1996 United Kingdom local elections

Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1996.[1][2] They were the last local elections until 2010 to show a decline in the number of Conservative councillors and an increase in the number of Labour councillors.

1996 United Kingdom local elections
2 May 1996
All 36 metropolitan boroughs, 14 out of 25 unitary authorities
and 100 out of 262 English districts
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Tony Blair Paddy Ashdown John Major
Party Labour Liberal Democrats Conservative
Leader since 21 July 1994 16 July 1988 28 November 1990
Percentage 43% 26% 29%
Councillors 10,929 5,078 4,276
Councillors +/- 468 136 607

The main opposition Labour Party gained 468 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 10,929. Their share of the vote was projected to be 43%, 4% down on the 1995 local elections.

The governing Conservative Party lost 607 seats and were left with 4,276 councillors - still in third place behind the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives' projected share of the vote was 29%, a 4% increase since the previous local elections in 1995.

The Liberal Democrats gained 136 seats and had 5,078 councillors after the elections.

Summary of results
Party Councils Councillors
Gain Loss Change Total Gain Loss Change Total
Labour +11 +466 1,744
Liberal Democrats +5 +150 641
Conservative -1 -577 518
Other 0 0 0 0 -39 127
No overall control +1 -16 -15 — — — —

Source: Parliamentary Research Briefing on 1996 Local Election[3]

England

Metropolitan boroughs

All 36 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Barnsley Labour Labour hold Details
Birmingham Labour Labour hold Details
Bolton Labour Labour hold Details
Bradford Labour Labour hold Details
Bury Labour Labour hold Details
Calderdale Labour Labour hold Details
Coventry Labour Labour hold Details
Doncaster Labour Labour hold Details
Dudley Labour Labour hold Details
Gateshead Labour Labour hold Details
Kirklees Labour Labour hold Details
Knowsley Labour Labour hold Details
Leeds Labour Labour hold Details
Liverpool No overall control Labour gain Details
Manchester Labour Labour hold Details
Newcastle upon Tyne Labour Labour hold Details
North Tyneside Labour Labour hold Details
Oldham Labour Labour hold Details
Rochdale No overall control Labour gain Details
Rotherham Labour Labour hold Details
Salford Labour Labour hold Details
Sandwell Labour Labour hold Details
Sefton No overall control No overall control hold Details
Sheffield Labour Labour hold Details
Solihull No overall control No overall control hold Details
South Tyneside Labour Labour hold Details
St Helens Labour Labour hold Details
Stockport No overall control No overall control hold Details
Sunderland Labour Labour hold Details
Tameside Labour Labour hold Details
Trafford No overall control Labour gain Details
Wakefield Labour Labour hold Details
Walsall Labour No overall control gain Details
Wigan Labour Labour hold Details
Wirral Labour Labour hold Details
Wolverhampton Labour Labour hold Details

Whole council

These were the first elections to 13 more unitary authorities established by the Local Government Commission for England (1992). They acted as "shadow authorities" until 1 April 1997.

Council Previous control Result Details
Bournemouth New Council No overall control Details
Brighton and Hove New Council Labour Details
Darlington New Council Labour Details
Derby New Council Labour Details
Leicester New Council Labour Details
Luton New Council Labour Details
Milton Keynes ‡ New Council Labour Details
Poole New Council Liberal Democrats Details
Portsmouth New Council Labour Details
Rutland New Council Independent Details
Southampton New Council Labour Details
Stoke-on-Trent New Council Labour Details
Thamesdown New Council Labour Details

‡ New ward boundaries from predecessor authorities

Third of council

In 1 unitary authority one third of the council was up for election.

Council Previous control Result Details
Hartlepool Labour Labour hold Details

District councils

In 100 districts one third of the council was up for election.

These were the last elections to the district councils of Blackburn, Halton, Peterborough, Reading, Slough, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock and Wokingham before they became unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).

