The 1996 United Kingdom local elections were held on 2 May 1996. They were the last local elections until 2010 to show a decline in the number of Conservative councillors and an increase in the number of Labour councillors.
The main opposition Labour Party gained 468 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 10,929. Their share of the vote was projected to be 43%, 4% down on the 1995 local elections.
The governing Conservative Party lost 607 seats and were left with 4,276 councillors - still in third place behind the Liberal Democrats. The Conservatives' projected share of the vote was 29%, a 4% increase since the previous local elections in 1995.
The Liberal Democrats gained 136 seats and had 5,078 councillors after the elections.
Results
Party Councils Councillors Gain Loss Change Total Gain Loss Change Total +1187+4661,744 +523+150641 -13-577518 Other00+33-39127 +1-16-1534———— Source: Parliamentary Research Briefing on 1996 Local Election
England
Metropolitan boroughs All 36 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBarnsley holdDetailsBirmingham holdDetailsBolton holdDetailsBradford holdDetailsBury holdDetailsCalderdale holdDetailsCoventry holdDetailsDoncaster holdDetailsDudley holdDetailsGateshead holdDetailsKirklees holdDetailsKnowsley holdDetailsLeeds holdDetailsLiverpool gainDetailsManchester holdDetailsNewcastle upon Tyne holdDetailsNorth Tyneside holdDetailsOldham holdDetailsRochdale gainDetailsRotherham holdDetailsSalford holdDetailsSandwell holdDetailsSefton holdDetailsSheffield holdDetailsSolihull holdDetailsSouth Tyneside holdDetailsSt Helens holdDetailsStockport holdDetailsSunderland holdDetailsTameside holdDetailsTrafford gainDetailsWakefield holdDetailsWalsall gainDetailsWigan holdDetailsWirral holdDetailsWolverhampton holdDetails
Unitary authorities Whole council These were the first elections to 13 more unitary authorities established by the Local Government Commission for England (1992). They acted as "shadow authorities" until 1 April 1997.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBournemouth New Council DetailsBrighton and Hove New Council DetailsDarlington New Council DetailsDerby New Council DetailsLeicester New Council DetailsLuton New Council DetailsMilton Keynes ‡ New Council DetailsPoole New Council DetailsPortsmouth New Council DetailsRutland New Council DetailsSouthampton New Council DetailsStoke-on-Trent New Council DetailsThamesdown New Council Details
‡ New ward boundaries from predecessor authorities
Third of council In 1 unitary authority one third of the council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsHartlepool holdDetails
District councils In 100 districts one third of the council was up for election.
These were the last elections to the district councils of Blackburn, Halton, Peterborough, Reading, Slough, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock and Wokingham before they became unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).
These were also the last elections to the district councils of Gillingham, Hereford, Leominster and South Herefordshire before they were abolished and replaced by unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).
Council Previous control Result DetailsAdur holdDetailsAmber Valley holdDetailsBarrow-in-Furness holdDetailsBasildon gainDetailsBasingstoke and Deane holdDetailsBassetlaw holdDetailsBedford holdDetailsBlackburn holdDetailsBrentwood holdDetailsBroadland holdDetailsBroxbourne holdDetailsBurnley holdDetailsCambridge gainDetailsCannock Chase holdDetailsCarlisle holdDetailsCheltenham holdDetailsCherwell gainDetailsChester holdDetailsChorley holdDetailsColchester holdDetailsCongleton holdDetailsCraven gainDetailsCrawley holdDetailsCrewe and Nantwich holdDetailsDaventry holdDetailsEastbourne holdDetailsEastleigh holdDetailsEllesmere Port and Neston holdDetailsElmbridge holdDetailsEpping Forest holdDetailsExeter holdDetailsFareham holdDetailsGillingham holdDetailsGloucester holdDetailsGosport holdDetailsGreat Yarmouth holdDetailsHalton holdDetailsHarlow holdDetailsHarrogate holdDetailsHart holdDetailsHastings gainDetailsHavant holdDetailsHereford holdDetailsHertsmere gainDetailsHuntingdonshire holdDetailsHyndburn holdDetailsIpswich holdDetailsLeominster gainDetailsLincoln holdDetailsMacclesfield holdDetailsMaidstone holdDetailsMole Valley holdDetailsNewcastle-under-Lyme holdDetailsNorth Hertfordshire gainDetailsNorwich holdDetailsNuneaton and Bedworth holdDetailsOxford holdDetailsPendle holdDetailsPenwith holdDetailsPeterborough gainDetailsPreston holdDetailsPurbeck holdDetailsReading holdDetailsRedditch holdDetailsReigate and Banstead holdDetailsRochford holdDetailsRossendale holdDetailsRugby holdDetailsRunnymede gainDetailsRushmoor holdDetailsShrewsbury and Atcham holdDetailsSlough holdDetailsSouth Bedfordshire holdDetailsSouth Cambridgeshire holdDetailsSouth Herefordshire holdDetailsSouth Lakeland holdDetailsSouthend-on-Sea holdDetailsSt Albans holdDetailsStevenage holdDetailsStratford-on-Avon holdDetailsStroud holdDetailsSwale holdDetails[Tamworth, Staffordshire|Tamworth]] holdDetailsTandridge holdDetailsThree Rivers holdDetailsThurrock holdDetailsTunbridge Wells gainDetailsWatford holdDetailsWaveney holdDetailsWelwyn Hatfield holdDetailsWest Lancashire holdDetailsWest Lindsey gainDetailsWest Oxfordshire holdDetailsWeymouth and Portland holdDetailsWinchester holdDetailsWoking gainDetailsWokingham gainDetailsWorcester holdDetailsWorthing holdDetailsWyre Forest gainDetails
References
The local elections of 2 May 1996. House of Commons Library Research Paper 96/59. Vote 1999 BBC News Vote 2000 BBC News