1992 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 7 May 1992, with one third of the seats set for re-election. Before the election the Labour Party had successfully retained their seats in three by-elections for the wards of Aspull-Standish, Leigh Central and Norley. The two elections directly preceding 1992's were markedly poor in participation, in contrast this year all wards were fought with the Conservative's and Lib Dem's return to fighting over three quarters of the wards each. Despite this, the election obtained the indisputably worst turnout in the council's near-twenty-year history, at a meagre 23.6%, losing just shy of 12,000 votes from the previous election. The elections were fought one month after the 1992 general election with heavy implications on the results - the most obvious of which is the nationally defeated Labour's loss of 8,000 votes from one year before, and consequently obtaining their worst vote figure in sixteen years. Neither the Conservatives rise - nor the Lib Dem's loss - of around 2,000 each, were significantly removed from recent results or accounted for such a loss, suggesting the slump in turnout were mostly the part of dismayed Labour voters. Seat changes were restricted to two Lib Dems gains from Labour, with one in the Labour-Lib Dem battleground of Aspull-Standish, returning the balance of councillor's in the latter's favour by two to one, and regaining one of their losses in the favourable territory of Langtree.[1]

Map of the results of the 1992 Wigan council election.

Election result
Wigan Local Election Result 1992
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 20 0 2 -2 83.3 55.7 31,269 -2.3%
  Liberal Democrats 3 2 0 +2 12.5 20.1 11,299 +0.2%
  Conservative 1 0 0 0 4.2 21.5 12,045 +6.4%
  Liberal 0 0 0 0 0.0 1.5 873 -0.3%
  Independent Labour 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.9 488 -2.5%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.2 104 -0.8%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

Party Previous council New council
Labour 63 61
Liberal Democrats 6 8
Conservatives 2 2
Independent Labour 1 1
Liberal 0 0
Independent 0 0
Total 72 72
Working majority  54   50 

