Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election, 1986

Last updated
Map of the results of the 1986 Wigan council election. Wigan84.png
Map of the results of the 1986 Wigan council election.

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 8 May 1986, with one third of the seats scheduled for re-election. Since the previous election three by-elections had taken place, with Labour gaining the seat being fought in Orrell from the Conservatives as well as holding their seats in Bedford-Astley and Beech Hill. The election seen fewer contestants than any previous election since the council's creation in 1973, with a record of four seats (Abram, Hindley, Hindley Green and Leigh Central) unchallenged. Even amongst those contested there were no minor parties represented, the fewest Alliance candidates since the 1980 election and a record low of Conservative contenders at sixteen. The results were similarly record-breaking as Labour won twenty two seats, with the Conservative and Alliance majorities in their respective heartland wards - and only holds - of Swinley and Langtree reduced to slender majorities. Labour won a high of 65% share of the vote, conversely the Conservatives share fell to a low of 13.1%, with their actual vote dropping into four figures for the first time. Overall turnout rose from the preceding year's underwhelming figure of 29.2%, to a more commonplace 35.8%. [1]

Metropolitan Borough of Wigan Metropolitan borough in England

The Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest component town and former county borough, Wigan and includes the towns and villages of Leigh, part of Ashton-in-Makerfield, Ince-in-Makerfield, Hindley, Orrell, Standish, Atherton, Tyldesley, Golborne, Lowton, Billinge, Astley, Haigh and Aspull. The borough was formed in 1974 and is an amalgamation of several former local government districts and parishes. The borough has three civil parishes and lies directly to the west of the City of Salford and southwest of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton. The local authority is Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.

The Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom that has been described as an alliance of social democrats, democratic socialists and trade unionists. The party's platform emphasises greater state intervention, social justice and strengthening workers' rights.

Conservative Party (UK) Political party in the United Kingdom

The Conservative Party, officially the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom. The governing party since 2010, it is the largest in the House of Commons, with 313 Members of Parliament, and also has 249 members of the House of Lords, 18 members of the European Parliament, 31 Members of the Scottish Parliament, 12 members of the Welsh Assembly, eight members of the London Assembly and 8,916 local councillors.

Contents

Election result

Wigan Local Election Result 1986
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 22 3 0 +3 91.7 65.0 45,205 +2.8%
  SDP–Liberal Alliance 1 0 3 -3 4.2 21.8 15,171 +2.2%
  Conservative 1 0 0 0 4.2 13.1 9,136 -4.9%

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

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Labour 61 64
SDP-Liberal Alliance 8 5
Conservatives 3 3
Total 72 72
Working majority 50  56 

