Local Elections 1988
Local Elections 1988 was held on 5 May 1988. 2,167 seats were filled across 3,813 wards and divisions in 262 councils, from 11,134 candidates. The Labour Party won 1,005, Conservative Party won 543 and Independent won 278.
- Date
- 5 May 1988
- Seats filled
- 2,167
- Candidates
- 11,134
- Councils
- 262
| Party | Candidates | Seats won | Votes | Vote share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Labour Party | 3,396 | 1,005 | 3,754,254 | 43.1% |
| Conservative Party | 3,198 | 543 | 2,844,371 | 32.7% |
| Independent | 630 | 278 | 215,960 | 2.5% |
| Liberal Democrats | 709 | 167 | 350,969 | 4.0% |
| Scottish National Party | 754 | 110 | 368,452 | 4.2% |
| Social and Liberal Democrats | 1,523 | 40 | 929,239 | 10.7% |
| Residents | 34 | 14 | 25,760 | 0.3% |
| Other | 47 | 3 | 11,605 | 0.1% |
| SDP | 228 | 2 | 68,304 | 0.8% |
| Social Democratic Party | 97 | 2 | 19,989 | 0.2% |
| Green Party | 394 | 1 | 59,616 | 0.7% |
| Ind Con | 14 | 1 | 4,172 | 0.0% |
| G Con | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| RATE | 23 | 0 | 17,209 | 0.2% |
| RES | 10 | 0 | 9,689 | 0.1% |
| Ind Lab | 20 | 0 | 9,630 | 0.1% |
| Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales | 5 | 0 | 3,739 | 0.0% |
| COMM | 18 | 0 | 2,621 | 0.0% |
| Prog | 4 | 0 | 2,374 | 0.0% |
| Ind LIB | 10 | 0 | 2,277 | 0.0% |
| LIB | 4 | 0 | 1,331 | 0.0% |
| NF | 7 | 0 | 655 | 0.0% |
| Trad Lab | 4 | 0 | 589 | 0.0% |
| M Con | 1 | 0 | 506 | 0.0% |
| J Green | 1 | 0 | 197 | 0.0% |
| BNP | 2 | 0 | 37 | 0.0% |
| Council | Wards / divisions | Seats filled | Largest party | Its seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 52 | 52 | Labour | 28 |
| Adur | 13 | 13 | Liberal Democrats | 7 |
| Amber Valley | 9 | 0 | — | — |
| Amber Valley | 5 | 0 | — | — |
| Angus District Council | 21 | 21 | SNP | 13 |
| Annandale and Eskdale | 16 | 16 | Liberal Democrats | 8 |
| Argyll and Bute District Council | 26 | 26 | Independent | 16 |
| Badenoch and Strathspey | 11 | 11 | Independent | 10 |
| Banff and Buchan | 18 | 18 | Independent | 10 |
| Barnsley | 22 | 9 | Labour | 9 |
| Barrow in Furness | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| Barrow-in-Furness | 11 | 0 | — | — |
| Basildon | 14 | 0 | — | — |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 19 | 6 | Conservative | 3 |
| Bassetlaw | 9 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Bassetlaw | 8 | 2 | Independent | 1 |
| Bath | 15 | 15 | Conservative | 11 |
| Bath | 1 | 1 | SLD | 1 |
| Bearsden and Milngavie | 10 | 10 | Conservative | 6 |
| Berwickshire | 11 | 11 | Conservative | 9 |
| Bexley | 3 | 3 | Conservative | 2 |
| Birmingham | 39 | 22 | Labour | 15 |
| Blackburn | 20 | 0 | — | — |
| Bolton | 20 | 20 | Labour | 14 |
| Bradford | 30 | 12 | Conservative | 8 |
| Brentwood | 13 | 13 | Conservative | 9 |
| Brighton | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| Brighton & Hove | 15 | 3 | Labour | 2 |
| Bristol, City of | 23 | 20 | Labour | 11 |
| Broadland | 16 | 17 | Conservative | 15 |
| Broxbourne | 14 | 15 | Conservative | 13 |
| Buckinghamshire | 1 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Burnley | 17 | 8 | Labour | 7 |
| Bury | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| Bury | 15 | 2 | Conservative | 1 |
| Caithness | 16 | 16 | Independent | 14 |
| Calderdale | 18 | 3 | Labour | 2 |
| Cambridge | 1 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Cambridge | 13 | 5 | Labour | 4 |
