1973 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election

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The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton shown within England. EnglandBolton.png
The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton shown within England.

The first elections to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council were held on Thursday, 10 May 1973, with the entirety of the 69 seat council - three seats for each of the 23 wards - up for vote. It was the first council election as the newly formed metropolitan borough under a new constitution. The Local Government Act 1972 stipulated that the elected members were to shadow and eventually take over from the County Borough of Bolton, the Municipal Borough of Farnworth, the Urban Districts of Blackrod, Horwich, Kearsley, Little Lever, and Westhoughton, and the southern part of Turton Urban District on 1 April 1974. The order in which the councillors were elected dictated their term serving, with third-place candidates serving two years and up for re-election in 1975, second-placed three years expiring in 1976 and 1st-placed five years until 1978.

Contents

The Conservative Party took control of the new Council by a majority of 1. The Leader of the council was Councillor John Hanscomb, who held this position until Labour took control in 1980.

Election result

Bolton Local Election Result 1973
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Conservative 3544.784,702
  Labour 3144.283,729
  Liberal 28.916,916
  Other parties 12.13,940

Ward results

Astley Bridge ward

Astley Bridge ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative D Shepherd 2,171 23.4
Conservative F Waterworth 2,087 22.5
Conservative A Hibbert 1,986 21.4
Labour J Walker1,08211.7
Labour N Lee1,00710.9
Labour D Jones93810.1
Turnout 9,72134.0

Bradshaw North and South ward

Bradshaw North and South ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative B Furlong 1,090 15.1
Conservative T Greenhalgh 1,077 15.0
Conservative K Howarth 1,073 14.9
Liberal A Winstanley1,05414.6
Liberal J Webster1,03714.4
Liberal M Batth1,01214.1
Labour A Brigg3004.2
Labour J Riley2854.0
Labour C Benjamin2703.8
Turnout 7,19840.5

Bradford ward

Bradford ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J Foster 1,119 27.1
Labour T McEwan 1,046 25.1
Labour C Skull 1,011 24.5
Conservative D Hall3298.0
Conservative C Gregory3257.9
Conservative D Harris2947.1
Turnout 4,12431.0

Bromley Cross, Eagley and Egerton ward

Bromley Cross, Eagley and Egerton ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative D Carr 1,456 15.5
Conservative A Poulson 1,421 15.1
Conservative H Bennett 1,412 15.0
Liberal P O'Connor1,17512.5
Liberal T Williams1,12412.0
Liberal D Charlton1,09511.7
Labour H Haslam6707.1
Labour S Chadwick5425.8
Labour A Uttley4895.2
Turnout 9,38441.3

Church East and North ward

Church East and North ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative R Halliwell 1,790 20.7
Conservative E Crook 1,711 19.8
Conservative A O'Neil 1,641 19.0
Labour M Johnson1,29014.9
Labour J Knight1,14013.2
Labour B Turner1,08112.5
Turnout 8,65341.0

Darcy Lever cum Breightmet ward

Darcy Lever cum Breightmet ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour D Dingwall 2,064 18.6
Labour K McIvor 1,913 17.3
Labour P Johnson 1,895 17.1
Conservative A Chadbond1,82016.4
Conservative M Walsh1,69915.4
Conservative P Eckersley1,67715.2
Turnout 11,06831.0

Deane cum Lostock ward

Deane cum Lostock ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative D Berry 1,406 25.3
Conservative F Rushton 1,359 24.4
Conservative R Ward 1,351 24.3
Labour S Harrison5069.1
Labour J Brown4838.7
Labour S Hill4548.2
Turnout 5,55930.0

Derby ward

Derby ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour W Simpson 1,159 23.8
Labour J Taylor 1,143 23.5
Labour S Walsh 1,030 21.2
Conservative John Walsh59812.5
Conservative J Laycock53311.0
Conservative M Bleakley4689.6
Turnout 4,86629.0

Farnworth North ward

Farnworth North ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour L Cunliffe 2,010 22.6
Labour R Neary 1,904 21.4
Labour G Brown 1,842 20.7
Conservative A Royse1,24314.0
Conservative T Rothwell95510.7
Conservative L Sharples93710.5
Turnout 8,89132.0

Farnworth South ward

Farnworth South ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J Wild 1,757 25.1
Labour W Hardman 1,712 24.5
Labour D Gilligan 1,633 23.4
Conservative C Shaw6539.3
Conservative G Waterson6329.0
Conservative I Torkington6048.6
Turnout 6,99127.0

