1978 Merton London Borough Council election

1978 Merton London Borough Council election

←  1974 4 May 1978 1982  →
All 57 council seats on Merton London Borough Council
Turnout	46.4% [1]
First party Second party Third party   Party Conservative Labour Longthornton and Tamworth Residents Last election 33 seats [n 1] 27 seats [n 2] 3 seats Seats won 39 15 3 Seat change 6 12 Popular vote 85,773 56,501 5,336 Percentage 52.6% 34.7% 3.9%
Council leader before election Allan Jones Conservative Council leader after election Allan Jones Conservative

Elections for the London Borough of Merton were held on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Merton London Borough Council in London, England. This was on the same day as other local elections in England and Scotland. ^[1]

The whole council was up for election and the incumbent majority Conservative administration maintained its overall control of the council. ^[1] This was the first election held in which no aldermen were elected onto the council. ^[2] Boundary changes also meant that the number of elected seats increased by 3. ^[1]

Background

See also: Merton London Borough Council elections § 1974-1978

At the last election, the Conservatives had won a majority of three seats on the council, with twenty-nine elected members and four aldermen. ^[2] They subsequently gained a seat from the Labour Party in a by-election in the ward of Wimbledon South on 19 September 1974 and then lost a seat to the Liberal Party in the ward of Cannon Hill on 30 October 1975. ^[1]

Prior to the election, elected councillors appointed nine aldermen to serve on Merton London Borough Council. This was the first election in which this arrangement ended, ^[2] as was required by the Local Government Act 1972, which rendered the post merely an honorary title. ^[1]

The Conservatives did not stand in the newly-created ward of Longthornton, leaving the three-member ward as a two-way contest between the Labour Party and the Longthornton and Tamworth Residents Association. ^[1]

Results

The Conservatives maintained their overall majority control of the council, increasing their majority to 21 seats. ^[2]

Merton Local Election Result 1978 ^{[1] [n 3]}

Party		Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
	Conservative	39	n/a	n/a	6	68.4%	52.6%	85,773
	Labour	15	n/a	n/a	12	26.3%	34.7%	56,501
	Longthornton and Tamworth Residents	3	n/a	n/a		5.3%	3.9%	6,336
	Liberal	0	n/a	n/a	0	0%	8.3%	13,532
	National Front	0	n/a	n/a	0	0%	0.3%	457
	Independent	0	n/a	n/a	0	0%	0.2%	272
	Workers Revolutionary	0	n/a	n/a	0	0%	0.0%	74

Notes and references

Notes

1. In the 1974 election, 4 Conservative aldermen and 29 Conservative councillors were elected, giving the Conservative Party a total of 33 seats.
2. In the 1974 election, 5 Labour aldermen and 22 Labour councillors were elected, giving the Labour Party a total of 27 seats.
3. The Independent vote count includes one candidate who stood under the description of "Theatrical Agent" in Village, winning 169 votes.

References

1. "London Borough Council Elections 4 May 1978" (PDF). Greater London Council. 1978. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
2. "London Borough of Merton Results Summary 1964-2012" (PDF). Merton Electoral Services. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2018.