The 1991 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 2 May 1991. The results were a setback for the governing Conservative Party, who were left with their lowest number of councillors since 1973, though their popular vote was an improvement from the 1990 local elections.

This was the first electoral test for Prime Minister and Conservative leader John Major, who had taken the helm from Margaret Thatcher in November 1990.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats both benefited from the Conservative losses.

The main opposition Labour Party gained 584 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 9,504, their highest since 1975. Their projected share of the vote was 38%, a decline of 6% from the previous year. They overtook the Conservatives in number of councillors and would remain in that position until 2003.

The governing Conservative Party lost 1,035 seats, leaving them with 7,985 councillors. Their share of the vote was projected to be 35%, an increase of 2% from the previous year.

The Liberal Democrats gained 407 seats and had 3,672 councillors following the elections, a record number and a sign of their improving popularity following a series of disastrous performances in local and European elections following their formation in March 1988. Their projected share of the vote was 22%, up from 17% in 1990.

Despite the Conservatives' heavy losses, the party would go on to win the 1992 general election 11 months later.

England

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

Council Previous control Result DetailsBarnsley holdDetailsBirmingham holdDetailsBolton holdDetailsBradford holdDetailsBury holdDetailsCalderdale holdDetailsCoventry holdDetailsDoncaster holdDetailsDudley holdDetailsGateshead holdDetailsKirklees holdDetailsKnowsley holdDetailsLeeds holdDetailsLiverpool holdDetailsManchester holdDetailsNewcastle upon Tyne holdDetailsNorth Tyneside holdDetailsOldham holdDetailsRochdale holdDetailsRotherham holdDetailsSalford holdDetailsSandwell holdDetailsSefton holdDetailsSheffield holdDetailsSolihull gainDetailsSouth Tyneside holdDetailsSt Helens holdDetailsStockport holdDetailsSunderland holdDetailsTameside holdDetailsTrafford holdDetailsWakefield holdDetailsWalsall holdDetailsWigan holdDetailsWirral gainDetailsWolverhampton holdDetails

District councils

Whole council In 185 districts the whole council was up for election.

Three of those districts - Oadby and Wigston, Tonbridge and Malling and Torbay - returned to whole councils elections having previously been elected by thirds.

In 9 districts there were new ward boundaries, following further electoral boundary reviews by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

These were the last elections to the district councils of Langbaurgh-on-Tees, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Woodspring before they were made unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).

These were also the last elections to the district councils of Beverley, Boothferry, Cleethorpes, East Yorkshire, Glanford, Holderness, Kingswood, Medina, Northavon, South Wight and Wansdyke before they were abolished and replaced by unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).

