| Election Name: | 1982 United Kingdom local elections |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Type: | legislative |
| Previous Election: | 1981 United Kingdom local elections |
| Previous Year: | 1981 |
| Next Election: | 1983 United Kingdom local elections |
| Next Year: | 1983 |
| Seats For Election: | All 32 London boroughs, all 36 metropolitan boroughs, 103 out of 296 English districts and all 12 Scottish regions |
| Election Date: | 6 May 1982 |
| 1Blank: | Councils |
| 2Blank: | Councils +/- |
| 3Blank: | Councillors |
| 4Blank: | Councillors +/- |
| Leader1: | Margaret Thatcher |
| Leader Since1: | 11 February 1975 |
| Party1: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Percentage1: | 40% |
| Swing1: | 2% |
| 3Data1: | 10,447 |
| 4Data1: | 98 |
| Leader2: | Michael Foot |
| Leader Since2: | 10 November 1980 |
| Party2: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Percentage2: | 29% |
| Swing2: | 12% |
| 3Data2: | 8,774 |
| 4Data2: | 225 |
| Image3: | SDP Liberal Alliance.png |
| Leader3: | David Steel & Gang of Four |
| Leader Since3: | 7 July 1976 & 26 March 1981 |
| Party3: | SDP–Liberal Alliance |
| Percentage3: | 27% |
| Swing3: | 10% |
| 3Data3: | 1,850 |
| 4Data3: | 395 |
Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1982.[1] [2] The elections coincided with rising popularity of the Conservative government and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which was mostly attributed to the Falklands War. The projected share of the vote was Conservatives 40%, Labour 29%, Liberal-SDP Alliance 27%.
Elections were held in several English boroughs, including all those in London.
The Conservatives held their ground, losing only 98 seats, leaving them with 10,447 seats.
The main opposition Labour Party, under the leadership of Michael Foot, lost 225 seats, finishing with 8,774 councillors.
For the newly formed Liberal-SDP Alliance, the 1982 local elections were the first annual electoral test. They gained 395 seats and finished with 1,850 councillors. This meant that the Alliance had almost as many votes as Labour, but Labour still had nearly five times as many councillors.
See main article: 1982 London local elections. In all 32 London boroughs the whole council was up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | hold | Details | |||
| Barnet | hold | Details | |||
| Bexley | hold | Details | |||
| Brent | hold | Details | |||
| Bromley | hold | Details | |||
| Camden | hold | Details | |||
| Croydon | hold | Details | |||
| Ealing | hold | Details | |||
| Enfield ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| Greenwich | hold | Details | |||
| Hackney | hold | Details | |||
| Hammersmith and Fulham | hold | Details | |||
| Haringey | hold | Details | |||
| Harrow | hold | Details | |||
| Havering | hold | Details | |||
| Hillingdon | hold | Details | |||
| Hounslow | hold | Details | |||
| Islington | hold | Details | |||
| Kensington and Chelsea | hold | Details | |||
| Kingston upon Thames | hold | Details | |||
| Lambeth | gain | Details | |||
| Lewisham | hold | Details | |||
| Merton | hold | Details | |||
| Newham | hold | Details | |||
| Redbridge | hold | Details | |||
| Richmond upon Thames | hold | Details | |||
| Southwark | hold | Details | |||
| Sutton | hold | Details | |||
| Tower Hamlets | hold | Details | |||
| Waltham Forest | gain | Details | |||
| Wandsworth | hold | Details | |||
| Westminster | hold | Details | |||
‡ New ward boundaries
In 13 metropolitan boroughs the whole council was up for election.
In 13 boroughs there were new ward boundaries, following electoral boundary reviews by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham ‡ | gain | Details | |||
| Dudley ‡ | gain | Details | |||
| Gateshead ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| Kirklees ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| Knowsley ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| Manchester ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| Newcastle upon Tyne ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| North Tyneside ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| Salford ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| South Tyneside ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| Sunderland ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| Wakefield ‡ | hold | Details | |||
| Wolverhampton ‡ | hold | Details | |||
‡ New ward boundaries
23 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | hold | Details | |||
| Bolton | hold | Details | |||
| Bradford | gain | Details | |||
| Bury | hold | Details | |||
| Calderdale | hold | Details | |||
| Coventry | hold | Details | |||
| Doncaster | hold | Details | |||
| Leeds | hold | Details | |||
| Liverpool | hold | Details | |||
| Oldham | hold | Details | |||
| Rochdale | gain | Details | |||
| Rotherham | hold | Details | |||
| Sandwell | hold | Details | |||
| Sefton | hold | Details | |||
| Sheffield | hold | Details | |||
| Solihull | hold | Details | |||
| St Helens | hold | Details | |||
| Stockport | hold | Details | |||
| Tameside | hold | Details | |||
| Trafford | hold | Details | |||
| Walsall | gain | Details | |||
| Wigan | hold | Details | |||
| Wirral | hold | Details | |||
In 103 districts one third of the council was up for election.
See main article: 1982 Scottish regional elections.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borders | hold | Details | |||
| Central | hold | Details | |||
| Dumfries and Galloway | hold | Details | |||
| Fife | hold | Details | |||
| Grampian | hold | Details | |||
| Highland | hold | Details | |||
| Lothian | gain | Details | |||
| Orkney | hold | Details | |||
| Shetland | hold | Details | |||
| Strathclyde | hold | Details | |||
| Tayside | hold | Details | |||
| Western Isles | hold | Details | |||