Elections to Stevenage Council were held on 2 May 1996. One third of the council was up for election; the seats which were last contested in 1992. The Labour party stayed in overall control of the council. The council was one of a number where the Conservatives lost their last seats.
After the election, the composition of the council was
All comparisons in seats and vote share are to the corresponding 1992 election.
Note: Mobbsbury ward was won by Labour at the last regular election in 1992, but gained by the Liberal Democrats in an unscheduled election in 1994.