1994 local elections handbook
Scheduled council elections held between April and June 1994, from our ward results. This is the final edition. Where our results for a council are incomplete, its figures will be too low.
- Councils
- 226
- Wards
- 3,045
- Seats
- 3,356
- Candidates
- 11,252
- Votes
- 9,801,053
Seats won by party
| Party | Seats | Candidates | Votes | Vote share* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1,880 | 3,630 | 4,351,748 | 45.1% | |
| Liberal Democrats | 816 | 2,986 | 2,418,049 | 25.1% | |
| Conservative | 556 | 3,467 | 2,645,882 | 27.4% | |
| Independent | 68 | 316 | 132,624 | 1.4% | |
| RES | 23 | 42 | 48,457 | 0.5% | |
| RATE | 5 | 11 | 9,855 | 0.1% | |
| LIB | 4 | 63 | 29,120 | 0.3% | |
| SDP | 4 | 6 | 5,760 | 0.1% |
*Note on vote share: this is each party's share of the votes cast in the wards we hold for 1994. It is not an estimate for the whole country: many councils did not vote this year, some of our results may be missing, and in wards with several seats each voter had several votes.
National Equivalent Vote — our estimate
What each party's share might have been if the whole of Great Britain had voted in 1994. Built from 2,908 wards that did vote, compared like-for-like with the last time each ward voted, then carried across the places that didn't vote using the change in their region. Shown beside the Elections Centre's published figure where we hold it.
| Party | Our estimate | Elections Centre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAB | 40.7% | 40% | |
| LD | 28.8% | 27% | |
| CON | 23.2% | 28% | |
| IND | 3.7% | — | |
| GRN | 1.1% | — |
How far to trust this: it is an estimate, not a count. It uses each party's best-placed candidate in each ward, so multi-seat wards don't inflate anyone. Parties that stand in only a few places stay in those places. Where our ward records are incomplete for a year, the estimate is less reliable — compare it with the Elections Centre column.
Councils changing hands (40)
| Council | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Barnet | Conservative | No overall control |
| Barrow-in-Furness | No overall control | Labour |
| Basildon | Conservative | No overall control |
| Basingstoke and Deane | Conservative | No overall control |
| Bath | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Bexley | Conservative | No overall control |
| Broadland | Conservative | No overall control |
| Colchester | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Congleton | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Croydon | Conservative | Labour |
| Cumberland | Conservative | No overall control |
| Derby | No overall control | Labour |
| Dudley | No overall control | Labour |
| Eastleigh | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Enfield | Conservative | Labour |
| Epping Forest | Conservative | No overall control |
| Fareham | Conservative | No overall control |
| Harrogate | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Hertsmere | Conservative | No overall control |
| Hillingdon | Conservative | Labour |
| Kingston upon Thames | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Kirklees | Labour | No overall control |
| Lambeth | Labour | No overall control |
| Mole Valley | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| North Hertfordshire | Conservative | No overall control |
| Oldham | Labour | No overall control |
| Pendle | Labour | No overall control |
| Rochford | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Southend-On-Sea | Conservative | No overall control |
| St Albans | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Stratford-On-Avon | Conservative | No overall control |
| Tandridge | No overall control | Conservative |
| Tower Hamlets | Liberal Democrats | Labour |
| Tunbridge Wells | Conservative | No overall control |
| Waltham Forest | Labour | No overall control |
| Welwyn Hatfield | Conservative | Labour |
| West Lancashire | No overall control | Labour |
| Woking | Conservative | No overall control |
| Wolverhampton | No overall control | Labour |
| Worthing | Conservative | Liberal Democrats |
Every council (226)
| Council | Wards | Seats | Before | After |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adur | 13 | 13 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Allerdale | 1 | 2 | Labour | Labour |
| Amber Valley | 8 | 8 | — | — |
| Amber Valley | 8 | 6 | Labour | Labour |
| Barking and Dagenham | 1 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Barnet | 20 | 60 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Barnsley | 22 | 22 | Labour | Labour |
| Barrow-in-Furness | 13 | 15 | No overall control | Labour |
| Basildon | 14 | 14 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Basingstoke and Deane | 19 | 20 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Bassetlaw | 15 | 14 | — | — |
| Bassetlaw | 3 | 3 | Labour | Labour |
| Bath | 16 | 16 | — | — |
| Bath | 1 | 1 | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Bath & North East Somerset | 1 | 1 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Bexley | 20 | 53 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Birmingham | 40 | 43 | Labour | Labour |
| Blackburn | 19 | 10 | — | — |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 10 | 10 | Labour | Labour |
| Bolton | 20 | 21 | Labour | Labour |
| Bradford | 30 | 29 | Labour | Labour |
| Brent | 31 | 67 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Brentwood | 13 | 12 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Brighton | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Brighton & Hove | 13 | 12 | Labour | Labour |
