1982 Lothian Regional Council election

The second election to Lothian Regional Council was held on 6 May 1982 and yielded a swing to the Conservatives.

Whilst the Labour presence was reduced, the Conservatives were unable to win an outright majority, and both parties exited the election with 22 seats.

[2] The Lothian Regional Council had been a key battleground in a fierce ideological battle between a new, younger generation of radical left-wing Labour activists elected in the 1980 election, and the incumbent Thatcherite Conservative government.

[1] The Labour leader of Lothian Regional Council; John Mulvey, pursued a policy of resisting the cuts, and claimed that Labour had a popular mandate to protect jobs and services through increasing local expenditure.

Younger responded by cutting the Lothian budget by a further £30 million, and the council caved in to pressure.