Elections to Manchester 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.
The Independent candidates for the Benchill

Benchill

Benchill is a district of the city of Manchester, England, part of the massive Wythenshawe council estate, approximately eight miles south of Manchester City Centre....

 and Woodhouse Park

Woodhouse Park

Woodhouse Park is a locality in the south of the area of Wythenshawe, in the city of Manchester in North West England.The area incorporates Wythenshawe town centre and borders onto Newall Green but is separated by the M56 motorway from which it is served by Junctions 4 and 5...

 wards, A. Bradshaw and D. Wraxall respectively, were backed by the SDP/Liberal Alliance.

Election result

After the election, the composition of the council was as follows:

Party		Seats	+/-
	Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...	86	+7
	Conservative Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...	7	-7
	Alliance	6	0
	Labour Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...  hold

Ward results