1978 Hammersmith London Borough Council election

The 1978 Hammersmith Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Hammersmith London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election, with an extra two wards and 10 fewer councillors - and the council went in no overall control.[2]

1978 Hammersmith Borough Council election[1]

4 May 1978
All 50 seats to Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough Council 26 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	47.6% (6.3%)
First party Second party Third party   Party Conservative Labour Liberal Last election 10 seats, 35.5% 48 seats, 56.0% 2 seats, 7.0% Seats won 24 24 2 Seat change 14 24 Popular vote 24,048 22,296 2,521 Percentage 47.6% 45.6% 3.9% Swing 11.1% 11.0% 3.1%
Map of the results of the 1978 Hammersmith council election. Conservatives in blue and Labour in red.
Council control before election Labour Council control after election No overall control

Background

The number of council seats was reduced from 60 to 50 - with the new council comprising 19 two seat wards, and 4 three seat wards.

Both Labour and the Conservatives fielded a full slate of 50 candidates.

The Liberal Party ran 20 candidates across 15 wards - an increase from the 19 candidates they fielded in 1974.

The National Front fielded 14 candidates across 7 wards - gaining an average of 81 votes each. Across London the National Front ran 602 candidates - pulling in an average of 151 votes each.

The 'Save London Alliance' ran 18 candidates across 12 wards in a variety of alliances with 'West Kensington Environment' (9 candidates), 'Ratepayers Association' (2 candidates), 'Glenthorne Road Campaign' (1 candidate) and without additional alliance (6 candidates). Across London 80 other candidates stood under the 'Save London Alliance' banner.

In the White City & Shepherd's Bush ward three candidates stood for 'Socialist Unity' - a further 9 candidates across London stood for the same party.

In the same ward a single candidate stood for the Workers Revolutionary Party - the party field a further 15 candidates across London.

In an era when candidates could choose their party designation without reference to an officially registered entity - one person in the Broadway ward ran under the 'Retired Garage Proprietor' banner. He finished just ahead of the National Front and Save London Alliance candidates.

One candidate in the Coleshill ward stood as an 'Independent Conservative' - across London, four other candidates used the same party name.

In the Wormholt ward a single candidate stood for the 'British United Party' - two other candidates across London used the same banner.

Whilst Communist Party fielded 97 candidates across London at these elections - none stood in Hammersmith.

No candidates in Hammersmith listed themselves as 'Independent' at this election.

A total of 159 candidates put themselves forward for the 50 available seats - an increase from the 145 candidates who contested the 60 seats in 1974.

Election result

The Conservative Party won 24 seats and the Labour Party also won 24 seats. With just two seats, the Liberal Party held the balance of power with no party in overall control.[3]

The two Liberal councillors voted with the Conservatives and removed Labour, after 8 years in control of Hammersmith.[4][5]

Ward results

Addison

Addison (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Belsham, Frances E.J	1,095
	Conservative	Chase, Simon G.	1,062
	Labour	Cunningham, Edward D.	1037
	Labour	Moriarty, Denis E.H.	918
	National Front	Cresswell, Jocelyn	60
	National Front	Cox, Albert L.	51
	Save London Alliance	Fogarty, Michael J.E.	46
Turnout				%	%

Avonmore

Avonmore (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Putnam, John C.	1,222
	Conservative	Wylie, John C.	1,139
	Labour	Basterfield, Diana	627
	Labour	Norridge, Adrian M.	608
	West Kensington Environment/ Save London Alliance	Powell, Isobel	130
	Liberal	Orr, Michael W.M.	106
Turnout				%	%

Broadway

Broadway (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Liberal	Knott, Simon H.J.A.	916
	Liberal	Mulcahy, Robert	693
	Labour	Hanscomb, Louis	566
	Labour	Wicks, Josephine A.	509
	Conservative	Martin, Elizabeth A.	428
	Conservative	Robertson, David J.	402
	Retired Garage Proprietor	Keats, Joseph C.	58
	National Front	Chambers, Eamon M	50
	National Front	Sturman, David	49
	West Kensington Environment/ Save London Alliance	Patriotis, Costas	26
Turnout				%	%

