2023 City of Lincoln Council election

The 2023 City of Lincoln Council election took place on 4 May 2023 to elect members of City of Lincoln Council in Lincolnshire, England. It was held on the same day as other local elections across England. This election did not result in a change of control of the council as Labour retained a majority, but did result in a doubling of the size of the Liberal Democrat council group at the expense of two Labour councillors.

Background
In the lead up to the election, two primary issues took centre-stage in Lincoln, first; in February 2023 it was announced by the Council that the Christmas Market was to be cancelled, prompting criticism from the local Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, as well as the MP for Lincoln, Karl McCartney, who described it as "a shallow, stupid and shoddy decision". Secondly, the Government announced plans to turn RAF Scampton into an asylum housing facility, prompting local campaigns aimed at preventing it. Both of these issues were taken up by parties involved in the elections, and were campaigning points for candidates across the city.

The Labour campaign focused on cost-of-living relief, tackling the housing crisis, investment in public spaces and the net zero target of the Council. The Conservatives meanwhile pledged to reinstate the Christmas Market, freeze the council’s parking charges, improve local infrastructure with more seating, trees and biodiversity and promised a commitment to tackle Fly-Tipping, Littering and Anti-social behaviour with increased fines and enforcement. Finally, the Liberal Democrats campaigned against the "shambolic" national Conservative record and pointed to "Labour’s record... Christmas market cancelled without consultation, bus shelters axed, hundreds of damp homes needing mould treatment."