# 1974 United Kingdom local elections

Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1974, during the life of the minority Labour government of Harold Wilson. Elections were held in all the boroughs of London.
The number of councillors was increased, enabling all of the three largest parties to make net gains in council seats. Labour gained 544 seats and had 10,325 councillors after the elections. The Conservatives gained 393 seats, leaving them with 8,102 councillors. The Liberals gained 47 seats, giving them a total of 1,474 councillors.
In terms of council control in London, Labour won 18 councils, the Conservatives 13. One borough, Havering, was in no overall control, having been a Labour council after the 1971 local elections.
The Conservatives gained Bexley and Merton from Labour and Harrow from no overall control.
In Scotland these were the first elections for the new Regional and District councils, with people voting twice. The Scottish National Party did not do particularly well compared with their performance in the two general elections that year. Labour won a majority in Strathclyde and Fife regions.

## Summary of results
### England
#### London boroughs

| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Barking | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Barnet | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Bexley | Labour | Conservative gain | Details |
| Brent | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Bromley | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Camden | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Croydon | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Ealing | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Enfield | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Greenwich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Hackney | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Hammersmith | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Haringey | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Harrow | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Havering | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Hillingdon | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Hounslow | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Islington | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kensington and Chelsea | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Kingston upon Thames | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Lambeth | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Lewisham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Merton | Labour | Conservative gain | Details |
| Newham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Redbridge | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Richmond upon Thames | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Southwark | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Sutton | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Tower Hamlets | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Waltham Forest | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Wandsworth | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Westminster | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |

### Scotland
#### District councils

| District | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Aberdeen, City of | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Angus | New Council | Conservative | Details |
| Annandale and Eskdale | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Argyll† | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Badenoch and Strathspey | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Banff and Buchan | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Bearsden and Milngavie | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Berwickshire | New Council | Conservative | Details |
| Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch† | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Caithness | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Clackmannan | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Clydebank | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Cumbernauld† | New Council | SNP | Details |
| Cumnock and Doon Valley | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Cunninghame | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Dumbarton | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Dundee, City of | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Dunfermline | New Council | Labour | Details |
| East Kilbride | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| East Lothian | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Eastwood | New Council | Conservative | Details |
| Edinburgh, City of | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Ettrick and Lauderdale | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Falkirk | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Glasgow, City of | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Gordon | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Hamilton | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Inverclyde | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Inverness | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Kilmarnock and Loudoun | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Kincardine and Deeside | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Kirkcaldy | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Kyle and Carrick | New Council | Conservative | Details |
| Lanark | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Lochaber | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Merrick† | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Midlothian | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Monklands | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Moray | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Motherwell | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Nairn | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Nithsdale | New Council | Independent | Details |
| North East Fife | New Council | Conservative | Details |
| Perth and Kinross | New Council | Conservative | Details |
| Renfrew | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Ross and Cromarty | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Roxburgh | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Skye and Lochalsh | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Stewartry | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Stirling | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Sutherland | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Tweeddale | New Council | Independent | Details |
| West Lothian | New Council | No overall control | Details |
†Four districts were renamed shortly after the elections. Argyll became Argyll and Bute, Bishopbriggs and Kirkintilloch became Strathkelvin, Cumbernauld became Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and Merrick became Wigtown.

#### Regional councils

| Region or islands area | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Borders | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Central | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Dumfries and Galloway | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Fife | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Grampian | New Council | Conservative | Details |
| Highland | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Lothian | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Orkney | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Shetland | New Council | Independent | Details |
| Strathclyde | New Council | Labour | Details |
| Tayside | New Council | No overall control | Details |
| Western Isles | New Council | Independent | Details |