1973 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council election

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1973 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council election
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May 10, 1973 (1973-05-10) 1975  →
All 60 Seats
31 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
Party Labour Conservative Liberal
Seats won40200
Popular vote66,86058,17510,270
Percentage48.29%42.02%7.42%
 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
Party National Front TUUF Ind. Labour Party
Seats won000
Popular vote1.232692636
Percentage0.89%0.5%0.46%
 Seventh party
 
Party Communist
Seats won0
Popular vote593
Percentage0.43%

The first elections to the Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 10 May 1973.

Contents

Background

The metropolitan district was one of the new authorities created by the Local Government Act 1972, which completely reorganised local administration in England and Wales. The new district, one of seven in the West Midlands, had an identical area to the existing County Borough of Wolverhampton. The first council was elected as a "shadow authority", with the reorganisation coming into effect in the following year on 1 April 1974. Subsequent to the election the shadow council successfully petitioned for a royal charter granting borough status, becoming Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council. [1]

Elections

At this first election all 60 councillors were elected, there being three councillors in each of the 20 wards. In an anomaly of the usual procedure for local elections, the candidate in first place was elected for 5 years, the candidate in second place for 3 years and the candidate in third place for 2 years. This was to allow for the "shadow" year of 1974 when the Metropolitan Borough Council was operating in shadow of the County Borough. From 1975 elections were by thirds with one councillor retiring in each ward.

Following the election the Labour Party had overall control of the council with 40 councillors to the Conservatives 20. Following the final county borough election held in 1972 the two parties had held 40 seats each on the 80 member council. [2]

Election results

The following councillors were returned in their corresponding wards: [3]

