The 1991 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 2 May 1991.[2][3] The results were a setback for the governing Conservative Party, who were left with their lowest number of councillors since 1973, though their popular vote was an improvement from the 1990 local elections.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats both benefited from the Conservative losses.
The main opposition Labour Party gained 584 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 9,504, their highest since 1975. Their projected share of the vote was 38%, a decline of 6% from the previous year. They overtook the Conservatives in number of councillors and would remain in that position until 2003.
The governing Conservative Party lost 1,035 seats, leaving them with 7,985 councillors. Their share of the vote was projected to be 35%, an increase of 2% from the previous year.
The Liberal Democrats gained 407 seats and had 3,672 councillors after the elections, a record number and a sign of their improving popularity after a series of disastrous performances in local and European elections after their formation in March 1988. Their projected share of the vote was 22%, up from 17% in 1990.[4]
Despite the Conservatives' heavy losses, the party would go on to win the 1992 general election 11 months later.
In 185 districts the whole council was up for election.
Three of those districts - Oadby and Wigston, Tonbridge and Malling and Torbay - returned to whole councils elections having previously been elected by thirds.
^"Local Election 1991 - Thursday, 2nd May, 1991". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
^Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1991(PDF). Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
^"Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
^"The 1992 General Election - Liberal Democrats". BBC News. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26.
Vote 1999 BBC News
Vote 2000 BBC News
August 23, 2023
1991, united, kingdom, local, elections, were, held, thursday, 1991, results, were, setback, governing, conservative, party, were, left, with, their, lowest, number, councillors, since, 1973, though, their, popular, vote, improvement, from, 1990, local, electi. The 1991 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 2 May 1991 2 3 The results were a setback for the governing Conservative Party who were left with their lowest number of councillors since 1973 though their popular vote was an improvement from the 1990 local elections 1991 United Kingdom local elections 1990 2 May 1991 1 1992 All 36 metropolitan boroughs all 296 English districts and all 37 Welsh districts Majority party Minority party Third party Leader Neil Kinnock John Major Paddy AshdownParty Labour Conservative Liberal DemocratsLeader since 2 October 1983 27 November 1990 16 July 1988Percentage 38 35 22 Councillors 9 504 7 985 3 672Councillors 584 1 035 407This was the first electoral test for Prime Minister and Conservative leader John Major who had taken the helm from Margaret Thatcher in November 1990 Labour and the Liberal Democrats both benefited from the Conservative losses The main opposition Labour Party gained 584 seats bringing their number of councillors to 9 504 their highest since 1975 Their projected share of the vote was 38 a decline of 6 from the previous year They overtook the Conservatives in number of councillors and would remain in that position until 2003 The governing Conservative Party lost 1 035 seats leaving them with 7 985 councillors Their share of the vote was projected to be 35 an increase of 2 from the previous year The Liberal Democrats gained 407 seats and had 3 672 councillors after the elections a record number and a sign of their improving popularity after a series of disastrous performances in local and European elections after their formation in March 1988 Their projected share of the vote was 22 up from 17 in 1990 4 Despite the Conservatives heavy losses the party would go on to win the 1992 general election 11 months later Contents 1 Summary of results 2 England 2 1 Metropolitan boroughs 2 2 District councils 2 2 1 Whole council 2 2 2 Third of council 3 Wales 3 1 District councils 4 ReferencesSummary of results EditThis section is empty You can help by adding to it September 2015 England EditMetropolitan boroughs Edit All 36 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election Council Previous control Result DetailsBarnsley Labour Labour hold DetailsBirmingham Labour Labour hold DetailsBolton Labour Labour hold DetailsBradford Labour Labour hold DetailsBury Labour Labour hold DetailsCalderdale Labour Labour hold DetailsCoventry Labour Labour hold DetailsDoncaster Labour Labour hold DetailsDudley Labour Labour hold DetailsGateshead Labour Labour hold DetailsKirklees Labour Labour hold DetailsKnowsley Labour Labour hold DetailsLeeds Labour Labour hold DetailsLiverpool Labour Labour hold DetailsManchester Labour