Ward results

Abram [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour I. McCartney UnopposedN/AN/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Ashton-Golborne [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour S. Lea 2,124 72.7 +6.4
Conservative J. Wright 441 15.1 -2.3
SDP–Liberal Alliance H. Crook 358 12.2 -4.1
Majority 1,683 57.6 +8.8
Turnout 2,923 30.2 +0.8
Labour hold Swing +4.3
Aspull-Standish [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour J. Hilton 2,222 45.8 +4.1
SDP–Liberal Alliance G. Davies 2,009 41.4 -1.4
Conservative K. Hart 616 12.7 -2.7
Majority 213 4.4 +2.0
Turnout 2,796 29.6 -9.1
Labour gain from SDP–Liberal Alliance Swing +2.7
Atherton [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour L. Sumner 2,313 82.7 +3.6
Conservative M. Sharland 483 17.3 -3.6
Majority 1,830 65.4 +7.2
Turnout 2,796 29.6 -9.1
Labour hold Swing +3.6
Bedford-Astley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour F. Walker 2,051 67.6 +13.1
SDP–Liberal Alliance W. Shaw 983 32.4 +14.5
Majority 1,068 35.2 +8.4
Turnout 3,034 30.7 -7.7
Labour hold Swing -0.7
Beech Hill
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour J. Parkinson 2,090 74.2 +5.1
SDP–Liberal Alliance R. Richardson 430 15.2 -1.7
Conservative E. Nicholson 297 10.5 -3.4
Majority 1,660 58.9 +6.9
Turnout 2,817 31.9 -0.2
Labour hold Swing +3.4
Bryn [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour A. Melling 2,649 78.8 +6.1
Conservative C. Michaels 377 11.2 -1.4
SDP–Liberal Alliance D. Ramsdale 337 10.0 -4.8
Majority 2,272 67.6 +9.7
Turnout 3,363 33.9 +0.9
Labour hold Swing +3.7
Hindley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour G. Green UnopposedN/AN/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Hindley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour G. Green UnopposedN/AN/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Hindley Green [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour T. Wynn UnopposedN/AN/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Hindsford [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour A. Wright 2,216 73.3 -8.6
SDP–Liberal Alliance S. Jones 806 26.7 +26.7
Majority 1,410 46.7 -17.2
Turnout 3,022 28.4 -0.9
Labour hold Swing -17.6
Hope Carr [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour J. Hession 2,211 66.1 +5.3
Conservative E. Manson 1,135 33.9 +2.6
Majority 1,076 32.2 +2.7
Turnout 3,346 34.4 -3.0
Labour hold Swing +1.3
Ince [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour T. Davies 2,357 88.9 -0.3
SDP–Liberal Alliance A. Robinson 155 5.8 -4.9
Conservative A. Jackson 138 5.2 +5.2
Majority 2,202 83.1 +4.7
Turnout 2,650 33.4 +5.2
Labour hold Swing +2.3
Langtree [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
SDP–Liberal Alliance R. Grayson 2,376 46.9 +1.7
Labour T. O'Hagan 2,201 43.5 +4.6
Conservative J. Wolstenholme 485 9.6 -6.3
Majority 175 3.5 -2.9
Turnout 5,062 47.3 +3.6
SDP–Liberal Alliance hold Swing -1.4
Leigh Central [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour P. Smith UnopposedN/AN/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Leigh East [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour T. Harper 2,068 74.1 +10.1
Conservative D. Angell 723 25.9 -1.8
Majority 1,345 48.2 +11.9
Turnout 2,791 27.7 -2.1
Labour hold Swing +5.9
Lightshaw [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour T. Sherratt 2,955 67.5N/A
Conservative E. Morris 807 18.4N/A
SDP–Liberal Alliance J. Wilson 616 14.1N/A
Majority 2,148 49.1N/A
Turnout 4,378 41.8N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Newtown [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour K. Pye 2,376 84.0 +3.9
Conservative J. Lawson 243 8.6 -4.4
SDP–Liberal Alliance P. Gwyn 209 7.4 +0.5
Majority 2,133 75.4 +8.4
Turnout 2,828 31.5 +1.6
Labour hold Swing +4.1
Norley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour N. Turner 2,499 88.2 -0.0
SDP–Liberal Alliance P. Coleman 191 6.7 +1.0
Conservative E. Bispham 143 5.0 -1.0
Majority 2,308 81.5 -0.7
Turnout 2,833 35.4 +2.2
Labour hold Swing -0.5
Orrell [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour G. Seaward 1,898 46.7 +3.1
SDP–Liberal Alliance H. Evans 1,281 31.5 +14.1
Conservative J. Grimshaw 889 21.9 -17.2
Majority 617 15.2 +10.7
Turnout 4,068 39.6 +4.0
Labour hold Swing -5.5
Swinley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative C. Giles 1,637 38.2 -5.7
Labour S. Turner 1,567 36.6 -0.8
SDP–Liberal Alliance C. Rhys 1,079 25.2 +6.5
Majority 70 1.6 -4.8
Turnout 4,283 47.5 +6.5
Conservative hold Swing -2.4
Tyldesley East [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour B. Wilson 2,496 61.6 +14.6
SDP–Liberal Alliance G. Pickthall 1,557 38.4 -3.8
Majority 939 23.2 +18.3
Turnout 4,053 39.3 -3.3
Labour gain from SDP–Liberal Alliance Swing +9.2
Whelley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour W. Pendleton 2,499 79.9 +3.4
SDP–Liberal Alliance J. Kearsley 364 11.6 -4.0
Conservative F. Sidebotham 263 8.4 +0.6
Majority 2,135 68.3 +4.3
Turnout 3,126 35.5 +2.7
Labour hold Swing +3.7
Winstanley [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour W. Evans 2,104 46.2 +2.6
SDP–Liberal Alliance J. Fitzpatrick 1,988 43.7 +1.1
Conservative F. Fairbairn 459 10.1 -3.7
Majority 116 2.5 +1.5
Turnout 4,551 40.0 +2.1
Labour gain from SDP–Liberal Alliance Swing +0.7
Worsley Mesnes [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour H. Milligan 2,309 84.2 +10.1
SDP–Liberal Alliance A. Meal 432 15.8 +0.0
Majority 1,877 68.5 +10.1
Turnout 2,741 27.7 -1.5
Labour hold Swing +5.0