| Bristol, City of | 23 | 23 | Labour | Labour |
| Broadland | 17 | 17 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Bromley | 3 | 0 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Broxbourne | 14 | 15 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Burnley | 15 | 16 | Labour | Labour |
| Bury | 17 | 16 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Calderdale | 18 | 21 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Cambridge | 14 | 14 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Camden | 26 | 57 | Labour | Labour |
| Cannock Chase | 14 | 13 | Labour | Labour |
| Carlisle | 15 | 10 | — | — |
| Castle Point | 1 | 1 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Cheltenham | 13 | 15 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Cherwell | 18 | 17 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Chester | 9 | 11 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Chorley | 17 | 17 | No overall control | No overall control |
| City of Chester | 19 | 11 | — | — |
| Colchester | 8 | 7 | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Colchester | 14 | 13 | — | — |
| Congleton | 14 | 15 | — | — |
| Congleton | 1 | 1 | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Coventry | 18 | 22 | Labour | Labour |
| Craven | 11 | 11 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Crawley | 7 | 6 | Labour | Labour |
| Crewe and Nantwich | 13 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Croydon | 27 | 70 | Conservative | Labour |
| Cumberland | 5 | 5 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Daventry | 11 | 13 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Derby | 5 | 0 | No overall control | Labour |
| Doncaster | 21 | 23 | Labour | Labour |
| Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council | 9 | 0 | — | — |
| Dudley | 24 | 25 | No overall control | Labour |
| East Suffolk | 10 | 11 | Labour | Labour |
| Eastbourne | 11 | 12 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Eastleigh | 11 | 11 | — | — |
| Eastleigh | 4 | 4 | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Ellesmere Port and Neston | 14 | 14 | Labour | Labour |
| Elmbridge | 19 | 0 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Enfield | 11 | 0 | Conservative | Labour |
| Epping Forest | 19 | 19 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Exeter | 13 | 13 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Fareham | 14 | 14 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Gateshead | 21 | 21 | — | — |
| Gateshead | 1 | 1 | Labour | Labour |
| Gillingham | 8 | 0 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Gloucester | 5 | 6 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Gloucester | 7 | 7 | — | — |
| Gosport | 10 | 11 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Great Grimsby | 15 | 1 | — | — |
| Great Yarmouth | 15 | 16 | — | — |
| Great Yarmouth | 1 | 1 | Labour | Labour |
| Greenwich | 34 | 58 | Labour | Labour |
| Hackney | 22 | 59 | Labour | Labour |
| Halton | 15 | 11 | Labour | Labour |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 23 | 50 | Labour | Labour |
| Haringey | 1 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Harlow | 14 | 14 | Labour | Labour |
| Harrogate | 14 | 0 | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Hart | 11 | 11 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Hartlepool | 15 | 12 | — | — |
| Hartlepool | 1 | 1 | Labour | Labour |
| Hastings | 12 | 11 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Havant | 14 | 14 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Havering | 24 | 60 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Hereford | 9 | 9 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Hertsmere | 13 | 13 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Hillingdon | 10 | 0 | Conservative | Labour |
| Hounslow | 6 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Huntingdon | 18 | 17 | — | — |
| Huntingdonshire | 2 | 1 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Hyndburn | 1 | 1 | Labour | Labour |
| Hyndburn | 13 | 14 | — | — |
| Ipswich | 16 | 19 | Labour | Labour |
| Kingston Upon Hull | 21 | 27 | Labour | Labour |
| Kingston upon Thames | 20 | 49 | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Kirklees | 24 | 24 | Labour | No overall control |
| Knowsley | 22 | 23 | Labour | Labour |
| Lambeth | 1 | 0 | Labour | No overall control |
| Leeds | 33 | 32 | — | Labour |
| Lewisham | 26 | 67 | Labour | Labour |
| Lincoln | 11 | 11 | Labour | Labour |
| Liverpool | 14 | 0 | No overall control | No overall control |
| London | 2 | 6 | — | — |
| Macclesfield | 8 | 9 | — | — |
| Macclesfield | 12 | 12 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Maidstone | 18 | 24 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Manchester | 33 | 33 | Labour | Labour |
| Merton | 1 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Milton Keynes | 15 | 15 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Mole Valley | 8 | 8 | — | — |
| Mole Valley | 5 | 5 | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Newcastle Upon Tyne | 26 | 30 | Labour | Labour |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 14 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Newham | 23 | 57 | Labour | Labour |
| Newport | 16 | 16 | Labour | Labour |
| North Bedfordshire | 18 | 19 | — | — |
| North East Lincolnshire | 13 | 15 | Labour | Labour |
| North Hertfordshire | 16 | 16 | Conservative | No overall control |
| North Lincolnshire | 14 | 14 | Labour | Labour |
| North Tyneside | 1 | 1 | Labour | Labour |
