1949 Leeds City Council election

Last updated

The 1949 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 12 May 1949, [1] with one third of the seats to be elected. [2]

Contents

Witnessing a slight swing away from them of 0.5%, [3] the Conservatives won a narrow majority of the seats contested. With the seats last fought in Labour's landslide of 1945, all but four of the Conservative seats were gains. Totalling ten, the Conservatives safely gained Blenheim, Cross Gates & Temple Newsam and Upper Armley; less so in Beeston and Bramley, and very closely in Harehills, Kirkstall, Mill Hill & South and Farnley & Wortley (the latter being won by nine votes). [2] The Conservatives also gained an extra alderman off the back of the gains, reducing Labour's hold to a slender majority of eight. Turnout returned to 46.4% after the spike recorded the previous election. [3]

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1949
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 14100+1053.852.589,802-1.0
  Labour 12010-1046.142.873,164+0.0
  Liberal 00000.04.17,021+1.1
  Communist 00000.00.5908-0.2

The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections: [3]

PartyPrevious councilNew council
Cllr Ald CllrAld
Labour52154214
Conservatives26113612
Total78267826
104104
Working majority 26   4   6   2 
 30   8 

Ward results

Armley & Wortley [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J. Underwood3,27263.9+0.3
Conservative G. Atkinson1,84836.1−0.3
Majority1,42427.8+0.7
Turnout 5,120
Labour hold Swing +0.3
Beeston [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ms. Collins4,23948.8−0.6
Labour W. Webster3,45840.8+1.1
Liberal G. Whittaker90810.4−0.4
Majority6917.9−1.8
Turnout 8,695
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -0.8
Blenheim [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative E. Clarke3,58060.7+4.2
Labour Albert Smith2,32239.3+5.0
Majority1,25821.3−0.8
Turnout 5,902
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -0.4
Bramley [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative A. Baker4,49547.4+4.7
Labour E. Kavanagh4,07743.0−3.5
Liberal F. Benfield9139.6−1.2
Majority4184.4+0.6
Turnout 9,485
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +4.1
Burmantofts [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour W. Jackson2,72270.3+2.6
Conservative J. Steer1,15129.7−2.6
Majority1,57140.6+5.1
Turnout 3,873
Labour hold Swing +2.6
Central [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour W. Spence1,74753.0−1.2
Conservative P. Stead1,55247.0+1.2
Majority1955.9−2.4
Turnout 3,299
Labour hold Swing -1.2
Cross Gates & Temple Newsam [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative W. Till6,99259.4+1.9
Labour P. Holmes4,78340.6−1.9
Majority2,20918.8+3.9
Turnout 11,775
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +1.9
East Hunslet [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour F. Naylor2,65174.7N/A
Conservative G. Fagan89825.3N/A
Majority1,75349.4N/A
Turnout 3,549N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Far Headingley [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative F. Carter7,77077.0−4.0
Labour A. Malcolm1,36713.5−5.5
Liberal B. Graham9599.5+9.5
Majority6,40363.4+1.4
Turnout 10,096
Conservative hold Swing +0.7
Farnley & Wortley [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Charles Horner4,51850.0+2.3
Labour Leonard Wilkinson4,50950.0−2.3
Majority90.1−4.4
Turnout 9,027
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +2.3
Harehills [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative F. Crotty4,51250.5−0.7
Labour Ms. Jolly4,41649.5+0.7
Majority961.1−1.3
Turnout 8,928
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -0.7
Holbeck North [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Ms. Whitehead1,10176.9+17.0
Conservative P. Glew33023.1−3.0
Majority77153.9+20.1
Turnout 1,431
Labour hold Swing +10.0
Holbeck South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour T. Smith2,71956.6+0.9
Conservative H. Drake1,66034.5+1.0
Liberal George Petch4278.9−2.0
Majority1,05922.0−0.1
Turnout 4,806
Labour hold Swing -0.0
Hunslet Carr & Middleton [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Arthur Brown5,30963.3−1.5
Conservative H. Grafton2,36728.2−6.9
Liberal A. Burrell7128.5+8.5
Majority2,94235.1+5.4
Turnout 8,388
Labour hold Swing +2.7
Hyde Park [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative P. Hutchinson4,79570.0−2.5
Labour D. Matthews1,42520.8−6.7
Liberal G. Foster6289.2+9.2
Majority3,37049.2+4.1
Turnout 6,848
Conservative hold Swing +2.1
Kirkstall [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative C. Turnbull4,17445.2−4.6
Labour K. Muir4,01843.5+2.8
Liberal Arthur Lawrence Braithwaite Childe8208.9+2.5
Communist R. Huffingley2202.4−0.7
Majority1561.7−7.4
Turnout 9,235
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -3.7
Mill Hill & South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative W. Hey1,40950.9−1.6
Labour Ms. Dray1,35949.1+1.6
Majority501.8−3.1
Turnout 2,768
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -1.6
North [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative E. Wooler-Loy7,95776.0−4.5
Labour N. Davy1,45113.9−5.6
Liberal Wilfred Ernest Hopper1,06210.1+10.1
Majority6,50662.1+1.0
Turnout 10,470
Conservative hold Swing +0.5
Osmondthorpe [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour H. Matthews3,95963.5+0.4
Conservative T. Nipe2,27436.5−0.4
Majority1,68527.0+0.8
Turnout 6,233
Labour hold Swing +0.4
Potternewton [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative C. Driver3,99763.3+5.8
Labour L. Walsh1,87629.7−3.1
Communist B. Ramelson4457.0−2.6
Majority2,12133.6+8.9
Turnout 6,318
Conservative hold Swing +4.4
Richmond Hill [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour A. King2,02668.5−0.9
Conservative W. Walford93331.5+0.9
Majority1,09336.9−1.8
Turnout 2,959
Labour hold Swing -0.9
Roundhay [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Francis Tetley8,94478.5+1.5
Labour H. Kinder2,44421.5−1.5
Majority6,50057.1+3.1
Turnout 11,388
Conservative hold Swing +1.5
Upper Armley [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative E. Glover3,88757.2+3.1
Labour E. Blackburn2,91342.8−3.1
Majority97414.3+6.1
Turnout 6,800
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +3.1
West Hunslet [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Harold Watson2,84853.5+1.0
Conservative J. Farrell1,64430.9+1.6
Liberal H. Kirkley59211.1−3.0
Communist F. Warburton2434.6+0.4
Majority1,20422.6−0.6
Turnout 5,327
Labour hold Swing -0.3
Westfield [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour E. Stubbs1,47854.9+0.5
Conservative Ms. Gledhill1,21345.1−0.5
Majority2659.8+0.9
Turnout 2,691
Labour hold Swing +0.5
Woodhouse [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Ms. Clayden2,82451.5+4.2
Conservative G. Taylor2,66348.5+3.7
Majority1612.9+0.4
Turnout 5,487
Labour hold Swing +0.2

