1992 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

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Map of the results of the 1992 Wigan council election. Wigan89.png
Map of the results of the 1992 Wigan council election.

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 7 May 1992, with one third of the seats set for re-election. Before the election the Labour Party had successfully retained their seats in three by-elections for the wards of Aspull-Standish, Leigh Central and Norley. The two elections directly preceding 1992's were markedly poor in participation, in contrast this year all wards were fought with the Conservative's and Lib Dem's return to fighting over three quarters of the wards each. Despite this, the election obtained the indisputably worst turnout in the council's near-twenty-year history, at a meagre 23.6%, losing just shy of 12,000 votes from the previous election. The elections were fought one month after the 1992 general election with heavy implications on the results - the most obvious of which is the nationally defeated Labour's loss of 8,000 votes from one year before, and consequently obtaining their worst vote figure in sixteen years. Neither the Conservatives rise - nor the Lib Dem's loss - of around 2,000 each, were significantly removed from recent results or accounted for such a loss, suggesting the slump in turnout were mostly the part of dismayed Labour voters. Seat changes were restricted to two Lib Dems gains from Labour, with one in the Labour-Lib Dem battleground of Aspull-Standish, returning the balance of councillor's in the latter's favour by two to one, and regaining one of their losses in the favourable territory of Langtree. [1]

Contents

Election result

Wigan local election result 1992
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 2002-283.355.731,269-2.3%
  Liberal Democrats 320+212.520.111,299+0.2%
  Conservative 10004.221.512,045+6.4%
  Liberal 00000.01.5873-0.3%
  Independent Labour 00000.00.9488-2.5%
  Independent 00000.00.2104-0.8%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Labour6361
Liberal Democrats68
Conservatives22
Independent Labour11
Liberal00
Independent00
Total7272
Working majority 54  50 

