1975 United Kingdom local elections

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1975 United Kingdom local elections
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1974 1 May 1975 1976  

All 36 metropolitan boroughs
 Majority partyMinority partyThird party
  Margaret Thatcher at White House (cropped).jpg Harold Wilson (1967).jpg
Lib
Leader Margaret Thatcher Harold Wilson Jeremy Thorpe
Party Conservative Labour Liberal
Leader since11 February 197514 February 196318 January 1967
Councillors +/-Increase2.svg 199Decrease2.svg 206Decrease2.svg 10

Local elections took place for one third of the seats of the thirty-six metropolitan boroughs on 1 May 1975. The seats had previously been contested in May 1973, when the Labour Party had achieved great success. [1] [2] In the 1975 elections the Conservative Party made widespread gains, with a net gain of 199 seats and Labour had a net loss of 206. The Liberal Party had a net loss of 10 seats, and Independents a loss of 5. "Others", including Ratepayers, Independent Labour councillors and Progressives made net gains of 22.

Contents

The Conservatives gained control of Bury, Stockport and Wirral from no overall control; and Calderdale form Labour. They also became the largest party on Leeds city council.

Labour retained control of Birmingham by the mayor's casting vote.

The Liberals failed to gain overall control of Liverpool, and losing seats, but remaining the largest party on the council by a single seat. [3]

Summary of results

England

Metropolitan boroughs

DistrictCountyConservativeLabourLiberalIndependentOtherControl
Barnsley South Yorkshire 048 (-7)1 (+1)1Ratepayers 6 (+6)

Independent Labour 2
2 Vacancies

Labour hold
Birmingham West Midlands 55 (+11)63 (-10)8 (-1)00Labour hold
Bolton Greater Manchester 42 (+7)23 (-8)3 (+1)10Conservative hold
Bradford West Yorkshire 57 (+4)28 (-3)8 (-1)00Conservative hold
Bury Greater Manchester 28 (+7)16 (-4)4 (-3)00Conservative gain from NOC
Calderdale West Yorkshire28 (+11)18 (-11)500Conservative gain from Labour
Coventry West Midlands21 (+9)33 (-9)030Labour hold
Doncaster South Yorkshire15 (+3)40 (-2)03 (-1)Democratic Labour 1
1 Vacancy
Labour hold
Dudley West Midlands29 (+5)35 (-5)01Independent Socialist 1Labour hold
Gateshead Tyne and Wear 10 (+4)65 (-5)2 (+1)10Labour hold
Kirklees West Yorkshire28 (+9)36 (+8)7 (-1)10Labour hold
Knowsley Merseyside 12 (+4)45 (-5)311 (+1)Labour hold
Leeds West Yorkshire43 (+6)41 (-4)12 (-2)00NOC
Liverpool Merseyside14 (+4)42 (-1)43 (-3)00NOC
Manchester Greater Manchester4554000Labour hold
Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear27 (+4)47 (-4)2 (+1)2 (-1)0Labour hold
North Tyneside Tyne and Wear24 (+5)46 (-1)4 (-2)4 (-2)0Labour hold
Oldham Greater Manchester15 (+9)30 (-11)11 (+2)13 VacanciesLabour hold
Rochdale Greater Manchester22 (+8)28 (-9)10 (+1)00Labour lose to NOC
Rotherham South Yorkshire7 (+4)44 (-6)02 (+1)Ratepayers 1 (+1)Labour hold
St Helens Merseyside14 (+5)30 (-6)1 (+1)0Ratepayers 0 (-1)Labour hold
Salford Greater Manchester20 (+5)44 (-6)10Tenants and Ratepayers 1 (+1)Labour
Sandwell West Midlands32 (+10)58 (-10)000Labour hold
Sefton Merseyside40 (+3)22 (-2)32Ratepayers 2 (-1)Conservative hold
Sheffield South Yorkshire20 (+2)66 (-3)4 (+1)00Labour hold
Solihull West Midlands30 (+1)1227 (-1)0Conservative hold
South Tyneside Tyne and Wear5 (+2)35 (-10)3 (+3)0Progressives 23 (+5)Labour hold
Stockport Greater Manchester34121040Conservative gain from NOC
Sunderland Tyne and Wear23 (+2)52 (-4)1 (+1)0Independent Labour 1 (+1)Labour hold
Tameside Greater Manchester24 (+11)28 (-11)200Labour hold
Trafford Greater Manchester42 (+9)13 (-5)8 (-4)00Conservative hold
Wakefield West Yorkshire11 (+5)45 (-10)01 (-1)Ratepayers 6 (+6)

3 Vacancies

Labour
Walsall West Midlands14 (+4)37 (-7)04 (+1)Ratepayers 5 (+2)Labour hold
Wigan Greater Manchester10 (+5)61 (-5)01 (+1)0 (-1)Labour
Wirral Merseyside36 (+7)21 (-3)9 (-4)00Conservative gain from NOC
Wolverhampton West Midlands28 (+2)31 (-3)00Ratepayers 1 (+1)Labour hold

References

  1. Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1975. The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  3. Tories capture 199 seats in 'big cities' poll triumph, May Day blow to Labour as the Tories make many gains in district council elections, The Times, 2 May 1975