1974 Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council election

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1974 Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council election
7 May 1974 (1974-05-07) 1977  

All 10 seats to Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council
6 seats needed for a majority
Registered33,876
Turnout53.7%
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Lab
ILab
Con
Party Labour Independent Labour Conservative
Seats won811
Popular vote1,3311,642778
Percentage35.5%43.7%20.7%

Council Leader after election


Labour

Elections to Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council were held on 7 May 1974, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the first election to the district council following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

Contents

The election used 10 wards created by the Formation Electoral Arrangements in 1974. Each ward elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting. [1]

Labour took control of the council after winning a large majority despite none of their candidates winning a contested seat. Labour were the only party to stand candidates in every seat with eight elected unopposed. The two seats which were contested were won by the Conservatives and an independent Labour candidate. As a result of the large number of uncontested seats, independent Labour won the popular vote.

Background

Prior to 1974, Cumnock (known as Cumnock and Holmhead until 1960) was one of 17 burghs within the County of Ayr. [2] The area was made a burgh of barony by Royal Charter in 1509 before becoming a police burgh with an elected burgh council in 1866. [3] [4] As a small burgh, the burgh council had limited powers which included some control over planning as well as local taxation, building control, housing, lighting and drainage with the rest of the local government responsibility falling to the county council. [2]

Following the recommendations in the Wheatly Report, the old system of counties and burghs – which had resulted in a mishmash of local government areas in which some small burghs had larger populations but far fewer responsibilities than some large burghs and even counties [2] – was to be replaced by a new system of regional and district councils. Cumnock Burgh and the surrounding areas including New Cumnock, Mauchline and Dalmellington was to be placed in Cumnock and Doon Valley district within the Strathclyde region. [5]

Results

1974 Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council election result
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 8N/A80.035.51,331N/A
  Independent Labour 1N/A10.043.71,642N/A
  Conservative 1N/A10.020.7778N/A
Total10 3,751

Source: [6]

Ward results

Cumnock Burgh

Cumnock Burgh
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour K. McTurkUnopposed
Registered electors 4,651
Labour win (new seat)

Source: [6]

Lugar, Logan and Muirkirk

Lugar, Logan and Muirkirk
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour M. LochheadUnopposed
Registered electors 3,363
Labour win (new seat)

Source: [6]

Old Cumnock Parish

Old Cumnock Parish
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour T. McIntyreUnopposed
Registered electors 2,426
Labour win (new seat)

Source: [6]

Auchinleck

Auchinleck
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour J. AllanUnopposed
Registered electors 3,436
Labour win (new seat)

Source: [6]

Catrine and Sorn

Catrine and Sorn
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour H. NisbetUnopposed
Registered electors 2,307
Labour win (new seat)

Source: [6]

New Cumnock

New Cumnock
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour J. PatersonUnopposed
Registered electors 4,088
Labour win (new seat)

Source: [6]

Dalmellington

Dalmellington
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour R. HillUnopposed
Registered electors 3,353
Labour win (new seat)

Source: [6]

Patna and Dalrymple

Patna and Dalrymple
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour M. RooneyUnopposed
Registered electors 3,271
Labour win (new seat)

Source: [6]

Drongan, Ochiltree, Rankinston and Stair

Drongan, Ochiltree, Rankinston and Stair
PartyCandidateVotes%
Independent Labour J. Hodge 1,642 72.8
Labour W. Brown61427.2
Majority1,02845.6
Turnout 2,25657.5
Registered electors 3,952
Independent Labour win (new seat)

Source: [6]

Mauchline

Mauchline
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative T. Findlay 778 52.0
Labour M. Miller71748.0
Majority614.0
Turnout 1,49549.6
Registered electors 3,029
Conservative win (new seat)

Source: [6]

Related Research Articles

Elections to Strathclyde Regional Council were held on Tuesday 7 May 1974, on the same day as the eight other Scottish regional elections. This was the first election to the regional council following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

Elections to Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council were held on 3 May 1977, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the second election to the district council following the local government reforms in 1974.

Elections to Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council were held on 1 May 1980, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the third election to the district council following the local government reforms in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1992 Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council election</span> Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council election

Elections to Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council were held on 7 May 1992, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the final election to the district council which was abolished in 1995 along with Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council and replaced by East Ayrshire Council following the implementation of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. The regional council, Strathclyde was also abolished and the new unitary authority took on its responsibilities.

Elections to Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council were held on 5 May 1988, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the fifth election to the district council following the local government reforms in the 1970s.

Elections to Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council were held on 3 May 1984, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the fourth election to the district council following the local government reforms in the 1970s.

Elections to Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council were held on 7 May 1974, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. This was the first election to the district council following the implementation of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

Mauchline was one of 32 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1974, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Patna and Dalrymple was one of 32 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1974, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Dalmellington was one of 32 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1974, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

New Cumnock was one of 32 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1974, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Muirkirk, Lugar and Logan was one of 32 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1974 as Lugar, Logan and Muirkirk before being renamed in 1999, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Auchinleck was one of 32 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1974, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before it was abolished in 1984. Following the local government reforms in the 1990s, the ward was reestablished in 1999 as part of East Ayrshire. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Drongan, Ochiltree, Rankinston and Stair was one of 30 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1974, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Cumnock Burgh was one of 10 electoral wards of Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council. Created in 1974, the ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Old Cumnock Parish was one of 10 electoral wards of Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council. Created in 1974, the ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Catrine and Sorn was one of 10 electoral wards of Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council. Created in 1974, the ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Cumnock East was one of 32 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1984, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Cumnock South and Old Cumnock was one of 30 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1984, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

Cumnock West and Auchinleck was one of 30 electoral wards of East Ayrshire Council. Originally created in 1984, the ward was initially within Cumnock and Doon Valley District Council before the local government reforms in the 1990s. The ward elected one councillor using the first-past-the-post voting electoral system.

References

  1. "Formation Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Information Paper Local government in Scotland: before 1975" (PDF). Boundaries Scotland. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  3. Historic Environment Scotland. "Old Cumnock Old Church (Category B Listed Building) (LB24092)" . Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  4. Bark, Stephen (3 July 2017). "Cumnock Community Council mark 150th anniversary of police burgh status". Cumnock Chronicle. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  5. Turnock, David (1970). "The Wheatley Report: Local Government in Scotland". Area. Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers. 2 (2): 10–12. JSTOR   20000437.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1975). The Scottish Local Government Elections 1974: Results and Statistics (PDF). Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press. Retrieved 3 January 2023.