The 1988 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 1988. The Conservative government held its ground and remained ahead in the projected popular vote.
The election resulted in the Conservative Party winning 39% of the popular vote, the Labour Party winning 38% and the Social and Liberal Democrats (SLD) 18%. The Conservatives gained 9 seats, Labour gained 76 seats and the SLD lost 122 seats.
These were the first national elections contested by the SLD, which had just been formed as a merger of the SDP and Liberals after several years of an alliance existing between the two parties.
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 gainDetailsBury holdDetailsCalderdale holdDetailsCoventry holdDetailsDoncaster holdDetailsDudley holdDetailsGateshead holdDetailsKirklees holdDetailsKnowsley holdDetailsLeeds holdDetailsLiverpool holdDetailsManchester holdDetailsNewcastle upon Tyne holdDetailsNorth Tyneside holdDetailsOldham holdDetailsRochdale holdDetailsRotherham holdDetailsSalford holdDetailsSandwell holdDetailsSefton holdDetailsSheffield holdDetailsSolihull holdDetailsSouth Tyneside holdDetailsSt Helens holdDetailsStockport holdDetailsSunderland holdDetailsTameside holdDetailsTrafford gainDetailsWakefield holdDetailsWalsall gainDetailsWigan holdDetailsWirral holdDetailsWolverhampton gainDetails
District councils In 117 districts one third of the council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsAdur holdDetailsAmber Valley gainDetailsBarrow-in-Furness holdDetailsBasildon holdDetailsBasingstoke and Deane holdDetailsBassetlaw holdDetailsBath gainDetailsBlackburn gainDetailsBrentwood holdDetailsBrighton gainDetailsBristol holdDetailsBroadland holdDetailsBroxbourne holdDetailsBurnley holdDetailsCambridge gainDetailsCannock Chase holdDetailsCarlisle holdDetailsCheltenham holdDetailsCherwell holdDetailsChester holdDetailsChorley holdDetailsColchester holdDetailsCongleton holdDetailsCraven holdDetailsCrawley holdDetailsCrewe and Nantwich holdDetailsDaventry holdDetailsDerby gainDetailsEastbourne gainDetailsEastleigh gainDetailsEllesmere Port and Neston holdDetailsElmbridge gainDetailsEpping Forest holdDetailsExeter holdDetailsFareham holdDetailsGillingham holdDetailsGloucester holdDetailsGosport 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 holdDetailsPenwith holdDetailsPeterborough holdDetailsPortsmouth holdDetailsPreston holdDetailsPurbeck holdDetailsReading holdDetailsRedditch holdDetailsReigate and Banstead holdDetailsRochford holdDetailsRossendale holdDetailsRugby holdDetailsRunnymede holdDetailsRushmoor holdDetailsScunthorpe holdDetailsShrewsbury and Atcham holdDetailsSlough holdDetailsSouth Bedfordshire holdDetailsSouth Cambridgeshire holdDetailsSouth Herefordshire holdDetailsSouth Lakeland holdDetailsSouthampton gainDetailsSouthend-on-Sea holdDetailsSt Albans gainDetailsStevenage holdDetailsStoke-on-Trent holdDetailsStratford-on-Avon holdDetailsStroud holdDetailsSwale holdDetailsTamworth gainDetailsTandridge holdDetailsThamesdown holdDetailsThree Rivers holdDetailsThurrock holdDetailsTonbridge and Malling holdDetailsTorbay holdDetailsTunbridge Wells holdDetailsWatford gainDetailsWaveney holdDetailsWelwyn Hatfield holdDetailsWest Lancashire holdDetailsWest Lindsey gainDetailsWest Oxfordshire holdDetailsWeymouth and Portland holdDetailsWinchester holdDetailsWoking holdDetailsWokingham holdDetailsWorcester holdDetailsWorthing holdDetailsWyre Forest holdDetailsYork holdDetails
Scotland
District councils
Council Previous control Result DetailsAberdeen gainDetailsAngus holdDetailsAnnandale and Eskdale gainDetailsArgyll holdDetailsBadenoch and Strathspey holdDetailsBanff and Buchan holdDetailsBearsden and Milngavie holdDetailsBerwickshire holdDetailsCaithness holdDetailsClackmannan holdDetailsClydebank holdDetailsClydesdale holdDetailsCumbernauld and Kilsyth gainDetailsCumnock and Doon Valley holdDetailsCunninghame holdDetailsDumbarton gainDetailsDundee holdDetailsDunfermline holdDetailsEast Kilbride holdDetailsEast Lothian holdDetailsEastwood holdDetailsEdinburgh holdDetailsEttrick and Lauderdale holdDetailsFalkirk holdDetailsGlasgow holdDetailsGordon gainDetailsHamilton holdDetailsInverclyde holdDetailsInverness holdDetailsKilmarnock and Loudoun holdDetailsKincardine and Deeside holdDetailsKirkcaldy holdDetailsKyle and Carrick gainDetailsLochaber holdDetailsMidlothian holdDetailsMonklands holdDetailsMoray holdDetailsMotherwell holdDetailsNairn holdDetailsNithsdale gainDetailsNorth East Fife holdDetailsPerth and Kinross gainDetailsRenfrewDetailsRoss and Cromarty holdDetailsRoxburgh holdDetailsSkye and Lochalsh holdDetailsStewartry holdDetailsStirling holdDetailsStrathkelvin holdDetailsSutherland holdDetailsTweeddale holdDetailsWest Lothian holdDetailsWigtown holdDetails
References
Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26. Vote 1999 BBC News Vote 2000 BBC News