Labour hold DetailsNewcastle upon Tyne Labour Labour hold DetailsNorth Tyneside Labour Labour hold DetailsOldham Labour Labour hold DetailsRochdale Labour Labour hold DetailsRotherham Labour Labour hold DetailsSalford Labour Labour hold DetailsSandwell Labour Labour hold DetailsSefton No overall control No overall control hold DetailsSheffield Labour Labour hold DetailsSolihull Conservative No overall control gain DetailsSouth Tyneside Labour Labour hold DetailsSt Helens Labour Labour hold DetailsStockport No overall control No overall control hold DetailsSunderland Labour Labour hold DetailsTameside Labour Labour hold DetailsTrafford Conservative Conservative hold DetailsWakefield Labour Labour hold DetailsWalsall Labour Labour hold DetailsWigan Labour Labour hold DetailsWirral No overall control Labour gain DetailsWolverhampton Labour Labour hold DetailsDistrict councils Edit Whole council Edit In 185 districts the whole council was up for election Three of those districts Oadby and Wigston Tonbridge and Malling and Torbay returned to whole councils elections having previously been elected by thirds In 9 districts there were new ward boundaries following further electoral boundary reviews by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England These were the last elections to the district councils of Langbaurgh on Tees Middlesbrough Stockton on Tees and Woodspring before they were made unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England 1992 These were also the last elections to the district councils of Beverley Boothferry Cleethorpes East Yorkshire Glanford Holderness Kingswood Medina Northavon South Wight and Wansdyke before they were abolished and replaced by unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England 1992 Council Previous control Result DetailsAllerdale No overall control Labour gain DetailsAlnwick No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsArun Conservative Conservative hold DetailsAshfield Labour Labour hold DetailsAshford Conservative Conservative hold DetailsAylesbury Vale Conservative No overall control gain DetailsBabergh No overall control No overall control hold DetailsBerwick upon Tweed No overall control No overall control hold DetailsBeverley Conservative No overall control gain DetailsBlaby Conservative Conservative hold DetailsBlackpool No overall control Labour gain DetailsBlyth Valley Liberal Democrats Labour gain DetailsBolsover Labour Labour hold DetailsBoothferry No overall control No overall control hold DetailsBoston No overall control No overall control hold DetailsBournemouth Conservative No overall control gain DetailsBracknell Forest Conservative Conservative hold DetailsBraintree No overall control No overall control hold DetailsBreckland Conservative Conservative hold DetailsBridgnorth Independent Independent hold DetailsBromsgrove Conservative Conservative hold DetailsBroxtowe Conservative Conservative hold DetailsBurnley Labour Labour hold DetailsCanterbury Conservative No overall control gain DetailsCaradon Independent Independent hold DetailsCarrick No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsCastle Morpeth No overall control No overall control hold DetailsCastle Point Conservative Conservative hold DetailsCharnwood Conservative Conservative hold DetailsChelmsford Liberal Democrats Conservative gain DetailsChesterfield Labour Labour hold DetailsChester le Street Labour Labour hold DetailsChichester Conservative Conservative hold DetailsChiltern Conservative Conservative hold DetailsChristchurch Conservative Conservative hold DetailsCleethorpes No overall control No overall control hold DetailsCopeland Labour Labour hold DetailsCorby Labour Labour hold DetailsCotswold Independent Independent hold DetailsDacorum Conservative Conservative hold DetailsDarlington No overall control Labour gain DetailsDartford Conservative Conservative hold DetailsDerbyshire Dales Conservative Conservative hold DetailsDerwentside Labour Labour hold DetailsDover Conservative No overall control gain DetailsDurham Labour Labour hold DetailsEasington Labour Labour hold DetailsEast Cambridgeshire Independent Independent hold DetailsEast Devon Conservative Conservative hold DetailsEast Dorset Conservative Conservative hold DetailsEast Hampshire Conservative No overall control gain DetailsEast Hertfordshire Conservative Conservative hold DetailsEast Lindsey Independent Independent hold DetailsEast Northamptonshire Conservative Conservative hold DetailsEast Staffordshire No overall control No overall control hold DetailsEast Yorkshire Conservative No overall control gain DetailsEden Independent Independent hold DetailsEpsom and Ewell Independent Independent hold DetailsErewash Conservative Labour gain DetailsFenland Conservative Conservative hold DetailsForest Heath Conservative No overall control gain DetailsForest of Dean No overall control Labour gain DetailsFylde Conservative No overall control gain