Council Previous control Result DetailsAllerdale gainDetailsAlnwick gainDetailsArun holdDetailsAshfield holdDetailsAshford holdDetailsAylesbury Vale gainDetailsBabergh holdDetailsBerwick-upon-Tweed holdDetailsBeverley gainDetailsBlaby holdDetailsBlackpool gainDetailsBlyth Valley ‡ gainDetailsBolsover holdDetailsBoothferry holdDetailsBoston holdDetailsBournemouth gainDetailsBracknell Forest holdDetailsBraintree holdDetailsBreckland holdDetailsBridgnorth holdDetailsBromsgrove holdDetailsBroxtowe holdDetailsBurnley ‡ holdDetailsCanterbury gainDetailsCaradon holdDetailsCarrick gainDetailsCastle Morpeth holdDetailsCastle Point holdDetailsCharnwood holdDetailsChelmsford gainDetailsChesterfield holdDetailsChester-le-Street holdDetailsChichester holdDetailsChiltern holdDetailsChristchurch holdDetailsCleethorpes holdDetailsCopeland holdDetailsCorby holdDetailsCotswold holdDetailsDacorum holdDetailsDarlington gainDetailsDartford holdDetailsDerbyshire Dales holdDetailsDerwentside holdDetailsDover gainDetailsDurham holdDetailsEasington holdDetailsEast Cambridgeshire holdDetailsEast Devon holdDetailsEast Dorset holdDetailsEast Hampshire gainDetailsEast Hertfordshire holdDetailsEast Lindsey holdDetailsEast Northamptonshire holdDetailsEast Staffordshire holdDetailsEast Yorkshire gainDetailsEden holdDetailsEpsom and Ewell holdDetailsErewash gainDetailsFenland holdDetailsForest Heath gainDetailsForest of Dean gainDetailsFylde gainDetailsGedling holdDetailsGlanford gainDetailsGravesham holdDetailsGuildford gainDetailsHambleton holdDetailsHarborough holdDetailsHigh Peak holdDetailsHinckley and Bosworth holdDetailsHolderness holdDetailsHorsham holdDetailsHove holdDetailsKennet holdDetailsKerrier holdDetailsKettering holdDetailsKing's Lynn and West Norfolk gainDetailsKingswood gainDetailsLancaster holdDetailsLangbaurgh-on-Tees ‡ gainDetailsLeicester holdDetailsLewes gainDetailsLichfield holdDetailsLuton gainDetailsMaldon holdDetailsMalvern Hills gainDetailsMansfield holdDetailsMedina gainDetailsMelton holdDetailsMendip holdDetailsMid Bedfordshire holdDetailsMid Devon holdDetailsMid Suffolk holdDetailsMid Sussex holdDetailsMiddlesbrough holdDetailsNew Forest gainDetailsNewark and Sherwood gainDetailsNewbury gainDetailsNorth Cornwall holdDetailsNorth Devon gainDetailsNorth Dorset holdDetailsNorth East Derbyshire holdDetailsNorth Kesteven holdDetailsNorth Norfolk gainDetailsNorth Shropshire holdDetailsNorth Warwickshire holdDetailsNorth West Leicestershire gainDetailsNorth Wiltshire gainDetailsNorthampton gainDetailsNorthavon gainDetailsNottingham gainDetailsOadby and Wigston gainDetailsOswestry gainDetailsPlymouth gainDetailsPoole gainDetailsRestormel gainDetailsRibble Valley holdDetailsRichmondshire holdDetailsRochester-upon-Medway gainDetailsRother gainDetailsRushcliffe holdDetailsRutland holdDetailsRyedale holdDetailsSalisbury holdDetailsScarborough holdDetailsSedgefield holdDetailsSedgemoor holdDetailsSelby gainDetailsSevenoaks holdDetailsShepway gainDetailsSouth Bucks holdDetailsSouth Derbyshire holdDetailsSouth Hams holdDetailsSouth Herefordshire ‡ holdDetailsSouth Holland gainDetailsSouth Kesteven gainDetailsSouth Norfolk holdDetailsSouth Northamptonshire holdDetailsSouth Oxfordshire holdDetailsSouth Ribble holdDetailsSouth Shropshire holdDetailsSouth Somerset ‡ holdDetailsSouth Staffordshire ‡ holdDetailsSouth Wight holdDetailsSpelthorne holdDetailsSt Edmundsbury gainDetailsStafford holdDetailsStaffordshire Moorlands gainDetailsStockton-on-Tees gainDetailsSuffolk Coastal holdDetailsSurrey Heath holdDetailsTaunton Deane gainDetailsTeesdale holdDetailsTeignbridge holdDetailsTendring gainDetailsTest Valley holdDetailsTewkesbury gainDetailsThanet gainDetailsThe Wrekin holdDetailsTonbridge and Malling ‡ holdDetailsTorbay gainDetailsTorridge holdDetailsTynedale holdDetailsUttlesford holdDetailsVale of White Horse holdDetailsVale Royal gainDetailsWansbeck holdDetailsWansdyke gainDetailsWarrington ‡ holdDetailsWarwick holdDetailsWaverley gainDetailsWealden holdDetailsWear Valley gainDetailsWellingborough holdDetailsWelwyn Hatfield ‡ holdDetailsWest Devon gainDetailsWest Dorset holdDetailsWest Somerset holdDetailsWest Wiltshire gainDetailsWindsor and Maidenhead gainDetailsWoodspring holdDetailsWychavon gainDetailsWycombe holdDetailsWyre holdDetails

‡ New ward boundaries

Third of council In 111 districts one third of the council was up for election.

