Local elections were held in the United Kingdom in 1987. The projected share of the vote was Conservatives 38%, Labour 32%, Liberal-SDP Alliance 27%. Soon after the elections, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher called a general election which resulted in a Conservative landslide.

The number of councillors was somewhat reduced from the previous year. The Conservatives lost 75 seats, Labour lost 234 and the Liberal-SDP Alliance gained 669.