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1995 United Kingdom local elections

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1995 United Kingdom local elections

← 1994 6 April 1995 (Scotland)
4 May 1995 (England & Wales)
1996 →

All 36 metropolitan boroughs, all 14 unitary authorities,
all 274 English districts, 29 out of 32 Scottish council areas
and all 22 Welsh principal areas
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Tony Blair John Major Paddy Ashdown
Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats
Leader since 21 July 1994 27 November 1990 16 July 1988
Percentage 47% 25% 23%
Councillors +/- Increase 1,807 Decrease 2,018 Increase 487

Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.

The 1995 United Kingdom local elections took place on Thursday 6 April 1995 in Scotland, and Thursday 4 May 1995 in England and Wales.[1][2] The Conservative Party lost over 2,000 councillors in the election, while the Labour Party won 48% of the vote, a record high for the party in local elections.[3]

The elections were the first to be contested under Labour's new leadership of Tony Blair, who had been elected the previous year following the sudden death of his predecessor John Smith.

This was also the first election of 22 Welsh and 14 English unitary authorities, creating shadow authorities which ran in parallel with existing councils until taking power in April 1996, except for the new Isle of Wight Council which took power immediately.[4]

England

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Metropolitan boroughs

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All 36 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 No overall control Labour gain Details
Calderdale No overall control Labour gain Details
Coventry Labour Labour hold Details
Doncaster Labour Labour hold Details
Dudley Labour Labour hold Details
Gateshead Labour Labour hold Details
Kirklees No overall control Labour gain Details
Knowsley Labour Labour hold Details
Leeds Labour Labour hold Details
Liverpool No overall control No overall control hold Details
Manchester Labour Labour hold Details
Newcastle upon Tyne Labour Labour hold Details
North Tyneside Labour Labour hold Details
Oldham No overall control Labour gain Details
Rochdale No overall control No overall control 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 Conservative No overall control gain Details
Wakefield Labour Labour hold Details
Walsall No overall control Labour gain Details
Wigan Labour Labour hold Details
Wirral No overall control Labour gain Details
Wolverhampton Labour Labour hold Details

Unitary authorities

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These were the first elections to the first 14 unitary authorities established by the Local Government Commission for England (1992). They acted as "shadow authorities" until 1 April 1996.

Council Previous control Result Details
Bath and North East Somerset New Council No overall control Details
Bristol New Council Labour Details
East Riding of Yorkshire New Council No overall control Details
Hartlepool New Council Labour Details
Isle of Wight New Council Liberal Democrats Details
Kingston upon Hull New Council Labour Details
Middlesbrough New Council Labour Details
North East Lincolnshire New Council Labour Details
North Lincolnshire New Council Labour Details
North Somerset New Council No overall control Details
Redcar and Cleveland New Council Labour Details
South Gloucestershire New Council No overall control Details
Stockton-on-Tees New Council Labour Details
York New Council Labour Details

‡ New ward boundaries from predecessor authorities

District councils

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Whole council

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In 167 districts the whole council was up for election.

These were the last elections to the district councils of Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Darlington, Leicester, Luton, Newbury, Nottingham, Plymouth, Poole, Rutland, The Wrekin, Torbay, Warrington and Windsor and Maidenhead before they were made unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).

These were also the last elections to the district councils of Hove and Rochester-upon-Medway before they were abolished and replaced by unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).

