# 1998 United Kingdom local elections

The 1998 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 7 May 1998. All London borough council seats were elected as well a third of the seats on each of the Metropolitan Boroughs. Some unitary authorities and District councils also had elections. There were no local elections in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
These elections took place on the same day as the referendum on establishing the Greater London Authority.
The governing Labour Party, contesting its first national elections since returning to government 12 months previously, enjoyed great success, now having control of 94 councils, with the second placed Liberal Democrats now controlling 14 and the opposition Conservatives (now led by William Hague) a mere eight.
A by-election for the European Parliament was also held in the Yorkshire South constituency; Labour retained the seat.

## Summary of results

| Party | Party | Councils | Councils | Councils | Councils | Councillors | Councillors | Councillors | Councillors |
| Party | Party | Gain | Loss | Change | Total | Gain | Loss | Change | Total |
| | Labour | | | +2 | 94 | | | -88 | 2,240 |
| | Liberal Democrats | | | -7 | 14 | | | -114 | 853 |
| | Conservative | | | +1 | 8 | | | +256 | 1,085 |
| | Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | -57 | 146 |
| | No overall control | | | +4 | 50 | — | — | — | — |

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

### Metropolitan boroughs

All 36 English 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 | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Calderdale | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Coventry | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Doncaster | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Dudley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Gateshead | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kirklees | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Knowsley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Leeds | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Liverpool | Labour | Liberal Democrats gain | 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 | 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 | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Wakefield | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Walsall | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Wigan | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Wirral | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Wolverhampton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |

### Unitary authorities
#### Whole council

The whole of the Isle of Wight council was up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Previous control | Result | Result | Details |
| Isle of Wight | | Liberal Democrats | | No overall control gain | Details |

#### Third of council

In 9 English Unitary authorities one third of the council was up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Bristol | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Derby | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Hartlepool | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Kingston upon Hull | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Milton Keynes | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Portsmouth | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Southampton | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Stoke-on-Trent | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Swindon | Labour | Labour hold | Details |

### District councils

In 88 English district authorities one third of the council was up for election.
| Council | Previous control | Result | Details |
| Adur | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Amber Valley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Barrow-in-Furness | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Basildon | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Basingstoke and Deane | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Bassetlaw | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Bedford | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Brentwood | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Broadland | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Broxbourne | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Burnley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Cambridge | Labour | No overall control gain | Details |
| Cannock Chase | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Carlisle | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Cheltenham | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Cherwell | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Chester | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Chorley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Colchester | Liberal Democrats | No overall control gain | Details |
| Congleton | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Craven | Liberal Democrats | No overall control gain | Details |
| Crawley | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Crewe and Nantwich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Daventry | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Eastbourne | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Eastleigh | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Ellesmere Port and Neston | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Elmbridge | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Epping Forest | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Exeter | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Fareham | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Gloucester ‡ | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Gosport | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Great Yarmouth | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Harlow | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Harrogate | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Hart | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Hastings | Liberal Democrats | Labour gain | Details |
| Havant | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Hertsmere | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Huntingdonshire | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Hyndburn | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Ipswich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Lincoln | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Macclesfield | Conservative | Conservative hold | Details |
| Maidstone | 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 | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Norwich | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Nuneaton and Bedworth | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Oxford | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Pendle | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Penwith | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Preston | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Purbeck | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Redditch | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Reigate and Banstead | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Rochford | Liberal Democrats | No overall control gain | Details |
| Rossendale | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Rugby | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Runnymede | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Rushmoor | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Shrewsbury and Atcham | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| South Bedfordshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| South Cambridgeshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| South Lakeland | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| St Albans | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Stevenage | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Stratford-on-Avon | No overall control | No overall control hold | 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 | No overall control hold | Details |
| Three Rivers | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Tunbridge Wells | No overall control | Conservative gain | Details |
| Watford | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Waveney | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Welwyn Hatfield | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| West Lancashire | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| West Lindsey | Liberal Democrats | No overall control gain | Details |
| West Oxfordshire | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Weymouth and Portland | No overall control | No overall control hold | Details |
| Winchester | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Woking | Liberal Democrats | No overall control gain | Details |
| Worcester | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
| Worthing | Liberal Democrats | Liberal Democrats hold | Details |
| Wyre Forest | Labour | Labour hold | Details |
‡ New ward boundaries