1949 Leeds City Council election

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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
Majority 1,42427.8+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
Majority 6917.9−1.8
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
Majority 1,25821.3−0.8
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
Majority 4184.4+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
Majority 1,57140.6+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
Majority 1955.9−2.4
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
Majority 2,20918.8+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
Majority 1,75349.4N/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
Majority 6,40363.4+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
Majority 90.1−4.4
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
Majority 961.1−1.3
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
Majority 77153.9+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
Majority 1,05922.0−0.1
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
Majority 2,94235.1+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
Majority 3,37049.2+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
Majority 1561.7−7.4
Turnout 9,235
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -3.7
Mill Hill & South [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative W. Hey1,40950.9−1.6
Labour Ms. Gertrude Bray 1,35949.1+1.6
Majority 501.8−3.1
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
Majority 6,50662.1+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
Majority 1,68527.0+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
Majority 2,12133.6+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
Majority 1,09336.9−1.8
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
Majority 6,50057.1+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
Majority 97414.3+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
Majority 1,20422.6−0.6
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
Majority 2659.8+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
Majority 1612.9+0.4
Turnout 5,487
Labour hold Swing +0.2

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.
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