1980 United Kingdom local elections

* * *

| <- 1979 | 1 May 1980 | 1981 ->

|
|

* * *

All 36 metropolitan boroughs, 103 out of 296 English districts and all 53 Scottish districts
|  | Majority party  | Minority party  | Third party

|
|
|

|  |  |
Leader  | Margaret Thatcher | James Callaghan | David Steel
Party  | Conservative | Labour | Liberal
Leader since  | 11 February 1975  | 5 April 1976  | 7 July 1976
Percentage  | 40%  | 42%  | 13%
Swing  | 601  |  |
Councillors  | 19,238  | 8,011  | 1,149
Councillors +/-  |  484  |  601  |  90

Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1980.[1][2] These were the first annual local elections for the new Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Though the Conservatives in government lost seats, the projected share of the vote was close: Labour Party 42%, Conservative Party 40%, Liberal Party 13%. Labour were still being led by the former prime minister James Callaghan, who resigned later in the year to be succeeded by Michael Foot.

Labour gained 601 seats, bringing their number of councillors to 8,011. The Conservatives lost 484 seats, leaving them with 11,738 councillors. The Liberal Party gained 90 seats and finished with 1,149 councillors.

Changes in control of councils were as follows:

* Labour gain from no overall control: Amber Valley, Birmingham, Kirklees, Leeds, Peterborough, Rochdale, Walsall, Wolverhampton
* Labour gain from Conservative: Bolton, Bradford, Hyndburn, Oldham, Oxford, Preston, Tamworth, Worcester
* Conservative lose to no overall control: Calderdale, Daventry, Dudley, Great Yarmouth, Hastings, Rushmoor, Shrewsbury and Atcham, Weymouth and Portland
* Liberal gain from Conservative: Adur
* Independent gain from no overall control: Mole Valley

## Summary of results

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (September 2015)

|

## England

[edit]

### Metropolitan boroughs

[edit]

#### Whole council

[edit]

In 17 metropolitan boroughs the whole council was up for election.

In 17 boroughs there were new ward boundaries, following electoral boundary reviews by the Local Government Boundary Commission for England.

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Bolton ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Bradford ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Calderdale ‡  |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Coventry ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Doncaster ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Leeds ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Liverpool ‡  |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Rochdale ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Rotherham ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Sheffield ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
St Helens ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Stockport ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Tameside ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Trafford ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Walsall ‡  |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Wigan ‡  |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Wirral ‡  |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details

‡ New ward boundaries

#### Third of council

[edit]

19 metropolitan borough councils had one third of their seats up for election.

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Barnsley |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Birmingham |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Bury |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Dudley |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Gateshead |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Kirklees |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Knowsley |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Manchester |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Newcastle upon Tyne |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
North Tyneside |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Oldham |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Salford |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Sandwell |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Sefton |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Solihull |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
South Tyneside |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Sunderland |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Wakefield |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Wolverhampton |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details

### District councils

[edit]

In 103 districts one third of the council was up for election.

A further 59 councils 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 1979 elections.

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Adur |  | Conservative |  | Liberal gain  | Details
Amber Valley |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Barrow-in-Furness |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Basildon |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Basingstoke and Deane |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Bassetlaw |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Bath |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Blackburn |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Brentwood |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Broadland |  | Conservative |  | Conservative 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
Cherwell |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Chester |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Chorley |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Colchester |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Congleton |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Craven |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Crawley |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Crewe and Nantwich |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Daventry |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Derby |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
East Devon |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Eastbourne |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Eastleigh |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Ellesmere Port and Neston |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Elmbridge |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Epping Forest |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Fareham |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Gillingham |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Gloucester |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Gosport |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Great Grimsby |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Great Yarmouth ‡  |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Halton |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Harlow |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Hart |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Hartlepool |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Hastings |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Havant |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Hereford |  | No overall control |  | Liberal gain  | Details
Hertsmere |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Huntingdon |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Hyndburn |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Ipswich |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Leominster |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Lincoln |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Macclesfield |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Maidstone |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Milton Keynes |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Mole Valley |  | No overall control |  | Independent gain  | Details
Newcastle-under-Lyme |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
North Hertfordshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Norwich |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Nuneaton and Bedworth |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Oadby and Wigston |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Oxford |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Pendle |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Penwith |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Peterborough |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Preston |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Purbeck |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Reigate and Banstead |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Rochford |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Rossendale |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Rugby |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Runnymede |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Rushmoor |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Scunthorpe |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Shrewsbury and Atcham |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details
South Bedfordshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
South Cambridgeshire |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
South Herefordshire |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
South Lakeland |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Southampton |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Southend-on-Sea |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
St Albans |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Stevenage |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Stoke-on-Trent |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Stratford-on-Avon |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Swale |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Tamworth |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Tandridge |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Thamesdown |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Three Rivers |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Thurrock |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Tonbridge and Malling |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Tunbridge Wells |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Watford |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Welwyn Hatfield |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
West Lancashire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative 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 |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Winchester |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Woking |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Wokingham |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Woodspring |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Worcester |  | Conservative |  | Labour gain  | Details
Wyre Forest |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
York |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details

‡ New ward boundaries

## Scotland

[edit]

### District councils

[edit]

