The 1989 United Kingdom local elections were held on Thursday 4 May 1989 in England and Wales, and Wednesday 17 May 1989 in Northern Ireland.^[1][2] The Labour Party had the highest projected national vote share, but the Conservative Party, in power at Westminster, gained the most seats. On the same day, there was a parliamentary by-election in the Vale of Glamorgan constituency in Wales; Labour won the seat from the Conservatives.

Quick Facts All 39 non-metropolitan counties, 1 sui generis authority, all 26 Northern Irish districts and all 8 Welsh counties, Majority party ...

1989 United Kingdom local elections

← 1988 4 May 1989 (England & Wales) 17 May 1989 (Northern Ireland) 1990 →
All 39 non-metropolitan counties, 1 sui generis authority, all 26 Northern Irish districts and all 8 Welsh counties
Majority party Minority party Third party   Leader Margaret Thatcher Neil Kinnock Paddy Ashdown Party Conservative Labour SLD Leader since 11 February 1975 2 October 1983 16 July 1988 Percentage 36% 42% 19% Councillors +/- 92 35 175
Colours denote the winning party, as shown in the main table of results.

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The national projected share of the vote was Labour 42%, Conservative 36%, Liberal Democrats 19%. The Conservatives gained 92 seats, Labour gained 35 seats and the Liberal Democrats lost 175 seats. It was Labour's largest share of the vote in any election in a decade, as the party's popularity continued to improve as a result of the ongoing modernisation process under Neil Kinnock, and that the Conservative government's popularity was starting to fall following the announcement of the poll tax.