2023 Medway Council election
The 2023 Medway Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of Medway Council in Kent, England. This election was held on the same day as other local elections. The Labour Party won control of the council for the first time since its creation in 1998 under the Labour Co-op banner, winning 11 seats while the incumbent Conservative Party lost 13 seats. This was the first time a council in Britain elected a full Labour Co-op slate and therefore the first council run by the Co-operative Party as well as Labour.
After the previous election, there were boundary changes that increased the number of councillors from 55 to 59 and the number of wards from 22 to 24. This was the first Medway Council election fought under these new boundaries.
Summary
Prior to the election the council was under Conservative majority control, led by Alan Jarrett. He chose not to stand for re-election.The election saw Labour take a majority of the seats on the council for the first time since its creation in 1998 under the Labour Co-op banner. The Labour Co-op group leader, Vince Maple, was formally appointed as leader of the council at the subsequent annual council meeting on 24 May 2023. This was the first time a council in Britain elected a full Labour Co-op slate and therefore the first council run by the Co-operative Party as well as Labour, though some unelected Labour candidates did not run with the Co-operative Party.