1972 Leeds City Council election

The final Leeds municipal elections were held on 5 May 1972, with a third of the councillors up for re-election. The wide-reaching reforms set out in the Local Government Act 1972 had scheduled the council's abolition to coincide with its replacement by the enlarged successor Leeds metropolitan district on 1 April 1974. Prior to the election, a by-election had resulted in Labour gaining the seat in Castleton from the Liberals. ^[1]

Labour repeated all of the gains of the previous year's gains (in the 1971 Leeds City Council election), with the exceptions of the Castleton and Osmondthorpe seats - both of which they already held; the latter being their solitary gain in the 1969 election. Much like Labour's performance in the 1969 election, the Conservatives halted their decline - at least in vote share (like Labour, their total vote actually fell a further 5,000, setting a new party low). Having won full representation in West Hunslet, the Liberals defended the seat and retained their total of four. Turnout fell to 34.4%, from 37.8% the year before. ^[1]

The reaction from the Labour leader, Albert King, was one of contentment: "This is a satisfactory evening for us, and the gains were more or less in line with what I expected". The Conservatives meanwhile were reported to be relieved, with their leader Frank Marshall commenting that the results were better than expected a couple of months ago, and pointing to a significantly reduced Labour vote in Burley from the year before as a reason for optimism for the future. ^[1]

The sixteen gains for Labour were enough to re-take control of the council from the Conservatives for its last years of existence. ^[1]

Election result

Leeds local election result 1972

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Labour	21	15	0	+15	70.0	52.6	63,893	-4.3
	Conservative	8	0	15	-15	26.7	36.0	43,775	-0.4
	Liberal	1	0	0	0	3.3	8.9	10,834	+2.9
	Independent	0	0	0	0	0.0	1.6	1,902	+1.6
	Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.9	1,057	+0.2

The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

Party		Previous council		New council
		Cllr	Ald	Cllr	Ald
	Labour	41	14	56	14
	Conservatives	45	16	30	16
	Liberals	4	0	4	0
Total		90	30	90	30
		120		120
Working majority		0	-2	22	-2
		-2		20

Ward results

Armley ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Dixon	2,478	47.4	−8.8
	Conservative	C. Mathers	1,369	26.2	−4.8
	Liberal	R. Meadowcroft	1,325	25.3	+13.2
	Communist	P. Wilton	60	1.1	+0.4
Majority			1,109	21.2	−4.0
Turnout			5,232
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-2.0

Beeston ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Barnard	2,643	52.3	−4.3
	Conservative	A. Dunn	2,111	41.8	+2.9
	Liberal	L. Ellis	296	5.9	+1.4
Majority			532	10.5	−7.3
Turnout			5,050
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-3.6

Bramley ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	E. Millett	2,834	65.8	−1.3
	Conservative	M. Robinson	1,476	34.2	+1.3
Majority			1,358	31.6	−2.6
Turnout			4,310
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-1.3

Burley ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Donohoe	1,791	58.4	−3.1
	Conservative	D. Ramsden	1,175	38.3	+1.5
	Communist	T. Flynn	102	3.3	+1.5
Majority			616	20.1	−4.6
Turnout			3,068
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-2.3

Burmantofts ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Blower	3,005	72.6	−1.3
	Conservative	C. Thomas	1,042	25.2	+0.7
	Communist	F. Stockdale	93	2.2	+0.6
Majority			1,963	47.4	−2.0
Turnout			4,140
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-1.0

Castleton ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. Dockwray	2,124	53.1	+4.2
	Liberal	B. Nelson	1,569	39.2	−6.3
	Conservative	M. Mathews	262	6.6	+2.1
	Communist	K. Robinson	44	1.1	+0.0
Majority			555	13.9	+10.5
Turnout			3,999
	Labour hold		Swing	+5.2

Chapel Allerton ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Hunt	2,392	74.7	+3.5
	Labour	L. Fineberg	638	19.9	+0.6
	Liberal	O. Braham	174	5.4	−4.2
Majority			1,754	54.8	+2.9
Turnout			3,204
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.4

City ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Doreen Jenner	2,055	82.6	−3.2
	Conservative	W. Annan	338	13.6	−0.6
	Liberal	S. Waldenburg	96	3.9	+3.9
Majority			1,717	69.0	−2.6
Turnout			2,489
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.3

Cookridge ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	C. Jenkins	2,831	55.0	+5.3
	Labour	L. Morrison	1,706	33.1	−2.7
	Liberal	V. Finkle	610	11.9	−2.6
Majority			1,125	21.9	+8.0
Turnout			5,147
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.0

East Hunslet ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Bowsley	2,267	65.8	−18.3
	Liberal	T. Clarkson	979	28.4	+22.0
	Conservative	B. Cresswell	199	5.8	−3.7
Majority			1,288	37.4	−37.2
Turnout			3,445
	Labour hold		Swing	-20.1

Gipton ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Arthur Vollans	2,781	64.1	−0.3
	Conservative	M. Suttenstall	1,271	29.3	−3.1
	Liberal	K. Pedder	188	4.3	+2.4
	Communist	J. Bellamy	97	2.2	+0.9
Majority			1,510	34.8	+2.8
Turnout			4,337
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+1.4