Ward results

Abram [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour A. Bennett1,44280.2−3.5
Conservative I. Cunliffe35619.8+3.5
Majority 1,08660.4−7.1
Turnout 1,79818.5−10.6
Labour hold Swing -3.5
Ashton-Golborne [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour T. Jones1,13057.8−15.2
Conservative A. Calder52726.9−0.0
Liberal Democrats C. Barton29915.3+15.3
Majority 60330.8−15.2
Turnout 1,95619.7−10.8
Labour hold Swing -7.6
Aspull-Standish [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats J. Ball1,59946.1−4.7
Labour D. Standring1,19734.5−3.6
Conservative J. Davies67419.4+8.2
Majority 40211.6−1.1
Turnout 3,47032.0−11.0
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing -0.5
Atherton [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J. Clarke1,58376.4+1.2
Independent Labour D. Graeme48823.5+14.6
Majority 1,09552.9−6.6
Turnout 2,07122.2−6.8
Labour hold Swing -6.7
Bedford-Astley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J. Jones1,31750.4+1.8
Liberal Democrats M. Bleakley68426.2−25.2
Conservative K. Mercer61123.4+23.4
Majority 63324.2+21.4
Turnout 2,61226.1−9.4
Labour hold Swing +13.5
Beech Hill [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats J. McGarty1,87563.2+9.1
Labour W. Blackedge96132.4+0.1
Conservative J. Carrington1324.4−0.5
Majority 91430.8+8.9
Turnout 2,96833.3−8.6
Labour hold Swing +4.5
Bryn [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour M. Millington1,51275.0−5.6
Conservative B. Smith50325.0+5.6
Majority 1,00950.1−11.2
Turnout 2,01520.8−11.4
Labour hold Swing -5.6
Hindley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour A. Robinson1,41278.0+40.5
Liberal Democrats J. Milton39721.9+21.9
Majority 1,01556.1+31.3
Turnout 1,80918.6−10.4
Labour hold Swing +9.3
Hindley Green [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour S. Murphy1,15857.4−13.7
Conservative E. Emmett54026.8+26.8
Liberal Democrats F. Graham21410.6+10.6
Independent J. Vickers1045.1−23.6
Majority 61830.6−11.7
Turnout 2,01617.5−7.1
Labour hold Swing -20.2
Hindsford [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour W. Smith1,64767.2N/A
Conservative J. Wiseman80532.8N/A
Majority 84234.3N/A
Turnout 2,45222.5N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Hope Carr [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour B. Jarvis1,17337.8−3.0
Liberal Democrats M. Holmes96431.0−7.9
Conservative J. Midgley96131.0+11.0
Majority 2096.7+4.9
Turnout 3,09830.7−7.4
Labour hold Swing -2.4
Ince [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J. Horrocks1,20880.7−3.3
Conservative J. Cartwright17211.5+11.5
Liberal Democrats A. Robinson1167.7−8.2
Majority 1,03669.2+1.1
Turnout 1,49618.9−14.6
Labour hold Swing -7.4
Langtree [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal Democrats D. Brown1,62645.9+6.9
Labour J. Ball1,27936.1+0.8
Liberal K. White64018.0+2.1
Majority 3479.8+6.0
Turnout 3,54531.2−14.2
Liberal Democrats gain from Labour Swing +3.0
Leigh Central [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J. Hession1,24963.6+4.0
Liberal Democrats J. Croft71536.4−4.0
Majority 53427.2+7.9
Turnout 1,96421.7−10.3
Labour hold Swing +4.0
Leigh East [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J. Riley1,15755.9N/A
Liberal Democrats B. Ratcliffe91144.0N/A
Majority 24611.9N/A
Turnout 2,06820.3N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Lightshaw [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour N. Holt1,97859.5−6.6
Conservative S. Hide1,34840.5+6.6
Majority 63018.9−13.3
Turnout 3,32630.6−12.5
Labour hold Swing -6.6
Newtown [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour M. Coghlin1,08572.2−3.4
Conservative J. Whitehead21514.3+14.3
Liberal Democrats L. Brooks20213.4−10.9
Majority 87057.9+6.6
Turnout 1,50216.5−13.5
Labour hold Swing -8.8
Norley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour R. Frodsham1,23377.8N/A
Liberal Democrats J. Shaw20813.1N/A
Conservative G. Peach1439.0N/A
Majority 1,02564.7N/A
Turnout 1,58420.7N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Orrell [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour E. Swift1,39251.6−0.7
Conservative H. Melling1,30548.4+12.2
Majority 873.2−12.9
Turnout 2,69726.4−10.1
Labour hold Swing -6.4
Swinley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative E. Cartwright1,58152.8+1.1
Labour K. Anderson1,15838.7−9.5
Liberal Democrats P. Thistleton2528.4+8.4
Majority 42314.1+10.7
Turnout 2,99134.0−9.0
Conservative hold Swing +5.3
Tyldesley East [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour A. Stephenson1,38952.2N/A
Conservative J. Mosley97136.5N/A
Liberal Democrats R. Rothwell29911.2N/A
Majority 41815.7N/A
Turnout 2,65922.9N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Whelley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour A. Coyle1,18866.1−3.7
Conservative K. Hart29216.2+4.3
Liberal S. Cairns23312.9−0.1
Liberal Democrats H. Wagner854.7−0.5
Majority 89649.8−6.9
Turnout 1,79820.3−14.0
Labour hold Swing -4.0
Winstanley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour R. Winkworth1,29952.7−0.5
Conservative R. Clayton62525.4+7.4
Liberal Democrats A. McCarthy53821.8−6.9
Majority 67427.4+2.9
Turnout 2,46220.9−10.3
Labour hold Swing -3.9
Worsley Mesnes [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour W. Brogan1,12265.2−17.1
Liberal Democrats W. Sly31518.3+18.3
Conservative J. Wright28416.5−1.2
Majority 80746.9−17.6
Turnout 1,72117.3−10.0
Labour hold Swing -17.7

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Wigan Council results from 1973 to 2008" (PDF). wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2012.