1998 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 1998 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 7 May 1998 to elect members of Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party kept overall control of the council.

20 seats were contested in the election, with 15 being held by Labour, 3 by the Liberal Democrats and 2 by the Conservatives. The 3 main parties contested all of the 20 seats, with 3 Socialist Labour Party and 4 other candidates standing.

The election saw the lowest turnout in at least 30 years at 23.5%, a significant drop from the 36.8% turnout in the 1996 election. Farnworth ward saw the lowest turnout at 15%, while the highest was 32.6% in Astley Bridge. The Conservatives gained 2 seats in the election to become the main opposition party on the council again. They gained Astley Bridge and Bradshaw wards from Labour, having defeated the Labour candidate in Bradshaw by 2 votes after 5 recounts. However Labour held on in Kearsley by 8 votes and won Westhoughton from the Liberal Democrats to remain firmly in control of the council.

After the election, the composition of the council was:
 * Labour 47
 * Conservative 8
 * Liberal Democrat 5

Council Composition
Prior to the election the composition of the council was:

After the election the composition of the council was:

LD - Liberal Democrats