The 1987 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 7 May 1987. 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.
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 gainDetailsOldham holdDetailsRochdale holdDetailsRotherham holdDetailsSalford holdDetailsSandwell holdDetailsSefton holdDetailsSheffield holdDetailsSolihull holdDetailsSouth Tyneside holdDetailsSt Helens holdDetailsStockport holdDetailsSunderland holdDetailsTameside holdDetailsTrafford holdDetailsWakefield holdDetailsWalsall holdDetailsWigan holdDetailsWirral holdDetailsWolverhampton gainDetails
District councils
Whole council 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 DetailsAllerdale holdDetailsAlnwick holdDetailsArun holdDetailsAshfield holdDetailsAshford holdDetailsAylesbury Vale holdDetailsBabergh holdDetailsBerwick-upon-Tweed holdDetailsBeverley holdDetailsBlaby holdDetailsBlackpool gainDetailsBlyth Valley gainDetailsBolsover holdDetailsBoothferry gainDetailsBoston holdDetailsBournemouth holdDetailsBracknell Forest holdDetailsBraintree holdDetailsBreckland holdDetailsBridgnorth holdDetailsBromsgrove holdDetailsBroxtowe holdDetailsCanterbury holdDetailsCaradon holdDetailsCarrick holdDetailsCastle Morpeth holdDetailsCastle Point holdDetailsCharnwood holdDetailsChelmsford ‡ holdDetailsChesterfield holdDetailsChester-le-Street holdDetailsChichester holdDetailsChiltern holdDetailsChristchurch holdDetailsCleethorpes holdDetailsCopeland holdDetailsCorby holdDetailsCotswold holdDetailsDacorum holdDetailsDarlington gainDetailsDartford holdDetailsDerwentside holdDetailsDover holdDetailsDurham holdDetailsEasington holdDetailsEast Cambridgeshire holdDetailsEast Devon holdDetailsEast Hampshire holdDetailsEast Hertfordshire holdDetailsEast Lindsey holdDetailsEast Northamptonshire holdDetailsEast Staffordshire holdDetailsEast Yorkshire holdDetailsEden holdDetailsEpsom and Ewell holdDetailsErewash holdDetailsFenland holdDetailsForest Heath gainDetailsForest of Dean holdDetailsFylde holdDetailsGedling holdDetailsGlanford holdDetailsGravesham gainDetailsGuildford holdDetailsHambleton gainDetailsHarborough gainDetailsHigh Peak holdDetailsHinckley and Bosworth holdDetailsHolderness holdDetailsHorsham holdDetailsHove holdDetailsKennet gainDetailsKerrier holdDetailsKettering gainDetailsKing's Lynn and West Norfolk holdDetailsKingswood ‡ holdDetailsLancaster gainDetailsLangbaurgh gainDetailsLeicester holdDetailsLewes holdDetailsLichfield holdDetailsLuton holdDetailsMaldon holdDetailsMalvern Hills gainDetailsMansfield holdDetailsMedina gainDetailsMelton holdDetailsMendip gainDetailsMid Bedfordshire holdDetailsMid Devon holdDetailsMid Suffolk holdDetailsMid Sussex holdDetailsMiddlesbrough holdDetailsNew Forest holdDetailsNewark and Sherwood holdDetailsNewbury holdDetailsNorth Cornwall holdDetailsNorth Devon gainDetailsNorth Dorset holdDetailsNorth East Derbyshire holdDetailsNorth Kesteven gainDetailsNorth Norfolk holdDetailsNorth Shropshire holdDetailsNorth Warwickshire holdDetailsNorth West Leicestershire holdDetailsNorth Wiltshire holdDetailsNorthampton gainDetailsNorthavon holdDetailsNottingham gainDetailsOswestry gainDetailsPlymouth holdDetailsPoole holdDetailsRestormel gainDetailsRibble Valley holdDetailsRichmondshire holdDetailsRochester-upon-Medway holdDetailsRother holdDetailsRushcliffe holdDetailsRutland gainDetailsRyedale gainDetailsSalisbury gainDetailsScarborough holdDetailsSedgefield holdDetailsSedgemoor holdDetailsSelby holdDetailsSevenoaks holdDetailsShepway gainDetailsSouth Bucks holdDetailsSouth Derbyshire holdDetailsSouth Hams gainDetailsSouth Holland gainDetailsSouth Kesteven holdDetailsSouth Norfolk gainDetailsSouth Northamptonshire holdDetailsSouth Oxfordshire holdDetailsSouth Ribble ‡ holdDetailsSouth Shropshire holdDetailsSouth Somerset gainDetailsSouth Staffordshire holdDetailsSouth Wight gainDetailsSpelthorne holdDetailsSt Edmundsbury holdDetailsStafford holdDetailsStaffordshire Moorlands holdDetailsStockton-on-Tees holdDetailsSuffolk Coastal holdDetailsSurrey Heath holdDetailsTamworth ‡ gainDetailsTaunton Deane ‡ holdDetailsTeesdale holdDetailsTeignbridge holdDetailsTendring holdDetailsTest Valley holdDetailsTewkesbury gainDetailsThanet gainDetailsThe Wrekin holdDetailsTorridge holdDetailsTynedale holdDetailsUttlesford holdDetailsVale of White Horse holdDetailsVale Royal holdDetailsWansbeck holdDetailsWansdyke holdDetailsWarrington holdDetailsWarwick holdDetailsWaverley holdDetailsWealden holdDetailsWear Valley holdDetailsWellingborough holdDetailsWest Derbyshire holdDetailsWest Devon gainDetailsWest Dorset gainDetailsWest Somerset holdDetailsWest Wiltshire holdDetailsWimborne holdDetailsWindsor and Maidenhead holdDetailsWoodspring holdDetailsWychavon gainDetailsWycombe holdDetailsWyre holdDetails
