This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "1986 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(June 2012) |

Elections to theWigan council were held on Thursday, 8 May 1986, with one third of the seats scheduled for re-election. Since theprevious election three by-elections had taken place, withLabour gaining the seat being fought in Orrell from theConservatives 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 fewestAlliance candidates since the1980 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]
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 22 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 91.7 | 65.0 | 45,205 | +2.8% | |
| 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:
| Party | Previous council | New council | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 61 | 64 | |||
| SDP-Liberal Alliance | 8 | 5 | |||
| Conservatives | 3 | 3 | |||
| Total | 72 | 72 | |||
| Working majority | 50 | 56 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | I. McCartney | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Labourhold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | S. Lea | 2,124 | 72.7 | +6.4 | |
| Conservative | J. Wright | 441 | 15.1 | −2.3 | |
| Alliance | H. Crook | 358 | 12.2 | −4.1 | |
| Majority | 1,683 | 57.6 | +8.8 | ||
| Turnout | 2,923 | 30.2 | +0.8 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +4.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | J. Hilton | 2,222 | 45.8 | +4.1 | |
| 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 | ||
| Labourgain fromAlliance | Swing | +2.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +3.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | F. Walker | 2,051 | 67.6 | +13.1 | |
| Alliance | W. Shaw | 983 | 32.4 | +14.5 | |
| Majority | 1,068 | 35.2 | +8.4 | ||
| Turnout | 3,034 | 30.7 | −7.7 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | -0.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | J. Parkinson | 2,090 | 74.2 | +5.1 | |
| 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 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +3.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | A. Melling | 2,649 | 78.8 | +6.1 | |
| Conservative | C. Michaels | 377 | 11.2 | −1.4 | |
| Alliance | D. Ramsdale | 337 | 10.0 | −4.8 | |
| Majority | 2,272 | 67.6 | +9.7 | ||
| Turnout | 3,363 | 33.9 | +0.9 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +3.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | G. Green | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Labourhold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | G. Green | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Labourhold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | T. Wynn | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Labourhold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | A. Wright | 2,216 | 73.3 | −8.6 | |
| Alliance | S. Jones | 806 | 26.7 | +26.7 | |
| Majority | 1,410 | 46.7 | −17.2 | ||
| Turnout | 3,022 | 28.4 | −0.9 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | -17.6 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +1.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | T. Davies | 2,357 | 88.9 | −0.3 | |
| 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 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +2.3 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Alliancehold | Swing | -1.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | P. Smith | Unopposed | N/A | N/A | |
| Labourhold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +5.9 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | T. Sherratt | 2,955 | 67.5 | N/A | |
| Conservative | E. Morris | 807 | 18.4 | N/A | |
| Alliance | J. Wilson | 616 | 14.1 | N/A | |
| Majority | 2,148 | 49.1 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 4,378 | 41.8 | N/A | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | N/A | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | K. Pye | 2,376 | 84.0 | +3.9 | |
| Conservative | J. Lawson | 243 | 8.6 | −4.4 | |
| Alliance | P. Gwyn | 209 | 7.4 | +0.5 | |
| Majority | 2,133 | 75.4 | +8.4 | ||
| Turnout | 2,828 | 31.5 | +1.6 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +4.1 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | N. Turner | 2,499 | 88.2 | −0.0 | |
| 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 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | -0.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | G. Seaward | 1,898 | 46.7 | +3.1 | |
| 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 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | -5.5 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | C. Giles | 1,637 | 38.2 | −5.7 | |
| Labour | S. Turner | 1,567 | 36.6 | −0.8 | |
| Alliance | C. Rhys | 1,079 | 25.2 | +6.5 | |
| Majority | 70 | 1.6 | −4.8 | ||
| Turnout | 4,283 | 47.5 | +6.5 | ||
| Conservativehold | Swing | -2.4 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | B. Wilson | 2,496 | 61.6 | +14.6 | |
| Alliance | G. Pickthall | 1,557 | 38.4 | −3.8 | |
| Majority | 939 | 23.2 | +18.3 | ||
| Turnout | 4,053 | 39.3 | −3.3 | ||
| Labourgain fromAlliance | Swing | +9.2 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | W. Pendleton | 2,499 | 79.9 | +3.4 | |
| 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 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +3.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | W. Evans | 2,104 | 46.2 | +2.6 | |
| 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 | ||
| Labourgain fromAlliance | Swing | +0.7 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | H. Milligan | 2,309 | 84.2 | +10.1 | |
| Alliance | A. Meal | 432 | 15.8 | +0.0 | |
| Majority | 1,877 | 68.5 | +10.1 | ||
| Turnout | 2,741 | 27.7 | −1.5 | ||
| Labourhold | Swing | +5.0 | |||