The 1989 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 4 May 1989 in England and Wales, and Wednesday 17 May 1989 in Northern Ireland. The Labour Party had the highest projected national vote share, but the Conservative Party, in power at Westminster, gained the most seats. On the same day, there was a parliamentary by-election in the Vale of Glamorgan constituency in Wales; Labour won the seat from the Conservatives.
The national projected share of the vote was Labour 42%, Conservative 36%, Liberal Democrats 19%. The Conservatives gained 92 seats, Labour gained 35 seats and the Liberal Democrats lost 175 seats. It was Labour's largest share of the vote in any election in a decade, as the party's popularity continued to improve as a result of the ongoing modernisation process under Neil Kinnock, and that the Conservative government's popularity was starting to fall following the announcement of the poll tax.
Summary of results
England
Non-metropolitan county councils Council Previous control Result DetailsAvon holdDetailsBedfordshire holdDetailsBerkshire holdDetailsBuckinghamshire holdDetailsCambridgeshire gainDetailsCheshire holdDetailsCleveland holdDetailsCornwall holdDetailsCumbria holdDetailsDerbyshire holdDetailsDevon gainDetailsDorset holdDetailsDurham holdDetailsEast Sussex gainDetailsEssex gainDetailsGloucestershire holdDetailsHampshire gainDetailsHereford and Worcester gainDetailsHertfordshire gainDetailsHumberside gainDetailsIsle of Wight holdDetailsKent holdDetailsLancashire gainDetailsLeicestershire holdDetailsLincolnshire holdDetailsNorfolk holdDetailsNorth Yorkshire holdDetailsNorthamptonshire holdDetailsNorthumberland gainDetailsNottinghamshire holdDetailsOxfordshire holdDetailsShropshire holdDetailsSomerset gainDetailsStaffordshire holdDetailsSuffolk holdDetailsSurrey holdDetailsWarwickshire gainDetailsWest Sussex holdDetailsWiltshire holdDetails
Sui generis
Council Previous control Result DetailsIsles of ScillyDetails
Northern Ireland
Council Previous control Result DetailsAntrim gainDetailsArds holdDetailsArmagh holdDetailsBallymena holdDetailsBallymoney holdDetailsBanbridge holdDetailsBelfast holdDetailsCarrickfergus holdDetailsCastlereagh holdDetailsColeraine holdDetailsCookstown holdDetailsCraigavon holdDetailsDerry holdDetailsDown gainDetailsDungannon holdDetailsFermanagh holdDetailsLarne holdDetailsLimavady holdDetailsLisburn gainDetailsMagherafelt holdDetailsMoyle holdDetailsNewry and Mourne gainDetailsNewtownabbey holdDetailsNorth Down holdDetailsOmagh holdDetailsStrabane holdDetails
Wales
County councils
Council Previous control Result DetailsClwyd gainDetailsDyfed holdDetailsGwent holdDetailsGwynedd holdDetailsMid Glamorgan holdDetailsPowys holdDetailsSouth Glamorgan holdDetailsWest Glamorgan holdDetails
References
Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26. Vote 2001 BBC News