| Election Name: | 2012 Welsh local elections |
| Country: | Wales |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2008 Welsh local elections |
| Previous Year: | 2008 |
| Next Election: | 2017 Welsh local elections |
| Next Year: | 2017 |
| Seats For Election: | All 1,235 seats to 21 of 22 Welsh councils[1] |
| 3Blank: | Swing (pp) |
| Leader Since1: | 10 December 2009 |
| Party1: | Welsh Labour |
| Last Election1: | 340 seats, 27.0%[2] [3] |
| Seats1: | 577 |
| Seat Change1: | 237 |
| 1Data1: | 304,466 |
| 2Data1: | 35.6% |
| 3Data1: | 8.6% |
| Leader2: | Leanne Wood |
| Leader Since2: | 16 March 2012 |
| Party2: | Plaid Cymru |
| Seats2: | 158 |
| Seat Change2: | 40 |
| 1Data2: | 134,201 |
| 2Data2: | 15.7% |
| 3Data2: | 1.0% |
| Leader4: | Andrew RT Davies |
| Leader Since4: | 14 July 2011 |
| Party4: | Welsh Conservatives |
| Seats4: | 105 |
| Seat Change4: | 67 |
| 1Data4: | 108,580 |
| 2Data4: | 12.7% |
| 3Data4: | 3.2% |
| Leader5: | Kirsty Williams |
| Leader Since5: | 8 December 2008 |
| Party5: | Welsh Liberal Democrats |
| Last Election5: | 163 seats, 13.2% |
| Seats5: | 72 |
| Seat Change5: | 92 |
| 1Data5: | 68,619 |
| 2Data5: | 8.0% |
| 3Data5: | 5.2% |
| Map Size: | 300px |
The 2012 Welsh local elections took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of all twenty-two local authorities in Wales. They were held alongside other local elections in the United Kingdom. The previous elections were held in 2008.
The Labour Party made gains at the expense of the other three major parties and of independents. Labour won majority control of ten councils—up eight from the 2008 local elections—while two remained under the control of independents and nine councils had no overall control.
The Welsh Government announced that elections for Anglesey council would be postponed to May 2013.[4]
| Party | Votes[5] | % | +/- | Councils | +/- | Seats | +/- | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 304,466 | 35.6% | 8.6% | 10 | 8 | 577 | 237 | ||
| 201,110 | 23.5% | 1.5% | 2 | 1 | 286 | 25 | ||
| 134,201 | 15.7% | 1.0% | 0 | 158 | 40 | |||
| 108,580 | 12.7% | 3.2% | 0 | 2 | 105 | 68 | ||
| 68,619 | 8.0% | 5.2% | 0 | 72 | 92 | |||
| 10,310 | 1.2% | 0.5% | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2,552 | 0.3% | 0.1% | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||
| 25,542 | 3.0% | 1.3% | 0 | 25 | 15 | |||
| n/a | n/a | n/a | 9 | 5 | n/a | n/a | ||
For comparative purposes, the table above shows changes since 2008 excluding Anglesey, which was not up for election.
| Council | 2008 result | 2012 result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | gain | Details | |||
| Bridgend | gain | Details | |||
| Caerphilly | gain | Details | |||
| Cardiff | gain | Details | |||
| Carmarthenshire | hold | Details | |||
| Ceredigion | hold | Details | |||
| Conwy | hold | Details | |||
| Denbighshire | hold | Details | |||
| Flintshire | hold | Details | |||
| Gwynedd | hold | Details | |||
| Merthyr Tydfil | gain | Details | |||
| Monmouthshire | gain | Details | |||
| Neath Port Talbot | hold | Details | |||
| Newport | gain | Details | |||
| Pembrokeshire | hold | Details | |||
| Powys | hold | Details | |||
| Rhondda Cynon Taff | hold | Details | |||
| Swansea | gain | Details | |||
| Torfaen | gain | Details | |||
| Vale of Glamorgan | gain | Details | |||
| Wrexham | hold | Details | |||
Elections to the Isle of Anglesey County Council were postponed for a year, to May 2013, because of a review of electoral arrangements for the island. The result of the postponed election saw the Independents lose their majority, with Plaid Cymru hoping to form a coalition with Labour.[6]
| Date(s) conducted | Polling organisation/client | Sample size | Lab | Con | PC | Lib Dem | Others | Lead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May 2012 | 2012 Welsh local elections | 853,593 | 36.0% | 12.8% | 15.8% | 8.1% | 27.3% | 20.2% | |
| 12-16 Apr 2012 | YouGov | 1039 | 48% | 17% | 14% | 7% | 14% | 31% | |
| 1 May 2008 | 2008 Welsh local elections | 950,216 | 27.0% | 15.9% | 16.7% | 13.2% | 28.2% | 11.1% |