1996 Brighton and Hove Borough Council election

The 1996 Brighton and Hove Borough Council election was held on 9 May 1996 to elect members to the new unitary authority of Brighton and Hove Borough Council in East Sussex, England. It was the inaugural election to the new council, and was held nearly a year before the council formally came into being on 1 April 1997, replacing the former Brighton Borough Council and Hove Borough Council. The councillors elected in May 1996 served as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing councils, overseeing the transition to the new arrangements, until coming into their powers in April 1997.

The whole council was up for election, and all 78 councillors were elected from 26 wards. The ward boundaries were the same as the old boundaries used in previous elections for the two predecessor authorities.

The result was a clear Labour victory, with the party winning an overall majority of seats. Labour had previously controlled both predecessor authorities: Brighton Borough Council since 1986, and Hove Borough Council since 1995.

Comparison with the previous councils
The wards and number of seats in each wards remained the same as the respective borough councils and therefore the swing and incumbents are all technically nominal.

Council composition
After the inaugural elections the composition of the council was compared to its previous consistent councils.

Brighton Borough Council composition after the election in 1995 was:

Hove Borough Council composition after the election in 1995 was:

After the inaugural election in 1996 the composition of the council was:

Ward results
Candidates who were previously councillors in the Brighton Borough Council or Hove Borough Council are indicated with a (*)