Local election party abbreviations

The abbreviations below are used by the BBC to describe the main parties standing in the local elections held across England on 4 May 2006.

They are based on the list used by the Press Association, the UK's national news agency and our main results source.

A common query at local elections is the meaning of NOC, or No Overall Control. It refers to where no party has an absolute majority and control of a council.

It is similar to a hung parliament, the term used at a general election when no party gains a majority of MPs in the House of Commons and the right to form a government.

PARTY ABBREVIATIONS
Abbreviation	Party name/ meaning
CON	Conservative
LAB	Labour
LD	Liberal Democrat
BNP	British National Party
CPA	Christian Peoples Alliance
GRN	Green Party
IKHH	Independent Kidderminster Hospital and Health Concern
LIB	Liberal
MK	Mebyon Kernow
RA	Resident or Ratepayer
RES	Respect-Unity Coalition
SALT	Socialist Alternative
UKIP	UK Independence
OTH	Others/ independent
NOC	No Overall Control