| Cambridgeshire | 4 | 4 | Conservative | 3 |
| Camden | 1 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Cannock Chase | 14 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Carlisle | 17 | 2 | Conservative | 1 |
| Cheltenham | 11 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Cherwell | 17 | 2 | Conservative | 2 |
| Chester | 1 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Chorley | 15 | 3 | Conservative | 2 |
| City of Chester | 19 | 0 | — | — |
| Clackmannan | 12 | 12 | Labour | 10 |
| Clydebank | 12 | 12 | Labour | 11 |
| Clydesdale | 16 | 16 | Labour | 9 |
| Colchester | 20 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Colwyn | 17 | 11 | Liberal Democrats | 6 |
| Congleton | 4 | 0 | — | — |
| Congleton | 11 | 1 | SLD | 1 |
| Coventry | 18 | 5 | Labour | 5 |
| Craven | 11 | 2 | Conservative | 2 |
| Crawley | 11 | 11 | Labour | 9 |
| Crewe and Nantwich | 19 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Cumbernauld and Kilsyth | 12 | 12 | Labour | 6 |
| Cumnock and Doon Valley | 10 | 10 | Labour | 8 |
| Cunninghame | 30 | 30 | Labour | 24 |
| Daventry | 12 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Derby | 14 | 9 | Labour | 5 |
| Derbyshire | 1 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council | 21 | 3 | Labour | 3 |
| Dudley | 24 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Dumbarton | 16 | 16 | Labour | 7 |
| Dundee City | 44 | 44 | Labour | 29 |
| Dunfermline | 34 | 34 | Labour | 25 |
| East Kilbride | 16 | 16 | Labour | 14 |
| East Lothian District Council | 17 | 17 | Labour | 12 |
| Eastbourne | 10 | 3 | Labour | 1 |
| Eastleigh | 6 | 4 | SLD | 3 |
| Eastleigh | 9 | 2 | Conservative | 1 |
| Eastwood | 12 | 12 | Conservative | 8 |
| Edinburgh City | 62 | 62 | Labour | 33 |
| Ellesmere Port and Neston | 14 | 14 | Labour | 9 |
| Elmbridge | 20 | 20 | Conservative | 11 |
| Epping Forest | 20 | 3 | Conservative | 2 |
| Essex | 1 | 1 | Liberal Democrats | 1 |
| Ettrick and Lauderdale | 16 | 16 | Independent | 13 |
| Exeter | 12 | 12 | Conservative | 5 |
| Falkirk District Council | 36 | 36 | Labour | 20 |
| Fareham | 14 | 3 | Conservative | 2 |
| Gateshead | 13 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Gateshead | 9 | 2 | Labour | 2 |
| Gillingham | 14 | 15 | Conservative | 9 |
| Glasgow City | 66 | 66 | Labour | 60 |
| Gloucester | 11 | 0 | — | — |
| Gloucestershire | 2 | 2 | Labour | 2 |
| Gordon | 16 | 16 | Liberal Democrats | 10 |
| Gosport | 10 | 0 | — | — |
| Great Grimsby | 14 | 0 | — | — |
| Great Grimsby | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| Great Yarmouth | 11 | 2 | Conservative | 1 |
| Great Yarmouth | 5 | 0 | — | — |
| Halton | 18 | 2 | Labour | 2 |
| Hamilton | 20 | 20 | Labour | 15 |
| Harlow | 14 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Harrogate | 14 | 0 | — | — |
| Harrogate | 6 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Harrow | 1 | 1 | Liberal Democrats | 1 |
| Hart | 11 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Hartlepool | 16 | 0 | — | — |
| Hastings | 11 | 9 | Conservative | 5 |
| Havant | 14 | 0 | — | — |
| Hereford | 9 | 9 | Liberal Democrats | 5 |
| Hertfordshire | 3 | 3 | Conservative | 3 |
| Hertsmere | 13 | 0 | — | — |
| High Peak | 1 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Hillingdon | 1 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Huntingdonshire | 18 | 5 | Conservative | 4 |
