1983 United Kingdom local elections

Local elections were held in the United Kingdom on 5 May 1983. 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%.

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.

Results

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 gainDetailsManchester holdDetailsNewcastle upon Tyne holdDetailsNorth Tyneside holdDetailsOldham holdDetailsRochdale holdDetailsRotherham holdDetailsSalford holdDetailsSandwell holdDetailsSefton holdDetailsSheffield holdDetailsSolihull holdDetailsSouth Tyneside holdDetailsSt Helens holdDetailsStockport gainDetailsSunderland holdDetailsTameside holdDetailsTrafford holdDetailsWakefield holdDetailsWalsall holdDetailsWigan holdDetailsWirral holdDetailsWolverhampton holdDetails

District councils

Whole council 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 DetailsAllerdale holdDetailsAlnwick holdDetailsArun ‡ holdDetailsAshfield holdDetailsAshford gainDetailsAylesbury Vale holdDetailsBabergh holdDetailsBerwick-upon-Tweed gainDetailsBeverley holdDetailsBlaby ‡ holdDetailsBlackpool holdDetailsBlyth Valley holdDetailsBolsover holdDetailsBoothferry holdDetailsBoston holdDetailsBournemouth holdDetailsBracknell holdDetailsBraintree holdDetailsBreckland holdDetailsBridgnorth holdDetailsBrighton ‡ gainDetailsBristol ‡ gainDetailsBromsgrove holdDetailsBroxtowe holdDetailsCanterbury holdDetailsCaradon ‡ holdDetailsCarlisle ‡ holdDetailsCarrick gainDetailsCastle Morpeth holdDetailsCastle Point holdDetailsCharnwood ‡ holdDetailsChelmsford gainDetailsCheltenham ‡ holdDetailsChesterfield holdDetailsChester-le-Street holdDetailsChichester holdDetailsChiltern holdDetailsChristchurch holdDetailsCleethorpes holdDetailsCopeland holdDetailsCorby holdDetailsCotswold holdDetailsDacorum holdDetailsDarlington holdDetailsDartford gainDetailsDerwentside holdDetailsDover holdDetailsDurham gainDetailsEasington holdDetailsEast Cambridgeshire ‡ holdDetailsEast Hampshire holdDetailsEast Hertfordshire holdDetailsEast Lindsey ‡ holdDetailsEast Northamptonshire holdDetailsEast Staffordshire holdDetailsEast Yorkshire holdDetailsEden holdDetailsEpsom and Ewell holdDetailsErewash holdDetailsExeter ‡ holdDetailsFenland holdDetailsForest Heath gainDetailsForest of Dean ‡ holdDetailsFylde holdDetailsGedling holdDetailsGlanford holdDetailsGravesham holdDetailsGuildford holdDetailsHambleton holdDetailsHarborough ‡ holdDetailsHarrogate ‡ holdDetailsHigh Peak holdDetailsHinckley and Bosworth ‡ holdDetailsHolderness holdDetailsHorsham holdDetailsHove holdDetailsKennet holdDetailsKerrier holdDetailsKettering gainDetailsKing's Lynn and West Norfolk ‡ holdDetailsKingston upon Hull ‡ holdDetailsKingswood gainDetailsLancaster holdDetailsLangbaurgh holdDetailsLeicester ‡ holdDetailsLewes ‡ holdDetailsLichfield holdDetailsLuton holdDetailsMaldon gainDetailsMalvern Hills holdDetailsMansfield holdDetailsMedina holdDetailsMelton holdDetailsMendip gainDetailsMid Bedfordshire holdDetailsMid Devon holdDetailsMid Suffolk holdDetailsMid Sussex ‡ holdDetailsMiddlesbrough holdDetailsNew Forest holdDetailsNewark and Sherwood holdDetailsNewbury ‡ holdDetailsNorth Bedfordshire ‡ holdDetailsNorth Cornwall holdDetailsNorth Devon ‡ holdDetailsNorth Dorset ‡ holdDetailsNorth East Derbyshire holdDetailsNorth Kesteven holdDetailsNorth Norfolk holdDetailsNorth Shropshire holdDetailsNorth Warwickshire holdDetailsNorth West Leicestershire ‡ gainDetailsNorth Wiltshire ‡ holdDetailsNorthampton gainDetailsNorthavon holdDetailsNottingham holdDetailsOswestry holdDetailsPlymouth holdDetailsPoole ‡ holdDetailsPortsmouth ‡ holdDetailsReading ‡ gainDetailsRedditch ‡ gainDetailsRestormel ‡ holdDetailsRibble Valley holdDetailsRichmondshire holdDetailsRochester-upon-Medway holdDetailsRother ‡ gainDetailsRushcliffe holdDetailsRutland holdDetailsRyedale ‡ holdDetailsSalisbury holdDetailsScarborough gainDetailsSedgefield ‡ holdDetailsSedgemoor holdDetailsSelby holdDetailsSevenoaks holdDetailsShepway holdDetailsSlough ‡ gainDetailsSouth Bucks ‡ holdDetailsSouth Derbyshire gainDetailsSouth Hams gainDetailsSouth Holland holdDetailsSouth Kesteven holdDetailsSouth Norfolk holdDetailsSouth Northamptonshire holdDetailsSouth Oxfordshire ‡ holdDetailsSouth Ribble holdDetailsSouth Shropshire holdDetailsSouth Staffordshire holdDetailsSouth Wight gainDetailsSpelthorne holdDetailsSt Edmundsbury holdDetailsStafford holdDetailsStaffordshire Moorlands holdDetailsStockton-on-Tees holdDetailsStroud ‡ holdDetailsSuffolk Coastal ‡ holdDetailsSurrey Heath holdDetailsTaunton Deane holdDetailsTeesdale ‡ holdDetailsTeignbridge gainDetailsTendring holdDetailsTest Valley holdDetailsTewkesbury ‡ holdDetailsThanet gainDetailsThe Wrekin holdDetailsTorbay ‡ holdDetailsTorridge holdDetailsTynedale holdDetailsUttlesford holdDetailsVale of White Horse holdDetailsVale Royal holdDetailsWansbeck holdDetailsWansdyke holdDetailsWarrington gainDetailsWarwick ‡ holdDetailsWaveney ‡ holdDetailsWaverley ‡ holdDetailsWealden ‡ holdDetailsWear Valley ‡ holdDetailsWellingborough ‡ holdDetailsWest Derbyshire holdDetailsWest Devon holdDetailsWest Dorset ‡ holdDetailsWest Somerset holdDetailsWest Wiltshire ‡ holdDetailsWimborne ‡ holdDetailsWindsor and Maidenhead ‡ holdDetailsWorthing ‡ holdDetailsWychavon gainDetailsWycombe ‡ holdDetailsWyre holdDetailsYeovil holdDetails

