59 seats were up for election (one third): one seat for each of the 33 wards, plus 26 by-election seats. 50 seats needed for a majority
Elections to Liverpool City Council were held on 7 May 1987. One third of the council was up for election on ordinary rotation; in addition there were extra vacancies in many wards caused by the disqualification of those Labour councillors who were surcharged and banned from office as part of a protest against rate-capping. As a result, the 33 wards elected a total of 59 councillors. Prior to the election the disqualification of a large part of the Labour group meant that there was a temporary administration headed by Trevor Jones of the Liberal/SDP Alliance. As a result of the election, the Labour Party regained overall control of the council,[1] and Harry Rimmer became council leader.
Summary
After the election, the composition of the council was:
