Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in May 1978. Elections took place in the London boroughs and metropolitan districts.
The main opposition Conservative Party gained 275 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 12,645. They gained Oldham and Havering from no overall control, and Ealing, Hillingdon, Wandsworth and Sandwell from Labour.
The governing Labour Party lost 461 seats, leaving them with 6,644 councillors. In addition to their losses to the Conservatives they also lost South Tyneside, Hammersmith and Fulham and Wolverhampton to no overall control.
The Liberal Party lost 163 seats in total, leaving them with 923 councillors.
England
London boroughs
In all 32 London boroughs the whole council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result Details Barking ‡ hold Details Barnet ‡ hold Details Bexley ‡ hold Details Brent ‡ hold Details Bromley ‡ hold Details Camden ‡ hold Details Croydon ‡ hold Details Ealing ‡ gain Details Enfield hold Details Greenwich ‡ hold Details Hackney ‡ hold Details Hammersmith ‡ gain Details Haringey ‡ hold Details Harrow ‡ hold Details Havering ‡ gain 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 ‡ hold 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 ‡ gain Details Westminster ‡ hold Details
‡ New ward boundaries
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 gainDetailsDoncaster holdDetailsDudley holdDetailsGateshead holdDetailsKirklees holdDetailsKnowsley holdDetailsLeeds holdDetailsLiverpool holdDetailsManchester holdDetailsNewcastle upon Tyne holdDetailsNorth Tyneside holdDetailsOldham gainDetailsRochdale holdDetailsRotherham holdDetailsSalford holdDetailsSandwell gainDetailsSefton holdDetailsSheffield holdDetailsSolihull holdDetailsSouth Tyneside gainDetailsSt Helens holdDetailsStockport holdDetailsSunderland holdDetailsTameside holdDetailsTrafford holdDetailsWakefield holdDetailsWalsall holdDetailsWigan holdDetailsWirral holdDetailsWolverhampton gainDetails
District councils In 44 districts one third of the council was up for election.
These were the first councils which had passed a resolution under section 7 (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972, requesting a system of elections by thirds. They could do so because they had had their new ward boundaries introduced at the 1976 elections.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBasingstoke and Deane holdDetailsBath holdDetailsBrentwood holdDetailsBroxbourne holdDetailsBurnley holdDetailsCambridge holdDetailsCannock Chase holdDetailsChorley holdDetailsColchester holdDetailsCongleton holdDetailsEastbourne holdDetailsEastleigh holdDetailsEllesmere Port and Neston holdDetailsElmbridge holdDetails Fareham holdDetailsHalton holdDetailsHarlow holdDetails Hart holdDetailsHartlepool holdDetailsHavant gainDetailsHertsmere holdDetailsHuntingdon holdDetailsMilton Keynes holdDetailsMole Valley holdDetailsPendle holdDetailsPeterborough gainDetailsPreston holdDetailsRochford holdDetailsRossendale holdDetailsRunnymede holdDetailsShrewsbury and Atcham holdDetailsSouth Bedfordshire holdDetailsSouth Cambridgeshire holdDetailsSouthend-on-Sea holdDetailsTamworth gainDetailsTandridge holdDetailsThamesdown gainDetailsThree Rivers holdDetailsTunbridge Wells holdDetailsWatford holdDetailsWelwyn Hatfield holdDetailsWest Lancashire holdDetailsWinchester holdDetailsWoking holdDetails
Scotland
Regional councils
Council Previous control Result Details Borders holdDetails Central holdDetails Dumfries and Galloway holdDetails Fife holdDetails Grampian holdDetails Highland holdDetails Lothian gainDetails Orkney holdDetails Shetland holdDetails Strathclyde holdDetails Tayside gainDetails Western Isles holdDetails
References
Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26. Vote 1999 BBC News Vote 2000 BBC News