| Hyndburn | 16 | 16 | Labour | 8 |
| Inverclyde District Council | 20 | 20 | Labour | 12 |
| Inverness | 28 | 28 | Independent | 14 |
| Ipswich | 16 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Kilmarnock and Loudon | 18 | 18 | Labour | 12 |
| Kincardine and Deeside | 12 | 12 | Independent | 6 |
| Kingston Upon Hull | 20 | 8 | Labour | 7 |
| Kirkcaldy | 40 | 40 | Labour | 33 |
| Kirklees | 24 | 11 | Conservative | 5 |
| Knowsley | 22 | 22 | Labour | 19 |
| Kyle and Carrick | 25 | 25 | Labour | 16 |
| Lancaster | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| Leeds | 33 | 14 | Labour | 7 |
| Leominster | 12 | 7 | Conservative | 3 |
| Lincoln | 11 | 0 | — | — |
| Liverpool | 33 | 20 | Labour | 11 |
| Lochaber | 15 | 15 | Independent | 11 |
| Macclesfield | 20 | 20 | Conservative | 12 |
| Maidstone | 5 | 0 | — | — |
| Maidstone | 14 | 4 | Conservative | 4 |
| Manchester | 33 | 21 | Labour | 18 |
| Milton Keynes | 16 | 5 | Conservative | 3 |
| Mole Valley | 6 | 2 | Labour | 1 |
| Mole Valley | 8 | 0 | — | — |
| Monklands | 20 | 20 | Labour | 18 |
| Moray District Council | 18 | 18 | Independent | 9 |
| Motherwell | 30 | 30 | Labour | 23 |
| Nairn | 10 | 10 | Independent | 9 |
| Newbury | 1 | 2 | Conservative | 1 |
| Newcastle Upon Tyne | 26 | 6 | Labour | 6 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 18 | 19 | Labour | 13 |
| Newport | 15 | 2 | Labour | 2 |
| Nithsdale | 28 | 28 | Labour | 12 |
| North Bedfordshire | 18 | 18 | Liberal Democrats | 6 |
| North East Fife | 18 | 18 | Liberal Democrats | 12 |
| North Hertfordshire | 17 | 17 | Conservative | 11 |
| North Tyneside | 9 | 2 | Labour | 2 |
| North Tyneside | 11 | 3 | Labour | 2 |
| North Wiltshire | 1 | 1 | Liberal Democrats | 1 |
| Norwich | 16 | 17 | Labour | 15 |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 14 | 14 | Labour | 12 |
| Oadby And Wigston | 9 | 0 | — | — |
| Oldham | 19 | 2 | SLD | 1 |
| Oldham | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| Oxford | 15 | 13 | Labour | 9 |
| Pendle | 17 | 17 | Liberal Democrats | 7 |
| Penwith | 11 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Perth and Kinross District Council | 29 | 29 | Conservative | 12 |
| Peterborough | 17 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Plymouth | 1 | 1 | Social Democratic Party | 1 |
| Port Talbot | 8 | 11 | Labour | 10 |
| Portsmouth | 13 | 8 | Conservative | 8 |
| Preston | 19 | 19 | Labour | 12 |
| Purbeck | 7 | 0 | — | — |
| Reading | 14 | 13 | Labour | 8 |
| Reading | 1 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Redditch | 9 | 0 | — | — |
| Reigate & Banstead | 16 | 5 | Conservative | 5 |
| Renfrew | 45 | 45 | Labour | 32 |
| Rhondda | 11 | 2 | Labour | 2 |
| Rochdale | 20 | 0 | — | — |
| Rochford | 13 | 0 | — | — |
| Ross and Cromarty | 22 | 22 | Independent | 18 |
| Rossendale | 11 | 0 | — | — |
| Rotherham | 16 | 2 | Labour | 1 |
| Rotherham | 6 | 0 | — | — |
| Roxburgh | 16 | 16 | Independent | 11 |
| Rugby | 16 | 2 | Conservative | 2 |
| Runnymede | 14 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Rushmoor | 15 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Salford | 16 | 2 | Labour | 2 |
| Salford | 5 | 0 | — | — |
| Sandwell | 24 | 0 | — | — |
| Scunthorpe | 13 | 0 | — | — |
| Sefton | 23 | 8 | SLD | 4 |
| Sheffield | 29 | 19 | Labour | 13 |
| Shrewsbury and Atcham | 16 | 3 | Labour | 2 |
