This chapter examines the role of political parties and ideologies in local politics and challenges the long-standing notion that local governance is ideologically neutral. Using survey data from several European countries, it examines the proportion of councillors elected as independents or via local or national political party lists, how they position themselves ideologically, and what this reveals about national party systems. Despite expectations of local independence, on average two thirds of councillors were still elected via national party lists—although this proportion is declining. Independent councillors and councillors from local lists tend to position themselves in the political centre, slightly to the right of their party-affiliated colleagues. However, there are considerable country-specific differences. In addition, ideology self-assessments provide insight into shifts in national party systems, including polarisation (e.g. Spain) or centrism due to the rise of right-wing forces (e.g. Germany). These findings highlight the continuing influence of national politics at the local level and suggest future research directions, such as regional and intra-party ideological differences between councillors. The study reinforces the value of ideological data for understanding both local and national political dynamics.