1980 Scottish local elections

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1980 Scottish local elections
Flag of Scotland.svg
  1978 1 May 1980 (1980-05-01) 1982  
 First partySecond party
  James Callaghan ppmsca.53218 (cropped).tif Margaret Thatcher (1983).jpg
Leader James Callaghan Margaret Thatcher
Party Labour Conservative
Leader since5 April 197611 February 1975
Seats won469232
Seat changeIncrease2.svg187Decrease2.svg 27
Popular vote45.4%24.1%
SwingIncrease2.svg13.8Decrease2.svg3.1

 Third partyFourth party
  DavidSteel1987 cropped.jpg
Leader Gordon Wilson David Steel
Party SNP Liberal
Leader since19797 July 1976
Seats won5233
Seat changeDecrease2.svg118Decrease2.svg29
Popular vote15.5%6.2%
SwingDecrease2.svg8.7Increase2.svg2.2

Scottish District local elections, 1980.svg
Colours denote the winning party with outright control

Elections for the Scottish district councils were held in 1980.

Contents

These were the third elections held to the 53 district councils established by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The previous elections had been held in 1977. The elections took place a year after the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher had come to power. The local elections, which also took place in England and Wales, were seen as the first electoral test of the Thatcher ministry. [1]

Background

The poll was held on 1 May and all 1,182 district council seats were to be filled. [2] Districts formed the second tier in local government in Scotland under the 1975 reorganisation, with regional councils forming the upper tier. It was intended that elections would normally take place on a four-year cycle. Regional elections were also to be on a four-year cycle, held midway between district elections.

Party performance

Labour had a very good electoral performance, more than regaining the ground they had lost at the 1977 elections. They gained 18 councils: 3 from the Scottish National Party, one from Liberals and 14 from no overall control. Notable gains were the cities of Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow. [3] The Conservatives suffered the loss of Edinburgh but held another six councils. The SNP vote collapsed and they lost control of the three councils they controlled. In a number of councils all of the party's sitting councillors were defeated, most notably in Glasgow where they lost all 16 seats they held. The Liberal Party lost the only council they controlled. [3]

Summary of the 1980 Scottish District local council election results [4]
PartiesVotesVotes %Wards
Labour 45.4469
Conservative 24.1232
SNP 15.552
Liberal 6.233
Independent/Other8.9
Total

Results by region

The seats on each council before and after the election were as follows: [2] [3]

Borders

DistrictLabourConservativeLiberalIndependentOtherControl
Berwickshire 1 (+1)11 (−1)000 Conservative hold
Ettrick and Lauderdale 010 (−1)14 (+1)0 Independent hold
Roxburgh 0 (−1)5 (+3)011 (−2)0 Independent hold
Tweeddale 000100 Independent hold

Central

DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentOtherControl
Clackmannan 7 (+3)14 (−3)000 Labour gain from SNP
Falkirk 27 (+19)24 (−17)02 (−1)Independent Labour 1
Independent Scottish Nationalist 0 (−1)
Labour gain from SNP
Stirling 10 (+3)90 (−3)01 (+1)Independent Conservative 0 (−1) Labour gain from NOC

Dumfries and Galloway

DistrictLabourConservativeSNPIndependentControl
Annandale and Eskdale 00016 Independent hold
Nithsdale 5 (+1)5 (+5)414 (−6) Independent hold
Stewartry 00012 Independent hold
Wigtown 00014 Independent hold

Fife

DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentOtherControl
Dunfermline 22 (+3)5 (−2)1 (−1)1 (+1)1 (−1)0 Labour hold
Kirkcaldy 23 (+7)3 (−2)4 (−4)03Ratepayers 3 (−1) Labour gain from NOC
North-East Fife 5 (+4)11 (−5)002 (+1)0 Conservative hold

