Elections to Manchester City Council were held on Thursday, 8 May 1986. One third of the council was up for election, with each successful candidate to serve a four-year term of office, expiring in 1990. The Labour Party retained overall control of the Council.[1]
The Independent candidates for the Benchill and Woodhouse Park wards, A. Bradshaw and D. Wraxall respectively, were backed by the SDP/Liberal Alliance.
After the election, the composition of the council was as follows:
| Party | Seats | +/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 86 | +7 | |||
| 7 | -7 | |||
| 6 | 0 | |||
| Labour hold | ||||