1991 United Kingdom local elections

1991 United Kingdom local elections

← 1990 2 May 1991 [1] 1992 →
All 36 metropolitan boroughs, all 296 English districts and all 37 Welsh districts
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Neil Kinnock John Major Paddy Ashdown Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats Leader since 2 October 1983 27 November 1990 16 July 1988 Percentage 38% 35% 22% Councillors 9,504 7,985 3,672 Councillors +/- 584 1,035 407

The 1991 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 2 May 1991.^[2][3] The results were a setback for the governing Conservative Party, who were left with their lowest number of councillors since 1973, though their popular vote was an improvement from the 1990 local elections.

This was the first electoral test for Prime Minister and Conservative leader John Major, who had taken the helm from Margaret Thatcher in November 1990.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats both benefited from the Conservative losses.

The main opposition Labour Party gained 584 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 9,504, their highest since 1975. Their projected share of the vote was 38%, a decline of 6% from the previous year. They overtook the Conservatives in number of councillors and would remain in that position until 2003.

The governing Conservative Party lost 1,035 seats, leaving them with 7,985 councillors. Their share of the vote was projected to be 35%, an increase of 2% from the previous year.

The Liberal Democrats gained 407 seats and had 3,672 councillors after the elections, a record number and a sign of their improving popularity after a series of disastrous performances in local and European elections after their formation in March 1988. Their projected share of the vote was 22%, up from 17% in 1990.^[4]

Despite the Conservatives' heavy losses, the party would go on to win the 1992 general election 11 months later.