| Skye and Lochalsh | 10 | 10 | Independent | 9 |
| Slough | 13 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Solihull | 12 | 0 | — | — |
| Solihull | 5 | 0 | — | — |
| South Bedfordshire | 18 | 4 | Conservative | 4 |
| South Cambridgeshire | 18 | 10 | Independent | 6 |
| South Herefordshire | 12 | 12 | Independent | 9 |
| South Lakeland | 17 | 18 | Conservative | 10 |
| South Tyneside | 20 | 3 | Labour | 3 |
| Southampton | 15 | 15 | Labour | 10 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| Southend-On-Sea | 12 | 0 | — | — |
| St Albans | 2 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| St Albans Borough Council | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| St Helens | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| St. Albans | 17 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| St. Helens | 17 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Stevenage | 8 | 0 | — | — |
| Stevenage | 5 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Stewartry | 12 | 12 | Independent | 12 |
| Stirling District Council | 20 | 20 | Conservative | 10 |
| Stockport | 21 | 22 | Conservative | 10 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 20 | 20 | Labour | 19 |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 10 | 2 | SLD | 2 |
| Stratford-On-Avon | 8 | 2 | Independent | 1 |
| Strathkelvin | 15 | 15 | Labour | 12 |
| Stroud | 19 | 3 | Independent | 1 |
| Sunderland | 24 | 5 | Labour | 4 |
| Sunderland | 1 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Surrey | 1 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Sutherland | 13 | 13 | Independent | 13 |
| Swale | 17 | 3 | Conservative | 1 |
| Swansea | 14 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Tameside | 19 | 1 | SLD | 1 |
| Tamworth | 9 | 0 | — | — |
| Tamworth | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| Tandridge | 14 | 14 | Conservative | 6 |
| Thamesdown | 18 | 8 | Labour | 8 |
| Three Rivers | 16 | 16 | Conservative | 7 |
| Thurrock | 2 | 0 | — | — |
| Thurrock | 11 | 0 | — | — |
| Tonbridge And Malling | 17 | 3 | Conservative | 1 |
| Torbay | 12 | 4 | Conservative | 3 |
| Trafford | 21 | 5 | Conservative | 3 |
| Tunbridge Wells | 16 | 6 | Conservative | 5 |
| Tweeddale | 10 | 10 | Independent | 7 |
| Wakefield | 21 | 8 | Labour | 8 |
| Walsall | 20 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Watford Borough Council | 12 | 7 | Labour | 5 |
| Waveney | 16 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 3 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 11 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| West Lancashire | 18 | 0 | — | — |
| West Lindsey | 12 | 9 | Conservative | 5 |
| West Lothian District Council | 24 | 24 | Labour | 14 |
| West Oxfordshire | 17 | 17 | Conservative | 10 |
| Westminster City of | 1 | 1 | Liberal Democrats | 1 |
| Weymouth and Portland | 11 | 0 | — | — |
| Wigan | 24 | 1 | Conservative | 1 |
| Wigtown | 14 | 14 | Independent | 12 |
| Wiltshire | 1 | 1 | Labour | 1 |
| Winchester | 12 | 3 | Conservative | 2 |
| Winchester | 7 | 3 | Conservative | 1 |
| Winchester Borough Council | 1 | 0 | — | — |
| Wirral | 22 | 19 | Labour | 11 |
| Woking | 12 | 0 | — | — |
| Wokingham | 18 | 8 | Conservative | 7 |
| Wolverhampton | 20 | 0 | — | — |
| Worcester | 12 | 2 | Labour | 2 |
| Worthing | 12 | 0 | — | — |
| Wyre Forest | 14 | 0 | — | — |
| York | 15 | 4 | Labour | 2 |