1959 Leeds City Council election

The 1959 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 7 May 1959, ^[1] with one third of the seats and extra vacancies in East Hunslet and Stanningley up for election. ^[2]

Mirroring their national recovery, ^[1] the Conservatives achieved a 3% swing ^[3] to win the popular vote and make the only gain of the night in the marginal Wortley. ^[2] The Liberals fielded their greatest number of candidates since 1951, and as such received their highest vote since then. ^[2] Turnout fell by just under a percentage point from the year before to 36.3%. ^[3]

Election result

Leeds local election result 1959

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Labour	19	0	1	-1	63.3	46.5	59,182	-3.3
	Conservative	11	1	0	+1	36.7	49.0	62,414	+2.9
	Liberal	0	0	0	0	0.0	4.0	5,046	+0.3
	Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.5	630	+0.1

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	55	18	54	18
	Conservatives	29	10	30	10
Total		84	28	84	28
		112		112
Working majority		26	8	24	8
		34		32

Ward results

Allerton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Mustill	4,704	87.4	+1.4
	Labour	A. Baum	681	12.6	−1.4
Majority			4,023	74.8	+2.8
Turnout			5,385
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.4

Armley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Bissell	2,341	57.1	−1.3
	Conservative	J. Ashworth	1,756	42.9	+1.3
Majority			585	14.2	−2.6
Turnout			4,097
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.3

Beeston ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	P. Woodward	3,555	46.6	+3.8
	Labour	N. Billington	3,250	42.6	+1.0
	Liberal	H. Passmore	820	10.8	−4.8
Majority			305	4.0	+2.8
Turnout			7,625
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.4

Blenheim ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Merritt	1,861	63.4	−5.7
	Conservative	J. Butterfield	1,076	36.6	+5.7
Majority			785	26.7	−11.4
Turnout			2,937
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.7

Bramley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Lord	2,723	50.3	−0.1
	Conservative	C. Dean	2,214	40.9	+6.3
	Liberal	George Petch	474	8.8	−6.2
Majority			509	9.4	−6.4
Turnout			5,411
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.2

Burmantofts ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Murray	2,058	68.3	−3.9
	Conservative	H. Robinson	956	31.7	+3.9
Majority			1,102	36.6	−7.8
Turnout			3,014
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.9

City ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bernard Atha	1,373	64.6	−2.7
	Conservative	B. Emmett	751	35.4	+2.7
Majority			622	29.3	−5.4
Turnout			2,124
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.7

Cross Gates ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Harrison	3,273	63.6	−5.2
	Conservative	F. Hodges	1,874	36.4	+5.2
Majority			1,399	27.2	−10.4
Turnout			5,147
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.2

East Hunslet ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	E. Kavanagh	2,349	74.5	−2.2
	Labour	E. Haughton	2,149
	Conservative	D. Mowbray	802	25.5	+2.2
Majority			1,347	49.1	−4.5
Turnout			3,151
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.2

Far Headingley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Dovenor	4,351	65.1	−12.9
	Labour	J. Stephenson	1,212	18.1	−3.9
	Liberal	John Humphrey Morrish	1,122	16.8	+16.8
Majority			3,139	47.0	−9.0
Turnout			6,685
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.5

Halton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Dougray	4,349	75.8	+0.5
	Labour	J. Taylor	1,391	24.2	−0.5
Majority			2,958	51.5	+1.0
Turnout			5,740
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.5

Harehills ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Patrick Crotty	3,177	55.6	+2.1
	Labour	J. Klineberg	2,532	44.4	−2.1
Majority			645	11.3	+4.2
Turnout			5,709
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.1

Holbeck ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Bray	2,148	59.0	−3.3
	Conservative	B. Morland	882	24.2	+7.2
	Liberal	H. Fearnley	608	16.7	−3.8
Majority			1,266	34.8	−7.1
Turnout			3,638
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.2

Hunslet Carr ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Parker	2,442	69.1	−6.4
	Conservative	A. Roberts	700	19.8	+8.8
	Liberal	J.T. Hill	392	11.1	+1.6
Majority			1,742	49.3	−15.2
Turnout			3,534
	Labour hold		Swing	-7.6

Hyde Park ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Walmsley	2,713	63.9	+6.0
	Labour	W. Fanning	1,532	36.1	−6.0
Majority			1,181	27.8	+11.9
Turnout			4,245
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.0

Kirkstall ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Matthews	3,053	58.2	−0.8
	Conservative	S. Codd	2,195	41.8	+0.8
Majority			858	16.3	−1.6
Turnout			5,248
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.8

Meanwood ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	T. Kirkby	3,696	73.3	+0.7
	Labour	E. Webber	1,347	26.7	−0.7
Majority			2,349	46.6	+1.4
Turnout			5,043
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.7

Middleton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Binns	2,694	76.8	+3.7
	Conservative	A. Hartley	491	14.0	+3.8
	Liberal	Walter Holdsworth	219	6.2	−6.5
	Communist	E. Moore	105	3.0	−1.1
Majority			2,203	62.8	+2.5
Turnout			3,509
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.0

Moortown ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Henson	4,606	76.8	+0.0
	Labour	L. Steele	1,388	23.2	−0.0
Majority			3,218	53.7	+0.0
Turnout			5,994
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.0

Osmondthorpe ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	L. Walsh	3,162	74.3	−2.7
	Conservative	F. Barry	1,094	25.7	+2.7
Majority			2,068	48.6	−5.3
Turnout			4,256
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.7

Potternewton ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Lyons	2,266	65.8	+4.0
	Labour	V. Zermansky	1,021	29.7	−8.5
	Communist	H. Fawcett	156	4.5	+4.5
Majority			1,245	36.2	+12.6
Turnout			3,443
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.2

Richmond Hill ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Cain	1,496	76.1	−3.9
	Conservative	H. Flockton	469	23.9	+3.9
Majority			1,027	52.3	−7.7
Turnout			1,965
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.9

Roundhay ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Jowitt	4,142	70.3	+2.8
	Labour	E. Colley	1,747	29.7	−2.8
Majority			2,395	40.7	+5.6
Turnout			5,889
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.8

Stanningley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jim Marshall	2,441	45.9	−6.0
	Labour	E. Coward	2,436
	Conservative	A. Vickers	1,890	35.5	+7.9
	Conservative	D. Vickers	1,658
	Liberal	J. Grimshaw	991	18.6	−1.9
	Liberal	Julius Blum	617
Majority			551	10.4	−13.9
Turnout			5,322
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.9

Wellington ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Underwood	2,129	74.0	−5.2
	Conservative	B. Pearce	548	19.1	+4.6
	Communist	G. Hodgson	199	6.9	+0.6
Majority			1,581	55.0	−9.8
Turnout			2,876
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.9

Westfield ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Stan Cohen	2,141	51.8	−0.3
	Conservative	May Sexton	1,992	48.2	+0.3
Majority			149	3.6	−0.6
Turnout			4,133
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.3

Woodhouse ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	H. Bretherick	2,153	47.9	−12.0
	Conservative	A. Chadwick	1,755	39.0	−1.1
	Liberal	Wilfred Ernest Hopper	420	9.3	+9.3
	Communist	D. Banks	170	3.8	+3.8
Majority			398	8.8	−11.0
Turnout			4,498
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.4

Wortley ^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. Stubley	3,410	51.2	+1.8
	Labour	W. Smart	3,244	48.8	−1.8
Majority			166	2.5	+1.3
Turnout			6,654
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+1.8

References

1. "British Elections Yield Tory Gains". The New York Times . 8 May 1959. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
2. "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post . 8 May 1959.
3. Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.