| Election Name: | 1995 United Kingdom local elections |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Type: | legislative |
| Previous Election: | 1994 United Kingdom local elections |
| Previous Year: | 1994 |
| Next Election: | 1996 United Kingdom local elections |
| Next Year: | 1996 |
| Seats For Election: | All 36 metropolitan boroughs, all 14 unitary authorities, all 274 English districts, 29 out of 32 Scottish council areas and all 22 Welsh principal areas |
| Election Date: | 6 April 1995 (Scotland) 4 May 1995 (England & Wales) |
| 1Blank: | Councils |
| 2Blank: | Councils +/- |
| 3Blank: | Councillors |
| 4Blank: | Councillors +/- |
| Leader1: | Tony Blair |
| Leader Since1: | 21 July 1994 |
| Party1: | Labour Party (UK) |
| Percentage1: | 47% |
| 4Data1: | 1,807 |
| Leader2: | John Major |
| Leader Since2: | 27 November 1990 |
| Party2: | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Percentage2: | 25% |
| 4Data2: | 2,018 |
| Leader3: | Paddy Ashdown |
| Leader Since3: | 16 July 1988 |
| Party3: | Liberal Democrats (UK) |
| Percentage3: | 23% |
| 4Data3: | 487 |
| Map Size: | 300px |
The 1995 United Kingdom local elections took place on Thursday 6 April 1995 in Scotland, and Thursday 4 May 1995 in England and Wales.[1] [2] The Conservative Party lost over 2,000 councillors in the election, while the Labour Party won 48% of the vote, a record high for the party in local elections.[3]
The elections were the first to be contested under Labour's new leadership of Tony Blair, who had been elected the previous year following the sudden death of his predecessor John Smith.
This was also the first election of 22 Welsh and 14 English unitary authorities, creating shadow authorities which ran in parallel with existing councils until taking power in April 1996, except for the new Isle of Wight Council which took power immediately.[4]
All 36 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | hold | Details | |||
| Birmingham | hold | Details | |||
| Bolton | hold | Details | |||
| Bradford | hold | Details | |||
| Bury | gain | Details | |||
| Calderdale | gain | Details | |||
| Coventry | hold | Details | |||
| Doncaster | hold | Details | |||
| Dudley | hold | Details | |||
| Gateshead | hold | Details | |||
| Kirklees | gain | Details | |||
| Knowsley | hold | Details | |||
| Leeds | hold | Details | |||
| Liverpool | hold | Details | |||
| Manchester | hold | Details | |||
| Newcastle upon Tyne | hold | Details | |||
| North Tyneside | hold | Details | |||
| Oldham | gain | Details | |||
| Rochdale | hold | Details | |||
| Rotherham | hold | Details | |||
| Salford | hold | Details | |||
| Sandwell | hold | Details | |||
| Sefton | hold | Details | |||
| Sheffield | hold | Details | |||
| Solihull | hold | Details | |||
| South Tyneside | hold | Details | |||
| St Helens | hold | Details | |||
| Stockport | hold | Details | |||
| Sunderland | hold | Details | |||
| Tameside | hold | Details | |||
| Trafford | gain | Details | |||
| Wakefield | hold | Details | |||
| Walsall | gain | Details | |||
| Wigan | hold | Details | |||
| Wirral | gain | Details | |||
| Wolverhampton | hold | Details | |||
These were the first elections to the first 14 unitary authorities established by the Local Government Commission for England (1992). They acted as "shadow authorities" until 1 April 1996.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath and North East Somerset ‡ | New Council | Details | |||
| Bristol | New Council | Details | |||
| East Riding of Yorkshire ‡ | New Council | Details | |||
| Hartlepool | New Council | Details | |||
| Isle of Wight ‡ | New Council | Details | |||
| Kingston upon Hull | New Council | Details | |||
| Middlesbrough | New Council | Details | |||
| North East Lincolnshire ‡ | New Council | Details | |||
| North Lincolnshire ‡ | New Council | Details | |||
| North Somerset | New Council | Details | |||
| Redcar and Cleveland | New Council | Details | |||
| South Gloucestershire ‡ | New Council | Details | |||
| Stockton-on-Tees | New Council | Details | |||
| York ‡ | New Council | Details | |||
‡ New ward boundaries from predecessor authorities
In 167 districts the whole council was up for election.
These were the last elections to the district councils of Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Darlington, Leicester, Luton, Newbury, Nottingham, Plymouth, Poole, Rutland, The Wrekin, Torbay, Warrington and Windsor and Maidenhead before they were made unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).
These were also the last elections to the district councils of Hove and Rochester-upon-Medway before they were abolished and replaced by unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).
In 107 districts one third of the council was up for election.
These were the last elections to the district councils of Derby, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent and Thamesdown before they were made unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).
These were also the last elections to the district council of Brighton before it was abolished and replaced by a unitary authority by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).
See main article: 1995 Scottish local elections.
These were the first elections to the 29 council areas established by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | New Council | Details | |||
| Aberdeenshire | New Council | Details | |||
| Angus | New Council | Details | |||
| Argyll and Bute | New Council | Details | |||
| Borders† | New Council | Details | |||
| Clackmannan† | New Council | Details | |||
| Dumbarton and Clydebank† | New Council | Details | |||
| Dumfries and Galloway | New Council | Details | |||
| Dundee | New Council | Details | |||
| East Ayrshire | New Council | Details | |||
| East Dunbartonshire | New Council | Details | |||
| East Lothian | New Council | Details | |||
| East Renfrewshire | New Council | Details | |||
| Edinburgh | New Council | Details | |||
| Falkirk | New Council | Details | |||
| Fife | New Council | Details | |||
| Glasgow | New Council | Details | |||
| Highland | New Council | Details | |||
| Inverclyde | New Council | Details | |||
| Midlothian | New Council | Details | |||
| Moray | New Council | Details | |||
| North Ayrshire | New Council | Details | |||
| North Lanarkshire | New Council | Details | |||
| Perth and Kinross | New Council | Details | |||
| Renfrewshire | New Council | Details | |||
| South Ayrshire | New Council | Details | |||
| South Lanarkshire | New Council | Details | |||
| Stirling | New Council | Details | |||
| West Lothian | New Council | Details | |||
See main article: 1995 Welsh local elections.
These were the first elections to the 22 principal areas established by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberconwy and Colwyn† | New Council | Details | |||
| Anglesey† | New Council | Details | |||
| Blaenau Gwent | New Council | Details | |||
| Bridgend | New Council | Details | |||
| Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire† | New Council | Details | |||
| Caerphilly | New Council | Details | |||
| Cardiff | New Council | Details | |||
| Cardiganshire† | New Council | Details | |||
| Carmarthenshire | New Council | Details | |||
| Denbighshire | New Council | Details | |||
| Flintshire | New Council | Details | |||
| Merthyr Tydfil | New Council | Details | |||
| Monmouthshire | New Council | Details | |||
| Neath and Port Talbot† | New Council | Details | |||
| Newport | New Council | Details | |||
| Pembrokeshire | New Council | Details | |||
| Powys | New Council | Details | |||
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | New Council | Details | |||
| Swansea | New Council | Details | |||
| Torfaen | New Council | Details | |||
| Vale of Glamorgan | New Council | Details | |||
| Wrexham | New Council | Details | |||