These elections were originally scheduled for 2020 but were suspended for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the Conservatives regained majority control of the council in 1999, the Liberal Democrats had formed the main opposition.

In January 2020, opposition Liberal Democrat councillor Shaun Cunningham left the party to sit as an independent citing the party's poor general election results.

[1] Two months later, in March 2020, two Conservative councillors, Leslie Keeble and Keith Barton left their party.

In late March 2021, a dispute between council leader Sean Woodward and Geoff Fazackarley led to Fazackarley also parting with the Conservatives and joining the independent opposition group.