1979 Leeds City Council election
Elections to Leeds City Council were held on the same day as the general election, with one third of the council up for election and an additional vacancy in Garforth North and Barwick. There had also been a by-election in Horsforth for the seat up in this election, with the Conservatives successfully defending it.
The general election brought out a much higher turnout, with votes cast just over double the average set by the prior elections. The Liberal's fuller slate of candidates for this election gained them a personal best, seemingly mainly at the Conservative's expense. Little advance was made from this, however, with their sole gain confined to winning the earlier mentioned Conservative-held Horsforth seat. Instead, Labour were the night's clear victors, with a total of five gains; four from the Conservatives (Burley, Kirkstall, and Morley North and Wortley) and Hunslet East and West from the Liberals.
This returned the council to no overall control, with one seat dividing the Conservatives and Labour.[1]
Election result
Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | 17 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 51.5 | 41.2 | 160,075 | +0.7% | |
Conservative | 14 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 42.4 | 38.5 | 149,646 | -5.3% | |
Liberal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.1 | 17.8 | 69,227 | +5.6% | |
Ecology | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 6,064 | +0.3% | |
National Front | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1,720 | -0.7% | |
Communist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1,186 | -0.2% | |
Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 753 | -0.5% |
This result has the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:
Party | Previous council | New council | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservatives | 50 | 45 | |||
Labour | 39 | 44 | |||
Liberals | 7 | 7 | |||
Total | 96 | 96 | |||
Working majority | 4 | 0 |
Ward results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | H. Freeman | 7,973 | 43.6 | -13.1 | |
Liberal | J. Brown | 5,832 | 31.9 | +14.9 | |
Labour | M. Dunn | 4,198 | 22.9 | -3.5 | |
Ecology | K. Rushworth | 301 | 1.6 | +1.6 | |
Majority | 2,141 | 11.7 | -18.5 | ||
Turnout | 18,304 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -14.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | B. Nelson | 5,250 | 42.3 | -2.7 | |
Labour | J. Kerwin-Davey | 4,678 | 37.7 | +5.9 | |
Conservative | W. Broadbent | 2,267 | 18.3 | -1.8 | |
National Front | D. Bentall | 141 | 1.1 | -0.2 | |
Communist | J. Light | 80 | 0.6 | -0.2 | |
Majority | 572 | 4.6 | -8.6 | ||
Turnout | 12,416 | ||||
Liberal hold | Swing | -4.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | H. Booth | 7,144 | 55.0 | -6.7 | |
Conservative | W. Birch | 4,080 | 31.4 | -4.6 | |
Liberal | M. Day | 1,633 | 12.6 | +12.6 | |
National Front | J. Duckenfield | 140 | 1.1 | -1.2 | |
Majority | 3,064 | 23.6 | -2.1 | ||
Turnout | 12,997 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -1.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | E. Millett | 4,648 | 43.7 | -10.3 | |
Liberal | D. Selby | 3,889 | 36.5 | +18.8 | |
Conservative | V. Drummond-Young | 2,108 | 19.8 | -6.3 | |
Majority | 759 | 7.1 | -20.7 | ||
Turnout | 10,645 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -14.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | W. Kilgallon | 3,100 | 51.5 | -2.6 | |
Conservative | M. Sexton | 1,923 | 32.0 | -7.1 | |
Liberal | N. Flood | 659 | 11.0 | +11.0 | |
Ecology | K. Baxter | 242 | 4.0 | +0.0 | |
Communist | B. Jackson | 93 | 1.5 | -0.2 | |
Majority | 1,177 | 19.6 | +4.5 | ||
Turnout | 6,017 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.2 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | R. Millet | 6,122 | 46.2 | +10.9 | |
Liberal | P. Hartshorne | 5,051 | 38.1 | -12.3 | |
Conservative | D. Boynton | 1,850 | 14.0 | +2.4 | |
National Front | S. Rigby | 118 | 0.9 | -0.6 | |
Communist | M. Monkman | 102 | 0.8 | -0.3 | |
Majority | 1,071 | 8.1 | -7.1 | ||
Turnout | 13,243 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +11.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | C. Thomas | 6,761 | 44.7 | -6.9 | |