| North Tyneside | 19 | 19 | — | — |
| Norwich | 16 | 18 | Labour | Labour |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | 15 | 16 | Labour | Labour |
| Oldham | 20 | 20 | Labour | No overall control |
| Oxford | 11 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Pendle | 16 | 16 | — | — |
| Pendle | 1 | 1 | Labour | No overall control |
| Penwith | 9 | 0 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Peterborough | 16 | 16 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Portsmouth | 13 | 14 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Preston | 19 | 20 | Labour | Labour |
| Purbeck | 8 | 8 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Reading | 15 | 15 | Labour | Labour |
| Redditch | 10 | 11 | Labour | Labour |
| Reigate & Banstead | 16 | 16 | — | No overall control |
| Rhondda | 9 | 0 | — | — |
| Richmond upon Thames | 19 | 52 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Rochdale | 20 | 21 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Rochford | 14 | 15 | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| Rossendale | 12 | 12 | Labour | Labour |
| Rotherham | 14 | 14 | — | — |
| Rotherham | 9 | 9 | Labour | Labour |
| Rugby | 5 | 5 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Rugby | 11 | 11 | — | — |
| Runnymede | 14 | 14 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Rushmoor | 15 | 13 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Salford | 3 | 2 | Labour | Labour |
| Salford | 18 | 18 | — | — |
| Sandwell | 24 | 24 | Labour | Labour |
| Scunthorpe | 9 | 0 | — | — |
| Sefton | 23 | 23 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Sheffield | 25 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Shrewsbury and Atcham | 16 | 15 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Slough | 13 | 14 | Labour | Labour |
| Solihull | 2 | 2 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Solihull | 17 | 16 | — | — |
| South Bedfordshire | 17 | 17 | Conservative | Conservative |
| South Cambridgeshire | 18 | 19 | No overall control | No overall control |
| South Herefordshire | 11 | 4 | Other | Other |
| South Lakeland | 17 | 17 | No overall control | No overall control |
| South Tyneside | 20 | 20 | Labour | Labour |
| Southampton | 15 | 16 | Labour | Labour |
| Southend-On-Sea | 13 | 13 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Southwark | 25 | 60 | Labour | Labour |
| St Albans | 19 | 19 | No overall control | Liberal Democrats |
| St Edmundsbury | 1 | 1 | No overall control | No overall control |
| St. Albans | 8 | 0 | — | — |
| St. Helens | 18 | 18 | Labour | Labour |
| Stevenage | 3 | 4 | Labour | Labour |
| Stevenage | 10 | 10 | — | — |
| Stockport | 21 | 21 | — | — |
| Stockport | 2 | 1 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Stoke On Trent | 20 | 22 | Labour | Labour |
| Stratford-on-Avon | 14 | 14 | — | — |
| Stratford-On-Avon | 4 | 4 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Stroud | 15 | 0 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Sunderland | 22 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Sutton | 25 | 56 | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats |
| Swale | 16 | 13 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Swansea | 8 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
| Tameside | 19 | 20 | Labour | Labour |
| Tamworth | 1 | 1 | Labour | Labour |
| Tamworth | 9 | 9 | — | — |
| Tandridge | 14 | 14 | No overall control | Conservative |
| Thamesdown | 16 | 11 | Labour | Labour |
| Three Rivers | 16 | 16 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Thurrock | 4 | 4 | Labour | Labour |
| Thurrock | 9 | 9 | — | — |
| Tonbridge And Malling | 1 | 1 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Tower Hamlets | 17 | 41 | Liberal Democrats | Labour |
| Trafford | 23 | 24 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Tunbridge Wells | 14 | 10 | — | — |
| Tunbridge Wells | 5 | 5 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Wakefield | 21 | 21 | Labour | Labour |
| Wales | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Walsall | 21 | 20 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Waltham Forest | 20 | 57 | Labour | No overall control |
| Wandsworth | 21 | 56 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Watford | 12 | 13 | Labour | Labour |
| Watford Borough Council | 7 | 0 | — | — |
| Waveney | 16 | 6 | — | — |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 13 | 13 | — | — |
| Welwyn Hatfield | 2 | 2 | Conservative | Labour |
| West Lancashire | 18 | 18 | No overall control | Labour |
| West Lindsey | 7 | 0 | No overall control | No overall control |
| West Oxfordshire | 16 | 18 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Westminster | 3 | 0 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Weymouth and Portland | 12 | 12 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Wigan | 24 | 24 | Labour | Labour |
| Winchester | 8 | 4 | — | — |
| Winchester | 14 | 13 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Wirral | 22 | 24 | No overall control | No overall control |
| Woking | 11 | 10 | Conservative | No overall control |
| Wokingham | 12 | 0 | Conservative | Conservative |
| Wolverhampton | 20 | 24 | No overall control | Labour |
| Worcester | 13 | 21 | Labour | Labour |
| Worthing | 12 | 12 | Conservative | Liberal Democrats |
| Wyre Forest | 13 | 11 | — | — |
| Wyre Forest | 2 | 2 | No overall control | No overall control |
| YEOVIL | 2 | 2 | Labour | Labour |
| York | 11 | 0 | Labour | Labour |
See also Election Health for 1994's competitiveness figures and Council Control.