Related Research Articles

1998 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 7 May 1998. One third of the council was up for election. Following the previous election there had been three by-elections held—in Aspull-Standish, Ince and Hope Carr—with all three successfully defended by Labour.

1999 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 6 May 1999. One-third of the council was up for election. Prior to the election, the Liberal Democrats had gained the seat being fought in Beech Hill from Labour in a by-election, and long-time Labour councillor for Atherton, Jack Sumner, had defected to independent.

2000 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 4 May 2000. One-third of the council was up for election, as well as an extra vacancy in Norley - both of which were uncontested. Since the election, there had been a by-election in which the Liberal Democrats gained the seat being fought in Hindsford from Labour.

2003 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 1 May 2003 with one-third of the council was up for election. Prior to the election, there had been two vacancies in Leigh Central, with Labour winning a by-election in June and the seat being fought in this election filled unopposed by Barbara Jarvis.

The 2011 council elections in Guildford saw the Conservatives retain control over Guildford Borough Council with an increased majority of 20 seats. Full results for each ward can be found at Guildford Council election, full results, 2011.

1980 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

'All-out' elections to the Wigan Council were held on 1 May 1980, following extensive boundary changes and entirely new wards, yet retaining the number of 24 wards with three seats each for a total of 72 seats. The results were comparable to the 1973 election, with Labour rewarded a crushing majority in seats for approaching 60% of the vote with their main competitors, the Conservatives, falling to under 30%. The Liberals seen their highest representation yet by way of winning all three seats in Langtree.

1982 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan Council were held on Thursday, 6 May 1982, with one third of the council up for election. The newly formed Alliance made three gains, replacing the Conservatives as the main opposition to Labour. The Alliance massively increased upon the Liberals' past participation, contesting every ward, in marked contrast to a year in which candidate variety fell to a low, with only the former Labour councillor, standing again as Independent Labour in Hindley ward, not representing the three aforementioned choices. Overall turnout was down 2.6% to 33.6%.

1983 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan Council were held on Thursday, 5 May 1983, with one third of the council up for election. The election seen only the main three parties contesting for the first time and one gain in Tyldesley East with Alliance winning their seventh seat from Labour. The Conservatives, contesting a low of seventeen wards, managed their lowest voter share since the council's creation. Overall turnout rose to a relative high of 39.1%.

1984 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 3 May 1984, with one third of the seats up for vote. Three wards – Abram, Hindley and Lightshaw – were unopposed, leaving only twenty one of the twenty four wards going to vote – a number not seen since 1975. Also of note was the re-emergence of a fourth party, in the way of persistent Communist candidate H. Kedward contesting Leigh Central after a three-year absence. The election itself seen a Labour gain in Orrell from the Conservatives, which cancelled out the simultaneous Alliance gain from Labour in Aspell-Standish, leaving their majority unchanged. Overall turnout slumped to 29.2%, the lowest level since the aforementioned 1975 election.

1987 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 7 May 1987, with one third of the council up for election. Previous to the election there had been two by-elections held, resulting in a Labour gain of the seat being fought in Swinley from the Conservatives and Labour retaining one of their Hindley Green seats. Participation for this election increased substantially from the previous year's lows. Only one ward went unopposed as Labour reliably provided a full-slate of candidates, the Alliance all but Atherton and the Conservatives up from 16 to 18, by way of fielding candidates in the Labour strongholds of Abram and Worsley Mesnes this time around. An Independent Labour candidate also fought and won Hindley, with an Independent victory last seen in 1976, and Independent representation in 1980, when that same victor failed to survive the re-warding.

