# 1988 United Kingdom local elections

The 1988 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 1988. The Conservative government held its ground and remained ahead in the projected popular vote.
The election resulted in the Conservative Party winning 39% of the popular vote, the Labour Party winning 38% and the Social and Liberal Democrats (SLD) 18%. The Conservatives gained 9 seats, Labour gained 76 seats and the SLD lost 122 seats.
These were the first national elections contested by the SLD, which had just been formed as a merger of the SDP and Liberals after several years of an alliance existing between the two parties.

## England
### Metropolitan boroughs

All 36 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Barnsley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Birmingham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Bolton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Bradford | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Bury | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Calderdale | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Coventry | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Doncaster | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Dudley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Gateshead | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kirklees | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Knowsley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Leeds | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Liverpool | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Manchester | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| North Tyneside | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Oldham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Rochdale | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Rotherham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Salford | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Sandwell | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Sefton | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Sheffield | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Solihull | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| South Tyneside | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| St Helens | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Stockport | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Sunderland | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Tameside | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Trafford | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Wakefield | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Walsall | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Wigan | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Wirral | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Wolverhampton | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |

### District councils

In 117 districts one third of the council was up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Adur | SLD | SLD hold | Details |
| Amber Valley | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Barrow-in-Furness | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Basildon | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Basingstoke and Deane | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Bassetlaw | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Bath | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Blackburn | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Brentwood | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Brighton | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Bristol | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Broadland | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Broxbourne | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Burnley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Cambridge | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Cannock Chase | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Carlisle | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Cheltenham | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Cherwell | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Chester | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Chorley | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Colchester | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Congleton | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Craven | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Crawley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Crewe and Nantwich | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Daventry | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Derby | Labour | Conservative gain | Details |
| Eastbourne | SLD | Conservative gain | Details |
| Eastleigh | No overall control | SLD gain | Details |
| Ellesmere Port and Neston | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Elmbridge | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Epping Forest | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Exeter | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Fareham | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Gillingham | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Gloucester | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Gosport | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Great Grimsby | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Great Yarmouth | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Halton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Harlow | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Harrogate | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Hart | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Hartlepool | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Hastings | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Havant | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Hereford | SLD | SLD hold | Details |
| Hertsmere | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Huntingdonshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Hyndburn | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Ipswich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kingston upon Hull | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Leominster | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Lincoln | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Macclesfield | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Maidstone | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Milton Keynes | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Mole Valley | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| North Bedfordshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| North Hertfordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Norwich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Oadby and Wigston | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Oxford | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Pendle | SLD | SLD hold | Details |
| Penwith | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Peterborough | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Portsmouth | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Preston | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Purbeck | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Reading | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Redditch | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Reigate and Banstead | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Rochford | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Rossendale | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Rugby | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Runnymede | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Rushmoor | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Scunthorpe | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Shrewsbury and Atcham | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Slough | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| South Bedfordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| South Cambridgeshire | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| South Herefordshire | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| South Lakeland | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Southampton | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Southend-on-Sea | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| St Albans | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Stevenage | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Stratford-on-Avon | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Stroud | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Swale | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Tamworth | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Tandridge | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Thamesdown | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Three Rivers | SLD | SLD hold | Details |
| Thurrock | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Tonbridge and Malling | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Torbay | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Tunbridge Wells | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Watford | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Waveney | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Welwyn Hatfield | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| West Lancashire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| West Lindsey | SLD | No overall control gain | Details |
| West Oxfordshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Weymouth and Portland | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Winchester | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Woking | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Wokingham | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Worcester | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Worthing | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Wyre Forest | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| York | Labour | Labour hold | Details |

## Scotland
### District councils

| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Aberdeen | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Angus | SNP | SNP hold | Details |
| Annandale and Eskdale | Independent | SSLD gain | Details |
| Argyll | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Badenoch and Strathspey | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Banff and Buchan | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Bearsden and Milngavie | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Berwickshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Caithness | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Clackmannan | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Clydebank | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Clydesdale | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Cumbernauld and Kilsyth | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Cumnock and Doon Valley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Cunninghame | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Dumbarton | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Dundee | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Dunfermline | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| East Kilbride | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| East Lothian | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Eastwood | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Edinburgh | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Ettrick and Lauderdale | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Falkirk | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Glasgow | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Gordon | Independent | No overall control gain | Details |
| Hamilton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Inverclyde | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Inverness | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Kilmarnock and Loudoun | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kincardine and Deeside | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Kirkcaldy | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kyle and Carrick | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Lochaber | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Midlothian | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Monklands | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Moray | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Motherwell | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Nairn | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Nithsdale | Independent | Labour gain | Details |
| North East Fife | SSLD | SSLD hold | Details |
| Perth and Kinross | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Renfrew | | | Details |
| Ross and Cromarty | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Roxburgh | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Skye and Lochalsh | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Stewartry | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Stirling | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Strathkelvin | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Sutherland | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Tweeddale | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| West Lothian | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Wigtown | Independent | Independent hold | Details |