DetailsGedling Conservative Conservative hold DetailsGlanford Conservative No overall control gain DetailsGravesham No overall control No overall control hold DetailsGuildford Conservative No overall control gain DetailsHambleton No overall control No overall control hold DetailsHarborough No overall control No overall control hold DetailsHigh Peak No overall control No overall control hold DetailsHinckley and Bosworth Conservative Conservative hold DetailsHolderness Independent Independent hold DetailsHorsham Conservative Conservative hold DetailsHove Conservative Conservative hold DetailsKennet No overall control No overall control hold DetailsKerrier No overall control No overall control hold DetailsKettering No overall control No overall control hold DetailsKing s Lynn and West Norfolk Conservative No overall control gain DetailsKingswood Conservative Labour gain DetailsLancaster No overall control No overall control hold DetailsLangbaurgh on Tees No overall control Labour gain DetailsLeicester Labour Labour hold DetailsLewes Conservative Liberal Democrats gain DetailsLichfield Conservative Conservative hold DetailsLuton Conservative Labour gain DetailsMaldon No overall control No overall control hold DetailsMalvern Hills No overall control Independent gain DetailsMansfield Labour Labour hold DetailsMedina Conservative No overall control gain DetailsMelton Conservative Conservative hold DetailsMendip No overall control No overall control hold DetailsMid Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative hold DetailsMid Devon Independent Independent hold DetailsMid Suffolk No overall control No overall control hold DetailsMid Sussex Conservative Conservative hold DetailsMiddlesbrough Labour Labour hold DetailsNew Forest Conservative No overall control gain DetailsNewark and Sherwood No overall control Labour gain DetailsNewbury Conservative Liberal Democrats gain DetailsNorth Cornwall Independent Independent hold DetailsNorth Devon No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsNorth Dorset Independent Independent hold DetailsNorth East Derbyshire Labour Labour hold DetailsNorth Kesteven No overall control No overall control hold DetailsNorth Norfolk Independent No overall control gain DetailsNorth Shropshire Independent Independent hold DetailsNorth Warwickshire Labour Labour hold DetailsNorth West Leicestershire No overall control Labour gain DetailsNorth Wiltshire Conservative Liberal Democrats gain DetailsNorthampton Conservative No overall control gain DetailsNorthavon Conservative No overall control gain DetailsNottingham Conservative Labour gain DetailsOadby and Wigston Conservative Liberal Democrats gain DetailsOswestry No overall control Independent gain DetailsPlymouth Conservative Labour gain DetailsPoole Conservative Liberal Democrats gain DetailsRestormel No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsRibble Valley Conservative Conservative hold DetailsRichmondshire Independent Independent hold DetailsRochester upon Medway Conservative No overall control gain DetailsRother Conservative No overall control gain DetailsRushcliffe Conservative Conservative hold DetailsRutland No overall control No overall control hold DetailsRyedale No overall control No overall control hold DetailsSalisbury Conservative Conservative hold DetailsScarborough No overall control No overall control hold DetailsSedgefield Labour Labour hold DetailsSedgemoor Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSelby Conservative No overall control gain DetailsSevenoaks Conservative Conservative hold DetailsShepway No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsSouth Bucks Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSouth Derbyshire Labour Labour hold DetailsSouth Hams Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSouth Herefordshire Independent Independent hold DetailsSouth Holland No overall control Independent gain DetailsSouth Kesteven Conservative No overall control gain DetailsSouth Norfolk No overall control No overall control hold DetailsSouth Northamptonshire Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSouth Oxfordshire Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSouth Ribble Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSouth Shropshire Independent Independent hold DetailsSouth Somerset Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold DetailsSouth Staffordshire Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSouth Wight No overall control No overall control hold DetailsSpelthorne Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSt Edmundsbury Conservative No overall control gain DetailsStafford No overall control No overall control hold DetailsStaffordshire Moorlands No overall control Independent gain DetailsStockton on Tees Labour No overall control gain DetailsSuffolk Coastal Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSurrey Heath Conservative Conservative hold DetailsTaunton