1976 Guildford Borough Council election

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The second Guildford Borough Council full-council elections were held on 6 May 1976. The Conservatives retained control of the council with an increased majority, winning 35 of the 45 seats.

When Guildford Borough Council was created under the Local Government Act 1972 the electoral wards used were largely based on the wards and parish boundaries which had existed under the two previous councils - Guildford Municipal Borough Council (the town council) and Guildford Rural District Council, which together had been merged to form the new Guildford Borough Council.

There had been a slight degree of rewarding in the run up to the 1973 council election. [1] For example, the pre 1973 Friary ward and pre 1973 St Nicolas ward were merged into a new Friary & St Nicolas ward.

Complete rewarding though would only be completed in time for the 1976 elections. [2] The main changes to the electoral wards in the run up to the 1976 elections were as follows -

Ash ward (5 councillors) was split into two wards Ash (3 councillors) plus Ash Vale (2 councillors);

A new Christchurch ward (2 councillors) was created from part of the Stoke ward and part of the Merrow & Burpham ward; [3]

As a result of this Merrow & Burpham ward reduced from 5 councillors to 3. However the geographically reduced Stoke ward still retained its 3 councillors;

Artington, Compton, Puttenham, Seale and Tongham, Shackleford and Wanborough ward (2 councillors) was split into two wards Tongham (1 councillor), plus Pilgrims (2 councillors). This represented a gain of one councillor for this area;

Stoughton saw the number of councillors represent it increase from 2 to 3;

Worplesdon also saw the number of councillors represent it increase from 2 to 3;

Albury, Shere and St Martha's ward (2 councillors) was renamed Tillingbourne (2 councillors);

East Clandon, West Clandon, East Horsley and West Horsley ward (3 councillors) was renamed Clandon and Horsley (3 councillors); and

Ripley, Wisley and Ockham ward (1 councillor) was renamed Lovelace (1 councillor).

In the 1976 election the Liberals lost three seats reducing their representation from 5 to 2. They lost one councillor in Clandon & Horsley (previously called East Clandon, West Clandon, East Horsley and West Horsley). They lost 2 of their 3 councillors in Friary & St Nicolas.

Labour retained all 6 councillors in its two strongholds Stoke and Westborough.

The Conservatives increased their number of councillors from 29 to 35, a figure which up to and including 2011 still remained a record for any party in a full Guildford Borough Council election.

The Conservatives 6 gains included 3 gains from the Liberals - 2 in Friary & St Nicolas and 1 in Clandon & Horsley. The Conservatives gained 1 seat from an Independent in Tillingbourne (previously known as Aldbury, Shere and St Martha's) and made 2 gains as a result of an increase in the number of councillors representing the Stoughton and Worplesdon wards.

A total of 2 independents were elected. Independents lost one councillor in Tillingbourne, but gained one in the new Tongham ward where the elected candidate was described as an Independent Conservative. That Independent Conservative then went on to stand at the next full council election, in 1979, as the official Conservative candidate for the Tongham ward.

Results [4]