Council Previous control Result Details
Allerdale Labour Labour hold Details
Alnwick Liberal Democrats No overall control gain Details
Arun Conservative Conservative hold Details
Ashfield Labour Labour hold Details
Ashford Conservative No overall control gain Details
Aylesbury Vale No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Babergh No overall control No overall control hold Details
Berwick-upon-Tweed No overall control No overall control hold Details
Blaby Conservative No overall control gain Details
Blackpool Labour Labour hold Details
Blyth Valley Labour Labour hold Details
Bolsover Labour Labour hold Details
Boston No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bournemouth No overall control No overall control hold Details
Bracknell Forest Conservative Labour gain Details
Braintree No overall control Labour gain Details
Breckland Conservative No overall control gain Details
Bridgnorth Independent Independent hold Details
Bromsgrove Conservative Labour gain Details
Broxtowe Conservative Labour gain Details
Canterbury No overall control No overall control hold Details
Caradon Independent No overall control gain Details
Carrick Liberal Democrats No overall control gain Details
Castle Morpeth No overall control No overall control hold Details
Castle Point Conservative Labour gain Details
Charnwood Conservative Labour gain Details
Chelmsford No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Chesterfield Labour Labour hold Details
Chester-le-Street Labour Labour hold Details
Chichester Conservative No overall control gain Details
Chiltern Conservative No overall control gain Details
Christchurch Conservative No overall control gain Details
Copeland Labour Labour hold Details
Corby Labour Labour hold Details
Cotswold Independent Independent hold Details
Dacorum Conservative Labour gain Details
Darlington Labour Labour hold Details
Dartford Conservative Labour gain Details
Derbyshire Dales Conservative No overall control gain Details
Derwentside Labour Labour hold Details
Dover No overall control Labour gain Details
Durham Labour Labour hold Details
Easington Labour Labour hold Details
East Cambridgeshire Independent Independent hold Details
East Devon Conservative No overall control gain Details
East Dorset No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
East Hampshire No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
East Hertfordshire Conservative No overall control gain Details
East Lindsey Independent Independent hold Details
East Northamptonshire Conservative Labour gain Details
East Staffordshire No overall control Labour gain Details
Eden Independent Independent hold Details
Epsom and Ewell Independent Independent hold Details
Erewash Labour Labour hold Details
Fenland Conservative Labour gain Details
Forest Heath Conservative No overall control gain Details
Forest of Dean Labour Labour hold Details
Fylde No overall control No overall control hold Details
Gedling Conservative Labour gain Details
Gravesham No overall control Labour gain Details
Guildford No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Hambleton Conservative No overall control gain Details
Harborough Conservative No overall control gain Details
High Peak No overall control Labour gain Details
Hinckley and Bosworth Conservative No overall control gain Details
Horsham Conservative Liberal Democrats gain Details
Hove Conservative Labour gain Details
Kennet No overall control No overall control hold Details
Kerrier No overall control No overall control hold Details
Kettering No overall control Labour gain Details
King's Lynn and West Norfolk Conservative Labour gain Details
Lancaster No overall control Labour gain Details
Leicester Labour Labour hold Details
Lewes Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Lichfield Conservative Labour gain Details
Luton Labour Labour hold Details
Maldon No overall control No overall control hold Details
Malvern Hills Independent No overall control gain Details
Mansfield Labour Labour hold Details
Melton Conservative No overall control gain Details
Mendip No overall control No overall control hold Details
Mid Bedfordshire Conservative No overall control gain Details
Mid Devon Independent Liberal Democrats gain Details
Mid Suffolk No overall control No overall control hold Details
Mid Sussex Conservative Liberal Democrats gain Details
New Forest No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Newark and Sherwood Labour Labour hold Details
Newbury Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
North Cornwall Independent Independent hold Details
North Devon Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
North Dorset Independent Liberal Democrats gain Details
North East Derbyshire Labour Labour hold Details
North Kesteven No overall control No overall control hold Details
North Norfolk No overall control No overall control hold Details
North Shropshire Independent Independent hold Details
North Warwickshire Labour Labour hold Details
North West Leicestershire Labour Labour hold Details
North Wiltshire Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Northampton No overall control Labour gain Details
Nottingham Labour Labour hold Details
Oadby and Wigston Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Oswestry Independent Independent hold Details
Plymouth Labour Labour hold Details
Poole Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Restormel Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Ribble Valley Conservative No overall control gain Details
Richmondshire Independent Independent hold Details
Rochester-upon-Medway No overall control Labour gain Details
Rother No overall control No overall control hold Details
Rushcliffe Conservative No overall control gain Details
Rutland No overall control Independent gain Details
Ryedale No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Salisbury No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Scarborough No overall control No overall control hold Details
Sedgefield Labour Labour hold Details
Sedgemoor Conservative No overall control gain Details
Selby No overall control Labour gain Details
Sevenoaks Conservative No overall control gain Details
Shepway Liberal Democrats No overall control gain Details
South Bucks Conservative No overall control gain Details
South Derbyshire Labour Labour hold Details
South Hams Conservative No overall control gain Details
South Holland Independent Independent hold Details
South Kesteven No overall control No overall control hold Details
South Norfolk No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
South Northamptonshire Conservative No overall control gain Details
South Oxfordshire Conservative No overall control gain Details
South Ribble Conservative Labour gain Details
South Shropshire Independent Independent hold Details
South Somerset Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
South Staffordshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Spelthorne Conservative Conservative hold Details
St Edmundsbury Conservative Labour gain Details
Stafford No overall control Labour gain Details
Staffordshire Moorlands Independent No overall control gain Details
Suffolk Coastal Conservative No overall control gain Details
Surrey Heath Conservative Conservative hold Details
Taunton Deane Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Teesdale Independent Independent hold Details
Teignbridge No overall control No overall control hold Details
Tendring No overall control Labour gain Details
Test Valley Conservative No overall control gain Details
Tewkesbury Independent No overall control gain Details
Thanet Conservative Labour gain Details
The Wrekin Labour Labour hold Details
Tonbridge and Malling Conservative No overall control gain Details
Torbay Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Torridge Independent No overall control gain Details
Tynedale No overall control No overall control hold Details
Uttlesford Conservative No overall control gain Details
Vale of White Horse Conservative Liberal Democrats gain Details
Vale Royal Labour Labour hold Details
Wansbeck Labour Labour hold Details
Warrington Labour Labour hold Details
Warwick Conservative No overall control gain Details
Waverley No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Wealden Conservative No overall control gain Details
Wear Valley No overall control Labour gain Details
Wellingborough Conservative No overall control gain Details
West Devon Independent Liberal Democrats gain Details
West Dorset No overall control No overall control hold Details
West Somerset Independent No overall control gain Details
West Wiltshire Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Windsor and Maidenhead No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Wychavon Conservative No overall control gain Details
Wycombe Conservative No overall control gain Details
Wyre Conservative Labour gain Details