Labour | M. Taggart | 5,911 | 39.1 | +1.0 | |
Liberal | R. Clay | 1,938 | 12.8 | +6.5 | |
Ecology | C. Burrows | 395 | 2.6 | +1.9 | |
Communist | L. Willoughby | 121 | 0.8 | -0.6 | |
Majority | 850 | 5.6 | -7.9 | ||
Turnout | 15,126 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -3.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | E. Morris | 4,979 | 58.8 | -5.5 | |
Conservative | R. Simpson | 2,207 | 26.0 | -0.5 | |
Liberal | A. Ali | 677 | 8.0 | +3.7 | |
Ecology | S. Parkin | 399 | 4.7 | +4.7 | |
Communist | J. Rodgers | 211 | 2.5 | -0.7 | |
Majority | 2,772 | 32.7 | -5.0 | ||
Turnout | 8,473 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -2.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | K. Loudon | 11,118 | 55.9 | -8.5 | |
Labour | M. Verity | 4,796 | 24.1 | +2.4 | |
Liberal | D. Gazey | 3,262 | 16.4 | +4.6 | |
Ecology | P. Lewenz | 706 | 3.6 | +1.5 | |
Majority | 6,322 | 31.8 | -10.9 | ||
Turnout | 19,882 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -5.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | W. Hedley | 7,352 | 53.2 | -7.2 | |
Conservative | A. Taylor | 6,764 | |||
Labour | E. Smith | 5,285 | 38.3 | +5.2 | |
Labour | B. Cook | 5,239 | |||
Ecology | G. Hill | 1,178 | 8.5 | +2.0 | |
Majority | 2,067 | 15.0 | -12.4 | ||
Turnout | 13,815 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -6.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | A. Vollans | 9,573 | 59.1 | -3.2 | |
Conservative | W. Buckland | 4,906 | 30.3 | -4.2 | |
Liberal | N. Mackie | 1,467 | 9.1 | +9.1 | |
National Front | B. Spink | 257 | 1.6 | -0.4 | |
Majority | 4,667 | 28.8 | +1.0 | ||
Turnout | 16,203 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | D. Wood | 6,771 | 57.1 | -13.0 | |
Labour | L. Worth | 3,622 | 30.5 | +3.0 | |
Liberal | K. Norman | 1,472 | 12.4 | +12.4 | |
Majority | 3,149 | 26.5 | -16.0 | ||
Turnout | 11,865 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -8.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | J. White | 7,047 | 47.2 | -7.4 | |
Labour | M. Lyons | 5,563 | 37.3 | +0.1 | |
Liberal | D. Jones | 1,612 | 10.8 | +5.6 | |
Ecology | A. Hill | 473 | 3.2 | +1.6 | |
National Front | L. Spink | 223 | 1.5 | +0.1 | |
Majority | 1,484 | 9.9 | -7.5 | ||
Turnout | 14,918 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -3.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Jean Searle | 3,914 | 36.6 | -8.5 | |
Labour | Mary Dalwood | 3,786 | 35.4 | +2.3 | |
Liberal | David Rolfe | 2,254 | 21.1 | +7.1 | |
Ecology | Claire Nash | 467 | 4.4 | +0.6 | |
Communist | Barry Cooper | 279 | 2.6 | -1.6 | |
Majority | 128 | 1.2 | -10.8 | ||
Turnout | 10,700 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -5.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | R. Howe | 5,625 | 45.8 | +1.7 | |
Conservative | M. Frame | 4,511 | 36.8 | -4.6 | |
Labour | A. Radford | 1,819 | 14.8 | +3.7 | |
Ecology | D. Darnborough | 316 | 2.6 | -0.8 | |
Majority | 1,114 | 9.1 | +6.4 | ||
Turnout | 12,271 | ||||
Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Trevor Park | 6,166 | 56.1 | +6.3 | |
Liberal | P. Jones | 2,902 | 26.4 | +13.4 | |
Conservative | C. Hudson | 1,563 | 14.2 | +3.2 | |
National Front | N. Griffiths | 243 | 2.2 | -0.4 | |
Communist | J. Hodgson | 111 | 1.0 | +1.0 | |
Majority | 3,264 | 29.7 | +3.3 | ||
Turnout | 10,985 | ||||
Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | -3.5 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | G. Moakes | 6,453 | 60.2 | +1.2 | |
Conservative | R. Dawson | 3,284 | 30.7 | -10.3 | |
Liberal | N. Parnaby | 975 | 9.1 | +9.1 | |
Majority | 3,169 | 29.6 | +11.5 | ||
Turnout | 10,712 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +5.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | John Illingworth | 4,822 | 52.6 | -4.2 | |
Conservative | John Hamilton | 3,318 | 36.2 | -3.0 | |
Liberal | Laurence Keates | 1,032 | 11.3 | +11.3 | |
Majority | 1,504 | 16.4 | -1.2 | ||
Turnout | 9,172 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | -0.6 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | G. Wood | 6,797 | 70.0 | -7.4 | |
Conservative | A. Larvin | 1,848 | 19.0 | -0.3 | |
Liberal | R. James | 1,069 | 11.0 | +11.0 | |
Majority | 4,949 | 50.9 | -7.1 | ||
