The council's principal functions are county roads and rights of way, social services, education and libraries, but it also provides many other local government services in the area it covers. This does not include South Gloucestershire, which is a unitary authority with all the functions of a county and a non-metropolitan district.
Gloucestershire County Council's land area is 2,653.03 km2.[2]
Political control
Since the foundation of the council in 1973 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:[3]
The Conservative Party lost 13 notional seats, although the numerical loss was larger due to the reduction in the total number of councillors. The Liberal Democrats remained the second largest party by total seats and percentage vote, while the Labour Party had the largest net gain of five seats. UKIP won representation on the county council for the first time, winning three seats.
The number of Independent councillors rose to two, while both the Green Party and People Against Bureaucracy saw their only councillors re-elected.
By-elections and defections: 2013 to 2017
In July 2016, UKIP group leader Alan Preest defected to the Conservatives, claiming that the party lacked a purpose following the EU Referendum.[9] He was followed shortly thereafter by UKIP councillor Colin Guyton, who left UKIP to serve as an independent.[10] He later resigned from the County Council entirely, but a by-election was not held in his division due to the short length of time between then and the 2017 local elections.[11]
Two by-elections were held to Gloucestershire County Council in the 2013–2017 term of office:
The Conservative Party gained 8 seats and retained control of the council. The Liberal Democrats held their 14 seats while Labour lost 4 seats and UKIP lost all 3 of their seats. The Green Party gained one seat. Minor parties lost both of their seats and People Against Bureaucracy held their seat.
By-elections and defections: 2017 to 2021
One by-election was held in this period. Another by-election was due to be held for the ward of Winchcombe and Woodmancote but was suspended due to the uncertainty around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.[12]
^F. W. S. Craig, British parliamentary election results 1918–1949 (Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services, 1983 edition), p. 359
^'ELWES, Sir Henry (William George)' in Who's Who 2013 (London: A & C Black, 2012)
^'GIRLING, Julie McCulloch', in Who's Who 2014 (London: A. & C. Black, 2014); online edition by Oxford University Press, December 2013, accessed 17 January 2014