Deane Conservative Liberal Democrats gain DetailsTeesdale Independent Independent hold DetailsTeignbridge No overall control No overall control hold DetailsTendring Conservative No overall control gain DetailsTest Valley Conservative Conservative hold DetailsTewkesbury No overall control Independent gain DetailsThanet No overall control Conservative gain DetailsThe Wrekin Labour Labour hold DetailsTonbridge and Malling Conservative Conservative hold DetailsTorbay No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsTorridge Independent Independent hold DetailsTynedale No overall control No overall control hold DetailsUttlesford Conservative Conservative hold DetailsVale of White Horse Conservative Conservative hold DetailsVale Royal No overall control Labour gain DetailsWansbeck Labour Labour hold DetailsWansdyke Conservative No overall control gain DetailsWarrington Labour Labour hold DetailsWarwick Conservative Conservative hold DetailsWaverley Conservative No overall control gain DetailsWealden Conservative Conservative hold DetailsWear Valley Labour Liberal Democrats gain DetailsWellingborough Conservative Conservative hold DetailsWelwyn Hatfield Labour Labour hold DetailsWest Devon No overall control Independent gain DetailsWest Dorset No overall control No overall control hold DetailsWest Somerset Independent Independent hold DetailsWest Wiltshire Conservative Liberal Democrats gain DetailsWindsor and Maidenhead Conservative No overall control gain DetailsWoodspring Conservative Conservative hold DetailsWychavon Conservative No overall control gain DetailsWycombe Conservative Conservative hold DetailsWyre Conservative Conservative hold Details New ward boundaries Third of council Edit In 111 districts one third of the council was up for election Council Previous control Result DetailsAdur Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold DetailsAmber Valley Conservative Labour gain DetailsBarrow in Furness Labour No overall control gain DetailsBasildon Labour No overall control gain DetailsBasingstoke and Deane Conservative Conservative hold DetailsBassetlaw Labour Labour hold DetailsBath No overall control No overall control hold DetailsBlackburn Labour Labour hold DetailsBrentwood No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsBrighton Labour Labour hold DetailsBristol Labour Labour hold DetailsBroadland Conservative Conservative hold DetailsBroxbourne Conservative Conservative hold DetailsCambridge Labour Labour hold DetailsCannock Chase Labour Labour hold DetailsCarlisle Labour Labour hold DetailsCheltenham No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsCherwell Conservative Conservative hold DetailsChester No overall control No overall control hold DetailsChorley Labour No overall control gain DetailsColchester No overall control No overall control hold DetailsCongleton No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsCraven No overall control No overall control hold DetailsCrawley Labour Labour hold DetailsCrewe and Nantwich Labour Labour hold DetailsDaventry Conservative Conservative hold DetailsDerby Conservative No overall control gain DetailsEastbourne No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsEastleigh No overall control No overall control hold DetailsEllesmere Port and Neston Labour Labour hold DetailsElmbridge Conservative No overall control gain DetailsEpping Forest Conservative Conservative hold DetailsExeter No overall control No overall control hold DetailsFareham Conservative Conservative hold DetailsGillingham No overall control No overall control hold DetailsGloucester No overall control No overall control hold DetailsGosport No overall control Liberal Democrats gain DetailsGreat Grimsby Labour Labour hold DetailsGreat Yarmouth Labour Labour hold DetailsHarlow Labour Labour hold DetailsHarrogate No overall control No overall control hold DetailsHart No overall control No overall control hold DetailsHartlepool Labour Labour hold DetailsHastings No overall control No overall control hold DetailsHavant No overall control No overall control hold DetailsHereford Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold DetailsHertsmere Conservative Conservative hold DetailsHuntingdonshire Conservative Conservative hold DetailsHyndburn Labour Labour hold DetailsIpswich Labour Labour hold DetailsKingston upon Hull Labour Labour hold DetailsLeominster Independent Independent hold DetailsLincoln Labour Labour hold DetailsMacclesfield Conservative Conservative hold DetailsMaidstone No overall control No overall control hold DetailsMilton Keynes No overall control Labour gain DetailsMole Valley No overall control No overall control hold DetailsNewcastle under Lyme Labour Labour hold DetailsNorth Bedfordshire No overall control No overall control hold DetailsNorth Hertfordshire Conservative Conservative hold DetailsNorwich Labour Labour hold DetailsNuneaton and Bedworth Labour Labour hold DetailsOxford Labour Labour