Related Research Articles

The 1968 Leeds municipal election was held on 9 May 1968. Following extensive boundary changes, the whole council was up for election. The re-warding increased the number of wards by two, up to 32 wards, raising in-turn the councillor total by six, to 90, and the aldermen total up two to 30.

The 1971 Leeds municipal elections were held on 14 May 1971, with one third of the councillors up for vote including a double vacancy in Talbot.

The final Leeds municipal elections were held on 5 May 1972, with a third of the councillors up for re-election. The wide-reaching reforms set out in the Local Government Act 1972 had scheduled the council's abolition to coincide with its replacement by the enlarged successor Leeds metropolitan district on 1 April 1974. Prior to the election, a by-election had resulted in Labour gaining the seat in Castleton from the Liberals.

The 1952 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 8 May 1952, with one third of the council to be elected.

The 1953 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 7 May 1953, with one third of the council as well as a vacancy in Richmond Hill to be elected.

The 1954 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 14 May 1954, with one third of the council up for election.

The 1955 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 12 May 1955, with one third of the council up for election, as well as a vacancy in Wellington.

The 1956 municipal elections for Leeds were held on Thursday 10 May 1956, with one third of the council and an extra vacancy in Hyde Park to be elected.

The 1957 Leeds municipal elections were held 9 May 1957, with one third of the council up for election, alongside extra vacancies in the City, Halton and Woodhouse wards.

The 1958 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 10 April 1958, with one third of the seats and a double vacancy in Bramley to be elected.

The 1960 Leeds municipal elections were held on 12 May 1960, with one third of the council set to be re-elected.

The 1961 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 11 May 1961, with one third of the council and a vacancy in Cross Gates up for election.

The 1962 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 10 May 1962, with one third of the council to be elected.

The 1963 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 9 May 1963, with one third of the council to be elected.

The 1964 municipal elections for Leeds were held on Thursday 7 May 1964, with one third of the council seats up for the election. Labour had gained a seat from the Conservatives in the interim.

The 1966 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 12 May 1966, with one third of the council up for election.

The 1947 Leeds municipal elections were held on Saturday 1 November 1947, with one third of the seats, as well as a vacancy in Potternewton, up for election. With no Liberal candidate this time, East Hunslet went unopposed.

The 1946 Leeds municipal elections were held on Saturday 2 November 1946, with one third of the council and vacancies in Burmantofts and Farnley & Wortley to be elected. A handful of wards - Armley & Wortley, Burmantofts, Holbeck North, Hunslet Carr & Middleton and Osmondthorpe - went uncontested.

The 1945 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 1 November 1945. Although a third of the council would ordinarily be up for election, the suspension of elections during World War II meant the council had last held elections in 1938, and with the amount of vacancies and co-options throughout near to two-thirds of the council needed electing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1982 Leeds City Council election</span> 1982 UK local government election

Elections to Leeds City Council were held on Thursday, 6 May 1982, with one-third of the council to be elected. As well as that, there was a vacancy to fill after the defection of Whinmoor incumbent Edward Hewitt to the newly formed Alliance between the Liberal Party and the Labour-breakaway Social Democratic Party in February, following his colleague and Headingley councillor, Ernest Millet, who had also defected to the SDP two months prior.

References

  1. "Conservatives Score Wide Gains Over Laborites in Municipal Vote". The New York Times . 13 May 1949. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post . 13 May 1949.
  3. 1 2 3 Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.