1988 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 5 May 1988, with one third of the seats up for election as well as an extra vacancy in Beech Hill. Following the previous election, two by-elections had taken place, with the Labour Party successfully defending their seats in Ince and Newtown. This year's election seen an improvement in participation, with all wards fought and five parties contesting in some form, by way of the Greens fielding their first ever slate of four candidates and the return of long-time Communist contender H. Kedward in Leigh Central. Despite this, the number of candidates contesting actually fell by five from the previous year's 64, as the turbulent new merger of the old SDP-Liberal Alliance, Social and Liberal Democrats, fielded just half the number of candidates they'd managed in 1987 and, at 11, the lowest since 1980.

1990 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 3 May 1990, with one third of the seats up for election with an additional vacancy in Bryn. Previous to the election there had also been a by-election in Abram, which the Labour Party successfully defended. Despite a wider array of parties - mainly a product from the fractious SLD merger - contesting the election, in several ways it beat 1986's lows in participation. A record of six seats went uncontested as one quarter of the council's wards held no elections, with the Conservatives contesting one half of the wards and the SLD one quarter. The Greens repeated their last year's total of four candidates, but with only two in the same wards as previous. Elsewhere, Independent John Vickers fought his first of many elections in Hindley Green and the respective Social Democrat and Liberal sides opposed to Alliance merging into the SLD fielded a sole candidate each - the latter of which having previously came within a straw of winning Langtree for the SLD.

1991 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 2 May 1991, with one third scheduled for re-election. Like the last election, this seen a wider variety of party candidates than most previous, but only marginally improved upon the nadir of the year before in terms of candidates, with four wards uncontested, Conservatives fighting just above one half of the seats and the Liberal Democrats just under - although the Lib Dems near doubled last year's total, both were historically disappointing. Minor party participation consisted of three Independent Labour candidates - including a former Beech Hill Labour councillor - two Liberals, a return of an Independent in Hindley Green and one remaining Green - their lowest fielded when participating - in Atherton.

1994 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to the Wigan council were held on Thursday, 5 May 1994, with one third of the seats up for election. Prior to the election, Labour had defended their seats in two by-elections for Abram and Hindley. The election suffered from a mixture of a poor contesting rate and low voter turnout. The number of candidates contesting was just 50, the lowest since 1975, with four wards going unopposed, and Lib Dems back to fighting a half of the seats, and the Conservatives less than two-thirds. The only other opposition standing were three Independent Labour candidates, one of which was the previous - but since deselected - Labour incumbent for the seat being fought in Worsley Mesnes. Voter turnout rose from the previous election's nadir, but at 30.4%, still well below average.

1995 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections were held on Thursday, 4 May 1995, with one third of the seats set for re-election, with an extra vacancy in Leigh East. Ahead of this election Labour had gained the seat being fought in Beech Hill from the Liberal Democrats, and defended a seat in Worsley Mesnes in by-elections. The major parties marginally increased their number of candidates upon last year's totals, whereas the number of Independent Labour candidates fighting returned to just the incumbent in Hindley. Having been the only party opposing Labour in Atherton, the Independent Labour absence there meant that went uncontested this time round, alongside two of last year's unopposed wards, Ince and Leigh Central. In total unopposed wards were reduced from the previous year's four to three. Turnout fell to 26.4%, the second lowest in the council's history, only surpassing the 1992 nadir.

1996 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan council were held on Thursday, 2 May 1996, with an extra vacancy in Abram to be filled. Going into the election there were noticeably fewer candidates than usual, with the total candidate number and the five uncontested wards only narrowly lower than the all-time lows set at the 1990 election. This was mainly caused by the lack of any minor party candidates, and the Liberal Democrat slate dropping by half upon the previous election, to seven - their scarcest outing since their lowest ebb throughout their merger in 1990, but more reminiscent of their patchy participation of the seventies. Turnout had been consistently poor in recent elections, and this election continued the downward trend, dropping below a quarter of the electorate for the second time to 24.2%.

The Leeds municipal elections were held on 14 May 1971, with one third of the councillors up for vote including a double vacancy in Talbot.

1992 Leeds City Council election

The Leeds City Council elections were held on Thursday, 7 May 1992, with one third of the council's seats up for election.

Elections for the London Borough of Merton were held on 6 May 1982 to elect members of Merton London Borough Council in London, England. This was on the same day as other local elections in England and Scotland.

References