‡ New ward boundaries
Third of council In 116 districts one third of the council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsAdur holdDetailsAmber Valley gainDetailsBarrow-in-Furness holdDetailsBasildon gainDetailsBasingstoke and Deane holdDetailsBassetlaw holdDetailsBath gainDetailsBlackburn gainDetailsBrentwood holdDetailsBrighton holdDetailsBristol holdDetailsBroadland holdDetailsBroxbourne holdDetailsBurnley holdDetailsCambridge gainDetailsCannock Chase gainDetailsCarlisle holdDetailsCheltenham holdDetailsCherwell holdDetailsChester holdDetailsChorley holdDetailsColchester holdDetailsCongleton holdDetailsCraven holdDetailsCrawley holdDetailsCrewe and Nantwich holdDetailsDaventry holdDetailsDerby holdDetailsEastbourne holdDetailsEastleigh holdDetailsEllesmere Port and Neston holdDetailsElmbridge holdDetailsEpping Forest holdDetailsExeter holdDetailsFareham gainDetailsGillingham holdDetailsGloucester gainDetailsGosport holdDetailsGreat Grimsby holdDetailsGreat Yarmouth holdDetailsHalton holdDetailsHarlow holdDetailsHarrogate holdDetailsHart holdDetailsHartlepool holdDetailsHastings holdDetailsHavant holdDetailsHereford holdDetailsHertsmere holdDetailsHuntingdonshire holdDetailsHyndburn holdDetailsIpswich holdDetailsKingston upon Hull holdDetailsLeominster holdDetailsLincoln holdDetailsMacclesfield holdDetailsMaidstone holdDetailsMilton Keynes holdDetailsMole Valley holdDetailsNewcastle-under-Lyme holdDetailsNorth Bedfordshire holdDetailsNorth Hertfordshire holdDetailsNorwich holdDetailsNuneaton and Bedworth holdDetailsOadby and Wigston holdDetailsOxford holdDetailsPendle gainDetailsPenwith holdDetailsPeterborough holdDetailsPortsmouth holdDetailsPreston holdDetailsPurbeck holdDetailsReading gainDetailsRedditch holdDetailsReigate and Banstead holdDetailsRochford holdDetailsRossendale holdDetailsRugby gainDetailsRunnymede holdDetailsRushmoor holdDetailsScunthorpe holdDetailsShrewsbury and Atcham holdDetailsSlough holdDetailsSouth Bedfordshire holdDetailsSouth Cambridgeshire holdDetailsSouth Herefordshire holdDetailsSouth Lakeland holdDetailsSouthampton gainDetailsSouthend-on-Sea gainDetailsSt Albans holdDetailsStevenage holdDetailsStoke-on-Trent holdDetailsStratford-on-Avon holdDetailsStroud holdDetailsSwale holdDetailsTandridge holdDetailsThamesdown holdDetailsThree Rivers gainDetailsThurrock holdDetailsTonbridge and Malling holdDetailsTorbay holdDetailsTunbridge Wells holdDetailsWatford holdDetailsWaveney holdDetailsWelwyn Hatfield holdDetailsWest Lancashire gainDetailsWest Lindsey gainDetailsWest Oxfordshire gainDetailsWeymouth and Portland holdDetailsWinchester gainDetailsWoking holdDetailsWokingham holdDetailsWorcester holdDetailsWorthing holdDetailsWyre Forest holdDetailsYork holdDetails
Wales
District councils
Council Previous control Result DetailsAberconwy holdDetailsAlyn and Deeside gainDetailsAnglesey - Ynys Môn holdDetailsArfon holdDetailsBlaenau Gwent holdDetailsBrecknock holdDetailsCardiff gainDetailsCarmarthen holdDetailsCeredigion holdDetailsColwyn holdDetailsCynon Valley holdDetailsDelyn holdDetailsDinefwr holdDetailsDwyfor holdDetailsGlyndŵr holdDetailsIslwyn holdDetailsLlanelli holdDetailsLliw Valley holdDetailsMeirionnydd holdDetailsMerthyr Tydfil holdDetailsMonmouth holdDetailsMontgomeryshire holdDetailsNeath holdDetailsNewport holdDetailsOgwr gainDetailsPort Talbot holdDetailsPreseli Pembrokeshire holdDetailsRadnor holdDetailsRhondda holdDetailsRhuddlan holdDetailsRhymney Valley holdDetailsSouth Pembrokeshire holdDetailsSwansea holdDetailsTaff-Ely holdDetailsTorfaen holdDetailsVale of Glamorgan holdDetailsWrexham Maelor gainDetails
References
Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26. Vote 1999 BBC News Vote 2000 BBC News