| Election Name: | 2023 City of Lincoln Council election |
| Country: | Lincolnshire |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Party Colour: | Labour |
| Previous Election: | 2022 City of Lincoln Council election |
| Previous Year: | 2022 |
| Next Election: | 2024 City of Lincoln Council election |
| Next Year: | 2024 |
| Seats For Election: | 11 of the 33 seats to City of Lincoln Council |
| Election Date: | 4 May 2023 |
| Majority Seats: | 17 |
| Turnout: | 29.38% |
| Party1: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Last Election1: | 22 |
| Seats1: | 8 |
| Seats After1: | 20 |
| Seat Change1: | 2 |
| Popular Vote1: | 9,020 |
| Percentage1: | 49.2% |
| Swing1: | 4.0 |
| Leader1: | Ric Metcalfe |
| Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Last Election2: | 9 |
| Seats2: | 1 |
| Seats After2: | 9 |
| Popular Vote2: | 4,732 |
| Percentage2: | 25.8% |
| Swing2: | 7.6 |
| Leader2: | Thomas Dyer |
| Party3: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Last Election3: | 2 |
| Seats3: | 2 |
| Seats After3: | 4 |
| Seat Change3: | 2 |
| Popular Vote3: | 3,053 |
| Percentage3: | 16.7% |
| Swing3: | 1.9 |
| Leader3: | Clare Smalley |
| Map Size: | 300px |
| Leader | |
| Posttitle: | Leader after election |
| Before Election: | Ric Metcalfe |
| Before Party: | Labour Party (UK) |
| After Election: | Ric Metcalfe |
| After Party: | Labour Party (UK) |
The 2023 City of Lincoln Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of City of Lincoln Council in Lincolnshire, England.[1] It was held on the same day as other local elections across England.[2] This election did not result in a change of control of the council as Labour retained a majority, but did result in a doubling of the size of the Liberal Democrat council group at the expense of two Labour councillors.[3]
In the lead up to the election, two primary issues took centre-stage in Lincoln, first; in February 2023 it was announced by the Council that the Christmas Market was to be cancelled,[4] prompting criticism from the local Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, as well as the MP for Lincoln, Karl McCartney, who described it as "a shallow, stupid and shoddy decision".[5] Secondly, the Government announced plans to turn RAF Scampton into an asylum housing facility,[6] prompting local campaigns aimed at preventing it. Both of these issues were taken up by parties involved in the elections, and were campaigning points for candidates across the city.
The Labour campaign focused on cost-of-living relief, tackling the housing crisis, investment in public spaces and the net zero target of the Council. The Conservatives meanwhile pledged to reinstate the Christmas Market, freeze the council’s parking charges, improve local infrastructure with more seating, trees and biodiversity and promised a commitment to tackle Fly-Tipping, Littering and Anti-social behaviour with increased fines and enforcement. Finally, the Liberal Democrats campaigned against the "shambolic" national Conservative record and pointed to "Labour’s record... Christmas market cancelled without consultation, bus shelters axed, hundreds of damp homes needing mould treatment."[7]
| Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 20 | |
| Conservative | 9 | |
| Liberal Democrat | 2 | |