Elections to Cumbria County Council were held on 7 May 1981. This was on the same day as other UK county council elections. The council size was increased to 83 members following a boundary review.[2] The Labour Party gained control of the council from the Conservative Party.
Results
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 42 |  19
|
50.6 | 49.0 | 74,286 | 12.3
| |||
| Conservative | 35 |  17
|
42.2 | 40.4 | 61,242 | 11.7
| |||
| Liberal | 3 | 3
|
3.6 | 8.6 | 13,053 | 6.6
| |||
| Independent | 3 | 4
|
3.6 | 1.5 | 2,242 | 7.7
| |||
| Ecology | 0 | 
|
0.0 | 0.5 | 683 | New | |||
| PARA | 0 |
|
0.0 | 0.1 | 134 | New | |||
| National Front | 0 |
|
0.0 | 0.0 | 59 | New | |||
References
- ^ a b "Local Election Summaries 1981". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ The County of Cumbria (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1981
