Before (end of 1986) (54 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 45 · Conservative 9 · Other 0 · SDP-Liberal Alliance 0
After (end of 1987) (54 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 43 · Conservative 9 · SDP-Liberal Alliance 2 · Other 0
Ward results
Billinge & Seneley Green1 seat
| B. Lowe | Conservative | 2,374 |
| K. Cleary | Labour | 2,186 |
| R. Ferry | Lib/Sdp | 596 |
Blackbrook1 seat
| C. Walsh | Labour | 1,558 |
| T. Gadsden | Lib/Sdp | 425 |
| E. Huyton | Conservative | 342 |
Broad Oak1 seat
| R. Urnevitch | Labour | 1,737 |
| S. Honey | Lib/Sdp | 826 |
| J. Foster | Conservative | 248 |
Eccleston1 seat
| L. Dawson | Lib/Sdp | 1,889 |
| E. Jameson | Conservative | 1,693 |
| K. Cotton | Labour | 511 |
Grange Park1 seat
| R. Waugh | Labour | 1,249 |
| P. Varnes | Lib/Sdp | 658 |
| L. Mulliner | Conservative | 504 |
Haydock1 seat
| J. Mealor | Labour | 2,492 |
| C. Foster | Conservative | 678 |
| R. O'Connor | Lib/Sdp | 429 |
Marshalls Cross1 seat
| D. Mather | Labour | 1,338 |
| J. Mooney | Lib/Sdp | 517 |
| I. Hunter | Conservative | 258 |
Moss Bank1 seat
| L. McGuire | Labour | 1,703 |
| M. McCooey | Conservative | 879 |
| P. Pennington | Lib/Sdp | 617 |
Newton East1 seat
| N. Derbyshire | Lib/Sdp | 2,249 |
| N. Kershaw | Labour | 1,502 |
| A. Johnson | Conservative | 497 |
Newton West1 seat
| G. Roberts | Labour | 1,864 |
| S. Derbyshire | Lib/Sdp | 1,741 |
| B. Honey | Conservative | 328 |
Parr & Hardshaw1 seat
| J. Molyneux | Labour | 1,808 |
| D. Watmough | Lib/Sdp | 316 |
| P. Brosnan | Conservative | 216 |
Rainford1 seat
| J. Brown | Conservative | 1,857 |
| I. Smith | Lib/Sdp | 945 |
| M. Plumpton | Labour | 840 |
Rainhill1 seat
| J. Hesdon | Labour | 1,731 |
| P. Mimnagh | Conservative | 1,560 |
| D. Dawson | Lib/Sdp | 653 |
Sutton & Bold1 seat
| W. Knoctor | Labour | 1,509 |
| B. Spencer | Lib/Sdp | 1,229 |
| P. Higham | Conservative | 315 |
Thatto Heath1 seat
| D. Watts | Labour | 2,129 |
| L. Rigby | Lib/Sdp | 536 |
| E. Anderton | Conservative | 443 |
West Sutton1 seat
| B. Green | Labour | 1,445 |
| T. Gilligan | Lib/Sdp | 569 |
| C. Lindon | Conservative | 240 |
Windle1 seat
| M. Bolton | Conservative | 1,473 |
| A. Anderson | Labour | 1,183 |
| R. Watmough | Lib/Sdp | 654 |