The 1978 Barking Borough Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Barking London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.
6 new wards were created for this election and 113 candidates nominated in total. Labour, once again, ran a full slate of candidates, and in keeping with the council's strong Labour vote, no other party ran in all wards. The Conservative Party had the second most candidates on the ballot at 28.
Labour continued to win a large majority of seats - 42 out of 48. For the first time since the 1968 elections the Conservatives won seats as well, 3 in all.
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Bertie Roycraft.
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Julia Engwell.
The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. William Bellamy.