1969 Edinburgh Corporation election

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1969 Edinburgh Corporation election
Flag of Edinburgh.svg
  1968 6 May 1969 (1969-05-06) 1970  

22 of the 69 seats to the Edinburgh Corporation
35 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Party Progressives Labour SNP
Last election34218
Seats before31229
Seats won1061
Seats after291710
Seat changeDecrease2.svg2Decrease2.svg5Increase2.svg1
Popular vote29,62522,54831,967
Percentage25.9%19.7%27.9%

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Party Conservative Liberal Independent
Last election311
Seats before312
Seats won111
Seats after722
Seat changeIncrease2.svg4Increase2.svg1Steady2.svg
Popular vote17,0869,4183,124
Percentage14.9%8.2%2.7%

Edinburgh Corporation election, 1969.svg
Results by ward.

Council control before election


No overall control

Council control after election


No overall control

An Election to the Edinburgh Corporation was held on 6 May 1969, alongside municipal elections across Scotland. Of the councils 69 seats, 23 were up for election. [1]

Contents

Following the election, with two by-elections pending, Edinburgh Corporation was composed of 29 Progressives, 17 Labour councillors, 10 SNP councillors, 7 Conservatives, 2 Liberals, and 2 independents. The Conservatives in particular did well, gaining 4 councillors. Two of these gains were at the expense of Labour, in mainly working class wards. The SNP, in contrast, who had done so well at the previous election, only gained Sighthill. [1]

Following the election, the Progressives and Conservative coalition retained control of the council with a majority of 2. There was some friction between the two sides however, with the Conservatives unseating Mr Robert McLaughlin, the former leader of the Progressive group and the deputy chairman of the council for 7 years, in the St. Andrews ward. The Conservatives also gained Colinton, the seat of the retiring Lord Provost Brechin. The seat was not contested by the Progressives. [1] Most Progressive losses, with the exception of St. Andrews ward, were caused by incumbent Progressives stepping down and being replaced with new Conservative councillors. In Merchiston however the Conservative candidate was defeated, with the Liberals instead gaining the seat, meaning that the Liberals controlled 2 out of the 3 Merchiston ward seats. [1]

Turnout was 114,582.

Aggregate results

Edinburgh Corporation election, 1969 [1]
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Progressives 1013Decrease2.svg243.4825.8529,625
  Labour 605Decrease2.svg526.0919.6822,548
  Conservative 440Increase2.svg417.3914.9117,086
  SNP 110Increase2.svg14.3527.9031,967
  Liberal 110Increase2.svg14.358.229,418
  Independent 100Steady2.svg4.352.733,124
  Communist 000Steady2.svg00.71814