Ward results
Abram[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Bennett 1,442 80.2 -3.5
Conservative I. Cunliffe 356 19.8 +3.5
Majority 1,086 60.4 -7.1
Turnout 1,798 18.5 -10.6
Labour hold Swing -3.5
Ashton-Golborne[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour T. Jones 1,130 57.8 -15.2
Conservative A. Calder 527 26.9 -0.0
Liberal Democrats C. Barton 299 15.3 +15.3
Majority 603 30.8 -15.2
Turnout 1,956 19.7 -10.8
Labour hold Swing -7.6
Aspull-Standish[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats J. Ball 1,599 46.1 -4.7
Labour D. Standring 1,197 34.5 -3.6
Conservative J. Davies 674 19.4 +8.2
Majority 402 11.6 -1.1
Turnout 3,470 32.0 -11.0
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing -0.5
Atherton[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Clarke 1,583 76.4 +1.2
Independent Labour D. Graeme 488 23.5 +14.6
Majority 1,095 52.9 -6.6
Turnout 2,071 22.2 -6.8
Labour hold Swing -6.7
Bedford-Astley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Jones 1,317 50.4 +1.8
Liberal Democrats M. Bleakley 684 26.2 -25.2
Conservative K. Mercer 611 23.4 +23.4
Majority 633 24.2 +21.4
Turnout 2,612 26.1 -9.4
Labour hold Swing +13.5
Beech Hill[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats J. McGarty 1,875 63.2 +9.1
Labour W. Blackedge 961 32.4 +0.1
Conservative J. Carrington 132 4.4 -0.5
Majority 914 30.8 +8.9
Turnout 2,968 33.3 -8.6
Labour hold Swing +4.5
Bryn[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Millington 1,512 75.0 -5.6
Conservative B. Smith 503 25.0 +5.6
Majority 1,009 50.1 -11.2
Turnout 2,015 20.8 -11.4
Labour hold Swing -5.6
Hindley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Robinson 1,412 78.0 +40.5
Liberal Democrats J. Milton 397 21.9 +21.9
Majority 1,015 56.1 +31.3
Turnout 1,809 18.6 -10.4
Labour hold Swing +9.3
Hindley Green[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour S. Murphy 1,158 57.4 -13.7
Conservative E. Emmett 540 26.8 +26.8
Liberal Democrats F. Graham 214 10.6 +10.6
Independent J. Vickers 104 5.1 -23.6
Majority 618 30.6 -11.7
Turnout 2,016 17.5 -7.1
Labour hold Swing -20.2
Hindsford[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Smith 1,647 67.2 N/A
Conservative J. Wiseman 805 32.8 N/A
Majority 842 34.3 N/A
Turnout 2,452 22.5 N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Hope Carr[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour B. Jarvis 1,173 37.8 -3.0
Liberal Democrats M. Holmes 964 31.0 -7.9
Conservative J. Midgley 961 31.0 +11.0
Majority 209 6.7 +4.9
Turnout 3,098 30.7 -7.4
Labour hold Swing -2.4
Ince[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Horrocks 1,208 80.7 -3.3
Conservative J. Cartwright 172 11.5 +11.5
Liberal Democrats A. Robinson 116 7.7 -8.2
Majority 1,036 69.2 +1.1
Turnout 1,496 18.9 -14.6
Labour hold Swing -7.4
Langtree[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democrats D. Brown 1,626 45.9 +6.9
Labour J. Ball 1,279 36.1 +0.8
Liberal K. White 640 18.0 +2.1
Majority 347 9.8 +6.0
Turnout 3,545 31.2 -14.2
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing +3.0
Leigh Central[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Hession 1,249 63.6 +4.0
Liberal Democrats J. Croft 715 36.4 -4.0
Majority 534 27.2 +7.9
Turnout 1,964 21.7 -10.3
Labour hold Swing +4.0
Leigh East[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Riley 1,157 55.9 N/A
Liberal Democrats B. Ratcliffe 911 44.0 N/A
Majority 246 11.9 N/A
Turnout 2,068 20.3 N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Lightshaw[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour N. Holt 1,978 59.5 -6.6
Conservative S. Hide 1,348 40.5 +6.6
Majority 630 18.9 -13.3
Turnout 3,326 30.6 -12.5
Labour hold Swing -6.6
Newtown[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Coghlin 1,085 72.2 -3.4
Conservative J. Whitehead 215 14.3 +14.3
Liberal Democrats L. Brooks 202 13.4 -10.9
Majority 870 57.9 +6.6
Turnout 1,502 16.5 -13.5
Labour hold Swing -8.8
Norley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour R. Frodsham 1,233 77.8 N/A
Liberal Democrats J. Shaw 208 13.1 N/A
Conservative G. Peach 143 9.0 N/A
Majority 1,025 64.7 N/A
Turnout 1,584 20.7 N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Orrell[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Swift 1,392 51.6 -0.7
Conservative H. Melling 1,305 48.4 +12.2
Majority 87 3.2 -12.9
Turnout 2,697 26.4 -10.1
Labour hold Swing -6.4
Swinley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative E. Cartwright 1,581 52.8 +1.1
Labour K. Anderson 1,158 38.7 -9.5
Liberal Democrats P. Thistleton 252 8.4 +8.4
Majority 423 14.1 +10.7
Turnout 2,991 34.0 -9.0
Conservative hold Swing +5.3
Tyldesley East[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Stephenson 1,389 52.2 N/A
Conservative J. Mosley 971 36.5 N/A
Liberal Democrats R. Rothwell 299 11.2 N/A
Majority 418 15.7 N/A
Turnout 2,659 22.9 N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Whelley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Coyle 1,188 66.1 -3.7
Conservative K. Hart 292 16.2 +4.3
Liberal S. Cairns 233 12.9 -0.1
Liberal Democrats H. Wagner 85 4.7 -0.5
Majority 896 49.8 -6.9
Turnout 1,798 20.3 -14.0
Labour hold Swing -4.0
Winstanley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour R. Winkworth 1,299 52.7 -0.5
Conservative R. Clayton 625 25.4 +7.4
Liberal Democrats A. McCarthy 538 21.8 -6.9
Majority 674 27.4 +2.9
Turnout 2,462 20.9 -10.3
Labour hold Swing -3.9
Worsley Mesnes[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Brogan 1,122 65.2 -17.1
Liberal Democrats W. Sly 315 18.3 +18.3
Conservative J. Wright 284 16.5 -1.2
Majority 807 46.9 -17.6
Turnout 1,721 17.3 -10.0
Labour hold Swing -17.7

References
  1. "Wigan Council results from 1973 to 2008" (PDF). wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
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