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1987 United Kingdom local elections

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1987 United Kingdom local elections

← 1986 7 May 1987 1988 →

All 36 metropolitan boroughs, all 296 English districts and all 37 Welsh districts
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Margaret Thatcher (1983).jpg
Start campagne voor Europese verkiezingen van PvdA (Rotterdam) Neal Kinnoch , k, Bestanddeelnr 932-9811.jpg
DavidSteel1987 cropped.jpg
David Owen-1.jpg
Leader Margaret Thatcher Neil Kinnock David Steel
and David Owen
Party Conservative Labour SDP–Liberal Alliance
Leader since 11 February 1975 2 October 1983 7 July 1976
and 21 June 1983
Percentage 38% 32% 27%
Councillors +/- Decrease 75 Decrease 234 Increase 669

The 1987 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 7 May 1987.[1][2][3] It was the first time since 1983 that the Conservatives had enjoyed the largest share of the vote in local council elections.

Soon after the elections, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher called a general election which resulted in a second successive Conservative landslide, although Labour managed to cut the government's overall majority, while the Alliance endured another disappointing performance and was soon disbanded as the SDP and Liberals agreed on a merger the following year.

The number of councillors was somewhat reduced from the previous year. The Conservatives lost 75 seats, Labour lost 234 and the Liberal-SDP Alliance gained 669.

Summary of results

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England

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Metropolitan boroughs

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All 36 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Barnsley Labour Labour hold Details
Birmingham Labour Labour hold Details
Bolton Labour Labour hold Details
Bradford Labour Labour hold Details
Bury Labour Labour hold Details
Calderdale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Coventry Labour Labour hold Details
Doncaster Labour Labour hold Details
Dudley Labour Labour hold Details
Gateshead Labour Labour hold Details
Kirklees No overall control No overall control hold Details
Knowsley Labour Labour hold Details
Leeds Labour Labour hold Details
Liverpool Labour Labour hold Details
Manchester Labour Labour hold Details
Newcastle upon Tyne Labour Labour hold Details
North Tyneside No overall control Labour gain Details
Oldham Labour Labour hold Details
Rochdale Labour Labour hold Details
Rotherham Labour Labour hold Details
Salford Labour Labour hold Details
Sandwell Labour Labour hold Details
Sefton No overall control No overall control hold Details
Sheffield Labour Labour hold Details
Solihull Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Tyneside Labour Labour hold Details
St Helens Labour Labour hold Details
Stockport No overall control No overall control hold Details
Sunderland Labour Labour hold Details
Tameside Labour Labour hold Details
Trafford No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wakefield Labour Labour hold Details
Walsall No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wigan Labour Labour hold Details
Wirral No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wolverhampton Labour No overall control gain Details

District councils

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Whole council

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In 180 districts the whole council was up for election.

Six of those districts - East Devon, Hinckley and Bosworth, Leicester, Mid Sussex, West Dorset and Woodspring - returned to whole councils elections having previously been elected by thirds.

In 5 districts there were new ward boundaries, following further electoral boundary reviews by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

