1972 United Kingdom local elections

Last updated

Map showing political control in local government districts in England and Wales following the 1972 local elections.
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
Conservative
Labour
Independent or non-political
Liberal
No overall control 1972localelections.svg
Map showing political control in local government districts in England and Wales following the 1972 local elections.
  Conservative
  Labour
  Independent or non-political
  Liberal
  No overall control

Local elections were held in borough and district councils in the United Kingdom in 1972, during the life of the Conservative government of Edward Heath. They were the last such elections in England and Wales to be held prior to major structural changes to councils brought about by the Local Government Act 1972.

The council seats up for election were previously fought in 1969, when the opposition Labour Party had been in government and had suffered poor results. It was therefore expected Labour would make substantial gains in 1972, although the Conservative position in opinion polls had improved somewhat since the 1971 local elections.

Labour won the bulk of councils, although the continued existence of Conservative aldermen prevented their dominance being as great as the Conservatives' had been in 1969 (aldermen would be abolished by the Local Government Act in 1974 [1978 in Greater London]). The presence of Conservative aldermen deprived Labour of overall control in Cardiff, Huddersfield, Ipswich, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northampton, Oxford, Southampton, Wolverhampton and York.

Since the 1971 local elections, the average swing from Labour to Conservative was 3.4%, which represented a recovery in votes of nearly a third of Conservative losses incurred between the 1970 and 1971 local elections. Their recovery was lower in areas that had been most badly affected by unemployment (1.4% in Wales, 0.7% in Scotland and 2.1% in England north of a line between Morecambe Bay and the river Wear).

The Liberal Party's vote share increased 2.5% on 1971. They were strengthened in Liverpool and managed to retain once safe Labour wards in Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield.

The Scottish National Party lost votes; Plaid Cymru retained its small vote. The anti-immigration National Front polled 11% in the wards it contested in Bradford (down from 15% in 1971) and 8% of the wards it contested in Leicester.

Related Research Articles

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council member elected by voters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2003 United Kingdom local elections</span>

Local elections took place in various parts of the United Kingdom on 1 May 2003, the same day as the Scottish Parliamentary and the Welsh Assembly elections. There were local elections for all councils in Scotland and in most of England. There were no local elections in Wales, Northern Ireland or London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Referendums in the United Kingdom</span>

Referendums in the United Kingdom are occasionally held at a national, regional or local level. Historically, national referendums are rare due to the long-standing principle of parliamentary sovereignty. There is no constitutional requirement to hold a national referendum for any purpose or on any issue; the UK Parliament is free to legislate through an Act of Parliament for a national plebiscite to be held on any question at any time, but these cannot be constitutionally binding on either the Government or Parliament, although they usually have a persuasive political effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 United Kingdom local elections</span>

The United Kingdom local elections of 2004 were held on 10 June, as part of the 2004 set of elections along with the European elections and the London mayoral and Assembly elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1995 United Kingdom local elections</span>

The 1995 United Kingdom local elections took place on 4 May 1995. The Conservative Party lost over 2,000 councillors in the election, while the Labour Party won 48% of the vote, a record high for the party in local elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Borough of Salford</span> Former district of England

Salford was, from 1844 to 1974, a local government district in the county of Lancashire in the northwest of England, covering the city of Salford. It was granted city status in 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 United Kingdom local elections</span>

The first elections to the new local authorities established by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales and the new Northern Ireland district councils created by the Local Government Act 1972 took place in 1973. Elections to the existing Greater London Council also took place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipal Borough of Heywood</span>

The Municipal Borough of Heywood was, from 1881 to 1974, a local government district in the administrative county of Lancashire, England, with borough status and coterminate with the town of Heywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 Scottish local elections</span>

Elections for the Scottish district councils were held in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 City of Lincoln Council election</span>

The 2012 City of Lincoln Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect one-third of the members of City of Lincoln Council in Lincolnshire, England, for a 4-year term of office. This was on the same day as other 2012 United Kingdom local elections.

The second election to the Glamorgan County Council was held on 8 March 1892. The 1889 election was the first contest and the next was the 1895 election. Glamorgan County Council had been established by the 1888 Local Government Act, and the first election held in January 1889. Glamorgan was by far the largest county in Wales in terms of population. The county of Glamorgan was at this time becoming heavily industrialised, although some areas such as the Vale of Glamorgan remained essentially rural. The rise of nonconformist liberalism, especially since the 1860s, throughout Wales, had challenged the prevailing influence of the landed gentry. However, even in 1889, the traditional forces remained influential and no working men were elected to the Council. This changed in 1892 with the unopposed return of David Morgan in Aberdare and the success of Isaac Evans in Resolven.

The third election to Glamorgan County Council was held on 4 March 1895. It was preceded by the 1892 election and followed by the 1898 election.

The 1964 Hammersmith Council election took place on 7 May 1964 to elect members of Hammersmith London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Labour Party gained control of the council with almost 63% of the vote.

Elections for the London Borough of Merton were held on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Merton London Borough Council in London, England. This was on the same day as other local elections in England and Scotland.

Local elections took place in the United Kingdom in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardiff County Borough Council</span> Former council in Wales

Cardiff County Borough Council, known as Cardiff City Council after Cardiff achieved city status in 1905, was the elected local authority that administered the town and county borough of Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales between 1889 and 1974. The county borough council was replaced in 1974 by a district council, covering part of South Glamorgan and also known as Cardiff City Council.

The 1967 Cardiff City Council election was held on Thursday 11 May 1967 to elect councillors to Cardiff City Council in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. It took place on the same day as several other county borough elections in Wales and England.

The 1966 Cardiff City Council election was held on Thursday 12 May 1966 to elect councillors to Cardiff City Council in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. It took place on the same day as several other county borough elections in Wales and England.

The 1972 Newport County Borough Council election was held on Thursday 4 May 1972 to elect councillors to the Newport County Borough Council in Newport, Monmouthshire. It took place on the same day as other district and county borough council elections in England and Wales.

The 1972 Cardiff City Council election was held on Thursday 4 May 1972 to elect councillors to Cardiff City Council in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. It took place on the same day as several other county borough elections in Wales and England.

References