1970 Cardiff City Council election

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The 1970 Cardiff City Council election was held on Thursday 7 May 1970 to elect councillors to Cardiff City Council in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. It took place on the same day as many other local elections in Wales and England.

Contents

The previous elections to this one were in May 1969 and the next elections would be in May 1971. These would be some of the last all-Cardiff elections before the dissolution of the unitary authority and the creation of the new second-tier district authority of Cardiff City Council in 1974.

The election saw the Labour Party taking seats from the Conservatives. [1]

Background

Cardiff County Borough Council had been created in 1889. Cardiff became a city in 1905. Elections to the local authority were held annually, though not all council seats were included in each contest, because each of the three councillors in each ward stood down for election in rotation. [2] The councillors elected in 1970 would be the last to serve a full three year term in office. Nineteen seats in 19 electoral wards were up for election in May 1970.

Overview of the result

The Labour Party recovered the position they had been in prior to the 1967 election, gaining three seats from the Conservatives. This was credited to the fact Labour's supporters had come out to vote, rather than staying home as they had done at the last election. [1] The campaign against the new hook road in the north of the city was a factor. Two wards where Labour made gains, Cathays and Central, were directly affected. Bill Herbert, who won in the Central ward, was chairman of the Cardiff United Residents Association and a leading campaigner against the new road. [1]

The most prominent casualty of the election was Councillor Mary Hallinan, the Lady Mayoress, who lost her seat in the Central ward. [3] The morning after the election, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Alderman Lincoln Hallinan, broke an 18 year tradition when he refused to welcome the three newly elected (Labour) councillors, Herbert, Matthewson and Edwards, in his parlour. He later agreed to meet them before the first council meeting the following week. [4]

Despite winning their first seat on the council in 1969, and fielding a large number of candidates at the 1970 election, Plaid Cymru performed poorly, though managed to come second in Llandaff. [1]

Council composition

Following the May 1970 election the balance on the city council was 57 Conservatives, 18 Labour and one Plaid Cymru. [3]

Ward results

Contests took place in every ward at this election. [5]

Adamsdown

Adamsdown ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Patrick Keohane * 1,503
Conservative John Terence Curran960
Majority543
Labour hold Swing

Canton

Canton ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Trevor Tyrrell * 1,665
Labour Dengar Robinson Evans1,283
Plaid Cymru Reginald James Stuart332
Majority382
Conservative hold Swing

Cathays

Cathays ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Charles Edwards 2,323
Conservative Bernard Arthur Bateman *1,955
Plaid Cymru Terence Hiley O'Neill507
Majority368
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Central

Central ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Penry Herbert 1,385
Conservative Mary Hallinan *1,090
Liberal Richard Michael James186
Plaid Cymru Dennis O'Neill152
RatepayerDenis George Parberry35
Majority295
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Ely

Ely ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Carling * 2,989
Conservative Joan Joshua1,239
Plaid Cymru Gerallt Wyn Davies649
Majority1,750
Labour hold Swing

Gabalfa

Gabalfa ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour William Emrys Pride * 2,752
Conservative Russell Gabe-Wilkinson1,598
Plaid Cymru Brian Morgan Edwards 620
Majority1,154
Labour hold Swing

Grangetown

Grangetown ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Armour Bernard Matthewson 1,260
Conservative Anthea Jean Thomas1,249
Plaid Cymru Peter Stayeley McMullen315
Majority11
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

Bernard Matthewson, a former city councillor, won after a recount. [1]

Llanishen

Llanishen ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Lionel E. Pugh * 3,317
Labour John Gilbert May1,763
Plaid Cymru Hugh Rosser Jordan617
Majority1,554
Conservative hold Swing

Llandaff

Llandaff ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Julius Hermer * 2,642
Plaid Cymru Gwen Humphreys842
Labour Norma Lorraine Maylin701
Majority1,800
Conservative hold Swing

Penylan

Penylan ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Jean Lewis * 4,410
Labour Yvette Roblin1,479
Plaid Cymru (Mrs) Ron Morgan Edwards568
Majority3,231
Conservative hold Swing

This was claimed to be the first ever all-woman ward election in Cardiff. [6]

Plasmawr

Plasmawr ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Hubert Harding * 2,538
Conservative Frederick John Jones1,560
Plaid Cymru David John Davies1,066
Majority978
Labour hold Swing

Plasnewydd

Plasnewydd ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Olwen Watkin * 2,188
Labour Michael John Parry1,190
Plaid Cymru Philip Broan Richards398
Liberal Elizabeth Davina Forrest276
Majority998
Conservative hold Swing

Rhiwbina

Rhiwbina ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Martin Rodney Davies * 3,042
Labour William Michael Walker938
Plaid Cymru William Gwynfor Hughes858
Majority2.102
Conservative hold Swing

Riverside

Riverside ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative David C. Parnell * 1,525
Labour Thomas Clifford Lee885
Plaid Cymru Robert Francis Thomas324
Majority640
Conservative hold Swing

Roath

Roath ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Ronald Richards * 3,242
Labour John Stuart Scrivens851
Majority2,391
Conservative hold Swing

Rumney

Rumney ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour John Noel Rees * 2,876
Conservative Sylvia Brown1,777
Plaid Cymru Michael Coughlin498
Majority1,099
Labour hold Swing

South

South ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative Terence Roche * 1,660
Labour Harold George Bartlett1,504
Communist Frank Taylor64
Majority156
Conservative hold Swing

Splott

Splott ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Manuel C. Delgado * 2,438
Conservative Francis Joseph McCarthy1,619
Communist Richard Horatio Spencer45
Majority819
Labour hold Swing

Whitchurch

Whitchurch ward 1970
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative George Everson Brown * 2,490
Labour Henry Gordon Howell1,168
Plaid Cymru David Gareth Williams401
Majority1,322
Conservative hold Swing

*= 'retiring' ward councillor for re-election

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Labour whoop for joy on poll triumph". South Wales Echo . 8 May 1970. p. 13.
  2. ↑ "All eyes on Whitchutch and Rhiwbina - newcomers hold the key to power". South Wales Echo. 9 May 1967. p. 6. For to bring the election procedure into line with that in the city's other wards, whoever tops the poll in the two new wards goes to City Hall for a full three-year term. The runners-up will serve for two years, while those in third place ...must face the electorate again in 12 months time... In this way the added areas will in future elect one member every year from 1968.
  3. 1 2 "Lady Mayoress loses city council seat to Labour". The Western Mail . 8 May 1970. p. 4.
  4. ↑ "Lord Mayor declines to 'receive' new councillors". South Wales Echo . 8 May 1970. p. 1.
  5. ↑ "Labour whoop for joy on poll triumph - How the voting went". South Wales Echo. 8 May 1970. p. 13.
  6. ↑ "Early voters 'hit by late start'". South Wales Echo. 7 May 1970. pp. 1, 4.
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