Council Previous control Result Details
Allerdale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Alnwick No overall control No overall control hold Details
Arun Conservative Conservative hold Details
Ashfield Labour Labour hold Details
Ashford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Aylesbury Vale Conservative Conservative hold Details
Babergh No overall control No overall control hold Details
Berwick-upon-Tweed No overall control No overall control hold Details
Beverley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Blaby Conservative Conservative hold Details
Blackpool Conservative No overall control gain Details
Blyth Valley Labour Alliance gain Details
Bolsover Labour Labour hold Details
Boothferry Conservative No overall control gain Details
Boston No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bournemouth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bracknell Forest Conservative Conservative hold Details
Braintree No overall control No overall control hold Details
Breckland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bridgnorth Independent Independent hold Details
Bromsgrove Conservative Conservative hold Details
Broxtowe Conservative Conservative hold Details
Canterbury Conservative Conservative hold Details
Caradon Independent Independent hold Details
Carrick No overall control No overall control hold Details
Castle Morpeth No overall control No overall control hold Details
Castle Point Conservative Conservative hold Details
Charnwood Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chelmsford Alliance Alliance hold Details
Chesterfield Labour Labour hold Details
Chester-le-Street Labour Labour hold Details
Chichester Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chiltern Conservative Conservative hold Details
Christchurch Conservative Conservative hold Details
Cleethorpes No overall control No overall control hold Details
Copeland Labour Labour hold Details
Corby Labour Labour hold Details
Cotswold Independent Independent hold Details
Dacorum Conservative Conservative hold Details
Darlington Labour No overall control gain Details
Dartford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Derwentside Labour Labour hold Details
Dover Conservative Conservative hold Details
Durham Labour Labour hold Details
Easington Labour Labour hold Details
East Cambridgeshire Independent Independent hold Details
East Devon Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Hampshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Hertfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Lindsey Independent Independent hold Details
East Northamptonshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
East Staffordshire No overall control No overall control hold Details
East Yorkshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Eden Independent Independent hold Details
Epsom and Ewell Independent Independent hold Details
Erewash Conservative Conservative hold Details
Fenland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Forest Heath No overall control Conservative gain Details
Forest of Dean No overall control No overall control hold Details
Fylde Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gedling Conservative Conservative hold Details
Glanford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gravesham Conservative No overall control gain Details
Guildford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hambleton Independent No overall control gain Details
Harborough Conservative No overall control gain Details
High Peak No overall control No overall control hold Details
Hinckley and Bosworth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Holderness Independent Independent hold Details
Horsham Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hove Conservative Conservative hold Details
Kennet Independent No overall control gain Details
Kerrier No overall control No overall control hold Details
Kettering Conservative No overall control gain Details
King's Lynn and West Norfolk Conservative Conservative hold Details
Kingswood Conservative Conservative hold Details
Lancaster Conservative No overall control gain Details
Langbaurgh Labour No overall control gain Details
Leicester Labour Labour hold Details
Lewes Conservative Conservative hold Details
Lichfield Conservative Conservative hold Details
Luton Conservative Conservative hold Details
Maldon No overall control No overall control hold Details
Malvern Hills Independent No overall control gain Details
Mansfield Labour Labour hold Details
Medina Alliance Conservative gain Details
Melton Conservative Conservative hold Details
Mendip Conservative No overall control gain Details
Mid Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Mid Devon Independent Independent hold Details
Mid Suffolk No overall control No overall control hold Details
Mid Sussex Conservative Conservative hold Details
Middlesbrough Labour Labour hold Details
New Forest Conservative Conservative hold Details
Newark and Sherwood No overall control No overall control hold Details
Newbury Conservative Conservative hold Details
North Cornwall Independent Independent hold Details
North Devon Independent No overall control gain Details
North Dorset Independent Independent hold Details
North East Derbyshire Labour Labour hold Details
North Kesteven Independent No overall control gain Details
North Norfolk Independent Independent hold Details
North Shropshire Independent Independent hold Details
North Warwickshire Labour Labour hold Details
North West Leicestershire No overall control No overall control hold Details
North Wiltshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Northampton No overall control Conservative gain Details
Northavon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Nottingham Labour Conservative gain Details
Oswestry Independent No overall control gain Details
Plymouth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Poole Conservative Conservative hold Details
Restormel Independent No overall control gain Details
Ribble Valley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Richmondshire Independent Independent hold Details
Rochester-upon-Medway Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rother Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rushcliffe Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rutland Independent No overall control gain Details
Ryedale Independent No overall control gain Details
Salisbury No overall control Conservative gain Details
Scarborough No overall control No overall control hold Details
Sedgefield Labour Labour hold Details
Sedgemoor Conservative Conservative hold Details
Selby Conservative Conservative hold Details
Sevenoaks Conservative Conservative hold Details
Shepway Conservative No overall control gain Details
South Bucks Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Derbyshire Labour Labour hold Details
South Hams No overall control Conservative gain Details
South Holland Independent No overall control gain Details
South Kesteven Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Norfolk Conservative No overall control gain Details
South Northamptonshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Oxfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Ribble Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Shropshire Independent Independent hold Details
South Somerset No overall control Alliance gain Details
South Staffordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Wight Conservative No overall control gain Details
Spelthorne Conservative Conservative hold Details
St Edmundsbury Conservative Conservative hold Details
Stafford No overall control No overall control hold Details
Staffordshire Moorlands No overall control No overall control hold Details
Stockton-on-Tees Labour Labour hold Details
Suffolk Coastal Conservative Conservative hold Details
Surrey Heath Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tamworth Labour Conservative gain Details
Taunton Deane Conservative Conservative hold Details
Teesdale Independent Independent hold Details
Teignbridge No overall control No overall control hold Details
Tendring Conservative Conservative hold Details
Test Valley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tewkesbury Independent No overall control gain Details
Thanet Independent No overall control gain Details
The Wrekin Labour Labour hold Details
Torridge Independent Independent hold Details
Tynedale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Uttlesford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Vale of White Horse Conservative Conservative hold Details
Vale Royal No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wansbeck Labour Labour hold Details
Wansdyke Conservative Conservative hold Details
Warrington Labour Labour hold Details
Warwick Conservative Conservative hold Details
Waverley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wealden Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wear Valley Labour Labour hold Details
Wellingborough Conservative Conservative hold Details
West Derbyshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
West Devon Independent No overall control gain Details
West Dorset Independent No overall control gain Details
West Somerset Independent Independent hold Details
West Wiltshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wimborne Conservative Conservative hold Details
Windsor and Maidenhead Conservative Conservative hold Details
Woodspring Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wychavon No overall control Conservative gain Details
Wycombe Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wyre Conservative Conservative hold Details

