1955 Leeds City Council election

The 1955 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 12 May 1955, ^[1] with one third of the council up for election, as well as a vacancy in Wellington. ^[2]

With the third consecutive election producing swings to them - this time a 2.1% swing ^[3] - the Conservatives managed to top the poll and make gains from Labour for the first time since the 1951 election, echoing their national result. ^[1] This, however, did not stop Labour winning a comfortable majority of the seats contested. The three gains were in Beeston, Westfield and Wortley - wards where Labour had gained from them following 1951. ^[2] Party totals remained unchanged with the new division of aldermen effectively wiping out those three gains, as Labour were allotted - at Conservative expense - three more aldermen. Turnout rose marginally to a low figure of 39.4%. ^[3]

Election result

Leeds local election result 1955

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Labour	17	0	3	-3	58.6	46.2	64,820	-3.7
	Conservative	12	3	0	+3	41.4	51.9	72,863	+2.5
	Liberal	0	0	0	0	0.0	1.5	2,043	+1.1
	Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.4	539	0.0

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	54	14	51	17
	Conservatives	30	14	33	11
Total		84	28	84	28
		112		112
Working majority		24	0	18	6
		24		24

Ward results

Allerton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Drake	5,547	87.5	+0.9
	Labour	M. Rooney	790	12.5	−0.9
Majority			4,757	75.1	+1.9
Turnout			6,337
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.9

Armley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. Cohen	2,970	54.4	−3.0
	Conservative	R. Beal	2,126	38.9	−3.7
	Liberal	A. Powell	367	6.7	+6.7
Majority			844	15.4	+0.6
Turnout			5,463
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.3

Beeston ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Snape	3,881	54.1	+1.1
	Labour	H. Booth	3,299	45.9	−1.1
Majority			582	8.1	+2.1
Turnout			7,180
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+1.1

Blenheim ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Wallbanks	2,368	54.7	−3.1
	Conservative	W. Murphy	1,958	45.3	+3.1
Majority			410	9.5	−6.2
Turnout			4,326
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.1

Bramley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Eric Atkinson	3,012	47.8	−5.6
	Conservative	C. Dean	2,571	40.8	−5.7
	Liberal	J. Walker	713	11.3	+11.3
Majority			441	7.0	+0.1
Turnout			6,296
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.0

Burmantofts ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Lloyd	2,428	63.1	−3.3
	Conservative	G. Howden	1,422	36.9	+3.3
Majority			1,006	26.1	−6.6
Turnout			3,850
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.3

City ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	E. Whitehead	1,638	62.0	−5.4
	Conservative	J. Cape	1,005	38.0	+5.4
Majority			633	24.0	−10.7
Turnout			2,643
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.4

Cross Gates ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. Booth	3,262	57.7	−1.1
	Conservative	J. Palmer	2,394	42.3	+1.1
Majority			868	15.3	−2.2
Turnout			5,656
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.1

East Hunslet ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Fish	2,870	73.3	−3.5
	Conservative	G. Hewdey	1,044	26.7	+3.5
Majority			1,826	46.7	−7.0
Turnout			3,914
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.5

Far Headingley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	W. Hey	4,665	83.5	−0.4
	Labour	F. Woolhouse	922	16.5	+0.4
Majority			3,743	67.0	−0.7
Turnout			5,587
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.4

Halton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	C. Watson	4,371	78.8	+2.7
	Labour	J. Marshall	1,175	21.2	−2.7
Majority			3,196	57.6	+5.3
Turnout			5,546
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.7

Harehills ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lawrence Turnbull	3,515	59.7	+6.2
	Labour	F. Howard	2,375	40.3	−6.2
Majority			1,140	19.4	+12.4
Turnout			5,890
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.2

Holbeck ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Jones	2,508	65.8	−2.8
	Conservative	T. Nipe	1,302	34.2	+2.8
Majority			1,206	31.7	−5.5
Turnout			3,810
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.8

Hunslet Carr ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Hodgkinson	2,662	73.6	−15.2
	Conservative	J. Bailey	810	22.4	+22.4
	Communist	J. Bellamy	144	4.0	−7.2
Majority			1,852	51.2	−26.5
Turnout			3,616
	Labour hold		Swing	-18.8

Hyde Park ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. Walker	3,489	71.2	+2.8
	Labour	M. Schofield	1,410	28.8	−2.8
Majority			2,079	42.4	+5.5
Turnout			4,899
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.8

Kirkstall ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Albert Smith	3,160	56.0	−5.1
	Conservative	E. Lucas	2,480	44.0	+5.1
Majority			680	12.1	−10.2
Turnout			5,640
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.1

Meanwood ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	V. Cardno	4,286	74.7	+4.6
	Labour	J. Hedley	1,448	25.3	−4.6
Majority			2,838	49.2	+9.2
Turnout			5,734
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.6

Middleton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harold Watson	2,586	77.6	−3.6
	Conservative	F. Stubley	747	22.4	+3.6
Majority			1,839	55.2	−7.2
Turnout			3,333
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.6

Moortown ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Watson	4,733	76.8	+0.2
	Labour	E. Norris	1,426	23.2	−0.2
Majority			3,307	53.7	+0.3
Turnout			6,159
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.2

Osmondthorpe ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Addlestone	2,809	71.8	−5.6
	Conservative	L. Ideson	1,105	28.2	+5.6
Majority			1,704	43.5	−11.2
Turnout			3,914
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.6

Potternewton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sydney Symmonds	2,480	62.7	−2.0
	Labour	F. Watson	1,307	33.0	−2.3
	Communist	S. Bloom	170	4.3	+4.3
Majority			1,173	29.6	+0.2
Turnout			3,957
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.1

Richmond Hill ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. King	2,202	78.9	−1.3
	Conservative	W. Clayton	590	21.1	+1.3
Majority			1,612	57.7	−2.7
Turnout			2,792
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.3

Roundhay ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Allan Bretherick	4,782	71.8	+7.3
	Labour	P. Taylor	1,877	28.2	−7.3
Majority			2,905	43.6	+14.6
Turnout			6,659
	Conservative hold		Swing	+7.3

Stanningley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Waterman	3,347	49.4	−0.9
	Conservative	T. Kilby	2,832	41.8	−7.8
	Liberal	E. Burbridge	592	8.7	+8.7
Majority			515	7.6	+6.9
Turnout			6,771
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.4

Wellington ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	N. Barrett	2,657	67.2	−4.4
	Labour	E. Youngman	2,642
	Conservative	S. Rostron	699	17.7	−6.0
	Conservative	F. Richardson	634
	Liberal	Walter Holdsworth	371	9.4	+9.4
	Communist	J. Wheatley	225	5.7	+0.9
Majority			1,943	49.5	+1.6
Turnout			3,952
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.8

Westfield ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Lyons	2,577	51.3	+13.0
	Labour	A. Malcolm	2,442	48.7	−2.2
Majority			135	2.7	−9.8
Turnout			5,019
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+7.6

Woodhouse ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Henry Vick	2,729	56.9	−3.8
	Conservative	L. Francis	2,066	43.1	+3.8
Majority			663	13.8	−7.7
Turnout			4,795
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.8

Wortley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Wolstenholme	3,386	51.9	+1.4
	Labour	Aimee Tong	3,141	48.1	−1.4
Majority			245	3.8	+2.8
Turnout			6,527
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+1.4

References

1. ""Little Election" Raises Hopes of Conservatives". Edmonton Journal . 13 May 1955. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
2. "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post . 13 May 1955.
3. Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.