Before (end of 1985) (57 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 31 · Conservative 21 · SDP-Liberal Alliance 5 · Other 0
After (end of 1986) (57 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 34 · Conservative 18 · SDP-Liberal Alliance 5 · Other 0
Ward results
Ashton1 seat · turnout 52.9%
| R. Ball | Conservative | 1,200 |
| A. Howard | Labour | 1,019 |
| W. Shannon | Lib/Sdp | 216 |
Avenham1 seat · turnout 50.0%
| A. Reid | Labour | 1,118 |
| P. Hulse | Lib/Sdp | 967 |
| S. Proctor | Conservative | 218 |
Brookfield1 seat · turnout 43.1%
| R. Atkinson | Labour | 1,506 |
| E. Slater | Conservative | 541 |
| J. Wynn | Lib/Sdp | 181 |
Central1 seat · turnout 36.2%
| F. McGrath | Labour | 845 |
| Sheila Heys | Conservative | 200 |
| P. Thomas | Lib/Sdp | 159 |
Deepdale1 seat · turnout 45.4%
| A. Richardson | Labour | 1,449 |
| A. Bentham | Conservative | 644 |
| J. Knight | Lib/Sdp | 168 |
Fishwick1 seat · turnout 38.5%
| I. Hall | Labour | 1,245 |
| Marie Milne | Conservative | 336 |
| W. Gavin | Lib/Sdp | 183 |
Greyfriars1 seat · turnout 42.8%
| N. Cartwright | Conservative | 1,437 |
| A. Hackett | Lib/Sdp | 576 |
| Rosemary Tait | Labour | 246 |
Ingol1 seat · turnout 49.9%
| J. Wright | Lib/Sdp | 1,218 |
| J. Elsworth | Labour | 525 |
| D. Shilton | Conservative | 360 |
Larches1 seat · turnout 42.1%
| G. Walmsley | Labour | 1,379 |
| S. Bentham | Conservative | 476 |
| M. Hughes | Lib/Sdp | 297 |
Preston Rural East1 seat · turnout 35.1%
| R. Johnson | Conservative | 986 |
| M. Connolly | Lib/Sdp | 256 |
| H Oldcorn | Labour | 146 |
Preston Rural West1 seat · turnout 42.3%
| N. Taylor | Conservative | 1,666 |
| J. Hacker | Lib/Sdp | 1,336 |
| C. Sutherland | Labour | 410 |
Ribbleton1 seat · turnout 36.6%
| P. Rankin | Labour | 1,232 |
| A. Brown | Conservative | 226 |
| E. Chambers | Lib/Sdp | 149 |
Sharoe Green1 seat · turnout 37.6%
| J. Heatley | Conservative | 1,803 |
| S. Lovejoy | Labour | 735 |
| D. Budge | Lib/Sdp | 716 |
St. Johns1 seat · turnout 56.4%
| W. Tattersall | Labour | 1,182 |
| M. Steele | Lib/Sdp | 813 |
| D. Price | Conservative | 178 |
St. Matthews1 seat · turnout 36.1%
| J Pownall | Labour | 1,234 |
| J. Wright | Conservative | 237 |
| A. Mason | Lib/Sdp | 168 |
Tulketh1 seat · turnout 47.6%
| Boswell R. | Labour | 1,344 |
| J. Johnstone | Conservative | 782 |
| K. Willis | Lib/Sdp | 221 |
