Until this election the council was led by the directly-elected Mayor of Bristol; that post was abolished following a 2022 referendum which saw 59% of voters in favour of replacing the mayoral system with a committee system. Prior to the election the council was under no overall control. The Green Party were the largest party, but the mayoralty was held by Marvin Rees of the Labour Party and all the cabinet positions were held by Labour.
Following the election the council remained under no overall control. The Greens remained the largest party and increased their number of seats, but fell two seats short of winning an overall majority. At the subsequent annual council meeting on 21 May 2024, Green councillor Tony Dyer was appointed to the re-established position of leader of the council (which had been abolished on the creation of the directly elected mayoralty in 2012). Policy committee chair positions were shared amongst the Greens and Liberal Democrats.[4][5]
Background
Following the previous election, which was held in 2021, the council was in no overall control, though was run by the Mayor Marvin Rees and an all Labour cabinet.[6][7][8] In the intervening 3 years, four by-elections occurred, seeing the Green Party gain one seat from the Liberal Democrats with no other change to the political makeup of the council.[9][10][11][12]
Winning Labour candidate for Horfield, Deborah Vittori, was disqualified from holding office following the election as she was an employee of the council, being a teacher in a local authority maintained primary school. This reduced Labour seats to 20; there will be a by-election.[15]
The Green Party, Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives all stood a full slate of candidates. From these parties, alongside 1 from the Knowle Community Party, 50 incumbents stood for reelection. The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition fielded 18 candidates, and the Social Democratic Party stood 2. One independent stood.[24]
In March, the Green party suspended one of its candidate in the Eastville ward following his arrest on the suspicion of handling stolen goods.[25]
Labour candidate Deborah Vittori was disqualified from holding office following the election as she was an employee of the council, being a teacher in a local authority maintained primary school.[15]
Patrick McAllister was elected in a by-election on the 2nd of February 2023 after the previous councillor, Alex Hartley, stepped down for health reasons.
Kye Dudd was elected in a by-election on the 17th of February 2022 following the previous councillor, Helen Goodwin, stepping down due to time constraints with her other job.
^Emma Edwards was group leader, but it was announced before the election that Tony Dyer was the party's intended nominee for leader of the council.[1]
^English was elected as a Green councillor in 2016 and 2021, but got suspended from the party in 2024 following an internal complaint.[21]
^Goodman was elected as a Labour councillor in 2021, but resigned from the party in 2023 over the party's stance on the Israel–Hamas war[22]
^Davies was elected several times as a Liberal Democrat councillor, but both Liberal Democrat councillors resigned in to form the Knowle Community Party in 2021.[23]