The council is elected by thirds, so a single member will be elected from all 17 wards to a term of four years. The seats elected at this election were last contested in 2019.[3]
Prior to the election the council was under no overall control, being run by a Labour, Liberal Democrat and independent coalition. Following the election the council remained under no overall control, but the Conservatives were able to form a minority administration with support from some of the independent councillors.[4]
Summary
Council composition
In the 2022 election, the Conservative Party and the Independents lost seats while Labour and the Liberal Democrats gained seats.[5] While the Conservative were the largest party, the council was run by a Labour-led coalition along with the Liberal Democrats and Independents. Since then one Labour and one Independent councillor left their groups and formed a new group called Residents First.[6]
Council composition following the 2022 council election
Council composition ahead of the 2023 council election
^Of the nine independent councillors before the election, five formed the "Independent Group" led by Martin Terry, two formed the "Residents First" group and two were not aligned to any group.