‡ New ward boundaries

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

Council Previous control Result DetailsAdur gainDetailsAmber Valley holdDetailsBarrow-in-Furness holdDetailsBasildon holdDetailsBasingstoke and Deane holdDetailsBassetlaw holdDetailsBath holdDetailsBlackburn gainDetailsBrentwood holdDetailsBroadland holdDetailsBroxbourne holdDetailsBurnley holdDetailsCambridge holdDetailsCannock Chase holdDetailsCherwell holdDetailsChester holdDetailsChorley gainDetailsColchester holdDetailsCongleton gainDetailsCraven holdDetailsCrawley holdDetailsCrewe and Nantwich holdDetailsDaventry gainDetailsDerby holdDetailsEast Devon holdDetailsEastbourne holdDetailsEastleigh gainDetailsEllesmere Port and Neston holdDetailsElmbridge holdDetailsEpping Forest holdDetailsFareham holdDetailsGillingham holdDetailsGloucester holdDetailsGosport holdDetailsGreat Grimsby gainDetailsGreat Yarmouth gainDetailsHalton holdDetailsHarlow holdDetailsHart gainDetailsHartlepool holdDetailsHastings holdDetailsHavant holdDetailsHereford holdDetailsHertsmere holdDetailsHuntingdon holdDetailsHyndburn holdDetailsIpswich holdDetailsLeominster holdDetailsLincoln holdDetailsMacclesfield holdDetailsMaidstone gainDetailsMilton Keynes holdDetailsMole Valley holdDetailsNewcastle-under-Lyme holdDetailsNorth Hertfordshire holdDetailsNorwich holdDetailsNuneaton and Bedworth holdDetailsOadby and Wigston holdDetailsOxford holdDetailsPendle holdDetailsPenwith holdDetailsPeterborough holdDetailsPreston holdDetailsPurbeck holdDetailsReigate and Banstead holdDetailsRochford holdDetailsRossendale holdDetailsRugby holdDetailsRunnymede holdDetailsRushmoor holdDetailsScunthorpe holdDetailsShrewsbury and Atcham holdDetailsSouth Bedfordshire holdDetailsSouth Cambridgeshire holdDetailsSouth Herefordshire holdDetailsSouth Lakeland holdDetailsSouthampton holdDetailsSouthend-on-Sea holdDetailsSt Albans holdDetailsStevenage holdDetailsStoke-on-Trent holdDetailsStratford-on-Avon holdDetailsSwale holdDetailsTamworth gainDetailsTandridge holdDetailsThamesdown holdDetailsThree Rivers holdDetailsThurrock holdDetailsTonbridge and Malling holdDetailsTunbridge Wells holdDetailsWatford holdDetailsWelwyn Hatfield holdDetailsWest Lancashire holdDetailsWest Lindsey holdDetailsWest Oxfordshire gainDetailsWeymouth and Portland holdDetailsWinchester holdDetailsWoking holdDetailsWokingham holdDetailsWoodspring holdDetailsWorcester gainDetailsWyre Forest holdDetailsYork holdDetails

Wales

District councils

Council Previous control Result DetailsAberconwy gainDetailsAfan holdDetailsAlyn and Deeside holdDetailsAnglesey - Ynys Môn holdDetailsArfon holdDetailsBlaenau Gwent holdDetailsBrecknock holdDetailsCardiff gainDetailsCarmarthen holdDetailsCeredigion holdDetailsColwyn holdDetailsCynon Valley holdDetailsDelyn holdDetailsDinefwr gainDetailsDwyfor holdDetailsGlyndŵr holdDetailsIslwyn holdDetailsLlanelli holdDetailsLliw Valley holdDetailsMeirionnydd holdDetailsMerthyr Tydfil holdDetailsMonmouth holdDetailsMontgomery holdDetailsNeath holdDetailsNewport holdDetailsOgwr holdDetailsPreseli holdDetailsRadnor holdDetailsRhondda holdDetailsRhuddlan holdDetailsRhymney Valley holdDetailsSouth Pembrokeshire holdDetailsSwansea holdDetailsTaff-Ely holdDetailsTorfaen holdDetailsVale of Glamorgan holdDetailsWrexham Maelor holdDetails

References

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