Unemployment rate during each mayor's tenure
22 mayors, ranked by how the unemployment rate changed from their first day in office, next to the nation over the same months. Politare shows what happened during a tenure; it does not claim the office-holder caused it.
| # | Mayor | City | In office | Total | vs nation | Per year | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LD Rodney Berman | Cardiff | 1 Jun 2004 – 1 May 2012 from Q4 2004 | +3.5 pp Q4 2004 → Q1 2012 | −0.2 pp nation +3.7 pp | +0.5 pp/yr | |
| 2 | Lab Steven Purcell | Glasgow | 1 May 2005 – 1 May 2010 | +3.3 pp Q1 2005 → Q1 2010 | +1.2 pp nation +2.1 pp | +0.7 pp/yr | |
| 3 | UKIP Peter Davies | Doncaster | 8 Jun 2009 – 6 May 2013 | +2.7 pp Q1 2009 → Q1 2013 | +1.1 pp nation +1.6 pp | +0.7 pp/yr | |
| 4 | Lab Co-op Richard Parker | Birmingham | 2 May 2024 – now | +1.7 pp Q1 2024 → Q1 2026 | +1.0 pp nation +0.7 pp | +0.8 pp/yr | |
| 5 | Lab Chris Cooke | Middlesbrough | 4 May 2023 – now | +1.6 pp Q1 2023 → Q1 2026 | +0.7 pp nation +0.9 pp | +0.5 pp/yr | |
| 6 | LD Jenny Dawe | Edinburgh | 1 May 2007 – 1 May 2012 | +1.5 pp Q1 2007 → Q1 2012 | −1.4 pp nation +2.9 pp | +0.3 pp/yr | |
| 7 | SNP Susan Aitken | Glasgow | 18 May 2017 – now | +1.3 pp Q1 2017 → Q1 2026 | +1.7 pp nation −0.4 pp | +0.1 pp/yr | |
| 8 | Reform Luke Campbell | Hull | 1 May 2025 – now | +1.1 pp Q1 2025 → Q1 2026 | +0.5 pp nation +0.6 pp | +1.1 pp/yr | |
| 9 | Lab Co-op Richard Parker | Coventry | 2 May 2024 – now | +0.9 pp Q1 2024 → Q1 2026 | +0.2 pp nation +0.7 pp | +0.5 pp/yr | |
| 10 | Lab Tracy Brabin | Bradford | 6 May 2021 – now | +0.7 pp Q1 2021 → Q1 2026 | +1.0 pp nation −0.3 pp | +0.1 pp/yr |
Showing 10 of 42 tenures.
Sorted by total, highest first. Every row is indexed to the last quarter complete before the first day in office ("from" marks a start that had to move because that period had no data, or because the period cut it); the nation is measured over the same months. Levels are per cent changes, rates are differences in pp; "per year" compounds levels and divides rates. Tenures with under 12 months, or under three observations, are left out. % of labour force, 12 months to the quarter's end · ONS model-based estimates via nomis (NM_127_1), rolling 12 months, dated at the start of the last quarter · city (council area) data · as of Jul 2026.