1982 Strathclyde Regional Council election

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1982 Strathclyde Regional Council election
  1978 6 May 1982 (1982-05-06) 1986  

All 103 seats to Strathclyde Regional Council
52 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Lab
Con
Lib
LeaderDick StewartLeonard Turpie
Party Labour Conservative Liberal
Last election72 seats, 43.0%25 seats, 30.0%2 seats, 1.8%
Seats won79154
Seat changeIncrease2.svg7Decrease2.svg10Increase2.svg2
Popular vote340,118166,91070,238
Percentage45.8%22.5%9.5%
SwingIncrease2.svg2.8%Decrease2.svg7.5%Decrease2.svg7.7%

Strathclyde Regional Council election, 1982.svg
Result of the election

Council Leader before election

Dick Stewart
Labour

Council Leader after election

Dick Stewart
Labour

Elections to Strathclyde Regional Council were held on Thursday 6 May 1982, on the same day as the eight other Scottish regional elections. This was the third election to the regional council following the local government reforms in the 1970s.

Contents

The election was the first to use the 103 electoral divisions created by the Initial Reviews of Electoral Arrangements in 1978. Each electoral division elected one councillor using first-past-the-post voting. [1]

Labour, who had won every previous election to Strathclyde Regional Council, retained a large majority by winning 79 of the 103 seats – up seven from the previous election in 1978. The Conservatives remained as the second largest party despite their vote share falling by 7.5%. The party won 15 seats, 10 fewer than in the previous election. The Liberal Party doubled their representation on the regional council after winning four seats. Despite coming third in the popular vote, the Scottish National Party (SNP) were the fourth-largest party on the regional council after they gained only one seat to hold three. The remaining two seats were won by independent candidates.

The Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) contested this election as a political alliance in which only one of the two parties would stand a candidate in any given seat. [2]

The Conservative group leader, Leonard Turpie, lost his seat to the SDP-Liberal Alliance. They also lost the adjoining seat to Labour. Both seats were contained within the Glasgow Hillhead constituency won in March by SDP figure Roy Jenkins. [3]

Following the election, there was an attempt to unseat the incumbent leader of Strathclyde Regional Council Dick Stewart, who had held the position since the council's creation. He was challenged for the leadership by his longtime friend and colleague Charles Gray at the first meeting of the Labour group following the election. The attempt however failed, with Stewart retaining the leadership with 40 votes to Gray's 38. [4]

Results

1982 Strathclyde Regional Council election
PartySeatsGainsLossesNet gain/lossSeats %Votes %Votes+/−
  Labour 79Increase2.svg676.745.8340,118Increase2.svg2.8
  Conservative 15Decrease2.svg1014.622.5166,910Decrease2.svg7.5
  Liberal 4Increase2.svg23.917.870,238Increase2.svg16.1
  SNP 3Increase2.svg12.912.592,927Decrease2.svg10.0
  Independent 2Increase2.svg11.91.612,204Increase2.svg0.9
  SDP 0Steady2.svg00.07.656,470New
  Communist 0Steady2.svg00.00.32,165Steady2.svg0.0
  Ecology 0Steady2.svg00.0569New
 Protest Campaign Against the Papal Visit0Steady2.svg00.0534New
  Independent Labour 0Steady2.svg00.0402
  Workers Revolutionary 0Steady2.svg00.0205
 Twentieth Century Reformation Movement0Steady2.svg00.0136New
Total103 742,878

Source: [5] [6]

Electoral division results

Argyll and Bute

Kintyre
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative J. McCorkindale 2,444 65.6
Labour D. McMillan1,27434.2
Majority1,17031.4
Turnout 3,71843.4
Conservative hold
Mid-Argyll/Islay
PartyCandidateVotes%
SNP N. MacNeil 2,635 60.0
Conservative J. Mackie1,39628.2
Ecology C. Gladstone3528.0
Majority1,24031.4
Turnout 4,38342.3
SNP hold
Lorn and Mull
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative D. WebsterUnopposed
Conservative hold
Bute/West Cowal
PartyCandidateVotes%
Conservative J. McMillan 2,292 55.1
SNP R. Strong1,23229.6
Labour M. McGrorarty62415.0
Majority1,06025.6
Turnout 4,14849.8
Conservative hold
Dunoon/East Cowal
PartyCandidateVotes%
Independent J. Walsh 1,318 29.8
Conservative J. A. Douglas1,12125.3
Independent J. MacKinnon60313.6
Independent M. Murton46910.6
Liberal A. Lyall45610.3
Labour J. Cullen45610.3
Majority1974.5
Turnout 4,42349.4
Independent gain from Liberal

