1983 United Kingdom local elections
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All 36 metropolitan boroughs, all 296 English districts and all 37 Welsh districts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1983.[1][2] 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.
Summary of results[]
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England[]
Metropolitan boroughs[]
All 36 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.
Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barnsley | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Birmingham | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Bolton | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Bradford | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details | ||
Bury | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Calderdale | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Coventry | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Doncaster | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Dudley | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Gateshead | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Kirklees | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Knowsley | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Leeds | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Liverpool | No overall control | Labour gain | Details | ||
Manchester | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Newcastle upon Tyne | Labour | Labour hold | |||
North Tyneside | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Oldham | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Rochdale | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Rotherham | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Salford | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Sandwell | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Sefton | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Sheffield | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Solihull | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
South Tyneside | Labour | Labour hold | |||
St Helens | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Stockport | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Sunderland | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Tameside | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Trafford | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Wakefield | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Walsall | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Wigan | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Wirral | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Wolverhampton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
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 | Details | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allerdale | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Alnwick | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Arun ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Ashfield | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Ashford | No overall control | Conservative gain | |||
Aylesbury Vale | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Babergh | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Berwick-upon-Tweed | Independent | No overall control gain | |||
Beverley | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Blaby ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Blackpool | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Blyth Valley | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Bolsover | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Boothferry | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Boston | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Bournemouth | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Bracknell | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Braintree | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Breckland | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Bridgnorth | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Brighton ‡ | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Bristol ‡ | Labour | No overall control gain | Details | ||
Bromsgrove | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Broxtowe | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Canterbury | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Caradon ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Carlisle ‡ | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Carrick | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Castle Morpeth | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Castle Point | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Charnwood ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Chelmsford | Conservative | Alliance gain | |||
Cheltenham ‡ | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details | ||
Chesterfield | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Chester-le-Street | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Chichester | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Chiltern | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Christchurch | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Cleethorpes | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Copeland | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Corby | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Cotswold | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Dacorum | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Darlington | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Dartford | Labour | Conservative gain | |||
Derwentside | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Dover | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Durham | No overall control | Labour gain | |||
Easington | Labour | Labour hold | |||
East Cambridgeshire ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | |||
East Hampshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
East Hertfordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
East Lindsey ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | |||
East Northamptonshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
East Staffordshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
East Yorkshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Eden | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Epsom and Ewell | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Erewash | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Exeter ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Fenland | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Forest Heath | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Forest of Dean ‡ | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Fylde | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Gedling | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Glanford | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Gravesham | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Guildford | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Hambleton | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Harborough ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Harrogate ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
High Peak | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details | ||
Hinckley and Bosworth ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Holderness | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Horsham | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Hove | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Kennet | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Kerrier | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Kettering | No overall control | Conservative gain | |||
King's Lynn and West Norfolk ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Kingston upon Hull ‡ | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Kingswood | No overall control | Conservative gain | |||
Lancaster | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Langbaurgh | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Leicester ‡ | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Lewes ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Lichfield | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Luton | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Maldon | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Malvern Hills | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Mansfield | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Medina | Alliance | Alliance hold | |||
Melton | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Mendip | Independent | Conservative gain | |||
Mid Bedfordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Mid Devon | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Mid Suffolk | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Mid Sussex ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Middlesbrough | Labour | Labour hold | |||
New Forest | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Newark and Sherwood | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Newbury ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
North Bedfordshire ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
North Cornwall | Independent | Independent hold | |||
North Devon ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | |||
North Dorset ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | |||
North East Derbyshire | Labour | Labour hold | |||
North Kesteven | Independent | Independent hold | |||
North Norfolk | Independent | Independent hold | |||
North Shropshire | Independent | Independent hold | |||
North Warwickshire | Labour | Labour hold | |||
North West Leicestershire ‡ | Labour | No overall control gain | |||
North Wiltshire ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Northampton | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Northavon | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Nottingham | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Oswestry | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Plymouth | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Poole ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Portsmouth ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Reading ‡ | No overall control | Conservative gain | |||
Redditch ‡ | Conservative | Labour gain | |||
Restormel ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Ribble Valley | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Richmondshire | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Rochester-upon-Medway | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Rother ‡ | No overall control | Conservative gain | |||
Rushcliffe | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Rutland | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Ryedale ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Salisbury | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Scarborough | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Sedgefield ‡ | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Sedgemoor | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Selby | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Sevenoaks | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Shepway | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Slough ‡ | Conservative | Labour gain | |||
South Bucks ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
South Derbyshire | No overall control | Labour gain | |||
South Hams | Independent | No overall control gain | |||
South Holland | Independent | Independent hold | |||
South Kesteven | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
South Norfolk | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
South Northamptonshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
South Oxfordshire ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
South Ribble | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
South Shropshire | Independent | Independent hold | |||
South Staffordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
South Wight | Independent | Conservative gain | |||
Spelthorne | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
St Edmundsbury | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Stafford | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Staffordshire Moorlands | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Stockton-on-Tees | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Stroud ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Suffolk Coastal ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Surrey Heath | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Taunton Deane | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Teesdale ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Teignbridge | Independent | No overall control gain | |||
Tendring | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Test Valley | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Tewkesbury ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Thanet | Conservative | Independent gain | |||
The Wrekin | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Torbay ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Torridge | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Tynedale | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Uttlesford | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Vale of White Horse | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Vale Royal | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Wansbeck | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Wansdyke | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Warrington | No overall control | Labour gain | |||
Warwick ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Waveney ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Waverley ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Wealden ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Wear Valley ‡ | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Wellingborough ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
West Derbyshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
West Devon | Independent | Independent hold | |||
West Dorset ‡ | Independent | Independent hold | Details | ||
West Somerset | Independent | Independent hold | |||
West Wiltshire ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Wimborne ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Windsor and Maidenhead ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Worthing ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Wychavon | Independent | No overall control gain | |||
Wycombe ‡ | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Wyre | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Yeovil | No overall control | No overall control hold |
‡ New ward boundaries
Third of council[]
In 103 districts one third of the council was up for election.
Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adur | Alliance | No overall control gain | Details | ||
Amber Valley | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Barrow-in-Furness | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Basildon | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Basingstoke and Deane | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Bassetlaw | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Bath | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Blackburn | No overall control | Labour gain | |||
Brentwood | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Broadland | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Broxbourne | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Burnley | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Cambridge | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Cannock Chase | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Cherwell | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Chester | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Chorley | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Colchester | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Congleton | No overall control | Conservative gain | |||
Craven | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Crawley | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Crewe and Nantwich | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Daventry | No overall control | Conservative gain | |||
Derby | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
East Devon | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Eastbourne | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Eastleigh | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Ellesmere Port and Neston | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Elmbridge | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Epping Forest | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Fareham | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Gillingham | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Gloucester | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Gosport | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Great Grimsby | Labour | No overall control gain | |||
Great Yarmouth | No overall control | Conservative gain | |||
Halton | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Harlow | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Hart | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Hartlepool | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Hastings | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Havant | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Hereford | Alliance | Alliance hold | |||
Hertsmere | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Huntingdon | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Hyndburn | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Ipswich | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Leominster | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Lincoln | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Macclesfield | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Maidstone | Conservative | No overall control gain | |||
Milton Keynes | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Mole Valley | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Newcastle-under-Lyme | Labour | Labour hold | |||
North Hertfordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Norwich | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Nuneaton and Bedworth | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Oadby and Wigston | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Oxford | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Pendle | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Penwith | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Peterborough | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Preston | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Purbeck | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Reigate and Banstead | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Rochford | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Rossendale | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Rugby | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Runnymede | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Rushmoor | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Scunthorpe | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Shrewsbury and Atcham | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
South Bedfordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
South Cambridgeshire | Independent | Independent hold | |||
South Herefordshire | Independent | Independent hold | |||
South Lakeland | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Southampton | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Southend-on-Sea | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
St Albans | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Stevenage | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Stoke-on-Trent | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Stratford-on-Avon | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Swale | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Tamworth | Labour | Conservative gain | |||
Tandridge | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Thamesdown | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Three Rivers | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Thurrock | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Tonbridge and Malling | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Tunbridge Wells | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Watford | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Welwyn Hatfield | Labour | Labour hold | |||
West Lancashire | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
West Lindsey | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
West Oxfordshire | No overall control | Conservative gain | |||
Weymouth and Portland | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Winchester | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Woking | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Wokingham | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Woodspring | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Worcester | Labour | No overall control gain | |||
Wyre Forest | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
York | No overall control | No overall control hold |
Wales[]
District councils[]
Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aberconwy | Independent | No overall control gain | |||
Afan | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Alyn and Deeside | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Anglesey - Ynys Môn | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Arfon | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Blaenau Gwent | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Brecknock | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Cardiff | Labour | Conservative gain | Details | ||
Carmarthen | Independent | Independent hold | Details | ||
Ceredigion | Independent | Independent hold | Details | ||
Colwyn | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Cynon Valley | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Delyn | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Dinefwr | Independent | Labour gain | Details | ||
Dwyfor | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Glyndŵr | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Islwyn | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Llanelli | Labour | Labour hold | Details | ||
Lliw Valley | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Meirionnydd | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Merthyr Tydfil | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Monmouth | Conservative | Conservative hold | |||
Montgomery | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Neath | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Newport | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Ogwr | No overall control | No overall control hold | |||
Preseli | Independent | Independent hold | Details | ||
Radnor | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Rhondda | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Rhuddlan | Independent | Independent hold | |||
Rhymney Valley | Labour | Labour hold | |||
South Pembrokeshire | Independent | Independent hold | Details | ||
Swansea | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Taff-Ely | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Torfaen | Labour | Labour hold | |||
Vale of Glamorgan | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details | ||
Wrexham Maelor | No overall control | No overall control hold |
References[]
- ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1983. The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- ^ "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
- 1983 United Kingdom local elections
- May 1983 events in the United Kingdom