The 2012 Cardiff Council election took place on Thursday 3 May 2012 to elect members of Cardiff Council in Wales.^[1] This was the same day as the national 2012 Welsh local elections.^[2] It was preceded by the 2008 election and followed by the 2017 election

Quick Facts All 75 seats to Cardiff Council 38 seats needed for a majority, First party ...

2012 Cardiff City and County Council election

← 2008 3 May 2012 2017 →
All 75 seats to Cardiff Council 38 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Heather Joyce Rodney Berman David Walker Party Labour Liberal Democrats Conservative Leader's seat Llanrumney Plasnewydd Lisvane Seats before 14 35 17 Seats won 46/75 16/75 7/74 Seat change 32 19 10 Popular vote 36,148 15,878 17,886 Percentage 37.3 18.5 25.5   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Neil McEvoy Adrian Robson Fenella Bowden Party Plaid Cymru Rhiwbina Independents Heath Independent Leader's seat Fairwater Rhiwbina Heath Seats before 7 3 0 Seats won 2/70 3/3 1/3 Seat change 5 0 1 Popular vote 12,397 4,581 (Rhiwbina) 1,500 (Heath) Percentage 12.8 4.7 1.5
Map showing the results of the 2012 City of Cardiff Council Elections.
Council control before election Lib Dem / Plaid Cymru Coalition Council control after election Labour

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Labour gained control of the council from the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru, after gaining 32 seats.^[3] The Liberal Democrat leader of the council, Rodney Berman, lost his seat by 51 votes after two recounts,^[4] bringing Labour's gains to 33. Sixty-one-year-old Labour councillor Heather Joyce, nicknamed 'Supernan' by the local newspaper, became the new council leader.^[5]

^A The consolidated vote figures used in the above table appear to represent the total votes cast for the highest placed candidates in each ward. The figures are not the popular vote cast for each party in the 2012 elections.

^B The figures below are the total votes cast for all candidates for each party in the 2012 elections, based on data from The Elections Centre at Plymouth University - Lab: 99,391 (46/75); Con: 45,293 (7/74); LD: 43,418 (16/75); PC: 30,989 (2/70); Rhiwbina Ind: 10,908 (3/3); Green: 8,925 (0/37); Heath Ind: 3,539 (1/3); LN Ind: 1,114 (0/2); Ind: 773 (0/4); TUSC: 456 (0/6); UKIP: 445 (0/2); Communist: 335 (0/4); Christian: 205 (0/3); Socialist Lab: 106 (0/1)^[2]

Cardiff Greens^[8]

Cardiff Labour^[9]

Cardiff Liberal Democrats^[10]

Cardiff Plaid Cymru^[11][12]

* = sitting councillor in this ward prior to election

• In April 2013 Gabalfa Councillor Gareth Holden resigned from The Lib Dems to sit as an independent^[23] and later joined Plaid Cymru.^[24]
• In June 2015 Rhiwbina Councillors Jayne Cowan and Adrian Robson both rejoined the Conservatives.^[25]
• In January 2016 Trowbridge Councillor Ralph Cook left Labour ^[26] to sit as an independent. In 2017 he contested his seat for the Lib Dems.
• In May 2016 Llanrumny Councillor Derrick Morgan left the Labour group and sat as an independent.^[27]
• In August 2016 Splott Councillor Gretta Marshell resigned from Labour to sit as an independent and later joined Plaid Cymru ^[28]
• In early 2017 Adamsdown Councillor Manzoor Ahmed was deselected by Labour^[29] and joined the Lib Dems.^[30]

Three seats were vacant by the end of the term caused by the resignation of Margaret Jones (Lib Dem) in Cyncoed,^[31] the resignation of Susan White (Labour) in Llandaff North^[32] and the death of Derrick Morgan^[33] (elected as Labour, then sitting as an Independent) in Llanrumny, all of happened within six months of the 2017 election, so no by-elections were held.