Third of council

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In 107 districts one third of the council was up for election.

These were the last elections to the district councils of Derby, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent and Thamesdown before they were made unitary authorities by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).

These were also the last elections to the district council of Brighton before it was abolished and replaced by a unitary authority by the Local Government Commission for England (1992).

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 No overall control No overall control hold Details
Basingstoke and Deane Conservative No overall control gain Details
Bassetlaw Labour Labour hold Details
Bedford No overall control No overall control hold Details
Blackburn Labour Labour hold Details
Brentwood Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Brighton Labour Labour hold Details
Broadland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Broxbourne Conservative Conservative hold Details
Burnley Labour Labour hold Details
Cambridge No overall control No overall control hold Details
Cannock Chase Labour Labour hold Details
Carlisle Labour Labour hold Details
Cheltenham Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Cherwell Conservative No overall control gain Details
Chester No overall control No overall control hold Details
Chorley No overall control Labour gain Details
Colchester Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Congleton Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Craven No overall control No overall control hold Details
Crawley Labour Labour hold Details
Crewe and Nantwich Labour Labour hold Details
Daventry Conservative No overall control gain Details
Derby Labour Labour 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 No overall control Labour gain Details
Fareham No overall control No overall control hold Details
Gillingham No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Gloucester No overall control Labour gain Details
Gosport Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Great Yarmouth Labour Labour hold Details
Halton 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 No overall control No overall control hold Details
Havant No overall control No overall control hold Details
Hereford Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Hertsmere No overall control No overall control hold Details
Huntingdonshire Conservative Conservative hold Details
Hyndburn Labour Labour hold Details
Ipswich Labour Labour hold Details
Leominster Independent No overall control gain Details
Lincoln Labour Labour hold Details
Macclesfield Conservative Conservative hold Details
Maidstone No overall control No overall control hold Details
Milton Keynes No overall control No overall control hold Details
Mole Valley Liberal Democrats No overall control gain Details
Newcastle-under-Lyme Labour Labour hold Details
North Hertfordshire No overall control No overall control hold Details
Norwich Labour Labour hold Details
Nuneaton and Bedworth Labour Labour hold Details
Oxford Labour Labour hold Details
Pendle No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Penwith No overall control No overall control hold Details
Peterborough No overall control No overall control hold Details
Portsmouth No overall control Labour gain Details
Preston Labour Labour hold Details
Purbeck No overall control No overall control hold Details
Reading Labour Labour hold Details
Redditch Labour Labour hold Details
Reigate and Banstead No overall control No overall control hold Details
Rochford Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Rossendale Labour Labour hold Details
Rugby No overall control No overall control hold Details
Runnymede Conservative Conservative hold Details
Rushmoor Conservative No overall control gain Details
Shrewsbury and Atcham No overall control No overall control hold Details
Slough Labour Labour hold Details
South Bedfordshire Conservative No overall control gain Details
South Cambridgeshire No overall control No overall control hold Details
South Herefordshire Independent Independent hold Details
South Lakeland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Southampton No overall control Labour gain Details
Southend-on-Sea No overall control No overall control hold Details
St Albans Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Stevenage Labour Labour hold Details
Stoke-on-Trent 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 Conservative No overall control gain Details
Thamesdown Labour Labour hold Details
Three Rivers No overall control No overall control hold Details
Thurrock Labour Labour hold Details
Tunbridge Wells No overall control No overall control hold 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 No overall control No overall control hold Details
West Oxfordshire No overall control No overall control hold Details
Weymouth and Portland No overall control No overall control hold Details
Winchester No overall control Liberal Democrats gain Details
Woking No overall control No overall control hold Details
Wokingham Conservative No overall control gain Details
Worcester Labour Labour hold Details
Worthing Liberal Democrats Liberal Democrats hold Details
Wyre Forest No overall control No overall control hold Details

