The council has been under Labour majority control since 2007, and the City Mayor has been Sir Peter Soulsby since 2011.

The council traces its roots to the Corporation of Leicester, and before then to the Merchant Gild and the Portmanmoot.

The Portmanmoot consisted of 24 Jurats, elected from the burgesses (members of the Gild Merchant, or freemen), along with two bailiffs, and a clerk.

Traditionally, the general populace attended some meetings of the Moot and Guild, but this was restricted to burgesses in 1467.

This was a lower tier district-level authority, with county-level services being provided to the city by Leicestershire County Council for the first time.

This therefore had the effect of restoring the city council to the powers it had held when Leicester was a county borough prior to 1974.

[7] In 2011, following a referendum, the position of directly elected mayor was created to provide political leadership for the council.

The Lord Mayor acts as a ceremonial figurehead for the city and chairs council meetings, with the position usually being held by a different councillor each year.

As a unitary authority, Leicester City Council provides both county-level and district-level services.

Wards that had existed and been abolished were Crown Hills, East Knighton, Mowmacre, North Braunstone, Rowley Fields, Saffron, St Augustine's, West Humberstone, West Knighton and Wycliffe.