1983 United Kingdom local elections

Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1983.[1][2] The results were a success for Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who soon afterwards called a general election in which the Conservatives won a landslide victory. The projected share of the vote was Conservative 39%, Labour Party 36%, Liberal-SDP Alliance 20%.

1983 United Kingdom local elections

← 1982 5 May 1983 1984 →

All 36 metropolitan boroughs, all 296 English districts and all 37 Welsh districts
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Margaret Thatcher (1983).jpg
Michael Foot (1981).jpg
DavidSteel1987 cropped.jpg
Roy Jenkins 1977b.jpg
Leader Margaret Thatcher Michael Foot David Steel
& Roy Jenkins
Party Conservative Labour Alliance
Leader since 11 February 1975 10 November 1980 7 July 1976 (Steel)
2 July 1982 (Jenkins)
Percentage 39% 36% 20%
Councillors 10,557 8,782 2,171
Councillors +/- Increase 110 Increase 8 Increase 321

The three major parties all made net gains at the expense of smaller parties and independents, despite a slight reduction in the number of councillors. The Conservatives gained 110 seats, giving them 10,557 councillors. Labour gained just 8 seats, finishing with 8,782 seats. The Liberal-SDP Alliance gained 321 seats, finishing with 2,171 seats. It was a decent showing for Labour, with a much larger share of the vote than any opinion poll had shown since the party's split in 1981, but a major disappointment for the Alliance. However, the subsequent general election saw the Conservative government elected by a landslide, while the Alliance came close to Labour in terms of votes, although Labour won almost 10 times as many seats.

Summary of results

edit

England

edit

Metropolitan boroughs

edit

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 Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bolton Labour Labour hold Details
Bradford No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bury Conservative Conservative hold Details
Calderdale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Coventry Labour Labour hold Details
Doncaster Labour Labour hold Details
Dudley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gateshead Labour Labour hold Details
Kirklees Labour Labour hold Details
Knowsley Labour Labour hold Details
Leeds Labour Labour hold Details
Liverpool No overall control Labour gain Details
Manchester Labour Labour hold Details
Newcastle upon Tyne Labour Labour hold Details
North Tyneside Labour Labour hold Details
Oldham Labour Labour hold Details
Rochdale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Rotherham Labour Labour hold Details
Salford Labour Labour hold Details
Sandwell Labour Labour hold Details
Sefton Conservative Conservative 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 Conservative No overall control gain Details
Sunderland Labour Labour hold Details
Tameside Labour Labour hold Details
Trafford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wakefield Labour Labour hold Details
Walsall No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wigan Labour Labour hold Details
Wirral Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wolverhampton Labour Labour hold Details

District councils

edit

Whole council

edit

In 193 districts the whole council was up for election.

In 54 districts there were new ward boundaries, following 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 No overall control Conservative gain Details
Aylesbury Vale Conservative Conservative hold Details
Babergh No overall control No overall control hold Details
Berwick-upon-Tweed Independent No overall control gain Details
Beverley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Blaby Conservative Conservative hold Details
Blackpool Conservative Conservative hold Details
Blyth Valley Labour Labour hold Details
Bolsover Labour Labour hold Details
Boothferry Conservative Conservative hold Details
Boston No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bournemouth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bracknell Conservative Conservative hold Details
Braintree No overall control No overall control hold Details
Breckland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Bridgnorth Independent Independent hold Details
Brighton Conservative No overall control gain Details
Bristol Labour No overall control gain Details
Bromsgrove Conservative Conservative hold Details
Broxtowe Conservative Conservative hold Details
Canterbury Conservative Conservative hold Details
Caradon Independent Independent hold Details
Carlisle Labour Labour hold Details
Carrick Conservative No overall control gain Details
Castle Morpeth No overall control No overall control hold Details
Castle Point Conservative Conservative hold Details
Charnwood Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chelmsford Conservative Alliance gain Details
Cheltenham No overall control No overall control 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 Labour hold Details
Dartford Labour Conservative gain Details
Derwentside Labour Labour hold Details
Dover Conservative Conservative hold Details
Durham No overall control Labour gain Details
Easington Labour Labour hold Details
East Cambridgeshire Independent Independent 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
Exeter Conservative Conservative hold Details
Fenland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Forest Heath Conservative No overall control 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 Conservative hold Details
Guildford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hambleton Independent Independent hold Details
Harborough Conservative Conservative hold Details
Harrogate Conservative Conservative hold 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 Independent hold Details
Kerrier No overall control No overall control hold Details
Kettering No overall control Conservative gain Details
King's Lynn and West Norfolk Conservative Conservative hold Details
Kingston upon Hull Labour Labour hold Details
Kingswood No overall control Conservative gain Details
Lancaster Conservative Conservative hold Details
Langbaurgh Labour Labour hold Details
Leicester Labour Labour hold Details
Lewes Conservative Conservative hold Details
Lichfield Conservative Conservative hold Details
Luton Conservative Conservative hold Details
Maldon Conservative No overall control gain Details
Malvern Hills Independent Independent hold Details
Mansfield Labour Labour hold Details
Medina Alliance Alliance hold Details
Melton Conservative Conservative hold Details
Mendip Independent Conservative 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 Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
North Cornwall Independent Independent hold Details
North Devon Independent Independent hold Details
North Dorset Independent Independent hold Details
North East Derbyshire Labour Labour hold Details
North Kesteven Independent Independent hold Details
North Norfolk Independent Independent hold Details
North Shropshire Independent Independent hold Details
North Warwickshire Labour Labour hold Details
North West Leicestershire Labour No overall control gain Details
North Wiltshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Northampton Conservative No overall control gain Details
Northavon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Nottingham Labour Labour hold Details
Oswestry Independent Independent hold Details
Plymouth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Poole Conservative Conservative hold Details
Portsmouth Conservative Conservative hold Details
Reading No overall control Conservative gain Details
Redditch Conservative Labour gain Details
Restormel Independent Independent hold Details
Ribble Valley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Richmondshire Independent Independent hold Details
Rochester-upon-Medway Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rother No overall control Conservative gain Details
Rushcliffe Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rutland Independent Independent hold Details
Ryedale Independent Independent hold Details
Salisbury No overall control No overall control hold Details
Scarborough Conservative No overall control gain Details
Sedgefield Labour Labour hold Details
Sedgemoor Conservative Conservative hold Details
Selby Conservative Conservative hold Details
Sevenoaks Conservative Conservative hold Details
Shepway Conservative Conservative hold Details
Slough Conservative Labour gain Details
South Bucks Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Derbyshire No overall control Labour gain Details
South Hams Independent No overall control gain Details
South Holland Independent Independent hold Details
South Kesteven Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Norfolk Conservative Conservative hold 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 Staffordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
South Wight Independent Conservative 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
Stroud Conservative Conservative hold Details
Suffolk Coastal Conservative Conservative hold Details
Surrey Heath Conservative Conservative hold Details
Taunton Deane Conservative Conservative hold Details
Teesdale Independent Independent hold Details
Teignbridge Independent No overall control gain Details
Tendring Conservative Conservative hold Details
Test Valley Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tewkesbury Independent Independent hold Details
Thanet Conservative Independent gain Details
The Wrekin Labour Labour hold Details
Torbay Conservative Conservative 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 No overall control Labour gain Details
Warwick Conservative Conservative hold Details
Waveney 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 Independent hold Details
West Dorset Independent Independent hold 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
Worthing Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wychavon Independent No overall control gain Details
Wycombe Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wyre Conservative Conservative hold Details
Yeovil No overall control No overall control hold Details