Scotland

[edit]

These were the first elections to the 29 council areas established by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.

Council Previous control Result Details
Aberdeen New Council Labour Details
Aberdeenshire New Council No overall control Details
Angus New Council SNP Details
Argyll and Bute New Council Independent Details
Borders New Council No overall control Details
Clackmannan New Council Labour Details
Dumbarton and Clydebank New Council Labour Details
Dumfries and Galloway New Council Labour Details
Dundee New Council Labour Details
East Ayrshire New Council Labour Details
East Dunbartonshire New Council Labour Details
East Lothian New Council Labour Details
East Renfrewshire New Council No overall control Details
Edinburgh New Council Labour Details
Falkirk New Council Labour Details
Fife New Council Labour Details
Glasgow New Council Labour Details
Highland New Council Independent Details
Inverclyde New Council Labour Details
Midlothian New Council Labour Details
Moray New Council SNP Details
North Ayrshire New Council Labour Details
North Lanarkshire New Council Labour Details
Perth and Kinross New Council SNP Details
Renfrewshire New Council No overall control Details
South Ayrshire New Council Labour Details
South Lanarkshire New Council Labour Details
Stirling New Council Labour Details
West Lothian New Council Labour Details

†Council was renamed shortly after election.

Wales

[edit]

These were the first elections to the 22 principal areas established by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.

Council Previous control Result Details
Aberconwy and Colwyn New Council No overall control Details
Anglesey New Council Independent Details
Blaenau Gwent New Council Labour Details
Bridgend New Council Labour Details
Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire New Council Plaid Cymru Details
Caerphilly New Council Labour Details
Cardiff New Council Labour Details
Cardiganshire New Council Independent Details
Carmarthenshire New Council No overall control Details
Denbighshire New Council No overall control Details
Flintshire New Council Labour Details
Merthyr Tydfil New Council Labour Details
Monmouthshire New Council Labour Details
Neath and Port Talbot New Council Labour Details
Newport New Council Labour Details
Pembrokeshire New Council Independent Details
Powys New Council Independent Details
Rhondda Cynon Taf New Council Labour Details
Swansea New Council Labour Details
Torfaen New Council Labour Details
Vale of Glamorgan New Council Labour Details
Wrexham New Council Labour Details

†Council was renamed shortly after election.

References

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  1. ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1995 (PDF). Local Government Chronicle Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. ^ "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. ^ White, Michael (5 May 1995). "Tories buried in a landslide More than 2,000 seats lost as Labour reaps record poll and Lib-Dems surge". The Guardian. p. 1.
  4. ^ Rob Clements (10 May 1995). "The local elections of 4 May 1995". House of Commons Library. Research Paper 95/59. Retrieved 3 September 2011.