1982 Lothian Regional Council election

1982 Scottish local government election

Map showing results by Lothian Regional Electoral District.

The third election to Lothian Regional Council was held on 6 May 1982 and yielded a swing to the Conservatives. Whilst the Labour presence was reduced, the Conservatives were unable to win an outright majority, and both parties exited the election with 22 seats. The council Conservative group, under Brian Meek, was able to take over the council however due to support from the SDP-Liberal Alliance councillors.[1]

Turnout was 47.6%, giving the Lothians the highest regional turnout rates in the 1982 Scottish regional elections. The turnout was also an increase of 3.7% on the turnout for the 1978 elections.[2]

## Background

[edit]

The Lothian Regional Council had been a key battleground in a fierce ideological battle between a new, younger generation of radical left-wing Labour activists elected in the 1980 election, and the incumbent Thatcherite Conservative government. In a precursor to the Rate-capping rebellion, several Scottish councils had refused to implement spending cuts necessitated due to a cut in funding from George Younger, the then Secretary of State for Scotland. Lothian in particular had seen its funding cut to the tune of £47 million in July 1981.[1]

The Labour leader of Lothian Regional Council; John Mulvey, pursued a policy of resisting the cuts, and claimed that Labour had a popular mandate to protect jobs and services through increasing local expenditure. The Lothian council, alongside the councils of certain other Scottish regions, planned spending above government guidelines. Younger responded by cutting the Lothian budget by a further £30 million, and the council caved in to pressure.[1]

## Aggregate results

[edit]

Lothian Regional election, 1982[3] Party  | Seats  | Gains  | Losses  | Net gain/loss  | Seats %  | Votes %  | Votes  | +/−

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Labour | 22  | 0  | 4  | 4  | 44.90  | 30.65 | 85,452 | 9.6
| Conservative | 22  | 4  | 0  | 4  | 44.90  | 30.37  | 84,673  | 2.8
| Alliance | 3  | 2  | 0  | 2  | 6.12  | 26.14  | 72,860  | 21.7
| SNP | 1  | 0  | 2  | 2  | 2.04  | 11.63  | 32,412  | 8.7
| Independent | 1  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 2.04  | 0.74  | 2,059  | 0.8
| Protestant Crusade Against the Papal Visit (PCAPV)  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0.00  | 0.25  | 694  | New
| Ecology | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0.00  | 0.11  | 334  | New
| Communist | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0.00  | 0.10  | 288  | 0.3

278,772

## Ward results

[edit]

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

|

## References

[edit]

* Scottish Regional Elections 1982: Results and Statistics; J.M. Bochel and D.T. Denver

1. ^ a b c Hassan, Gerry; Shaw, Eric (2012). The Strange Death of Labour Scotland. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780748655571.
2. ^ https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1842/9136/1983_6_Towards a four party system.pdf;jsessionid=27E104652661E4C136096D50BE13D81B?sequence=1 p.74
3. ^ https://www.era.lib.ed.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/1842/9136/1983_6_Towards a four party system.pdf;jsessionid=27E104652661E4C136096D50BE13D81B?sequence=1 p.75

* v
* t
* e

Elections in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Corporation|

* 1889
* 1890
* 1891
* 1892
* 1893
* 1894
* 1895
* 1896
* 1897
* 1898
* 1899
* 1900
* 1901
* 1902
* 1903
* 1904
* 1905
* 1906
* 1907
* 1908
* 1909
* 1910
* 1911
* 1912
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1919
* 1920
* 1921
* 1922
* 1923
* 1924
* 1925
* 1926
* 1927
* 1928
* 1929
* 1930
* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* Abolished

City of Edinburgh District Council|

* 1974
* 1977
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* Abolished

Lothian Regional Council|

* 1974
* 1978
* 1982
* 1986
* 1990
* 1994
* Abolished

City of Edinburgh Council|

* 1995
* 1999
* 2003
* 2007
* 2012
* 2017
* 2022

Referendums|

* 2005

* v
* t
* e

Council elections in East Lothian

East Lothian District Council|

* 1974
* 1977
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* Abolished

East Lothian Council|

* 1995
* 1999
* 2003
* 2007
* 2012
* 2017
* 2022

Lothian Regional Council|

* 1974
* 1978
* 1982
* 1986
* 1990
* 1994
* Abolished

* v
* t
* e

Council elections in Midlothian

Midlothian County Council|

* 1889
* 1892
* 1895
* 1898
* 1901
* 1904
* 1907
* 1910
* 1913
* 1919
* 1922
* 1925
* 1928
* 1931
* 1934
* 1937
* 1946
* 1949
* 1952
* 1955
* 1958
* 1961
* 1964
* 1967
* 1970
* Abolished

Midlothian District Council|

* 1974
* 1977
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* Abolished

Lothian Regional Council|

* 1974
* 1978
* 1982
* 1986
* 1990
* 1994
* Abolished

Midlothian Council|

* 1995
* 1999
* 2003
* 2007
* 2012
* 2017
* 2022

* v
* t
* e

Council elections in West Lothian

West Lothian District Council|

* 1974
* 1977
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* Abolished

West Lothian Council|

* 1995
* 1999
* 2003
* 2007
* 2012
* 2017
* 2022

Lothian Regional Council|

* 1974
* 1978
* 1982
* 1986
* 1990
* 1994
* Abolished

* v
* t
* e

(1981 ←)  1982 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1983)

London boroughs|

* Barking and Dagenham
* Barnet
* Bexley
* Brent
* Bromley
* Camden
* Croydon
* Ealing
* Enfield
* Greenwich
* Hackney
* Hammersmith and Fulham
* Haringey
* Harrow
* Havering
* Hillingdon
* Hounslow
* Islington
* Kensington and Chelsea
* Kingston upon Thames
* Lambeth
* Lewisham
* Merton
* Newham
* Redbridge
* Richmond upon Thames
* Southwark
* Sutton
* Tower Hamlets
* Waltham Forest
* Wandsworth
* Westminster

Metropolitan
boroughs|

* Barnsley
* Birmingham
* Bradford
* Bolton
* Bury
* Calderdale
* Coventry
* Doncaster
* Dudley
* Gateshead
* Kirklees
* Knowsley
* Leeds
* Liverpool
* Manchester
* Newcastle
* 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

Regional councils
(Scotland)|

* Borders
* Central
* Dumfries and Galloway
* Fife
* Grampian
* Highland
* Lothian
* Orkney
* Shetland
* Strathclyde
* Tayside
* Western Isles

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template