Great Lever ward

Great Lever ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative J Shore 1,526 17.3
Labour V Urmston 1,492 16.9
Labour A Perry 1,471 16.7
Conservative G Woosey1,45616.5
Labour P Lowe1,44416.4
Conservative L Huyton1,44216.3
Turnout 8,83129.0

Halliwell ward

Halliwell ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour E Hamer 1,533 18.6
Labour R Johnson 1,485 18.0
Labour G Riley 1,444 17.5
Conservative W Hall1,28015.5
Conservative R Stones1,25215.2
Conservative J Morris1,24815.1
Turnout 8,24227.0

Heaton ward

Heaton ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative B Allanson 1,598 30.2
Conservative J Hanscomb 1,524 28.8
Conservative B Hurst 1,504 28.4
Labour P Cunliffe2584.9
Labour N Morlidge2083.9
Labour T Hill2013.8
Turnout 5,29342.0

Horwich North, Central and East ward

Horwich North, Central and East ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour A Oakley 1,947 16.6
Labour J McBurnie 1,680 14.3
Labour E Dobson 1,665 14.2
Conservative G Hind1,37711.8
Liberal E Kay1,31411.2
Conservative R Winstanley1,0769.2
Liberal A Ratcliffe1,0338.8
Conservative J Foster9428.0
Communist J Kay6765.8
Turnout 11,71042.0

Horwich South and Blackrod ward

Horwich South and Blackrod ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Independent L Fearnhead 1,395 14.1
Conservative C Everin 1,200 12.1
Labour G Gardiner 1,173 11.8
Labour D Smith1,01710.2
Conservative J Jolley9649.7
Labour E Bracegirdle9269.3
Independent F Isherwood8919.0
Independent Labour L Watkinson8568.6
Liberal G Farrington7978.0
Conservative M Carrie7057.1
Turnout 9,92458.0

Hulton and Rumworth ward

Hulton and Rumworth ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative J Parkinson 1,991 20.3
Conservative A Gledhill 1,880 19.2
Conservative R Carr 1,872 19.1
Labour D Vause1,36213.9
Labour H Glynn1,31313.4
Labour T Regan1,25012.8
Socialist (GB) J O'Hara1221.2
Turnout 9,79035.0

Kearsley ward

Kearsley ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Liberal J Rothwell 1,926 19.1
Liberal E Bell 1,700 16.9
Labour R Cornthwaite 1,668 16.5
Liberal K Holt1,64716.3
Labour B Molyneux1,57815.7
Labour T Lewis1,56415.5
Turnout 10,08340.6

Little Lever ward

Little Lever ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative K Hornby 1,111 14.6
Conservative J Lees 993 13.0
Conservative A Lawton 991 13.0
Labour J Robinson93812.3
Liberal N Narayan88611.6
Labour W Worthington84211.0
Labour C Lucas7529.9
Liberal J Waites6007.9
Liberal R Pemberton5166.8
Turnout 7,62939.0

Smithills ward

Smithills ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative D Priestly 2,209 24.5
Conservative M Howarth 2,204 24.4
Conservative S Collier 2,154 23.9
Labour T Hall8459.4
Labour N Spencer8169.0
Labour B Corless7998.9
Turnout 9,02728.0

Tonge ward

Tonge ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative S Harrison 2,129 19.4
Conservative K Knowles 1,950 17.8
Conservative J Rigby 1,929 17.6
Labour A Hooton1,68915.4
Labour A Grime1,63714.9
Labour Rigby1,63714.9
Turnout 10,97134.0

West ward

West ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour R Howarth 1,376 21.6
Labour D Clarke 1,358 21.3
Labour H Devonish 1,341 21.0
Conservative M Foster80212.6
Conservative E Smith75611.9
Conservative J Wrench74111.6
Turnout 6,374

Westhoughton East and Hulton ward

Westhoughton East and Hulton ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative G Smith 1,775 21.3
Conservative A Glover 1,750 21.0
Conservative J Smith 1,744 20.9
Labour P Jones1,07512.9
Labour C Knowles1,01512.2
Labour A Fairhurst97111.7
Turnout 8,33048.4

Westhoughton North, Central and South ward

Westhoughton North, Central and South ward (3)
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour W Kettle 2,273 23.2
Labour K Brown 1,971 20.1
Labour P Woodcock 1,940 19.8
Independent T Riley1,46515.0
Conservative J Roden1,13111.6
Conservative P Smith1,00910.3
Turnout 9,78949.7

References