1984 United Kingdom local elections explained

Election Name:1984 United Kingdom local elections
Country:United Kingdom
Type:legislative
Previous Election:1983 United Kingdom local elections
Previous Year:1983
Next Election:1985 United Kingdom local elections
Next Year:1985
Seats For Election:All 36 metropolitan boroughs, 123 out of 296 English districts and all 53 Scottish districts
Election Date:3 May 1984
1Blank:Councils
2Blank:Councils +/-
3Blank:Councillors
4Blank:Councillors +/-
Leader1:Margaret Thatcher
Leader Since1:11 February 1975
Party1:Conservative Party (UK)
Percentage1:38%
3Data1:10,393
4Data1: 164
Leader2:Neil Kinnock
Leader Since2:2 October 1983
Party2:Labour Party (UK)
Percentage2:37%
3Data2:8,870
4Data2: 88
Party3:SDP–Liberal Alliance
Percentage3:21%
3Data3:2,331
4Data3: 160

Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1984.[1] [2] There was a slight reversal in the Conservative government's fortunes, but the party remained ahead. The projected share of the vote was Conservatives 38%, Labour 37%, Liberal-SDP Alliance 21%.

Labour gained 88 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 8,870 in the first elections under the leadership of Neil Kinnock who had succeeded Michael Foot the previous autumn.

The Conservatives lost 164 seats, leaving them with 10,393 councillors.

The SDP-Liberal Alliance, now led by David Owen, gained 160 seats and finished with 2,331 councillors.

Three parliamentary by-elections were also held on the same day in the Cynon Valley, Stafford and South West Surrey constituencies. Labour held Cynon Valley, and the Conservatives held Stafford and South West Surrey.

England

Metropolitan boroughs

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

CouncilPrevious controlResultDetails
Barnsley holdDetails
Birmingham gainDetails
Bolton holdDetails
Bradford holdDetails
Bury holdDetails
Calderdale holdDetails
Coventry holdDetails
Doncaster holdDetails
Dudley gainDetails
Gateshead holdDetails
Kirklees holdDetails
Knowsley holdDetails
Leeds holdDetails
Liverpool holdDetails
Manchester holdDetails
Newcastle upon Tyne holdDetails
North Tyneside holdDetails
Oldham holdDetails
Rochdale holdDetails
Rotherham holdDetails
Salford holdDetails
Sandwell holdDetails
Sefton holdDetails
Sheffield holdDetails
Solihull holdDetails
South Tyneside holdDetails
St Helens holdDetails
Stockport holdDetails
Sunderland holdDetails
Tameside holdDetails
Trafford holdDetails
Wakefield holdDetails
Walsall holdDetails
Wigan holdDetails
Wirral holdDetails
Wolverhampton holdDetails

District councils

In 123 districts one third of the council was up for election.

A further 20 councils had passed a resolution under section 7 (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972, requesting a system of elections by thirds. They could do so because they had had their new ward boundaries introduced at the 1983 elections.

