# 1994 United Kingdom local elections

The 1994 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 5 May 1994. The results showed a continued decline for the governing Conservatives — who were now in their 15th successive year of government at Westminster — with the third-placed party, the Liberal Democrats, as the main beneficiaries.
The main opposition, the Labour Party, gained 44 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 9,257. Their projected national vote share was 40%, a 1% increase on the 1993 local elections. The Conservative Party lost 516 seats and were left with 7,286 councillors. Their projected national vote share was 27%, a 4% fall since the previous local elections in 1993. The Liberal Democrats gained 428 seats and had 4,551 councillors after the elections. The Liberals received a 27% share of the national vote, a 2% increase on 1993.
A parliamentary by-election also took place in the Rotherham constituency in South Yorkshire; Labour held the seat. This was the last election to be contested by Labour leader John Smith; He died suddenly a week later.

## England
### London boroughs

In all 32 London boroughs the whole council was up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Barking and Dagenham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Barnet | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Bexley | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Brent | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Bromley | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Camden | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Croydon | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Ealing | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Enfield | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Greenwich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Hackney | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Haringey | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Harrow | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Havering | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Hillingdon | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| Hounslow | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Islington | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kensington and Chelsea | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Kingston upon Thames | No overall control | Liberal Democrats gain | Details |
| Lambeth | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Lewisham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Merton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Newham | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Redbridge | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Richmond upon Thames | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Southwark | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Sutton | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Tower Hamlets | Liberal Democrats | Labour gain | Details |
| Waltham Forest | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Wandsworth | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Westminster | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |

### 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 | Labour hold | Details |
| Bury | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Calderdale | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Coventry | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Doncaster | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Dudley | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Gateshead | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kirklees | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Knowsley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Leeds | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Liverpool | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Manchester | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| North Tyneside | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Oldham | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Rochdale | No overall control | No overall control 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 | No overall control | No overall control 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 | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Wakefield | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Walsall | No overall control | No overall control hold | 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 114 districts one third of the council was up for election.
These were the last elections to the district councils of Bristol, Hartlepool, Kingston upon Hull and York 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 Bath, Great Grimsby and Scunthorpe before they were abolished and replaced by unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Adur | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Amber Valley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Barrow-in-Furness | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Basildon | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Basingstoke and Deane | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Bassetlaw | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Bath | No overall control | Liberal Democrats gain | Details |
| Bedford | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Blackburn | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Brentwood | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Brighton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Bristol | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Broadland | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Broxbourne | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Burnley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Cambridge | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Cannock Chase | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Carlisle | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Cheltenham | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats 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 | Liberal Democrats gain | Details |
| Congleton | No overall control | Liberal Democrats gain | Details |
| Craven | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Crawley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Crewe and Nantwich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Daventry | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Derby | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| Eastbourne | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Eastleigh | No overall control | Liberal Democrats gain | Details |
| Ellesmere Port and Neston | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Elmbridge | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Epping Forest | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Exeter | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Fareham | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Gillingham | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Gloucester | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Gosport | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Great Grimsby | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Great Yarmouth | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Halton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Harlow | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Harrogate | No overall control | Liberal Democrats gain | 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 | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Hereford | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Hertsmere | Conservative | No overall control gain | 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 Hertfordshire | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Norwich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Oxford | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Pendle | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Penwith | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Peterborough | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Portsmouth | No overall control | No overall control 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 | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Rochford | No overall control | Liberal Democrats gain | Details |
| Rossendale | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Rugby | No overall control | No overall control 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 | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| South Herefordshire | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| South Lakeland | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Southampton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Southend-on-Sea | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| St Albans | No overall control | Liberal Democrats gain | Details |
| Stevenage | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Stratford-on-Avon | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Stroud | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Swale | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Tamworth | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Tandridge | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Thamesdown | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Three Rivers | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Thurrock | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Tunbridge Wells | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Watford | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Waveney | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Welwyn Hatfield | Conservative | Labour gain | Details |
| West Lancashire | No overall control | Labour gain | Details |
| West Lindsey | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| West Oxfordshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Weymouth and Portland | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Winchester | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Woking | Conservative | No overall control gain | Details |
| Wokingham | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Worcester | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Worthing | Conservative | Liberal Democrats gain | Details |
| Wyre Forest | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| York | Labour | Labour hold | Details |

## Scotland
### Regional councils

Apart from Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles, these were the last elections to the regional councils before they were abolished by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Borders | Independent | No overall control gain | Details |
| Central | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Independent | No overall control gain | Details |
| Fife | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Grampian | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Highland | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Lothian | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Orkney | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Shetland | Independent | Independent hold | Details |
| Strathclyde | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Tayside | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Western Isles | Independent | Independent hold | Details |