‡ New ward boundaries

Third of council

edit

In 103 districts one third of the council was up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Adur Alliance No overall control gain Details
Amber Valley Labour Labour hold Details
Barrow-in-Furness Labour Labour hold Details
Basildon Labour Labour hold Details
Basingstoke and Deane No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bassetlaw Labour Labour hold Details
Bath Conservative Conservative hold Details
Blackburn No overall control Labour gain Details
Brentwood Conservative Conservative hold Details
Broadland Conservative Conservative hold Details
Broxbourne Conservative Conservative hold Details
Burnley Labour Labour hold Details
Cambridge No overall control No overall control hold Details
Cannock Chase No overall control No overall control hold Details
Cherwell Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chester Conservative Conservative hold Details
Chorley Conservative No overall control gain Details
Colchester Conservative Conservative hold Details
Congleton No overall control Conservative gain Details
Craven Conservative Conservative hold Details
Crawley Labour Labour hold Details
Crewe and Nantwich No overall control No overall control hold Details
Daventry No overall control Conservative gain Details
Derby Labour Labour hold Details
East Devon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Eastbourne Conservative Conservative hold Details
Eastleigh Conservative No overall control gain Details
Ellesmere Port and Neston Labour Labour hold Details
Elmbridge Conservative Conservative hold Details
Epping Forest Conservative Conservative hold Details
Fareham Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gillingham Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gloucester Conservative Conservative hold Details
Gosport Conservative Conservative hold Details
Great Grimsby Labour No overall control gain Details
Great Yarmouth No overall control Conservative gain Details
Halton Labour Labour hold Details
Harlow Labour Labour hold Details
Hart Conservative No overall control gain 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
Huntingdon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hyndburn Labour Labour hold Details
Ipswich Labour Labour hold Details
Leominster Independent Independent hold Details
Lincoln Labour Labour hold Details
Macclesfield Conservative Conservative hold Details
Maidstone Conservative No overall control gain 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 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 No overall control hold Details
Penwith Independent Independent hold Details
Peterborough No overall control No overall control hold Details
Preston Labour Labour hold Details
Purbeck Independent Independent hold Details
Reigate and Banstead Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rochford Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rossendale Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rugby No overall control No overall control hold 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
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 Conservative Conservative hold Details
Southend-on-Sea Conservative Conservative hold Details
St Albans Conservative Conservative hold Details
Stevenage Labour Labour hold Details
Stoke-on-Trent Labour Labour hold Details
Stratford-on-Avon Conservative Conservative hold Details
Swale Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tamworth Labour Conservative gain Details
Tandridge Conservative Conservative hold Details
Thamesdown Labour Labour hold Details
Three Rivers Conservative Conservative hold Details
Thurrock Labour Labour hold Details
Tonbridge and Malling Conservative Conservative hold Details
Tunbridge Wells Conservative Conservative hold Details
Watford Labour Labour hold Details
Welwyn Hatfield Labour Labour hold Details
West Lancashire Conservative Conservative hold Details
West Lindsey No overall control No overall control hold Details
West Oxfordshire No overall control Conservative gain Details
Weymouth and Portland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Winchester Conservative Conservative hold Details
Woking Conservative Conservative hold Details
Wokingham Conservative Conservative hold Details
Woodspring Conservative Conservative hold Details
Worcester Labour No overall control gain Details
Wyre Forest No overall control No overall control hold Details
York No overall control No overall control hold Details

Wales

edit

District councils

edit
Council Previous control Result Details
Aberconwy Independent No overall control gain Details
Afan Labour Labour hold Details
Alyn and Deeside No overall control No overall control hold 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 Labour Conservative 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 Independent Labour gain 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
Montgomery Independent Independent hold Details
Neath Labour Labour hold Details
Newport Labour Labour hold Details
Ogwr No overall control No overall control hold Details
Preseli 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 No overall control hold Details

References

edit
  1. ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1983. The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. ^ "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.