Bilston East
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour D Turner (1st)189134.02%
Labour T H Larkin (2nd)178632.13%
Labour Mrs H Brown (3rd)160328.84%
Conservative A G Cooper2785%
Turnout 555823.9
Bilston North
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour P R Richards (1st)128120.11%
Labour R Reynolds (2nd)113717.85%
Labour R Davies (3rd)112517.66%
Conservative W L Hughes99415.61%
Conservative R A M Marshall93214.63%
Conservative L S Draisey90014.13%
Turnout 636923.9
Blakenhall
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative J Carpenter (1st)207020.66%
Conservative Mrs J E Shore (2nd)199619.92%
Conservative Mrs J L Shaw (3rd)199219.88%
Labour J Hackwood138913.86%
Labour G R Johnson133513.32%
Labour Bishan Dass123812.36%
Turnout 1002037.8
Bushbury
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Mrs J Beddoes (1st)106929.34%
Labour J A W Bird (2nd)105528.96%
Labour E Mitchell (3rd)99827.4%
Conservative W Hillier3619.91%
National Front W A Murfin1604.39%
Turnout 364318.9
Eastfield
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Ken Purchase (1st)145231.01%
Labour P Ray (2nd)126026.91%
Labour Mrs L Richards (3rd)123526.38%
Conservative Mrs E H Allen3878.27%
National Front R Davison2044.36%
Communist G J Barnsby1443.08%
Turnout 468219.1
Ettingshall
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour E W Bold (1st)128129.1%
Labour Mrs C Durham (2nd)109124.78%
Labour A Storer (3rd)102123.19%
Conservative W J Allen45810.4%
Conservative G D Phillips45510.34%
Communist F W Reeves962.18%
Turnout 440219.1
Graiseley
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour A G Barratt (1st)150018.7%
Labour Mrs V A Fletcher (2nd)139017.33%
Labour Mrs N Jones (3rd)136717.04%
Conservative W H Etwell130516.27%
Conservative R Dorsett125815.69%
Conservative R J Thomas120015.07%
Turnout 802035.1
Low Hill
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour D Hickmott (1st)102631.32%
Labour Mrs W F K Reynolds (2nd)101130.86%
Labour A C Laws (3rd)96629.49%
Conservative A Dixon2136.5%
Communist G Dorrance601.83%
Turnout 327612.7
Merry Hill
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative W Clarke (1st)236228.22%
Conservative J G Blackburn (2nd)232927.83%
Conservative Robert Hart (3rd)211925.32%
Labour Mrs M Everett85810.25%
Labour G Turner7028.39%
Turnout 837027.9
Oxley
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour K Staves (1st)122920.03%
Labour R Haynes (2nd)112118.27%
Labour N Fryer (3rd)107117.45%
Conservative H J Burton87914.32%
Conservative G Bangham81913.35%
Conservative P Withers73211.93%
National Front D E Foster2864.66%
Turnout 613727.4
Park
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative W J Morrison (1st)156820.14%
Conservative Mrs M S Machin (2nd)156520.1%
Conservative Mrs M W Hodson (3rd)152319.56%
Labour Dr P Young5847.5%
Labour W Bruce5246.73%
Labour S G Stockley von Statzer5046.47%
Liberal Mrs W Lundgren4575.87%
Liberal R Gray4415.66%
Liberal K R Aithal3794.87%
National Front D G Gorton2403.08%
Turnout 778534.5
Parkfield
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour G Howells (1st)1298
Labour H E Lace (2nd)1287
Labour A E Steventon (3rd)1118
Conservative B C Johnson397
Conservative C Lenton272
Conservative B Wood240
Communist R A Millington78
Penn
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative G A Bickley (1st)2669
Conservative D J Rutherford (2nd)2653
Conservative P Bradley (3rd)2304
Liberal J Wernick1961
Liberal A Robinson1642
Liberal T D Bamford1522
Labour Mrs M Garner285
Labour D Aulton277
St Peters
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour I G Claymore (1st)1866
Labour Mr J James (2nd)1533
Labour S R Sharma (3rd)1211
TUUFG S Bains692
ILPG Carter636
Conservative H Cohen620
Conservative E M Gibbs488
Conservative B Thomas432
National Front P Kane242
Communist D Hamilton106
Spring Vale
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour S Martin (1st)2188
Labour N G Davies (2nd)2040
Labour A Garner (3rd)1933
Conservative Mrs P E Atkinson413
Tettenhall Regis
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative S O Morton (1st)1683
Conservative Mrs D M Seiboth (2nd)1666
Conservative Mrs T M Comport (3rd)1586
Liberal Larry Mclean1213
Liberal H C Marshall1027
Liberal M E Millar950
Labour J M Smith300
Labour R F Ilsley285
Labour B Evans278
Tettenhall Wightwick
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Conservative G R Watson (1st)1897
Conservative P G Snell (2nd)1882
Conservative E G L Pearce (3rd)1862
Liberal H Wright677
Labour K P Jarrad525
Labour W O Reilly515
Labour R S Willett493
Wednesfield Heath
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour H Turner (1st)1265
Conservative C T Squire (2nd)1239
Conservative A Griffiths (3rd)1226
Labour R Garner1198
Conservative F J Wadsworth1176
Labour G Hicken1171
Wednesfield North
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour J A Morey (1st)1649
Labour L Horton (2nd)1623
Labour S H Reynolds (3rd)1554
Conservative G H Parker815
Conservative W J Curtiss732
Conservative Mrs J M Curtiss725
Communist A Barr109
Wednesfield South
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Labour Mrs C M Nicholls (1st)1380
Labour J F Torrington (2nd)1296
Labour Mrs E D Jevons (3rd)1102
Conservative H L Turner908
Conservative Mrs D M Brooks813
Conservative C F Brueton809

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References

  1. ↑ Local government in England and Wales: A Guide to the New System. London: HMSO. 1974. p. 24. ISBN   0-11-750847-0.
  2. ↑ "Widespread Labour gains in borough elections". The Times . 5 May 1972.
  3. ↑ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "Wolverhampton City Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
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