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.
Results Party Councils Councillors Gain Loss Change Total Gain Loss Change Total +294-882,240 -714-114853 +18+2561,085 Other0000-57146 +450————
England
London boroughs In all 32 London boroughs the whole council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBarking and Dagenham holdDetailsBarnet holdDetailsBexley holdDetailsBrent gainDetailsBromley gainDetailsCamden holdDetailsCroydon holdDetailsEaling holdDetailsEnfield holdDetailsGreenwich holdDetailsHackney holdDetailsHammersmith and Fulham holdDetailsHaringey holdDetailsHarrow gainDetailsHavering holdDetailsHillingdon gainDetailsHounslow holdDetailsIslington gainDetailsKensington and Chelsea holdDetailsKingston upon Thames gainDetailsLambeth gainDetailsLewisham holdDetailsMerton holdDetailsNewham holdDetailsRedbridge holdDetailsRichmond upon Thames holdDetailsSouthwark holdDetailsSutton holdDetailsTower Hamlets holdDetailsWaltham Forest gainDetailsWandsworth holdDetailsWestminster holdDetails
Metropolitan boroughs All 36 English 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 holdDetailsRotherham holdDetailsSalford holdDetailsSandwell holdDetailsSefton holdDetailsSheffield holdDetailsSolihull holdDetailsSouth Tyneside holdDetailsSt Helens holdDetailsStockport holdDetailsSunderland holdDetailsTameside holdDetailsTrafford holdDetailsWakefield holdDetailsWalsall holdDetailsWigan holdDetailsWirral holdDetailsWolverhampton holdDetails
Unitary authorities
Whole council The whole of the Isle of Wight council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsIsle of Wight gainDetails
Third of council In 9 English Unitary authorities one third of the council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsBristol holdDetailsDerby holdDetailsHartlepool holdDetailsKingston upon Hull holdDetailsMilton Keynes holdDetailsPortsmouth holdDetailsSouthampton holdDetailsStoke-on-Trent holdDetailsSwindon holdDetails
District councils In 88 English district authorities one third of the council was up for election.
Council Previous control Result DetailsAdur holdDetailsAmber Valley holdDetailsBarrow-in-Furness holdDetailsBasildon holdDetailsBasingstoke and Deane holdDetailsBassetlaw holdDetailsBedford holdDetailsBrentwood holdDetailsBroadland holdDetailsBroxbourne holdDetailsBurnley holdDetailsCambridge gainDetailsCannock Chase holdDetailsCarlisle holdDetailsCheltenham holdDetailsCherwell holdDetailsChester holdDetailsChorley holdDetailsColchester gainDetailsCongleton holdDetailsCraven gainDetailsCrawley holdDetailsCrewe and Nantwich holdDetailsDaventry holdDetailsEastbourne holdDetailsEastleigh holdDetailsEllesmere Port and Neston holdDetailsElmbridge holdDetailsEpping Forest holdDetailsExeter holdDetailsFareham holdDetailsGloucester ‡ holdDetailsGosport holdDetailsGreat Yarmouth holdDetailsHarlow holdDetailsHarrogate holdDetailsHart holdDetailsHastings gainDetailsHavant holdDetailsHertsmere holdDetailsHuntingdonshire holdDetailsHyndburn holdDetailsIpswich holdDetailsLincoln holdDetailsMacclesfield holdDetailsMaidstone holdDetailsMole Valley holdDetailsNewcastle-under-Lyme holdDetailsNorth Hertfordshire holdDetailsNorwich holdDetailsNuneaton and Bedworth holdDetailsOxford holdDetailsPendle holdDetailsPenwith holdDetailsPreston holdDetailsPurbeck holdDetailsRedditch holdDetailsReigate and Banstead holdDetailsRochford gainDetailsRossendale holdDetailsRugby holdDetailsRunnymede gainDetailsRushmoor holdDetailsShrewsbury and Atcham holdDetailsSouth Bedfordshire holdDetailsSouth Cambridgeshire holdDetailsSouth Lakeland holdDetailsSt Albans holdDetailsStevenage holdDetailsStratford-on-Avon holdDetailsStroud holdDetailsSwale holdDetailsTamworth holdDetailsTandridge holdDetailsThree Rivers holdDetailsTunbridge Wells gainDetailsWatford holdDetailsWaveney holdDetailsWelwyn Hatfield holdDetailsWest Lancashire holdDetailsWest Lindsey gainDetailsWest Oxfordshire holdDetailsWeymouth and Portland holdDetailsWinchester holdDetailsWoking gainDetailsWorcester holdDetailsWorthing holdDetailsWyre Forest holdDetails ‡ New ward boundaries
References
Vote 1998 BBC News The local elections of 7 May 1998 and the London referendum. House of Commons Library Research Paper 98/59. "Local Elections results", The Times 9 May 1998 page 46