Dumbarton

Dumbarton
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour I. MacDonald 3,751 44.5
Liberal J. Murricane2,17825.9
Conservative R. Graham1,63219.4
SNP G. Clarkson85110.1
Majority1,57318.6
Turnout 8,41245.2
Helensburgh
PartyCandidateVotes%
Independent W. Petrie 6,735 73.5
SDP R. Sawyer1,33714.6
Labour J. Carleton6096.6
SNP J. B. Cowey4655.1
Majority5,39858.9
Turnout 9,14650.4
Independent hold
Vale of Leven
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour D. Mills 6,181 62.0
SNP N. McEwan1,60916.1
Conservative P. Grant1,25012.5
Communist J. Bollan 4965.0
Independent Labour G. Muir4024.0
Majority4,57245.9
Turnout 9,93848.9
Labour hold
Drumry/Summerhill
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour A. McLean 3,460 63.5
SNP T. Humble1,44526.5
Conservative D. Gibson4368.0
Communist A. Jackson961.8
Majority2,01537.0
Turnout 5,43735.0
Labour hold

Glasgow

Blairdarrie/Knightscliffe
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour J. W. MacKechnie 3,253 46.2
SDP G. Beattie1,52121.6
Conservative C. A. Lawson1,34019.1
SNP J. Ruddy91213.0
Majority1,73224.6
Turnout 7,02640.0
Labour hold
Yoker/Knightswood
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour W. Perry 4,175 62.1
Conservative E. Ledgewood1,21118.0
SNP J. Lang1,20317.9
Communist J. Moffat1171.7
Majority2,96444.1
Turnout 6,70637.2
Labour hold
Scotstoun/Broomhill
PartyCandidateVotes%
Labour K. Murray 2,835 32.5
SDP C. Ainsworth2,38527.4
Conservative L. M. Rosin2,22725.6
SNP W. Lindsay Jnr.1,14113.1
Communist L. D. Bain1241.4
Majority4505.1
Turnout 8,71245.7
Kelvinside/Kelvindale
PartyCandidateVotes%
Liberal C. M. Mason 3,833 40.7
Conservative L. MacK Turpie3,80940.5
Labour C. F. Rushton1,22313.0
SNP P. D. Johnson4354.6
Ecology A. Whitelaw1041.1
Majority240.2
Turnout 9,40447.7
Liberal gain from Conservative

Kilmarnock North

Kilmarnock North
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J. Hunter 4,707 62.0 Increase2.svg 9.6
Liberal W. George1,69722.4New
SNP G. Gibson98413.0Decrease2.svg 14.5
Twentieth Century Reformation MovementJ. Sloan1361.8New
Majority3,01039.6Increase2.svg 14.7
Turnout 7,52439.7Decrease2.svg 8.4
Registered electors 19,125
Labour hold Swing Increase2.svg 12.0

Source: [5] [6]

Kilmarnock South

Kilmarnock South
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour R. Carson 3,894 45.4 Increase2.svg 6.4
Conservative A. McCluskey1,90422.2Decrease2.svg 9.5
SDP G. Gunn1,80421.0New
SNP T. Kennaugh95611.2Decrease2.svg 17.9
Majority1,99023.2Increase2.svg 16.9
Turnout 8,55841.5Decrease2.svg 4.6
Registered electors 20,634
Labour hold Swing Increase2.svg 7.9

Source: [5] [6]

Stewarton and Irvine Valley

Stewarton and Irvine Valley
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour D. Fulton 4,321 46.3 Increase2.svg 3.5
Conservative A. MacDougall2,34525.1Decrease2.svg 4.2
Liberal A. Dick1,63817.5New
SNP A. Young1,02210.9Decrease2.svg 16.9
Majority1,97621.2Increase2.svg 7.7
Turnout 9,32644.3Decrease2.svg 6.9
Registered electors 21,054
Labour hold Swing Increase2.svg 3.8

Source: [5] [6]

Cumnock

Cumnock
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J. Boyd 4,430 68.0 Increase2.svg 16.1
SNP R. Esquierdo81212.5Increase2.svg 2.1
Conservative N. Martin70610.8Decrease2.svg 1.8
SDP M. Dwan5518.5New
Majority3,61855.5Increase2.svg 28.5
Turnout 6,49939.8Decrease2.svg 6.3
Registered electors 16,347
Labour hold Swing Increase2.svg 20.5

Source: [5] [6]

New Cumnock and Doon Valley

New Cumnock and Doon Valley
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour W. Goudie 4,147 59.2 Increase2.svg 10.9
SDP M. Ali1,97528.2New
Conservative P. Richards87112.4Decrease2.svg 2.0
Majority2,17231.0Increase2.svg 19.8
Turnout 6,99341.1Decrease2.svg 6.0
Registered electors 17,034
Labour hold Swing Increase2.svg 24.0

Source: [5] [6]

References

  1. "Initial Statutory Reviews of Electoral Arrangements". Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  2. Cook, Chris (2010). A Short History of the Liberal Party: The Road Back to Power (seventh ed.). Houndmills and New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN   978-0-230-21044-8.
  3. "Crushing Blow to Tories". The Glasgow Herald. 7 May 1982. p. 1.
  4. "Challenge to Strathclyde Leader Fails". The Glasgow Herald. 8 May 1982. p. 13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T. (1982). The Scottish Regional Elections 1982: Results and Statistics (PDF). Dundee: Election Studies, University of Dundee. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Botchel, J. M.; Denver, D. T.; McHardy, B. J. (1978). The Scottish Regional Elections 1978: Results and Statistics (PDF). Dundee: Election Studies, University of Dundee. Retrieved 6 December 2022.