| Election Name: | 2019 Herefordshire Council election |
| Country: | Herefordshire |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Previous Election: | 2015 Herefordshire Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2015 |
| Next Election: | 2023 Herefordshire Council election |
| Next Year: | 2023 |
| Seats For Election: | All 53 to Herefordshire Council |
| Majority Seats: | 27 |
| Party1: | Independent politician |
| Last Election1: | 8 seats, 18.7% |
| Seats1: | 18 |
| Seat Change1: | 10 |
| Popular Vote1: | 14,455 |
| Percentage1: | 28.5% |
| Swing1: | 9.8% |
| Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election2: | 29 seats, 41.4% |
| Seats2: | 13 |
| Seat Change2: | 16 |
| Popular Vote2: | 17,334 |
| Percentage2: | 34.2% |
| Swing2: | 7.2% |
| Party3: | It's Our County |
| Last Election3: | 12 seats, 26.5% |
| Seats3: | 8 |
| Seat Change3: | 4 |
| Popular Vote3: | 4,425 |
| Percentage3: | 8.7% |
| Swing3: | 17.8% |
| Party4: | Green Party of England and Wales |
| Last Election4: | 2 seats, 4.4% |
| Seats4: | 7 |
| Seat Change4: | 5 |
| Popular Vote4: | 6,652 |
| Percentage4: | 13.1% |
| Swing4: | 8.7% |
| Party5: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Last Election5: | 2 seats, 7.1% |
| Seats5: | 7 |
| Seat Change5: | 5 |
| Popular Vote5: | 5,041 |
| Percentage5: | 9.9% |
| Swing5: | 2.8% |
| Map Size: | 385px |
| Council control | |
| Posttitle: | Council control after election |
| Before Party: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| After Election: | No overall control (Ind/IOC/Green coalition) |
The 2019 Herefordshire Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect 52 of 53 members of Herefordshire Council in England.[1] The election in Ross North ward was deferred until 6 June 2019 following the death of the UKIP candidate.
The election resulted in the Conservative Party losing its majority on the council for the first time since 2007, winning 13 seats. Independents made gains and became the largest group on the council after winning 18 seats, 9 seats short of a majority. The Liberal Democrats and Greens also made gains at the expense of the Conservatives, winning 7 seats each.[2] Two non-party groupings, the 'Herefordshire Independents' (comprising 12 of the 18 Independents elected) and the localist It's Our County, formed a coalition with the Greens to govern the council.
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The election in Ross North ward was deferred until 6 June 2019 following the death of the UKIP candidate, Gareth Williams.[3] The Liberal Democrats won the postponed election.[4]
The 2019 election resulted in the Conservative Party losing its majority on the council for the first time since 2007, winning 13 seats. Independents made gains and became the largest group on the council after winning 18 seats, 15 of which formed the Herefordshire Independents Group. The Liberal Democrats and Greens also made gains at the expense of the Conservatives. It's Our County lost four seats, down to 8.
Following negotiations, a three-way coalition between 'Herefordshire Independents', 'It's Our County' and the Green Party was formed. Herefordshire Independents took four cabinet positions, and the Leader of the Council, the Greens took two cabinet positions and Deputy Leader of the Council and It's Our County took the remaining two cabinet positions.[5]
| width=125 align="center" | Date | width=100 align="center" | Herefordshire Independents | width=100 align="center" | Conservative | width=100 align="center" | It's Our County | width=100 align="center" | Greens | width=100 align="center" | Lib Dems | width=100 align="center" | Independent | width=100 align="center" | Vacant | width=125 align="center" | Coalition Majority | |||||||
| 3 May 2019 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 1 | +7 | ||||||||||||||||
The Ross North poll was postponed after the death of a UKIP candidate, leading to one unfilled vacancy at this point.
Following disagreements about a new by-pass road in the Herefordshire Independents group, five councillors left to form a new group, 'True Independents'.[6]
Separately, Sue Boulter resigned shortly after being elected for It's Our County, in Whitecross, creating a second vacancy and temporarily reducing the number of It's Our County councillors.
| width=125 align="center" | Date | width=100 align="center" | Herefordshire Independents | width=100 align="center" | Conservative | width=100 align="center" | It's Our County | width=100 align="center" | Greens | width=100 align="center" | Lib Dems | width=100 align="center" | True Independents | width=100 align="center" | Independent | width=100 align="center" | Vacant | width=125 align="center" | Coalition Majority | ||||||||
| 5 June 2019 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | colspan="2" align="center" | -3 | |||||||||||||||||
The Liberal Democrats won the by-election in Ross North the day after the five True Independents defected from the Herefordshire Independents.[7]
| width=125 align="center" | Date | width=100 align="center" | Herefordshire Independents | width=100 align="center" | Conservative | width=100 align="center" | It's Our County | width=100 align="center" | Greens | width=100 align="center" | Lib Dems | width=100 align="center" | True Independents | width=100 align="center" | Independent | width=100 align="center" | Vacant | width=125 align="center" | Coalition Majority | ||||||||
| 6 June 2019 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | colspan="2" align="center" | -4 | |||||||||||||||||
Following Sue Boulter's resignation upon her election, her husband won the resulting by-election.[8]
| width=125 align="center" | Date | width=100 align="center" | Herefordshire Independents | width=100 align="center" | Conservative | width=100 align="center" | It's Our County | width=100 align="center" | Greens | width=100 align="center" | Lib Dems | width=100 align="center" | True Independents | width=100 align="center" | Independent | width=100 align="center" | Vacant | width=125 align="center" | Coalition Majority | ||||||||
| 11 July 2019 | 10 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 0 | colspan="2" align="center" | -3 | |||||||||||||||||
By the end of the summer, former Hereford city mayor Jim Kenyon had temporarily joined the Herefordshire Independents to bolster their numbers, and since left again to sit as the last remaining standalone independent, as the other two previously unaligned independents have since joined the ruling coalition of Herefordshire Independents, taking Herefordshire Independents to 12 seats.[9]
| width=125 align="center" | Date | width=100 align="center" | Herefordshire Independents | width=100 align="center" | Conservative | width=100 align="center" | It's Our County | width=100 align="center" | Greens | width=100 align="center" | Lib Dems | width=100 align="center" | True Independents | width=100 align="center" | Independent | width=125 align="center" | Coalition Majority | |||||||
| 14 Sept 2019 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | +1 | ||||||||||||||||