hold DetailsPendle No overall control Labour gain DetailsPenwith No overall control No overall control hold DetailsPeterborough No overall control No overall control hold DetailsPortsmouth No overall control No overall control hold DetailsPreston Labour Labour hold DetailsPurbeck No overall control No overall control hold DetailsReading Labour Labour hold DetailsRedditch Labour Labour hold DetailsReigate and Banstead Conservative No overall control gain DetailsRochford No overall control No overall control hold DetailsRossendale Labour Labour hold DetailsRugby No overall control No overall control hold DetailsRunnymede Conservative Conservative hold DetailsRushmoor Conservative Conservative hold DetailsScunthorpe Labour Labour hold DetailsShrewsbury and Atcham No overall control No overall control hold DetailsSlough Labour Labour hold DetailsSouth Bedfordshire Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSouth Cambridgeshire Independent Independent hold DetailsSouth Lakeland No overall control No overall control hold DetailsSouthampton Labour Labour hold DetailsSouthend on Sea Conservative Conservative hold DetailsSt Albans Conservative No overall control gain DetailsStevenage Labour Labour hold DetailsStoke on Trent Labour Labour hold DetailsStratford on Avon Conservative No overall control gain DetailsStroud No overall control No overall control hold DetailsSwale No overall control No overall control hold DetailsTamworth Labour Labour hold DetailsTandridge No overall control No overall control hold DetailsThamesdown Labour Labour hold DetailsThree Rivers No overall control No overall control hold DetailsThurrock Labour Labour hold DetailsTunbridge Wells Conservative Conservative hold DetailsWatford Labour Labour hold DetailsWaveney Labour Labour hold DetailsWest Lancashire Conservative No overall control gain DetailsWest Lindsey No overall control No overall control hold DetailsWest Oxfordshire Independent Independent hold DetailsWeymouth and Portland No overall control No overall control hold DetailsWinchester No overall control No overall control hold DetailsWoking No overall control No overall control hold DetailsWokingham Conservative Conservative hold DetailsWorcester Labour Labour hold DetailsWorthing Conservative Conservative hold DetailsWyre Forest No overall control No overall control hold DetailsYork Labour Labour hold DetailsWales EditDistrict councils Edit These were the last elections to the district councils before they were abolished by the Local Government Wales Act 1994 Council Previous control Result DetailsAberconwy No overall control No overall control hold DetailsAlyn and Deeside Labour Labour hold DetailsAnglesey Ynys Mon Independent Independent hold DetailsArfon No overall control No overall control hold DetailsBlaenau Gwent Labour Labour hold DetailsBrecknock Independent Independent hold DetailsCardiff No overall control Labour gain DetailsCarmarthen Independent Independent hold DetailsCeredigion Independent Independent hold DetailsColwyn No overall control No overall control hold DetailsCynon Valley Labour Labour hold DetailsDelyn No overall control Independent gain DetailsDinefwr Labour No overall control gain DetailsDwyfor Independent Independent hold DetailsGlyndŵr Independent Independent hold DetailsIslwyn Labour Labour hold DetailsLlanelli Labour Labour hold DetailsLliw Valley Labour Labour hold DetailsMeirionnydd Independent Independent hold DetailsMerthyr Tydfil Labour Labour hold DetailsMonmouth Conservative No overall control gain DetailsMontgomeryshire Independent Independent hold DetailsNeath Labour Labour hold DetailsNewport Labour Labour hold DetailsOgwr Labour Labour hold DetailsPort Talbot Labour Labour hold DetailsPreseli Pembrokeshire Independent Independent hold DetailsRadnorshire Independent Independent hold DetailsRhondda Labour Labour hold DetailsRhuddlan Independent Independent hold DetailsRhymney Valley Labour Labour hold DetailsSouth Pembrokeshire Independent Independent hold DetailsSwansea Labour Labour hold DetailsTaff Ely Labour No overall control gain DetailsTorfaen Labour Labour hold DetailsVale of Glamorgan Conservative No overall control gain DetailsWrexham Maelor Labour Labour hold DetailsReferences Edit Local Election 1991 Thursday 2nd May 1991 Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council Archived from the original on 21 May 2022 Retrieved 21 May 2022 Rallings Colin Thrasher Michael Local Elections Handbook 1991 PDF Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre Retrieved 3 May 2016 Council compositions The Elections Centre Retrieved 3 May 2016 The 1992 General Election Liberal Democrats BBC News Retrieved 3 May 2016 Local elections 2006 House of Commons Library Research Paper 06 26 Vote 1999 BBC News Vote 2000 BBC News Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1991 United Kingdom local elections amp oldid 1171697535, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
