1978 City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council election

Last updated July 19, 2023

Elections to City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council were held on 4 May 1978, with one third of council up for election as well as an extra vacancy in Shipley: Central, North & East. The election resulted in the Conservatives retaining control with voter turnout at 38.3%.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Election result

Bradford Local Election Result 1978^[1]^[3]
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Conservative	18	1	2	-1	56.2	49.2	61,930	+0.8%
Labour	13	2	0	+2	40.6	38.7	48,771	+4.5%
Liberal	1	0	1	-1	3.1	8.8	11,110	+0.9%
National Front	0	0	0	0	0.0	2.1	2,619	-5.2%
Independent	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.6	790	+0.6%
Socialist Unity	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.4	456	+0.4%
Independent Labour	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.2	204	+0.2%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:

Party		Previous council	New council
	Conservatives	61	60
	Labour	26	28
	Liberals	5	4
	Independent Labour	1	1
Total		93	93
Working majority		29	27

Ward results

Allerton ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Barbara Curtis	2,803	58.4	+6.4
	Labour	J. Whiteside	1,529	31.9	-2.3
	Liberal	K. Buckley	361	7.5	+1.1
	National Front	A. Smith	106	2.2	-5.2
Majority			1,274	26.5	+8.7
Turnout			4,799	36.1	-5.1
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.3

Baildon ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Lightowler	2,989	55.9	+3.0
	Labour	P. Clarke	1,320	24.7	+6.7
	Liberal	Kathleen Greenwood	1,040	19.4	-9.7
Majority			1,669	31.2	+7.4
Turnout			5,349	46.7	+0.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.8

Bingley: Central, East, North & West^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Chapman	3,139	62.2	+0.6
	Labour	B. Lynch	1,311	26.0	+5.8
	Liberal	I. Ross	598	11.8	-6.4
Majority			1,828	36.2	-5.2
Turnout			5,048	41.8	-3.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.6

Bolton ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	E. Wooler	1,748	47.8	+5.5
	Labour	E. Steed	1,381	37.7	+9.8
	Liberal	J. Moran	415	11.3	-6.9
	National Front	Elsie Barcook	116	3.2	-8.4
Majority			367	10.0	-4.3
Turnout			3,660	34.5	-2.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.1

Bowling ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	B. Kearns	1,551	60.1	+14.1
	Conservative	D. Conquest	917	35.5	-0.9
	National Front	S. Collins	113	4.4	-13.2
Majority			634	24.6	+15.0
Turnout			2,581	33.5	+1.4
	Labour hold		Swing	+7.5

Bradford Moor ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Walter Johnson	2,295	49.7	+2.9
	Conservative	Dorothy Tyler	1,672	36.2	+3.3
	Socialist Unity	R. Goldberg	456	9.9	+9.9
	National Front	S. Wood	194	4.2	-16.1
Majority			623	13.5	-0.4
Turnout			4,617	42.5	-3.4
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.2

Clayton, Ambler Thorn & Queensbury ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Irene Cookland	3,566	61.8	+5.9
	Labour	D. Hopkins	2,040	35.4	+2.1
	National Front	Joan Wood	164	2.8	-5.5
Majority			1,526	26.4	+3.8
Turnout			5,770	35.1	-3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.9

Craven: Silsden, Addingham, Kildwick & Steeton with Eastburn ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Barker	2,299	59.1	-13.0
	Labour	D. Wright	1,509	38.8	+10.9
	National Front	Alice Fairew	82	2.1	+2.1
Majority			790	20.3	-23.9
Turnout			3,890	40.7	-7.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	-11.9

Denholme, Cullingworth, Bingley South & Wilsden ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Emily Hall	3,277	74.1	-5.7
	Labour	Pauline Wall	817	18.5	-1.7
	Liberal	Susan Clemence	329	7.4	+7.4
Majority			2,460	55.6	-3.9
Turnout			4,423	42.4	+2.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.0

