St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council elections are held every four years. St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council, which styles itself St Helens Borough Council, is the local authority for the metropolitan borough of St Helens in Merseyside, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2022, 48 councillors have been elected from 18 wards. Prior to the 2022 boundary changes, elections were held three years out of every four, with a third of the council being elected each time.[1]
Summary of the council composition after each council election, click on the year for full details of each election.
| Year | Labour | Liberal Democrats‡ | Conservative | Green Party | Independent | Others | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 36 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1975 | 30 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1976 | 26 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1978 | 24 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1979 | 27 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1980 | 43 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New ward boundaries increased seats from 45 to 54.[2] | |
| 1982 | 41 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1983 | 41 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1984 | 41 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1986 | 45 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1987 | 44 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1988[3] | 40 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1990[4] | 38 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1991[5] | 34 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1992[6] | 33 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1994[7] | 33 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1995[8] | 40 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Liberal (1989) | |
| 1996[9] | 44 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1998[10] | 42 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1999[11] | 37 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2000[12] | 35 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2002[13] | 33 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Socialist Labour | |
| 2003[14] | 33 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2004[15] | 24 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | New ward boundaries reduced seats from 54 to 48.[16] | |
| 2006[17] | 23 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2007[18] | 21 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2008[19] | 23 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2010[20] | 28 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2011[21] | 35 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2012[22] | 40 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2014[23] | 42 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | 42 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | 42 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2018[24] | 41 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019 | 37 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | 35 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 29 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 0 | New ward boundaries and change to elections every four years. | |
By-elections occur when seats become vacant between council elections. Below is a summary of recent by-elections;[25] full by-election results can be found by clicking on the by-election name.
| By-election | Date | Incumbent party | Winning party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshalls Cross by-election | 21 January 1999 | ||||
| Newton West by-election | 21 January 1999 | ||||
| Thatto Heath by-election | 21 January 1999 | ||||
| Marshalls Cross by-election | 19 September 2002 | ||||
| Rainford by-election | 23 November 2006 | ||||
| Parr by-election | 12 March 2009 | ||||
| Rainhill by-election | 12 March 2009 | ||||
| Moss Bank by-election | 16 July 2009 | ||||
| Billinge and Seneley Green by-election | 14 October 2010 | ||||
| Haydock by-election | 2 December 2010 | ||||
| Windle by-election | 2 May 2013 | ||||
| Billinge and Seneley Green by-election | 28 November 2013 | ||||
| Thatto Heath Green by-election | 21 January 2016 | ||||
| Moss Bank by-election | 20 October 2022 | ||||