‡ New ward boundaries

Third of council

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In 116 districts one third of the council was up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Adur Alliance Alliance hold Details
Amber Valley Labour No overall control gain Details
Barrow-in-Furness Labour Labour hold Details
Basildon Labour No overall control gain Details
Basingstoke and Deane Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bassetlaw Labour Labour hold Details
Bath Conservative No overall control gain Details
Blackburn Labour No overall control gain Details
Brentwood Conservative Conservative hold Details
Brighton No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bristol Labour Labour hold Details
Broadland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Broxbourne Conservative Conservative hold Details
Burnley Labour Labour hold Details
Cambridge Labour No overall control gain Details
Cannock Chase No overall control Labour gain Details
Carlisle Labour Labour hold Details
Cheltenham No overall control No overall control hold Details
Cherwell Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chester No overall control No overall control hold Details
Chorley No overall control No overall control hold Details
Colchester No overall control No overall control hold Details
Congleton No overall control No overall control hold Details
Craven No overall control No overall control hold Details
Crawley Labour Labour hold Details
Crewe and Nantwich No overall control No overall control hold Details
Daventry Conservative Conservative hold Details
Derby Labour Labour hold Details
Eastbourne Alliance Alliance hold Details
Eastleigh No overall control No overall control hold Details
Ellesmere Port and Neston Labour Labour hold Details
Elmbridge No overall control No overall control hold Details
Epping Forest Conservative Conservative hold Details
Exeter No overall control No overall control hold Details
Fareham No overall control Conservative gain Details
Gillingham Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gloucester No overall control Conservative gain Details
Gosport Conservative Conservative hold Details
Great Grimsby Labour Labour hold Details
Great Yarmouth No overall control No overall control hold Details
Halton Labour Labour hold Details
Harlow Labour Labour hold Details
Harrogate Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hart No overall control No overall control hold Details
Hartlepool Labour Labour hold Details
Hastings No overall control No overall control hold Details
Havant Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hereford Alliance Alliance hold Details
Hertsmere Conservative Conservative hold Details
Huntingdonshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hyndburn Labour Labour hold Details
Ipswich Labour Labour hold Details
Kingston upon Hull Labour Labour hold Details
Leominster Independent Independent hold Details
Lincoln Labour Labour hold Details
Macclesfield Conservative Conservative hold Details
Maidstone No overall control No overall control hold Details
Milton Keynes No overall control No overall control hold Details
Mole Valley No overall control No overall control hold Details
Newcastle-under-Lyme Labour Labour hold Details
North Bedfordshire No overall control No overall control hold Details
North Hertfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Norwich Labour Labour hold Details
Nuneaton and Bedworth Labour Labour hold Details
Oadby and Wigston Conservative Conservative hold Details
Oxford Labour Labour hold Details
Pendle No overall control Alliance gain Details
Penwith No overall control No overall control hold Details
Peterborough No overall control No overall control hold Details
Portsmouth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Preston Labour Labour hold Details
Purbeck No overall control No overall control hold Details
Reading No overall control Labour gain Details
Redditch Labour Labour hold Details
Reigate and Banstead Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rochford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rossendale Labour Labour hold Details
Rugby No overall control Conservative gain Details
Runnymede Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rushmoor Conservative Conservative hold Details
Scunthorpe Labour Labour hold Details
Shrewsbury and Atcham No overall control No overall control hold Details
Slough Labour Labour hold Details
South Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Cambridgeshire Independent Independent hold Details
South Herefordshire Independent Independent hold Details
South Lakeland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Southampton Labour No overall control gain Details
Southend-on-Sea Conservative No overall control gain Details
St Albans No overall control No overall control hold Details
Stevenage Labour Labour hold Details
Stoke-on-Trent Labour Labour hold Details
Stratford-on-Avon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Stroud No overall control No overall control hold Details
Swale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Tandridge Conservative Conservative hold Details
Thamesdown Labour Labour hold Details
Three Rivers No overall control Alliance gain Details
Thurrock Labour Labour hold Details
Tonbridge and Malling Conservative Conservative hold Details
Torbay Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tunbridge Wells Conservative Conservative hold Details
Watford Labour Labour hold Details
Waveney No overall control No overall control hold Details
Welwyn Hatfield Labour Labour hold Details
West Lancashire No overall control Conservative gain Details
West Lindsey No overall control Alliance gain Details
West Oxfordshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
Weymouth and Portland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Winchester Conservative No overall control gain Details
Woking No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wokingham Conservative Conservative hold Details
Worcester Labour Labour hold Details
Worthing Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wyre Forest No overall control No overall control hold Details
York Labour Labour hold Details