Main article: 1980 Scottish local elections

Council  | Previous control  | Result  | Details

|
|
|

Aberdeen |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Angus |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Annandale and Eskdale |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Argyll |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Badenoch and Strathspey |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Banff and Buchan |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Bearsden and Milngavie |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Berwickshire |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Caithness |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Clackmannan |  | SNP |  | Labour gain  | Details
Clydebank |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Clydesdale |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth |  | SNP |  | Labour gain  | Details
Cumnock and Doon Valley |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Cunninghame |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Dumbarton |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Dundee |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Dunfermline |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
East Kilbride |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
East Lothian |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Eastwood |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Edinburgh |  | Conservative |  | No overall control gain  | Details
Ettrick and Lauderdale |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Falkirk |  | SNP |  | Labour gain  | Details
Glasgow |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Gordon |  | No overall control |  | No overall control hold  | Details
Hamilton |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Inverclyde |  | Liberal |  | Labour gain  | Details
Inverness |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Kilmarnock and Loudoun |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Kincardine and Deeside |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Kirkcaldy |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Kyle and Carrick |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Lochaber |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Midlothian |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Monklands |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Moray |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Motherwell |  | Labour |  | Labour hold  | Details
Nairn |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Nithsdale |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
North East Fife |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Perth and Kinross |  | Conservative |  | Conservative hold  | Details
Renfrew |  |  |  |  | Details
Ross and Cromarty |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Roxburgh |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Skye and Lochalsh |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Stewartry |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Stirling |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Strathkelvin |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Sutherland |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
Tweeddale |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details
West Lothian |  | No overall control |  | Labour gain  | Details
Wigtown |  | Independent |  | Independent hold  | Details

## References

[edit]

Notes

1. ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1980. The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
2. ^ "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.

Sources

* Local elections 2006. House of Commons Library Research Paper 06/26.
* Vote 1999 BBC News
* Vote 2000 BBC News

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See also
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* v
* t
* e

(1979 <-)  1980 United Kingdom local elections (-> 1982)

Metropolitan
boroughs|

* Barnsley
* Birmingham
* Bradford
* Bolton
* Bury
* Calderdale
* Coventry
* Doncaster
* Dudley
* Gateshead
* Kirklees
* Knowsley
* Leeds
* Liverpool
* Manchester
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* North Tyneside
* Oldham
* Rochdale
* Rotherham
* Salford
* Sandwell
* Sefton
* Sheffield
* Solihull
* South Tyneside
* St Helens
* Stockport
* Sunderland
* Tameside
* Trafford
* Wakefield
* Walsall
* Wigan
* Wirral
* Wolverhampton

District councils
(England)|

* Adur
* Amber Valley
* Barrow-in-Furness
* Basildon
* Basingstoke and Deane
* Bassetlaw
* Bath
* Blackburn
* Brentwood
* Broadland
* Broxbourne
* Burnley
* Cambridge
* Cannock Chase
* Cherwell
* Chester
* Chorley
* Colchester
* Congleton
* Craven
* Crawley
* Crewe and Nantwich
* Daventry
* Derby
* East Devon
* Eastbourne
* Eastleigh
* Ellesmere Port and Neston
* Elmbridge
* Epping Forest
* Fareham
* Gillingham
* Gloucester
* Gosport
* Great Grimsby
* Great Yarmouth
* Halton
* Harlow
* Hart
* Hartlepool
* Hastings
* Havant
* Hereford
* Hertsmere
* Huntingdon
* Hyndburn
* Ipswich
* Leominster
* Lincoln
* Macclesfield
* Maidstone
* Milton Keynes
* Mole Valley
* Newcastle-under-Lyme
* North Hertfordshire
* Norwich
* Nuneaton and Bedworth
* Oadby and Wigston
* Oxford
* Pendle
* Penwith
* Peterborough
* Preston
* Purbeck
* Reigate and Banstead
* Rochford
* Rossendale
* Rugby
* Runnymede
* Rushmoor
* Scunthorpe
* Shrewsbury and Atcham
* South Bedfordshire
* South Cambridgeshire
* South Herefordshire
* South Lakeland
* Southampton
* Southend-on-Sea
* St Albans
* Stevenage
* Stoke-on-Trent
* Stratford-on-Avon
* Swale
* Tamworth
* Tandridge
* Thamesdown
* Three Rivers
* Thurrock
* Tonbridge and Malling
* Tunbridge Wells
* Watford
* Welwyn Hatfield
* West Lancashire
* West Lindsey
* West Oxfordshire
* Weymouth and Portland
* Winchester
* Woking
* Wokingham
* Woodspring
* Worcester
* Wyre Forest
* York

District councils
(Scotland)|

* Aberdeen
* Angus
* Annandale and Eskdale
* Argyll and Bute
* Badenoch and Strathspey
* Banff and Buchan
* Bearsden and Milngavie
* Berwickshire
* Caithness
* Clackmannan
* Clydebank
* Clydesdale
* Cumbernauld and Kilsyth
* Cumnock and Doon Valley
* Cunninghame
* Dumbarton
* Dundee
* Dunfermline
* East Kilbride
* East Lothian
* Eastwood
* Edinburgh
* Ettrick and Lauderdale
* Falkirk
* Glasgow
* Gordon
* Hamilton
* Inverclyde
* Inverness
* Kilmarnock and Loudoun
* Kincardine and Deeside
* Kirkcaldy
* Kyle and Carrick
* Lochaber
* Midlothian
* Monklands
* Moray
* Motherwell
* Nairn
* Nithsdale
* North East Fife
* Perth and Kinross
* Renfrew
* Ross and Cromarty
* Roxburgh
* Skye and Lochalsh
* Stewartry
* Stirling
* Strathkelvin
* Sutherland
* Tweeddale
* West Lothian
* Wigtown

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