The 1990 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 3 May 1990. They were the last local elections held before the resignation of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in November 1990.
The main opposition Labour Party gained 284 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 8,920, their highest since 1981. Their projected share of the vote was 44%, an increase of 2% from 1989.
The governing Conservative Party lost 222 seats, leaving them with 9,020 councillors. Their share of the vote was projected to be 33%, a fall of 3% from the previous year. This mounted further pressure on the government of Margaret Thatcher, which had been declining for a year following the introduction of the controversial poll tax, and was a major boost for opposition leader Neil Kinnock, whose Labour Party was enjoying a wide lead in the opinion polls with a general election no more than two years away.
The Liberal Democrats lost 78 seats and had 3,265 councillors after the elections. Their projected share of the vote was 17%.
Results
England
London boroughs
In all 32 London boroughs the whole council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result Details Barking and Dagenham hold Details Barnet hold Details Bexley hold Details Brent gain Details Bromley hold Details Camden hold Details Croydon hold Details Ealing gain Details Enfield hold Details Greenwich hold Details Hackney hold Details Hammersmith and Fulham hold Details Haringey hold Details Harrow hold Details Havering hold Details Hillingdon gain Details Hounslow hold Details Islington hold Details Kensington and Chelsea hold Details Kingston upon Thames hold Details Lambeth hold Details Lewisham hold Details Merton gain Details Newham hold Details Redbridge hold Details Richmond upon Thames hold Details Southwark hold Details Sutton hold Details Tower Hamlets hold Details Waltham Forest hold Details Wandsworth hold Details Westminster hold Details
Metropolitan boroughs All 36 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBarnsley holdDetailsBirmingham holdDetailsBolton holdDetailsBradford gainDetailsBury holdDetailsCalderdale gainDetailsCoventry holdDetailsDoncaster holdDetailsDudley holdDetailsGateshead holdDetailsKirklees gainDetailsKnowsley holdDetailsLeeds holdDetailsLiverpool holdDetailsManchester holdDetailsNewcastle upon Tyne holdDetailsNorth Tyneside holdDetailsOldham holdDetailsRochdale holdDetailsRotherham holdDetailsSalford holdDetailsSandwell holdDetailsSefton holdDetailsSheffield holdDetailsSolihull holdDetailsSouth Tyneside holdDetailsSt Helens holdDetailsStockport holdDetailsSunderland holdDetailsTameside holdDetailsTrafford holdDetailsWakefield holdDetailsWalsall holdDetailsWigan holdDetailsWirral holdDetailsWolverhampton holdDetails
District councils
Whole council In 2 districts the whole council was up for election as there were new ward boundaries, following further electoral boundary reviews by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.
Council Previous control Result DetailsColchester holdDetailsPreston holdDetails
Third of council In 114 districts one third of the council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsAdur holdDetailsAmber Valley holdDetailsBarrow-in-Furness holdDetailsBasildon gainDetailsBasingstoke and Deane holdDetailsBassetlaw holdDetailsBath gainDetailsBlackburn holdDetailsBrentwood gainDetailsBrighton holdDetailsBristol holdDetailsBroadland holdDetailsBroxbourne holdDetailsBurnley holdDetailsCambridge holdDetailsCannock Chase holdDetailsCarlisle holdDetailsCheltenham holdDetailsCherwell holdDetailsChester holdDetailsChorley gainDetailsCongleton holdDetailsCraven holdDetailsCrawley holdDetailsCrewe and Nantwich gainDetailsDaventry holdDetailsDerby holdDetailsEastbourne gainDetailsEastleigh gainDetailsEllesmere Port and Neston holdDetailsElmbridge holdDetailsEpping Forest holdDetailsExeter holdDetailsFareham holdDetailsGillingham gainDetailsGloucester gainDetailsGosport gainDetailsGreat Grimsby holdDetailsGreat Yarmouth gainDetailsHalton holdDetailsHarlow holdDetailsHarrogate gainDetailsHart holdDetailsHartlepool holdDetailsHastings holdDetailsHavant gainDetailsHereford holdDetailsHertsmere holdDetailsHuntingdonshire holdDetailsHyndburn holdDetailsIpswich holdDetailsKingston upon Hull holdDetailsLeominster holdDetailsLincoln holdDetailsMacclesfield holdDetailsMaidstone holdDetailsMilton Keynes holdDetailsMole Valley holdDetailsNewcastle-under-Lyme holdDetailsNorth Bedfordshire holdDetailsNorth Hertfordshire holdDetailsNorwich holdDetailsNuneaton and Bedworth holdDetailsOadby and Wigston holdDetailsOxford holdDetailsPendle gainDetailsPenwith holdDetailsPeterborough holdDetailsPortsmouth gainDetailsPurbeck holdDetailsReading holdDetailsRedditch holdDetailsReigate and Banstead holdDetailsRochford gainDetailsRossendale holdDetailsRugby gainDetailsRunnymede holdDetailsRushmoor holdDetailsScunthorpe holdDetailsShrewsbury and Atcham holdDetailsSlough holdDetailsSouth Bedfordshire holdDetailsSouth Cambridgeshire holdDetailsSouth Herefordshire holdDetailsSouth Lakeland holdDetailsSouthampton holdDetailsSouthend-on-Sea gainDetailsSt Albans holdDetailsStevenage holdDetailsStoke-on-Trent holdDetailsStratford-on-Avon holdDetailsStroud holdDetailsSwale holdDetailsTamworth gainDetailsTandridge gainDetailsThamesdown holdDetailsThree Rivers gainDetailsThurrock holdDetailsTorbay gainDetailsTunbridge Wells holdDetailsWatford gainDetailsWaveney gainDetailsWelwyn Hatfield holdDetailsWest Lancashire holdDetailsWest Lindsey holdDetailsWest Oxfordshire gainDetailsWeymouth and Portland holdDetailsWinchester holdDetailsWoking holdDetailsWokingham holdDetailsWorcester holdDetailsWorthing holdDetailsWyre Forest holdDetailsYork holdDetails
Scotland
Regional councils
Council Previous control Result DetailsBorders holdDetailsCentral holdDetailsDumfries and Galloway holdDetailsFife holdDetailsGrampian holdDetailsHighland holdDetailsLothian holdDetailsOrkney holdDetailsShetland holdDetailsStrathclyde holdDetailsTayside holdDetailsWestern Isles holdDetails
References
Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26. Vote 1999 BBC News Vote 2000 BBC News