Council Previous control Result DetailsAdur holdDetailsAmber Valley gainDetailsBarrow-in-Furness gainDetailsBasildon gainDetailsBasingstoke and Deane holdDetailsBassetlaw holdDetailsBath holdDetailsBlackburn holdDetailsBrentwood gainDetailsBrighton holdDetailsBristol holdDetailsBroadland holdDetailsBroxbourne holdDetailsCambridge holdDetailsCannock Chase holdDetailsCarlisle holdDetailsCheltenham gainDetailsCherwell holdDetailsChester holdDetailsChorley gainDetailsColchester holdDetailsCongleton gainDetailsCraven holdDetailsCrawley holdDetailsCrewe and Nantwich holdDetailsDaventry holdDetailsDerby gainDetailsEastbourne gainDetailsEastleigh holdDetailsEllesmere Port and Neston holdDetailsElmbridge gainDetailsEpping Forest holdDetailsExeter holdDetailsFareham holdDetailsGillingham holdDetailsGloucester holdDetailsGosport gainDetailsGreat Grimsby holdDetailsGreat Yarmouth holdDetailsHarlow holdDetailsHarrogate holdDetailsHart holdDetailsHartlepool holdDetailsHastings holdDetailsHavant holdDetailsHereford holdDetailsHertsmere holdDetailsHuntingdonshire holdDetailsHyndburn holdDetailsIpswich holdDetailsKingston upon Hull holdDetailsLeominster holdDetailsLincoln holdDetailsMacclesfield holdDetailsMaidstone holdDetailsMilton Keynes gainDetailsMole Valley holdDetailsNewcastle-under-Lyme holdDetailsNorth Bedfordshire holdDetailsNorth Hertfordshire holdDetailsNorwich holdDetailsNuneaton and Bedworth holdDetailsOxford holdDetailsPendle gainDetailsPenwith holdDetailsPeterborough holdDetailsPortsmouth holdDetailsPreston holdDetailsPurbeck holdDetailsReading holdDetailsRedditch holdDetailsReigate and Banstead gainDetailsRochford holdDetailsRossendale holdDetailsRugby holdDetailsRunnymede holdDetailsRushmoor holdDetailsScunthorpe holdDetailsShrewsbury and Atcham holdDetailsSlough holdDetailsSouth Bedfordshire holdDetailsSouth Cambridgeshire holdDetailsSouth Lakeland holdDetailsSouthampton holdDetailsSouthend-on-Sea holdDetailsSt Albans gainDetailsStevenage holdDetailsStoke-on-Trent holdDetailsStratford-on-Avon gainDetailsStroud holdDetailsSwale holdDetailsTamworth holdDetailsTandridge holdDetailsThamesdown holdDetailsThree Rivers holdDetailsThurrock holdDetailsTunbridge Wells holdDetailsWatford holdDetailsWaveney holdDetailsWest Lancashire gainDetailsWest Lindsey holdDetailsWest Oxfordshire holdDetailsWeymouth and Portland holdDetailsWinchester holdDetailsWoking holdDetailsWokingham holdDetailsWorcester holdDetailsWorthing holdDetailsWyre Forest holdDetailsYork holdDetails

Wales

District councils

These were the last elections to the district councils before they were abolished by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.

Council Previous control Result DetailsAberconwy holdDetailsAlyn and Deeside holdDetailsAnglesey - Ynys Môn holdDetailsArfon holdDetailsBlaenau Gwent holdDetailsBrecknock holdDetailsCardiff gainDetailsCarmarthen holdDetailsCeredigion holdDetailsColwyn holdDetailsCynon Valley holdDetailsDelyn gainDetailsDinefwr gainDetailsDwyfor holdDetailsGlyndŵr holdDetailsIslwyn holdDetailsLlanelli holdDetailsLliw Valley holdDetailsMeirionnydd holdDetailsMerthyr Tydfil holdDetailsMonmouth gainDetailsMontgomeryshire holdDetailsNeath holdDetailsNewport holdDetailsOgwr holdDetailsPort Talbot holdDetailsPreseli Pembrokeshire holdDetailsRadnorshire holdDetailsRhondda holdDetailsRhuddlan holdDetailsRhymney Valley holdDetailsSouth Pembrokeshire holdDetailsSwansea holdDetailsTaff-Ely gainDetailsTorfaen holdDetailsVale of Glamorgan gainDetailsWrexham Maelor holdDetails

References

Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26. Vote 1999 BBC News Vote 2000 BBC News