Eccleshill ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Swallow	1,805	45.5	+5.0
	Labour	A. Dewhirst	1,710	43.1	+8.2
	Liberal	P. Sugden	340	8.6	-6.4
	National Front	T. Hawthorn	113	2.8	-6.8
Majority			95	2.4	-3.1
Turnout			3,968	37.7	-0.6
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	-1.6

Great Horton ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Dennison	2,154	49.5	-2.9
	Labour	R. Stork	2,057	47.3	+10.7
	National Front	A. Cureton	136	3.1	-7.8
Majority			97	2.2	-13.6
Turnout			4,347	41.2	-1.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.8

Haworth, Oakworth & Oxenhope ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Hodgson	2,497	56.7	-9.7
	Labour Co-op	H. Binns	1,496	34.0	+0.4
	Liberal	H. Mortimer	407	9.2	+9.2
Majority			1,001	22.7	-10.1
Turnout			4,400	37.6	-0.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	-5.0

Heaton ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. King	2,775	57.3	-2.0
	Labour	M. Ajeeb	1,527	31.5	+6.6
	Liberal	Mary Howard	392	8.1	+1.6
	National Front	G. Wright	150	3.1	-6.2
Majority			1,248	25.8	-8.6
Turnout			4,844	44.5	+2.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.3

Idle ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	P. Hockney	3,863	93.6	+59.0
	National Front	A. Farrow	264	6.4	-1.8
Majority			3,599	87.2	+85.0
Turnout			4,127	35.4	-5.1
	Liberal hold		Swing	+28.6

Ilkley: Ben Rhydding, Ilkley North, South & West^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	E. Wright	2,797	71.2	+20.2
	Liberal	Rebecca Jones	1,130	28.8	+28.8
Majority			1,667	42.4	+40.3
Turnout			3,927	40.3	-6.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.3

Ilkley: Burley, Holme & Menston ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Smith	2,443	63.5	-1.0
	Labour	C. Hunter	852	22.1	+9.4
	Liberal	Carton Svensgaard	552	14.3	-8.4
Majority			1,591	41.4	-0.5
Turnout			3,847	49.5	+4.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	-5.2

Keighley: Keighley Central, East & South^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	H. Peacock	2,332	52.7	+6.1
	Conservative	D. Robertshaw	1,682	38.0	-2.4
	Liberal	Judith Brooksbank	301	6.8	+0.5
	National Front	J. Dawson	106	2.4	-4.2
Majority			650	14.7	+8.4
Turnout			4,421	41.4	+0.5
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.2

Keighley: Morton & Keighley North East^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Womersley	1,542	50.0	-15.2
	Labour	S. Bowen	908	29.5	+2.9
	Liberal	G. Sims	548	17.8	+17.8
	National Front	Kate Ingham	83	2.7	-5.5
Majority			634	20.6	-18.2
Turnout			3,081	40.1	-1.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	-9.1

Keighley: North West & West ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	B. Thorne	2,465	49.1	+7.6
	Conservative	Hilda Harrison	2,447	48.8	+2.6
	National Front	K. O'Neill	105	2.1	-4.1
Majority			18	0.4	-4.2
Turnout			5,017	42.7	-1.6
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.5

Laisterdyke ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Fieldhouse	1,670	68.0	+10.6
	Conservative	H. Thorne	786	32.0	+2.7
Majority			884	36.0	+7.9
Turnout			2,456	32.0	-0.5
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.9

Little Horton ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Hameed	1,449	45.8	-11.8
	Conservative	Kathleen Warrilow	1,024	32.4	+1.2
	Liberal	N. Baggley	346	10.9	+10.9
	Independent Labour	M. Mirza	204	6.4	+6.4
	National Front	G. Brown	140	4.4	-6.8
Majority			425	13.4	-13.0
Turnout			3,163	28.6	-0.7
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.5

