| Election Name: | 1978 London local elections |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Turnout: | 42.9% (6.6%) |
| Previous Election: | London local elections, 1974 |
| Previous Year: | 1974 |
| Next Election: | London local elections, 1982 |
| Next Year: | 1982 |
| Seats For Election: | All 1,908 on all 32 London boroughs |
| Election Date: | 4 May 1978 |
| 1Blank: | Councils |
| 2Blank: | Councils +/– |
| 3Blank: | Councillors |
| 4Blank: | Councillors +/– |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,037,894 |
| Percentage1: | 48.7% |
| Swing1: | 7.9% |
| 1Data1: | 17 |
| 2Data1: | 4 |
| 3Data1: | 960 |
| 4Data1: | 247 |
| Party2: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Popular Vote2: | 833,526 |
| Percentage2: | 39.1% |
| Swing2: | 2.8% |
| 1Data2: | 14 |
| 2Data2: | 4 |
| 3Data2: | 882 |
| 4Data2: | 208 |
| Party3: | Liberal Party (UK) |
| Popular Vote3: | 150,298 |
| Percentage3: | 7.1% |
| Swing3: | 6.0% |
| 1Data3: | 0 |
| 3Data3: | 30 |
| 4Data3: | 3 |
| Map Size: | 400px |
Local government elections took place in London, and some other parts of the United Kingdom on Thursday 4 May 1978. Ward changes took place in every borough (except Enfield) which increased the total number of councillors by 41 from 1,867 to 1,908.
All London borough council seats were up for election. The previous Borough elections in London were in 1974.[1]
| Party[2] | Votes won | % votes | Change | Seats | % seats | Change | Councils | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,037,894 | 48.7 | +7.9 | 960 | 50.3 | +247 | 17 | +4 | ||
| 833,526 | 39.1 | align="right" | -2.8 | 882 | 46.2 | -208 | 14 | -4 | |
| 150,298 | 7.1 | -6.0 | 30 | 1.6 | +3 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Others | 108,144 | 5.1 | +0.9 | 36 | 1.9 | -1 | 0 | ±0 | |
| n/a | n/a | ±0 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1 | ±0 | ||
|}