Ward results

Location of Broughton ward Broughton ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Broughton ward
Broughton [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives H. G. P. Fraser 2,136
SNP J. C. MacDougall1,427
Liberal J. J. Rickard731
Majority709
Turnout 36.06
Progressives hold
Location of Calton ward Calton ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Calton ward
Calton [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives Josephine Dickson 1,901
Labour J. S. Cook970
SNP R. J. W. Swanson666
Majority931
Turnout 35.12
Progressives hold
Location of Central Leith ward Central Leith ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Central Leith ward
Central Leith [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour A. Crichton 1,745
SNP A. Stoddart938
Conservative M. Doyle718
Communist T. C. Taylor46
Majority807
Turnout 31.77
Labour hold
Location of Colinton ward Colinton ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Colinton ward
Colinton [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative B. A. Meek 4,526 53.33
SNP A. Westwood1,93822.83
Liberal Geraldine R. Johnston1,01511.96
Labour Mary Hutchison1,00811.88
Majority258830.50
Turnout 848742.43
Conservative gain from Progressives
Location of Corstorphine ward Corstorphine ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Corstorphine ward
Corstorphine [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives Mary Robertson Murray 4,050 55.18
SNP R. J. D. Scott1,86025.34
Liberal Vera P. Heggie1,43019.48
Majority219029.84
Turnout 734044.76
Progressives hold
Location of Craigentinny ward Craigentinny ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Craigentinny ward
Craigintinny [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour W. S. Dalgleish 1,967
Conservative W. R. V. Percy1,819
SNP J. Deans1,328
Majority148
Turnout 35.79
Labour hold
Location of Craigmillar ward Craigmillar ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Craigmillar ward
Craigmillar [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour R. A. Fox 2,179
SNP T. Flemming1,897
Communist M. D'Arcy150
Majority282
Turnout 28.98
Labour hold
Location of George Square ward George Square ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of George Square ward
George Square [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives C. F. Murray 1,545 53.55
SNP T. C. Bogle93432.37
Liberal Joan M. Gallacher40614.07
Majority61121.18
Turnout 288530.09
Progressives hold
Location of Gorgie-Dalry ward Gorgie-Dalry ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Gorgie-Dalry ward
Gorgie-Dalry [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative M. Pirie 1,769
Labour T. McGregor1,401
SNP A. B. Moore1,096
Majority368
Turnout 31.97
Conservative gain from Labour
Location of Holyrood ward Holyrood ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Holyrood ward
Holyrood [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour O. Hand 960
SNP J. G. B. Henderson818
Communist C. B. Swan173
Majority142
Turnout 27.08
Labour hold
Location of Liberton ward Liberton ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Liberton ward
Liberton [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative A. H. Lester 3,218
Labour F. M. Lawson3,025
SNP A. G. Symington2,295
Majority193
Turnout 37.50
Conservative gain from Labour
Location of Merchiston ward Merchiston ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Merchiston ward
Merchiston [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Liberal J. G. Gray 2,613
Conservative C. H. Richards1,855
SNP N. B. Harris644
Majority758
Turnout 45.77
Liberal gain from Progressives
Location of Morningside ward Morningside ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Morningside ward
Morningside [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives J. Bateman 3,316
Liberal G. Duke1,192
SNP Bethia L. Howden896
Majority2124
Turnout 41.99
Progressives hold
Location of Murrayfield-Cramond ward Murrayfield-Cramond ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Murrayfield-Cramond ward
Murrayfield-Cramond [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives H. Macpherson 5,078
SNP W. R. Platt2,000
Labour I. M. Christie914
Majority3078
Turnout 40.14
Progressives hold
Location of Newington ward Newington ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Newington ward
Newington [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Independent J. D. Kidd 3,124
SNP G. Telford1,819
Liberal W. McLeod1,088
Labour G. C. Campbell778
Majority1305
Turnout 44.17
Independent hold
Location of Pilton ward Pilton ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Pilton ward
Pilton [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour R. W. Irvine 1,639
SNP W. Thomson1,542
Conservative R. Beattie1,012
Communist C. McManus163
Majority97
Turnout 22.58
Labour hold
Location of Portobello ward Portobello ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Portobello ward
Portobello [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives K. W. Borthwick 3,143
SNP R. G. Kelly2,044
Labour J. E. Boyack792
Majority1099
Turnout 43.83
Progressives hold
Location of Sighthill ward Sighthill ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of Sighthill ward
Sighthill [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
SNP K. D. A. Johnston 2,481 52.17
Labour G. Foulkes 1,99341.90
Communist W. Millar2825.93
Majority48810.27
Turnout 475630.05
SNP gain from Labour
Location of South Leith South Leith ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of South Leith
South Leith [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives C. Waugh 1,798
SNP J. S. Marshall1,681
Labour Sheila King Murray1,557
Majority117
Turnout 39.79
Progressives gain from Labour
Location of St Andrews ward St Andrews ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of St Andrews ward
St. Andrews [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative I. A. Crammond 1,467 57.78
SNP D. M. Miller62524.62
Progressives R. McLaughlin44717.61
Majority84233.16
Turnout 253933.5
Conservative gain from Progressives
Location of St Bernards ward St Bernards ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of St Bernards ward
St. Bernard's [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives D. A. Adamson 3,037
SNP W. K. Archibald968
Liberal W. Murray943
Labour T. H. Greig584
Majority2069
Turnout 32.85
Progressives hold
Location of St Giles ward St Giles ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of St Giles ward
St. Giles [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour J. McInally 1,036
SNP A. A. Edmonds842
Conservative A. J. A. Bell702
Majority194
Turnout 27.67
Labour hold
Location of West Leith ward West Leith ward in Edinburgh Corporation.svg
Location of West Leith ward
West Leith [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Progressives B. W. Lyle 3,174 72.10
SNP T. J. D. MacDonald1,22827.90
Majority194644.20
Turnout 440240.15
Progressives hold

References

  1. 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 "Results in the Municipal Elections". The Glasgow Herald. 7 May 1969. p. 8.