1976 United Kingdom local elections
District County Conservative Labour Liberal Independent Other Control Details
Babergh Suffolk 7 11 0 20 0 Independent Details
Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria 19 ( +14 ) 12 ( -14 ) 0 2 0 Conservative gain from Labour Details
Basildon Essex 17 ( +6 ) 23 ( -6 ) 0 0 6 Labour hold Details
Basingstoke † Hampshire 35 14 1 9 0 Conservative gain from NOC Details
Bassetlaw Nottinghamshire 24 ( +12 ) 18 ( -11 ) 0 7 ( -3 ) Ratepayers 2 ( +2 ) Labour lose to NOC Details
Bath † Avon 35 13 0 0 0 Conservative gain from NOC Details
Beaconsfield Buckinghamshire 32 ( +7 ) 0 ( -2 ) 0 ( -3 ) 5 5 ( -2 ) Conservative hold Details
Berwick-upon-Tweed † Northumberland 0 3 3 21 0 Independent hold Details
Beverley Humberside 44 ( +28 ) 1 ( -4 ) 3 12 ( -24 ) 0 Conservative gain from Independent Details
Blaby Leicestershire 21 ( +7 ) 0 1 ( -4 ) 12 ( -4 ) Ratepayers 3 ( +1 ) Conservative gain from Independent Details
Blackburn Lancashire 27 ( +8 ) 17 ( -10 ) 8 ( -3 ) 0 Ratepayers 6 ( +3 ) National Party 2 ( +2 ) NOC Details
Blackpool † Lancashire 35 6 3 0 0 Conservative hold Details
Blyth Valley Northumberland 6 23 12 12 Independent Labour 11 5 vacancies Labour hold Details
Bolsover Nottinghamshire 4 ( +3 ) 25 ( -4 ) 0 7 ( +1 ) 0 Labour hold Details
Boothferry † Humberside 12 3 0 19 Ratepayers 1 Independent hold Details
Boston Lincolnshire 13 ( +3 ) 3 ( -2 ) 3 ( -1 ) 13 ( -1 ) Independent with Ratepayer support 2 ( +1 ) NOC ( Independent-Conservative ) Details
Bournemouth Dorset 43 ( +5 ) 6 ( -7 ) 2 6 ( +2 ) 0 Conservative hold Details
Bracknell Berkshire 27 ( +14 ) 3 ( -12 ) 1 ( -2 ) 0 0 Conservative gain from Labour Details
Braintree Essex 39 ( +19 ) 8 ( -14 ) 1 ( -2 ) 0 Ratepayers 10 ( -3 ) Conservative gain from NOC Details
Breckland Norfolk 21 ( +2 ) 9 ( -1 ) 0 20 ( -2 ) Ratepayers 1 ( +1 ) NOC Details
England -- District councils
Local elections were held in the United Kingdom on 6 May 1976. Elections were for one third of the seats on Metropolitan borough councils and for all seats on Non-Metropolitan district councils in England; and for all seats on the Welsh district councils. The elections were the first electoral test for the new Prime Minister James Callaghan, and were a major reverse for the ruling Labour Party. The opposition Conservative party made large gains of seats and control of councils at the expense of both Labour and the Liberal Party. The Conservatives easily gained control of their principal target council, Birmingham. The new administration in the city pledged to reintroduce the sale of council houses, which had been stopped by the previous Labour-controlled council. Control of another five metropolitan borough councils were gained by the Conservatives at Labour's expense. The party also gained numerous non-metropolitan districts, including large towns and cities such as Derby, Exeter, Ipswich, Leicester, Luton, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Peterborough and York. Major English councils held by Labour included Manchester, Norwich, Nottingham and Stoke-on-Trent. Break-away groups from the official Labour Party achieved success in two districts. The Lincoln Democratic Labour Association retained control of the city council. The association had been formed following the expulsion of local member of parliament, Dick Taverne from the party.