Halton ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Martin Dodgson	2,108	53.4	−12.4
	Labour	K. Jeffrey	1,244	31.5	−2.6
	Liberal	S. Roome	594	15.1	+15.1
Majority			864	21.9	−9.8
Turnout			3,946
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.9

Harehills ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	C. Green	1,922	51.7	+3.7
	Conservative	J. Moran	1,606	43.2	−4.2
	Liberal	R. Farrar	192	5.2	+0.5
Majority			316	8.5	+7.9
Turnout			3,720
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+3.9

Headingley ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	E. Clark	2,219	51.5	−7.9
	Labour	T. Donohoe	1,695	39.3	−1.3
	Liberal	J. Coates	394	9.1	+9.1
Majority			524	12.2	−6.5
Turnout			4,308
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.3

Holbeck ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bernard Atha	2,253	78.7	−4.4
	Liberal	R. Whitelock	323	11.3	+5.9
	Conservative	L. Dobkin	287	10.0	−1.5
Majority			1,930	67.4	−4.1
Turnout			2,863
	Conservative hold		Swing	-5.1

Kirkstall ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Elizabeth Nash	3,474	58.3	−1.9
	Conservative	J. Horrocks	2,406	40.4	+1.9
	Communist	J. Sidebottom	77	1.3	+0.0
Majority			1,068	17.9	−3.8
Turnout			5,957
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-1.9

Middleton ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Kitchen	2,802	83.7	−0.2
	Conservative	P. Johnson	426	12.7	+3.9
	Communist	D. Priscott	121	3.6	+0.7
Majority			2,376	71.0	−4.1
Turnout			3,349
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.0

Moortown ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Redmond	2,361	59.3	+7.1
	Labour	M. Cliff	1,272	31.9	−5.9
	Liberal	L. Waldenburg	350	8.8	−1.2
Majority			1,089	27.3	+13.0
Turnout			3,983
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.5

Osmondthorpe ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Prichard	3,122	76.2	+0.9
	Conservative	Doreen Wood	921	22.5	−2.2
	Communist	D. Cook	54	1.3	+1.3
Majority			2,201	53.7	+3.1
Turnout			4,097
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.5

Richmond Hill ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Cooke	2,587	73.7	−4.4
	Conservative	G. Dimmock	873	24.9	+4.6
	Communist	D. Fawcett	48	1.4	−0.2
Majority			1,714	48.9	−8.9
Turnout			3,508
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-4.5

Roundhay ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Johnson	2,920	79.0	+0.7
	Labour	L. Milburn	588	15.9	−5.8
	Liberal	D. Freethby	189	5.1	+5.1
Majority			2,332	63.1	+6.5
Turnout			3,697
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.2

Scott Hall ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Baum	1,837	61.1	−6.8
	Conservative	V. Darton	915	30.4	+0.1
	Liberal	D. Thorpe	200	6.6	+6.6
	Communist	M. Temple	56	1.9	+0.0
Majority			922	30.7	−6.9
Turnout			3,008
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-3.4

Seacroft ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. Stringer	4,564	78.8	+0.2
	Conservative	D. Ball	1,152	19.9	−0.5
	Communist	A. Dale	75	1.3	+0.3
Majority			3,412	58.9	+0.7
Turnout			5,791
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+0.3

Stanningley ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Miller	2,874	65.9	−3.1
	Conservative	I. Benton	1,429	32.8	+3.4
	Communist	R. Quarmby	55	1.3	−0.3
Majority			1,445	33.2	−6.5
Turnout			4,358
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-3.2

Talbot ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ronnie Feldman	2,478	65.9	−4.6
	Labour	L. Naylor	873	23.2	−0.4
	Liberal	M. Phillips	410	10.9	+5.0
Majority			1,605	42.7	−4.2
Turnout			3,761
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.1

Weetwood ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Rostron	2,905	55.2	−26.2
	Independent	E. Firth	1,902	36.1	+36.1
	Labour	S. Akbar	457	8.7	−9.9
Majority			1,003	19.1	−43.7
Turnout			5,264
	Conservative hold		Swing	-31.1

West Hunslet ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dennis Pedder	2,347	60.9	+8.8
	Labour	J. Wright	1,144	29.7	−5.6
	Conservative	J. Dawson	363	9.4	−3.2
Majority			1,203	31.2	+14.4
Turnout			3,854
	Liberal hold		Swing	+7.2

Whinmoor ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. Davis	2,563	71.0	−4.8
	Conservative	P. White	983	27.2	+4.1
	Communist	H. Besser	62	1.7	+0.6
Majority			1,580	43.8	−8.9
Turnout			3,608
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-4.4

Woodhouse ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Roche	1,521	47.0	−10.8
	Conservative	P. Fingret	1,005	31.0	−7.9
	Liberal	M. Baker	598	18.5	+18.5
	Communist	L. Morris	113	3.5	+0.2
Majority			516	15.9	−2.9
Turnout			3,237
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-1.4

Wortley ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. Selby	2,779	58.7	+0.2
	Conservative	F. Stubley	1,952	41.3	+7.0
Majority			827	17.5	−6.8
Turnout			4,731
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-3.4

References

1. "Labour sweeps in with 20 majority in Leeds". The Yorkshire Post . 6 May 1972. Scan here