Brook Green

Brook Green (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Hennessy, John A.	1,416
	Conservative	Smith, William C.	1,384
	Labour	Young, John A.	758
	Labour	Burke, Patrick	754
	West Kensington Environment/ Save London Alliance	Copplestone, Frederick T.	89
	West Kensington Environment/ Save London Alliance	Molony, John F.	88
Turnout				%	%

Colehill

Colehill (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Hitchings, Ann M	1,177
	Conservative	Killick, Robert C.	1,175
	Labour	Prentice, Gordon	1089
	Labour	Widdowson, Robert	977
	Independent Conservative	Perrin, Raymond A.	228
	Liberal	Carroll, Moira	89
Turnout				%	%

College Park & Old Oak

College Park & Old Oak (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Ing, Frank W	1,117
	Labour	Fenelon, Margaret	1,065
	Labour	Silverman, Melvyn	1,038
	Conservative	Herbert, Fredrick P.A.	950
	Conservative	Gordon, Helen T.	935
	Conservative	Maze, Brian I.	901
	National Front	Morris, Eric A.	135
	National Front	Mullett, Horace	113
Turnout				%	%

Coningham

Coningham (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Crawford, Ethel F.	1,235
	Labour	Bull, James	1,205
	Labour	Wicks, Leslie J.	1,136
	Conservative	Thorne, Brenda	932
	Conservative	Clarke, Richard J.	915
	Conservative	Thorne, Christopher G.	915
Turnout				%	%

Crabtree

Crabtree (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Howe, Kim G.F.B.	1,211
	Conservative	Pearce, John	1,185
	Labour	Evans, John G.	830
	Labour	Banfield, Dorothy J.	829
	Liberal	Bevan, David G.	122
Turnout				%	%

Eel Brook

Eel Brook (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Sandeman, Phillipa M.	1,083
	Conservative	Lazarus, Richard S.	1,067
	Labour	Rayner, Richard W.	1055
	Labour	Radcliffe, Rosemary A.	1052
	Liberal	Simpson, David J.	93
	National Front	Merrick, John W.	78
Turnout				%	%

Gibbs Green

Gibbs Green (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Kelly, Frances D.	986
	Labour	Taylor, Geoffrey	968
	Conservative	Corbet-Millward, John G.	852
	Conservative	Wethered, Simon R.	807
	Ratepayers Association/ Save London Alliance	Dove, Geoffrey A.W.	113
	West Kensington Environment/ Save London Alliance	Dunnet, Sylvia J.	100
	Liberal	Bonser, Joan	68
Turnout				%	%

Grove

Grove (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Clark, Stephen P.	984
	Labour	Clark, Jennifer A.	957
	Conservative	Claxton, Angela F.I.	937
	Conservative	Lyons, Raymond M.	856
	Glenthorne Road Campaign/ Save London Alliance	Kane, Geoffrey H.	215
Turnout				%	%

Margravine

Margravine (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Champion, Thomas H.	958
	Labour	Spiers, William C.	878
	Conservative	Bell, Andrew R.M.	530
	Conservative	Moies, Faraj	487
	Liberal	Bonser, Leonard T.	53
	National Front	Crane, David W.	51
	West Kensington Environment/ Save London Alliance	Hampton, Rosamund	34
	West Kensington Environment/ Save London Alliance	Rowe, Michael R.	26
Turnout				%	%

Normand

Normand (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Caruana, Eleanor J.	1,103
	Labour	Unwin, Stephen W.	1,095
	Conservative	Harben, John B.	1013
	Conservative	Walsh, Adrian N.	1007
	National Front	Gadd, James J.	98
	National Front	Richards, Brian G.	87
	West Kensington Environment/ Save London Alliance	Burnaby, Charles D.K.	48
	Liberal	Oxford, Diana C.	43
	West Kensington Environment/ Save London Alliance	Lamden, Derek	40
Turnout				%	%

Palace

Palace (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Jackson, Andrew R	1,746
	Conservative	Leishman, Stuart N.B.	1,746
	Labour	Dimmick, George W.	547
	Labour	Steinhart, Julia L.	522
	Liberal	Dowden, Gerald A.	126
	Liberal	Kent, Richard M.	118
	Save London Alliance	Flower, Sibylla J.	42
	Save London Alliance	Eliot, Teresa A.	39
Turnout				%	%

