Local government elections took place in London, and some other parts of the United Kingdom on Thursday 6 May 1982. Ward changes took place in Enfield which increased the total number of councillors by 6 from 1,908 to 1,914.
All London borough council seats were up for election. Both major parties lost votes to the SDP-Liberal Alliance, but whilst the Conservatives gained 20 council seats, Labour lost 101.
The party's result of 30.4%, 12 councils and 781 councillors was the worst Labour result since 1968.
The previous Borough elections in London were in 1978.
To date, this remains the last London local election in which the Conservatives won a majority of council seats or councils, as well as the last time the party won over 40% of the vote. The Conservatives would not win the popular vote in a London local election for another two decades, and would not win a plurality of seats in London again until the election of 2006, 24 years later.
Results summary
Party Votes won % votes Change Seats % seats Change Councils Change 912,005 42.2 -6.5 984 51.4 +24 17 ±0 652,430 30.2 -8.9 781 40.8 -101 12 -2 530,340 24.6 +17.5 124 6.5 +94 0 ±0 Others 64,387 3.0 -2.1 25 1.3 -11 0 ±0 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 3 +2
Turnout: 2,233,386 voters cast ballots.
Council results Council Previous control Result Details Barking and Dagenham Details Barnet Details Bexley Details Brent Details Bromley Details Camden Details Croydon Details Ealing Details Enfield Details Greenwich Details Hackney Details Hammersmith and Fulham Details Haringey Details Harrow Details Havering Details Hillingdon Details Hounslow Details Islington Details Kensington and Chelsea Details Kingston upon Thames Details Lambeth Details Lewisham Details Merton Details Newham Details Redbridge Details Richmond upon Thames Details Southwark Details Sutton Details Tower Hamlets Details Waltham Forest Details Wandsworth Details Westminster Details
Borough result maps
References