Each councillor serves a four-year term of office.

[1] Following Boundary Commission recommendations boundary change took place for this election to provide for 19 wards, many of which are two or three-member, thus electing 41 councillors.

[2][3] Labour Party candidates won a majority, exceeding the 21 member threshold needed to reach majority party status, formerly having 64% of councillors.

The Conservative group was formerly the opposition party on the council, holding 15 seats out of 50 on the larger council between 2011 and 2015.

The remainder of councillors comprised Liberal Democrat members, formerly holding 3 seats on the council from 2011 to 2015, returned 1 of the council's 41 councillors.