Ravenscourt

Ravenscourt (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Christopher, Michael B.	1,270
	Conservative	Jarvis, Clement W.	1,270
	Labour	Gosling, Eric R.	634
	Labour	Browne, Ronald E.	588
	National Front	Pearse, Robert L.J.	41
Turnout				%	%

Sands End

Sands End (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Powell, Anthony F.W.	1,134
	Labour	Feely, Joseph U.	1,129
	Conservative	Miller, Marjorie C.	678
	Conservative	Lumsden, Charles J.	670
	Liberal	Merrall, Robert W.	69
	Save London Alliance	Hobbs, Linda	53
Turnout				%	%

Sherbrooke

Sherbrooke (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Duff, Hugh D.	1,001
	Labour	Gray, Ian	989
	Conservative	Hardwick, Geoffrey H.E.	798
	Conservative	McWilliams, James	726
	Ratepayers Association/ Save London Alliance	Blackmun, Arthur W.	97
	Liberal	Allen, Carol M.	63
	Save London Alliance	Cunningham, Joseph C.	59
Turnout				%	%

Starch Green

Starch Green (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Hutson, Eric J.	1,061
	Conservative	Ward, Patricia J.	1,053
	Labour	Johnson, Rosina M.	934
	Labour	Jones, Leslie S.A.	894
Turnout				%	%

Sulivan

Sulivan (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Roche, Sir David O'G.	1,264
	Conservative	Ibbott, Ernest C.	1,257
	Labour	Gorter, Hendrick J.	947
	Labour	Godden, Vera	944
	Liberal	Rendel, David D.	305
	Liberal	Roberts, Nia L.	234
Turnout				%	%

Town

Town (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	McGregor, Fiona A.R.	1,508
	Conservative	Warner, Courtney F	1,415
	Labour	Hilliard, Leslie H.	961
	Labour	Lock, Andrew R.	912
	Liberal	Carroll, Vincent	103
	Save London Alliance	Carter, Aurea J.	94
Turnout				%	%

Walham

Walham (2)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Conservative	Chiesman, Diana P.A.	1,149
	Conservative	Browne, Nicholas N.	1,121
	Labour	Start, David A.	947
	Labour	Sondergaard, Margaret J.N.	924
	Liberal	Rahman, Shaiki A.	60
Turnout				%	%

White City & Shepherds Bush

White City & Shepherds Bush (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Beresford, Randolph	1,593
	Labour	Braggins, Gwendoline	1,493
	Labour	De Gory, Peter D.	1,415
	Conservative	Barnard, Marjorie	607
	Conservative	Mooney, Susan G.	596
	Conservative	Sharif, Muhammad	526
	Workers Revolutionary	Stewart, Calvin L.M.	114
	Socialist Unity	Hill, Virginia J.M.	96
	Socialist Unity	Truscott, Catherine	57
	Socialist Unity	Van Gelderen, Charles	50
Turnout				%	%

Wormholt

Wormholt (3)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Labour	Breeze, Alan G.	1,253
	Labour	Best, Mary S.	1,231
	Labour	Ingram, Margaret E.	1,137
	Conservative	Booth, Sydney J.P.	1121
	Conservative	Learmouth, Alan R.	974
	Conservative	Khan, Khalil A.K.	887
	Liberal	Knott, Josephine	305
	Liberal	Connaughton, Margaret A.	300
	Liberal	Cullen, Sean G.	261
	National Front	Cameron, Alistair I.S.	126
	National Front	Heale, Martyn C.	108
	National Front	Sawyer, James	84
	British United Party	Edwards, Robert H.	54
Turnout				%	%

References

1. "Local Election Summaries 1978". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
2. "London Borough Council Elections 4 May 1978" (PDF). London Datastore. Greater London Council. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
3. https://londondatastore-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/LBCE_1978-5-4.pdf
4. https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ArI4EBNwkUMJ:https://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/Liberal.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
5. https://boroughs50.londoncouncils.gov.uk/almanac/lbhf/1978/