Ash (top 3 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative JG Ades1543
Conservative Mrs RC Hall1446
Conservative BM Llewellyn1412
Labour Mrs J Curwell753
Labour AR Roberts701
Labour PD Green695
Majority659
Turnout
Ash Vale (top 2 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Mrs IF Towler971
Conservative Mrs JB Golding936
Labour Miss MI Hawkins319
Labour E Bones289
Majority617
Turnout
Christchurch (top 2 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative JP Twining1552
Conservative AJE Hodges1531
Labour J Wyer221
Labour MA Ridgway213
Majority1310
Turnout
Clandon & Horsley (top 3 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative DA May2063
Conservative MF Meredith1939
Conservative GF Farrar1688
Liberal Mrs PM Iliff1528
Liberal WH Pearson1115
Liberal FA Oxford951
Majority160
Turnout
Effingham (only 1 candidate elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Col BP Trywhitt-Drake678
Liberal Mrs JH Ormond276
Majority402
Turnout
Friary & St. Nicolas (top 3 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Liberal Dr RE Blundell1074
Conservative DS Cobbett1052
Conservative Mrs J Harris1038
Liberal Mrs MF Bateman1015
Conservative AJ Spanner970
Liberal RG Marks957
Labour Mrs J Henman421
Labour M Mennel372
Labour Mrs G Lines353
Majority23
Turnout
Holy Trinity (top 2 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Liberal BAH Banks1207
Conservative CJK Boyce1118
Conservative HA Wainwright1020
Liberal Mrs PJ Maynard887
Majority98
Turnout
Lovelace (only 1 candidate elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative DAG Gibbsunopposed
Merrow & Burpham (top 3 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Mrs MM Walls1938
Conservative RHG Beatrip1655
Conservative SG Brearley1606
Liberal BR Avery531
Labour D Wynne513
Liberal AR Dakers494
Liberal CJ Oliver471
Labour MP Hill406
Labour G Hall396
Majority1075
Turnout
Normandy (only 1 candidate elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative AA Cook670
Labour PJ Dyson366
Majority304
Turnout
Onslow (top 3 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Mrs PE Harding1332
Conservative TR Hawke1113
Conservative Mrs BM Woodhatch1085
Liberal SH Elston625
Labour J Cox570
Labour Mrs CA Rogers498
Labour Mrs LM Harper495
Liberal AJ Phillips488
Liberal Mrs L Strudwick409
Majority460
Turnout
Pilgrims (top 2 candidate elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative JD Harris1130
Conservative JP Moore1117
Labour Mrs J Bridgewater203
Labour C Hardiman202
Majority814
Turnout
Pirbright (only 1 candidate elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative RH Amisunopposed
Send (top 2 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Mrs MH Sanger945
Conservative SE Roberts902
Labour Mrs JM Haimes207
Majority695
Turnout
Shalford (only 1 candidate elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative Mrs ECS Stewart777
Independent GA Goulty487
Majority290
Turnout
Stoke (top 3 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour GR Bellerby [5] 2093
Labour RGK Burgess1551
Labour Mrs E Pullan1456
Conservative HE Harris723
[6] PM Laurence577
Conservative JR Williams552
Majority733
Turnout
Stoughton (top 3 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative WR Jordan1298
Conservative LJ May1259
Conservative RE Price1220
Liberal Mrs S Holyroyd780
Liberal GW Maynard725
Liberal KL Humphries722
Labour JFahy669
Labour SW Cosser570
Labour OJE Sefton563
Majority440
Turnout
Tillingbourne (top 2 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative MP Dallyn1099
Independent Mrs MR Elston998
Independent GA Witheridge772
Conservative PRJ Rock de Besombes642
Independent Mrs M Ellenger378
Majority226
Turnout
Tongham (only 1 candidate elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Independent ConservativePM Davies184
Independent RT Oliver181
Majority3
Turnout
Westborough (top 3 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Labour Mrs DW Bellerby1473
Labour JB Patrick1279
Labour JR Dale1272
Conservative BJ Gibbs741
Conservative Mrs DM Hall703
Conservative Mrs EM Cobbett674
Liberal KG Briggs518
Liberal Mrs BS Redclift389
Liberal MWJ Morris385
Majority531
Turnout
Worplesdon (top 3 candidates elected)
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Conservative DW Reeds1090
Conservative Mrs SE Simkins1074
Conservative GF Hellicar1040
Independent H Cater836
Liberal PJ Stokoe575
Liberal Mrs JW Trindles487
Majority204
Turnout

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References

  1. ↑ See Guildford Borough Council - A Compendium of Municipal Election Results 1835 to 1974 by Roger Ottewill.
  2. ↑ The Borough of Guildford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975
  3. ↑ From 1904 to 1933 there had been an electoral ward in this area of Guildford Municipal Borough Council called Christchurch. From 1933 to 1951 its successor ward was known as Merrow & Christchurch. In 1951 the Christchurch ward name disappeared for what would be 25 years - see Twentieth Century Local Election Results Vol 5 Guildford compiled by Roger Ottewill, published by University of Plymouth.
  4. ↑ Surrey Advertiser 7–8 May 1976
  5. ↑ GR Bellerby was more commonly known as Bill Bellerby. He appears in every Surrey Advertiser summary of Guildford BC election results from 1973 to 1991 as either B Bellerby or Bill Bellerby. For example both the 1973 and 1976 results list all other candidates in all the wards in Guildford by initials except one who they list as 'Bill Bellerby'. "Guildford Borough Council - A Compendium of Municipal Election results 1835 to 1974" by Roger Ottewill repeated lists his initials as 'GR Bellerby' and that form is used herein.
  6. ↑ Mr Laurence has the description "(Lab)" printed next to his name in the Surrey Advertiser results of 7/8 May 1976. It is believed that this is a misprint and should read "(Con)". The reason why Mr Laurence is believed to be a Conservative candidate rather than Labour candidate are - a) there are already three other Labour candidates listed in the newspaper for this three ward seat and any party putting up more candidates than positions available would only reduce their average vote and consequently reduce their chance of election which is highly unlikely; b) the number of votes Mr Laurence received fell between the numbers received by the two candidates described in the newspaper as Conservatives, but around 900 fewer votes than would have been expected if he had been a Labour candidate in this ward in this election; and c) there are only two candidates described as Conservatives in the newspaper for this ward in this election and it would be highly unusual in this era in Guildford for the Conservative not to challenge either the Liberals or Labour with their full quota of candidates, although the Conservatives on a number of occasions did not oppose Independents seeking election in Guildford during this era.
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