The 1993 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 6 May 1993 in England and Wales, and Wednesday 19 May 1993 in Northern Ireland. The results showed a decline for the governing Conservative Party, who were still reeling from the fallout of Black Wednesday; with the third-placed party, the Liberal Democrats, gaining most seats.
The main opposition Labour Party, now led by John Smith following Neil Kinnock's resignation as party leader, gained 111 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 9,213. Their share of the vote was projected to be 39%, their highest since 1990.
The governing Conservative Party lost 486 seats and was left with 7,802 councillors. Their projected share of the vote was 31%, a 15% decline since the previous local elections in 1992.
The Liberal Democrats gained 395 seats and had 4,123 councillors following the elections. Their projected share of the vote was 25%, an increase in 5% from the 1992 local elections.
On the same day as local elections in England and Wales, a parliamentary by-election was held in the Newbury constituency in Berkshire. The Conservatives lost this seat to the Liberal Democrats.
Results
England
Non-metropolitan county councils
These were the last elections to the county councils of Avon, Berkshire, Cleveland, Hereford and Worcester, Humberside and Isle of Wight before they were abolished by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).
Council Previous control Result DetailsAvon holdDetailsBedfordshire holdDetailsBerkshire gainDetailsBuckinghamshire holdDetailsCambridgeshire gainDetailsCheshire holdDetailsCleveland holdDetailsCornwall gainDetailsCumbria holdDetailsDerbyshire holdDetailsDevon gainDetailsDorset gainDetailsDurham holdDetailsEast Sussex gainDetailsEssex gainDetailsGloucestershire holdDetailsHampshire gainDetailsHereford and Worcester holdDetailsHertfordshire gainDetailsHumberside holdDetailsIsle of Wight holdDetailsKent gainDetailsLancashire holdDetailsLeicestershire holdDetailsLincolnshire gainDetailsNorfolk gainDetailsNorth Yorkshire holdDetailsNorthamptonshire gainDetailsNorthumberland holdDetailsNottinghamshire holdDetailsOxfordshire holdDetailsShropshire holdDetailsSomerset gainDetailsStaffordshire holdDetailsSuffolk gainDetailsSurrey gainDetailsWarwickshire gainDetailsWest Sussex gainDetailsWiltshire ‡ holdDetails
‡ New electoral division boundaries
Sui generis
Council Previous control Result DetailsIsles of ScillyDetails
Northern Ireland
Council Previous control Result DetailsAntrim DetailsArds DetailsArmagh DetailsBallymena DetailsBallymoney DetailsBanbridge DetailsBelfast DetailsCarrickfergus DetailsCastlereagh DetailsColeraine DetailsCookstown DetailsCraigavon DetailsDerry DetailsDown DetailsDungannon DetailsFermanagh DetailsLarne DetailsLimavady DetailsLisburn DetailsMagherafelt DetailsMoyle DetailsNewry and Mourne DetailsNewtownabbey DetailsNorth Down DetailsOmagh DetailsStrabane Details
Wales
County councils
These were the last elections to the county councils before they were abolished by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.
Council Previous control Result DetailsClwyd holdDetailsDyfed holdDetailsGwent holdDetailsGwynedd gainDetailsMid Glamorgan holdDetailsPowys holdDetailsSouth Glamorgan holdDetailsWest Glamorgan holdDetails
References
Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26. Vote 2001 BBC News