These were also the last elections to the district councils of Gillingham, Hereford, Leominster and South Herefordshire before they were abolished and replaced by unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).

Council Previous control Result Details
Adur Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Amber Valley Labour Labour hold Details
Barrow-in-Furness Labour Labour hold Details
Basildon No overall control Labour gain Details
Basingstoke and Deane No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bassetlaw Labour Labour hold Details
Bedford No overall control No overall control hold Details
Blackburn Labour Labour hold Details
Brentwood Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Broadland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Broxbourne Conservative Conservative hold Details
Burnley Labour Labour hold Details
Cambridge No overall control Labour gain Details
Cannock Chase Labour Labour hold Details
Carlisle Labour Labour hold Details
Cheltenham Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Cherwell No overall control Labour gain Details
Chester No overall control No overall control hold Details
Chorley Labour Labour hold Details
Colchester Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Congleton Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Craven No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Crawley Labour Labour hold Details
Crewe and Nantwich Labour Labour hold Details
Daventry No overall control No overall control hold Details
Eastbourne Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Eastleigh Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Ellesmere Port and Neston Labour Labour hold Details
Elmbridge No overall control No overall control hold Details
Epping Forest No overall control No overall control hold Details
Exeter Labour Labour hold Details
Fareham No overall control No overall control hold Details
Gillingham Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Gloucester Labour Labour hold Details
Gosport Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Great Yarmouth Labour Labour hold Details
Halton Labour Labour hold Details
Harlow Labour Labour hold Details
Harrogate Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Hart No overall control No overall control hold Details
Hastings No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Havant No overall control No overall control hold Details
Hereford Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Hertsmere No overall control Labour gain Details
Huntingdonshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hyndburn Labour Labour hold Details
Ipswich Labour Labour hold Details
Leominster No overall control Independent gain Details
Lincoln Labour Labour hold Details
Macclesfield Conservative Conservative hold Details
Maidstone No overall control No overall control hold Details
Mole Valley No overall control No overall control hold Details
Newcastle-under-Lyme Labour Labour hold Details
North Hertfordshire No overall control Labour gain Details
Norwich Labour Labour hold Details
Nuneaton and Bedworth Labour Labour hold Details
Oxford Labour Labour hold Details
Pendle Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Penwith No overall control No overall control hold Details
Peterborough No overall control Labour gain Details
Preston Labour Labour hold Details
Purbeck No overall control No overall control hold Details
Reading Labour Labour hold Details
Redditch Labour Labour hold Details
Reigate and Banstead No overall control No overall control hold Details
Rochford Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Rossendale Labour Labour hold Details
Rugby No overall control No overall control hold Details
Runnymede Conservative No overall control gain Details
Rushmoor No overall control No overall control hold Details
Shrewsbury and Atcham No overall control No overall control hold Details
Slough Labour Labour hold Details
South Bedfordshire No overall control No overall control hold Details
South Cambridgeshire No overall control No overall control hold Details
South Herefordshire Independent Independent hold Details
South Lakeland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Southend-on-Sea No overall control No overall control hold Details
St Albans Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Stevenage Labour Labour hold Details
Stratford-on-Avon No overall control No overall control hold Details
Stroud No overall control No overall control hold Details
Swale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Tamworth Labour Labour hold Details
Tandridge No overall control No overall control hold Details
Three Rivers No overall control No overall control hold Details
Thurrock Labour Labour hold Details
Tunbridge Wells No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Watford Labour Labour hold Details
Waveney Labour Labour hold Details
Welwyn Hatfield Labour Labour hold Details
West Lancashire Labour Labour hold Details
West Lindsey No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
West Oxfordshire No overall control No overall control hold Details
Weymouth and Portland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Winchester Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Woking No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Wokingham No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Worcester Labour Labour hold Details
Worthing Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Wyre Forest No overall control Labour gain Details

References
  1. Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1996 (PDF). Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. "Parliamentary Research Briefing on 1996 Local Election" (PDF).
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