Grampian

DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentControl
Banff and Buchan 1 (+1)05 (+4)012 (−5) Independent hold
City of Aberdeen 27 (+5)13 (−2)0 (−2)8 (−1)0 Labour gain from NOC
Gordon 03036No overall control
Kincardine and Deeside 02 (−1)01 (+1)9 Independent hold
Moray 003 (−1)015 (+1) Independent hold

Highland

DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentControl
Badenoch and Strathspey 002 (+2)08 (−2) Independent hold
Caithness100113 Independent hold
Inverness801217 Independent hold
Lochaber 4 (+1)00 (−1)08 Independent hold
Nairn 000 (−2)010 Independent hold
Ross and Cromarty 010019 Independent hold
Skye and Lochalsh
2 vacancies
00009 Independent hold
Sutherland
1 vacancy
000013 Independent hold

‡ Changes in ward boundaries

Lothian

DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentControl
City of Edinburgh2531222Conservatives lose to NOC
East Lothian 107000 Labour hold
Midlothian 13 (+6)0 (−1)0 (−4)1 (+1)1 (−1) Labour gain from NOC
West Lothian 15 (+7)04 (−6)02 (−1) Labour gain from NOC

‡ Changes in ward boundaries

Strathclyde

DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentOthersControl
Argyll and Bute 1 (+1)2 (−2)3020 (+1)0 Independent hold
Bearsden and Milngavie 2 (+1)6 (−1)0020 Conservative hold
Clydebank 8 (+5)10 (−5)00 Scottish Labour 1 Labour gain from NOC
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth 6 (+1)04 (−1)000 Labour gain from SNP
Cumnock and Doon Valley 8 (+2)0 (−1)0020 Labour hold
Cunninghame215201Moderate Conservatives 1 Labour gain from NOC
Dumbarton 8 (+4)3 (−1)2 (−2)02 (−1)0 Labour gain from NOC
East Kilbride 12 (+8)21 (−6)00 (−2)0 Labour gain from NOC
Eastwood 010000Ratepayers 2 Conservative hold
City of Glasgow 58 (+26)11 (−12)0 (−16)3 (+2)00 Labour gain from NOC
Hamilton 17 (+7)10 (−6)20 (−1)0 Labour hold
Inverclyde 13 (+5)10 (−1)9 (−4)00 Labour gain from Liberals
Kilmarnock and Loudoun 11 (+4)5 (−2)0 (−2)000 Labour gain from NOC
Kyle and Carrick 13 (+6)12 (−5)0 (−1)000 Labour gain from NOC
Lanark 5 (+1)02 (−1)00Independent Progressives 7NOC
Motherwell 21 (+2)3 (−2)30 (−1)01 (=1) Communist 1 Labour hold
Monklands 18 (+5)3 (−3)0 (−1)00 (−1)0 Labour hold
Renfrew 34 (+20)4 (-7)1 (-10)01 (-2)Independent Labour 0 (-1) Labour gain from NOC
Strathkelvin 10 (+6)40 (−6)000 Labour gain from NOC

Tayside

DistrictLabourConservativeSNPLiberalIndependentOthersControl
Angus 312 (+1)007 (−1)0 Conservative hold
City of Dundee 25 (+4)26 (−2)001 (−1)Ratepayer-Conservatives 11 (−1)
Independent Ratepayers-Conservatives 1 (+1)
Progressive Conservatives 0 (−1)
Labour gain from NOC
Perth and Kinross 5 (+2)19 (−2)11 (+1)3 (−1)0 Conservative hold

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References

  1. Warman, Christopher (1 May 1980). "Poll 'chance to pass judgment'". The Times . p. 2.
  2. 1 2 "Labour makes gains throughout Britain in local government elections". The Times . 2 May 1980. p. 4.
  3. 1 2 3 Warman, Christopher (5 May 1980). "Labour wins stronger voice to fight against cuts in local services". The Times . p. 3.
  4. Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael (2013). Local Elections in Britain. Routledge. pp. Table 7.5.