1954 Leeds City Council election

The 1954 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 14 May 1954, ^[1] with one third of the council up for election. ^[2]

Despite a further swing away from Labour to the Conservatives of 3.7%, ^[3] leaving both parties neck and neck in votes, Labour continued on to their third and final gains unabated in the wards of Armley, Blenheim, Bramley, Cross Gates, Stanningley, Westfield, and Woodhouse, comfortably winning the majority of seats. The swing however helped the Conservatives to hold on to Wortley, unlike previous years. ^[2] As such Labour doubled its majority on the council as part of a victorious night on the whole for them. ^[1] Turnout for the election sunk below the 40% mark for the first time in the post-war period, to 39.2%. ^[3]

Election result

Leeds local election result 1954

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Labour	18	6	0	+6	64.3	49.9	69,429	-2.6
	Conservative	10	0	6	-6	35.7	49.4	68,801	+2.7
	Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.4	527	+0.2
	Liberal	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.4	495	-0.2

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

Party		Previous council		New council
		Cllr	Ald	Cllr	Ald
	Labour	48	14	54	14
	Conservatives	36	14	30	14
Total		84	28	84	28
		112		112
Working majority		12	0	24	0
		12		24

Ward results

Allerton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Edwin Wooler	5,603	86.6	+1.5
	Labour	F. Watson	866	13.4	−1.5
Majority			4,737	73.2	+2.9
Turnout			6,469
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.5

Armley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Lee	3,064	57.4	−3.9
	Conservative	E. Glover	2,273	42.6	+3.9
Majority			791	14.8	−7.8
Turnout			5,337
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-3.9

Beeston ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Collins	3,797	53.0	+2.5
	Labour	H. Booth	3,369	47.0	−2.5
Majority			428	6.0	+5.1
Turnout			7,166
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.5

Blenheim ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Lake	3,164	57.9	+1.0
	Conservative	B. Lyons	2,303	42.1	−1.0
Majority			861	15.7	+2.0
Turnout			5,467
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+1.0

Bramley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Rhodes	3,455	53.4	+0.0
	Conservative	T. Bennett	3,011	46.6	−0.0
Majority			444	6.9	+0.0
Turnout			6,466
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+0.0

Burmantofts ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Shutt	2,266	66.3	−4.8
	Conservative	A. Clark	1,150	33.7	+4.8
Majority			1,116	32.7	−9.5
Turnout			3,416
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.8

City ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Stoner	2,023	67.3	−2.0
	Conservative	R. Hudson	981	32.7	+2.0
Majority			1,042	34.7	−4.0
Turnout			3,004
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.0

Cross Gates ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	L. Jackson	2,688	58.7	−7.5
	Conservative	L. Demaine	1,888	41.3	+7.5
Majority			800	17.5	−15.1
Turnout			4,576
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-7.5

East Hunslet ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. Naylor	3,094	76.9	+1.8
	Conservative	G. Hewdy	931	23.1	−1.8
Majority			2,163	53.7	+3.5
Turnout			4,025
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.8

Far Headingley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	W. Hargrave	3,931	83.9	+1.8
	Labour	D. Yalland	756	16.1	−1.8
Majority			3,175	67.7	+3.5
Turnout			4,687
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.8

Halton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Brooksbank	4,086	76.2	+3.4
	Labour	N. Barrett	1,279	23.8	−3.4
Majority			2,807	52.3	+6.9
Turnout			5,365
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.4

Harehills ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	N. Kay	2,921	53.5	−0.1
	Labour	A. Vickers	2,541	46.5	+0.1
Majority			380	7.0	−0.1
Turnout			5,462
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.1

Holbeck ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	T. Smith	2,930	68.6	+4.3
	Conservative	J. Sizer	1,340	31.4	+6.3
Majority			1,590	37.2	−2.0
Turnout			4,270
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.0

Hunslet Carr ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	T. Ellison	2,643	88.8	+13.7
	Communist	R. Wilkinson	332	11.2	+7.1
Majority			2,311	77.7	+23.3
Turnout			2,975
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.3

Hyde Park ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kenneth Davison	3,322	68.4	+5.1
	Labour	I. Calvert	1,532	31.6	−5.1
Majority			1,790	36.9	+10.1
Turnout			4,854
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.1

Kirkstall ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Happold	3,543	61.1	−1.7
	Conservative	E. Lucas	2,253	38.9	+1.7
Majority			1,290	22.3	−3.4
Turnout			5,796
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.7

Meanwood ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alan Pedley	4,270	70.1	+1.1
	Labour	J. Hedley	1,817	29.9	−1.1
Majority			2,453	40.3	+2.3
Turnout			6,087
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.1

Middleton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Arthur Brown	2,800	81.2	−4.1
	Conservative	F. Stubley	648	18.8	+4.1
Majority			2,152	62.4	−8.2
Turnout			3,448
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.1

Moortown ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Bolton	4,580	76.7	+6.4
	Labour	J. Slater	1,393	23.3	−6.4
Majority			3,187	53.4	+12.9
Turnout			5,973
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.4

Osmondthorpe ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Gabb	3,409	77.4	−2.1
	Conservative	D. Bradley	997	22.6	+2.1
Majority			2,412	54.7	−4.2
Turnout			4,406
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.1

Potternewton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Bidgood	2,385	64.7	+3.4
	Labour	F. Howard	1,301	35.3	−3.4
Majority			1,084	29.4	+6.7
Turnout			3,686
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.4

Richmond Hill ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Fowler	2,215	80.2	+0.2
	Conservative	W. Clayton	547	19.8	−0.2
Majority			1,668	60.4	+0.4
Turnout			2,762
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.2

Roundhay ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Monkman	4,619	64.5	−2.1
	Labour	R. Pennington	2,541	35.5	+2.1
Majority			2,078	29.0	−4.3
Turnout			7,160
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.1

Stanningley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Spence	2,939	50.3	−1.4
	Conservative	F. Ayres	2,899	49.7	+1.4
Majority			40	0.7	−2.8
Turnout			5,838
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-1.4

Wellington ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Farrington	2,942	71.6	−1.1
	Conservative	D. Wolstenholme	972	23.7	+5.8
	Communist	J. Wheatley	195	4.7	+2.5
Majority			1,970	47.9	−7.0
Turnout			4,109
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.4

Westfield ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	H. Wiseman	2,331	50.9	−5.8
	Conservative	S. Cowling	1,756	38.3	−5.0
	Liberal	H. Burbridge	495	10.8	+10.8
Majority			575	12.5	−0.9
Turnout			4,582
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-0.4

Woodhouse ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Ellis	3,528	60.7	+0.9
	Conservative	F. Winterburn	2,280	39.3	−0.9
Majority			1,248	21.5	+1.8
Turnout			5,808
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+0.9

Wortley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bertrand Mather	3,058	50.5	+3.3
	Labour	E. Morris	3,000	49.5	−3.3
Majority			58	1.0	−4.7
Turnout			6,058
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.3

References

1. "British Laborites Widen Poll Gains". The New York Times . 14 May 1954. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
2. "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post . 15 May 1954.
3. Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.