Wales

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District councils

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Council Previous control Result Details
Aberconwy No overall control No overall control hold Details
Alyn and Deeside No overall control Labour gain Details
Anglesey - Ynys Môn Independent Independent hold Details
Arfon No overall control No overall control hold Details
Blaenau Gwent Labour Labour hold Details
Brecknock Independent Independent hold Details
Cardiff Conservative No overall control gain Details
Carmarthen Independent Independent hold Details
Ceredigion Independent Independent hold Details
Colwyn No overall control No overall control hold Details
Cynon Valley Labour Labour hold Details
Delyn No overall control No overall control hold Details
Dinefwr Labour Labour hold Details
Dwyfor Independent Independent hold Details
Glyndŵr Independent Independent hold Details
Islwyn Labour Labour hold Details
Llanelli Labour Labour hold Details
Lliw Valley Labour Labour hold Details
Meirionnydd Independent Independent hold Details
Merthyr Tydfil Labour Labour hold Details
Monmouth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Montgomeryshire Independent Independent hold Details
Neath Labour Labour hold Details
Newport Labour Labour hold Details
Ogwr No overall control Labour gain Details
Port Talbot Labour Labour hold Details
Preseli Pembrokeshire Independent Independent hold Details
Radnor Independent Independent hold Details
Rhondda Labour Labour hold Details
Rhuddlan Independent Independent hold Details
Rhymney Valley Labour Labour hold Details
South Pembrokeshire Independent Independent hold Details
Swansea Labour Labour hold Details
Taff-Ely Labour Labour hold Details
Torfaen Labour Labour hold Details
Vale of Glamorgan Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wrexham Maelor No overall control Labour gain Details

References

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  1. ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1987, Volume 1. The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1987, Volume 2. The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.