Manningham ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	H. Baines	2,109	54.5	+5.2
	Conservative	S. Bailey	1,093	28.2	-9.7
	Independent	R. Shahid	369	9.5	+9.5
	Liberal	Anne Smithson	167	4.3	+4.3
	National Front	R. Fairey	134	3.5	-7.5
Majority			1,016	26.2	+14.9
Turnout			3,872	36.3	+1.8
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+7.4

Odsal ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Medler	2,196	59.0	+4.9
	Labour	J. Bruce	1,524	41.0	+4.0
Majority			672	18.1	+0.9
Turnout			3,720	35.6	-5.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.4

Shipley: Central, North & East^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	N. Free	2,477	59.3	+9.6
	Labour	B. Chadwick	2,465
	Conservative	D. Cooke	1,697	40.7	+2.2
	Conservative	M. Hollings	1,694
Majority			768	18.7	+7.4
Turnout			4,174	39.3	+4.1
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.7

Shipley: South & West^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Arthur	3,104	71.6	+1.3
	Labour	P. Lancaster	1,233	28.4	-1.3
Majority			1,871	43.2	+2.6
Turnout			4,337	42.8	-3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.3

Thornton ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Chapman	2,392	62.4	+14.6
	Labour	R. Holroyde	1,146	29.9	+6.3
	Liberal	J. Pearson	191	5.0	-7.5
	National Front	F. Harris	103	2.7	-5.4
Majority			1,246	32.5	+8.3
Turnout			3,832	37.8	-4.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.1

Tong ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Senior	2,160	64.8	+2.2
	Conservative	J. Owen	1,047	31.4	+7.1
	National Front	G. Robinson	127	3.8	-5.6
Majority			1,113	33.4	-4.9
Turnout			3,334	27.6	+0.4
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.4

Undercliffe ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Goodyear	1,932	53.6	+16.0
	Conservative	M. Stanley	1,507	41.8	+1.7
	National Front	D. Matson	165	4.6	-8.0
Majority			425	11.8	+9.3
Turnout			3,604	41.8	+1.0
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+7.1

University ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Hussain	2,005	58.9	+16.5
	Conservative	D. Baggley	747	22.0	-1.5
	Independent	A. Patel	421	12.4	+12.4
	Liberal	C. Hill	130	3.8	-18.6
	National Front	T. Brown	99	2.9	-8.8
Majority			1,258	37.0	+18.0
Turnout			3,402	41.3	+1.7
	Labour hold		Swing	+9.0

Wibsey ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. Hillam	2,210	60.1	+12.5
	Labour	F. Bastow	1,347	36.6	+6.5
	National Front	D. Brown	119	3.2	-7.5
Majority			863	23.5	+6.0
Turnout			3,676	35.0	-1.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.0

Wyke ^[1]^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	B. Seal	2,619	62.4	-16.2
	Conservative	K. Porter	1,575	37.5	+37.5
Majority			1,044	24.9	-32.5
Turnout			4,194	35.5	+11.8
	Labour hold		Swing	-26.9

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References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 "District results: Bradford". The Yorkshire Post . 4 May 1978. Scans
↑ "Vote 2012: Bradford". BBC News Online . Retrieved 20 February 2013.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 "Bradford election results". Telegraph & Argus . 4 May 1978.

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[results-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 "District results: Bradford". The Yorkshire Post . 4 May 1978. Scans

[BBC-2] "Vote 2012: Bradford". BBC News Online . Retrieved 20 February 2013.

[results2-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 "Bradford election results". Telegraph & Argus . 4 May 1978.

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v t e (1977 ←) 1978 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1979)
London boroughs	Barking Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster
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Regional councils (Scotland)	Borders Central Dumfries and Galloway Fife Grampian Highland Lothian Orkney Shetland Strathclyde Tayside Western Isles

v t e Council elections in West Yorkshire
Mayor	2021
Bradford	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Calderdale	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Kirklees	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Leeds	1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Wakefield	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
West Yorkshire CC	1973 1977 1981 Abolished
West Riding CC	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes

1978 City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council election

Contents

Election result

Ward results

Related Research Articles

References