Turnout | 9,714 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -3.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | R. Challenor | 5,316 | 54.7 | -8.2 | |
Labour | T. Taylor | 3,064 | 31.5 | -2.2 | |
Liberal | Dorothea Leser | 1,133 | 11.7 | +11.7 | |
Ecology | A. Varley | 209 | 2.1 | -1.3 | |
Majority | 2,252 | 23.2 | -6.0 | ||
Turnout | 9,722 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -3.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | P. Jones | 6,376 | 47.6 | -1.7 | |
Conservative | R. Verity | 6,261 | 46.8 | -4.0 | |
Independent | B. Morris | 753 | 5.6 | +5.6 | |
Majority | 115 | 0.9 | -0.5 | ||
Turnout | 13,390 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.1 | |||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | B. North | 7,293 | 61.6 | -0.7 | |
Conservative | A. Grayson | 4,538 | 38.4 | +0.7 | |
Majority | 2,755 | 23.3 | -1.4 | ||
Turnout | 11,831 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -0.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | W. Prichard | 5,025 | 62.1 | -4.6 | |
Conservative | D. Schofield | 1,983 | 24.5 | -5.7 | |
Liberal | P. Gilbert | 966 | 11.9 | +11.9 | |
National Front | M. Spink | 117 | 1.4 | -1.7 | |
Majority | 3,042 | 37.6 | +1.1 | ||
Turnout | 8,091 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Stephen Day (MP) | 5,139 | 43.8 | -6.3 | |
Liberal | H. Morgan | 4,486 | 38.3 | +1.2 | |
Labour | W. Imeson | 1,868 | 15.9 | +3.7 | |
Ecology | D. Corry | 185 | 1.6 | +1.6 | |
Communist | A. Oddy | 50 | 0.4 | -0.3 | |
Majority | 653 | 5.6 | -7.5 | ||
Turnout | 11,728 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -3.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | I. Favell | 4,898 | 40.5 | -18.7 | |
Liberal | A. Booker | 3,958 | 32.7 | +19.8 | |
Labour | P. Burrill | 3,243 | 26.8 | -1.1 | |
Majority | 940 | 7.8 | -23.5 | ||
Turnout | 12,099 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -19.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | P. Kersting | 4,541 | 40.4 | -2.6 | |
Liberal | N. Gadsby | 4,386 | 39.0 | +3.1 | |
Labour | T. Watson | 2,311 | 20.6 | -0.5 | |
Majority | 155 | 1.4 | -5.7 | ||
Turnout | 11,238 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -2.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | B. Walker | 10,429 | 62.9 | +0.5 | |
Conservative | T. Crystal | 6,140 | 37.1 | +1.9 | |
Majority | 4,289 | 25.9 | -1.4 | ||
Turnout | 16,569 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -0.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | George Mudie (politician) | 7,432 | 70.4 | +0.1 | |
Conservative | D. Townsley | 2,812 | 26.6 | -0.1 | |
National Front | C. Cannon | 169 | 1.6 | -1.3 | |
Communist | B. Wilson | 139 | 1.3 | +1.3 | |
Majority | 4,620 | 43.8 | +0.2 | ||
Turnout | 10,552 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | C. Myers | 4,540 | 51.2 | -9.0 | |
Conservative | K. Knapton | 2,396 | 27.0 | -4.0 | |
Liberal | B. Jacques | 1,762 | 19.9 | +12.8 | |
National Front | M. Gibson | 173 | 2.0 | +0.3 | |
Majority | 2,144 | 24.2 | -5.0 | ||
Turnout | 8,871 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -2.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | R. Feldman | 6,146 | 58.3 | -11.0 | |
Labour | T. Midwood | 2,490 | 23.6 | +3.7 | |
Liberal | M. Phillips | 1,443 | 13.7 | +7.7 | |
Ecology | A. Plummer | 459 | 4.4 | +0.6 | |
Majority | 3,656 | 34.7 | -14.7 | ||
Turnout | 10,538 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -7.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | H. Gardiner | 10,826 | 67.5 | -4.0 | |
Labour | M. Moynihan | 2,258 | 14.1 | +1.4 | |
Liberal | J. Scott | 2,210 | 13.8 | +5.3 | |
Ecology | M. Sellers | 734 | 4.6 | -2.7 | |
Majority | 8,568 | 53.5 | -5.3 | ||
Turnout | 16,028 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -2.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | W. Thurlow | 4,284 | 40.6 | -3.9 | |
Conservative | R. Robson | 3,849 | 36.5 | -7.2 | |
Liberal | W. Moss | 2,284 | 21.6 | +11.9 | |
National Front | A. Smith | 139 | 1.3 | -0.8 | |
Majority | 435 | 4.1 | +3.3 | ||
Turnout | 10,556 | ||||
Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.6 | |||
References
- "District results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 4 May 1979.