CouncilPrevious controlResultDetails
Adur holdDetails
Amber Valley holdDetails
Barrow-in-Furness holdDetails
Basildon holdDetails
Basingstoke and Deane holdDetails
Bassetlaw holdDetails
Bath holdDetails
Blackburn gainDetails
Brentwood holdDetails
Brighton holdDetails
Bristol holdDetails
Broadland holdDetails
Broxbourne holdDetails
Burnley holdDetails
Cambridge holdDetails
Cannock Chase holdDetails
Carlisle holdDetails
Cheltenham holdDetails
Cherwell holdDetails
Chester holdDetails
Chorley holdDetails
Colchester holdDetails
Congleton holdDetails
Craven holdDetails
Crawley holdDetails
Crewe and Nantwich holdDetails
Daventry holdDetails
Derby holdDetails
East Devon holdDetails
Eastbourne gainDetails
Eastleigh holdDetails
Ellesmere Port and Neston holdDetails
Elmbridge holdDetails
Epping Forest holdDetails
Exeter gainDetails
Fareham holdDetails
Gillingham holdDetails
Gloucester gainDetails
Gosport holdDetails
Great Grimsby holdDetails
Great Yarmouth holdDetails
Halton holdDetails
Harlow holdDetails
Harrogate holdDetails
Hart holdDetails
Hartlepool holdDetails
Hastings holdDetails
Havant holdDetails
Hereford holdDetails
Hertsmere holdDetails
Hinckley and Bosworth holdDetails
Huntingdon holdDetails
Hyndburn gainDetails
Ipswich holdDetails
Kingston upon Hull holdDetails
Leicester holdDetails
Leominster holdDetails
Lincoln holdDetails
Macclesfield holdDetails
Maidstone holdDetails
Mid Sussex holdDetails
Milton Keynes holdDetails
Mole Valley holdDetails
Newcastle-under-Lyme holdDetails
North Bedfordshire holdDetails
North Hertfordshire holdDetails
Norwich holdDetails
Nuneaton and Bedworth holdDetails
Oadby and Wigston holdDetails
Oxford holdDetails
Pendle holdDetails
Penwith holdDetails
Peterborough holdDetails
Portsmouth holdDetails
Preston holdDetails
Purbeck holdDetails
Reading holdDetails
Redditch holdDetails
Reigate and Banstead holdDetails
Rochford holdDetails
Rossendale holdDetails
Rugby holdDetails
Runnymede holdDetails
Rushmoor holdDetails
Scunthorpe holdDetails
Shrewsbury and Atcham holdDetails
Slough holdDetails
South Bedfordshire holdDetails
South Cambridgeshire holdDetails
South Herefordshire holdDetails
South Lakeland holdDetails
Southampton gainDetails
Southend-on-Sea holdDetails
St Albans gainDetails
Stevenage holdDetails
Stoke-on-Trent holdDetails
Stratford-on-Avon holdDetails
Stroud gainDetails
Swale holdDetails
Tamworth holdDetails
Tandridge holdDetails
Thamesdown holdDetails
Three Rivers holdDetails
Thurrock holdDetails
Tonbridge and Malling holdDetails
Torbay holdDetails
Tunbridge Wells holdDetails
Watford holdDetails
Waveney holdDetails
Welwyn Hatfield holdDetails
West Dorset holdDetails
West Lancashire holdDetails
West Lindsey holdDetails
West Oxfordshire gainDetails
Weymouth and Portland holdDetails
Winchester holdDetails
Woking holdDetails
Wokingham holdDetails
Woodspring holdDetails
Worcester holdDetails
Worthing holdDetails
Wyre Forest holdDetails
York holdDetails

Scotland

District councils

See main article: 1984 Scottish local elections.

CouncilPrevious controlResultDetails
Aberdeen holdDetails
Angus gainDetails
Annandale and Eskdale holdDetails
Argyll holdDetails
Badenoch and Strathspey holdDetails
Banff and Buchan holdDetails
Bearsden and Milngavie holdDetails
Berwickshire holdDetails
Caithness holdDetails
Clackmannan holdDetails
Clydebank holdDetails
Clydesdale holdDetails
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth holdDetails
Cumnock and Doon Valley holdDetails
Cunninghame holdDetails
Dumbarton holdDetails
Dundee holdDetails
Dunfermline holdDetails
East Kilbride holdDetails
East Lothian holdDetails
Eastwood holdDetails
Edinburgh gainDetails
Ettrick and Lauderdale holdDetails
Falkirk holdDetails
Glasgow holdDetails
Gordon holdDetails
Hamilton holdDetails
Inverclyde holdDetails
Inverness holdDetails
Kilmarnock and Loudoun holdDetails
Kincardine and Deeside holdDetails
Kirkcaldy holdDetails
Kyle and Carrick gainDetails
Lochaber holdDetails
Midlothian holdDetails
Monklands holdDetails
Moray holdDetails
Motherwell holdDetails
Nairn holdDetails
Nithsdale holdDetails
North East Fife gainDetails
Perth and Kinross gainDetails
RenfrewDetails
Ross and Cromarty holdDetails
Roxburgh gainDetails
Skye and Lochalsh holdDetails
Stewartry holdDetails
Stirling holdDetails
Strathkelvin holdDetails
Sutherland holdDetails
Tweeddale holdDetails
West Lothian holdDetails
Wigtown holdDetails

References

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rallings. Colin. Thrasher. Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1984. The Elections Centre. 3 May 2016.
  2. Web site: Council compositions. The Elections Centre. 3 May 2016.