big issues and challenges that lie ahead,’ he added.

‘We will work to ensure local authorities are adequately funded and given long-term certainty through multi-year spending allocations, as well as calling for government to address the pressing need to tackle the unsustainable pressure facing our social care system.

‘A key priority will also be to ensure that this government commits to a genuine devolution of powers to all parts of the country – from city regions to non-metropolitan areas – to safeguard the future of our public services.’

 

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