1955 Leeds City Council election
The 1955 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 12 May 1955,[1] with one third of the council up for election, as well as a vacancy in Wellington.[2]
With the third consecutive election producing swings to them - this time a 2.1% swing[3] - the Conservatives managed to top the poll and make gains from Labour for the first time since the 1951 election, echoing their national result.[1] This, however, did not stop Labour winning a comfortable majority of the seats contested. The three gains were in Beeston, Westfield and Wortley - wards where Labour had gained from them following 1951.[2] Party totals remained unchanged with the new division of aldermen effectively wiping out those three gains, as Labour were allotted - at Conservative expense - three more aldermen. Turnout rose marginally to a low figure of 39.4%.[3]
Election result
Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | 17 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 58.6 | 46.2 | 64,820 | -3.7 | |
Conservative | 12 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 41.4 | 51.9 | 72,863 | +2.5 | |
Liberal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 2,043 | +1.1 | |
Communist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 539 | 0.0 |
The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:[3]
Party | Previous council | New council | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cllr | Ald | Cllr | Ald | ||
Labour | 54 | 14 | 51 | 17 | |
Conservatives | 30 | 14 | 33 | 11 | |
Total | 84 | 28 | 84 | 28 | |
112 | 112 | ||||
Working majority | 24 | 0 | 18 | 6 | |
24 | 24 |
Ward results
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | H. Drake | 5,547 | 87.5 | +0.9 | |
Labour | M. Rooney | 790 | 12.5 | −0.9 | |
Majority | 4,757 | 75.1 | +1.9 | ||
Turnout | 6,337 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.9 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | K. Cohen | 2,970 | 54.4 | −3.0 | |
Conservative | R. Beal | 2,126 | 38.9 | −3.7 | |
Liberal | A. Powell | 367 | 6.7 | +6.7 | |
Majority | 844 | 15.4 | +0.6 | ||
Turnout | 5,463 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | L. Snape | 3,881 | 54.1 | +1.1 | |
Labour | H. Booth | 3,299 | 45.9 | −1.1 | |
Majority | 582 | 8.1 | +2.1 | ||
Turnout | 7,180 | ||||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +1.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | J. Wallbanks | 2,368 | 54.7 | −3.1 | |
Conservative | W. Murphy | 1,958 | 45.3 | +3.1 | |
Majority | 410 | 9.5 | −6.2 | ||
Turnout | 4,326 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -3.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Eric Atkinson | 3,012 | 47.8 | −5.6 | |
Conservative | C. Dean | 2,571 | 40.8 | −5.7 | |
Liberal | J. Walker | 713 | 11.3 | +11.3 | |
Majority | 441 | 7.0 | +0.1 | ||
Turnout | 6,296 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.0 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | G. Lloyd | 2,428 | 63.1 | −3.3 | |
Conservative | G. Howden | 1,422 | 36.9 | +3.3 | |
Majority | 1,006 | 26.1 | −6.6 | ||
Turnout | 3,850 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -3.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | E. Whitehead | 1,638 | 62.0 | −5.4 | |
Conservative | J. Cape | 1,005 | 38.0 | +5.4 | |
Majority | 633 | 24.0 | −10.7 | ||
Turnout | 2,643 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -5.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | F. Booth | 3,262 | 57.7 | −1.1 | |
Conservative | J. Palmer | 2,394 | 42.3 | +1.1 | |
Majority | 868 | 15.3 | −2.2 | ||
Turnout | 5,656 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -1.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | M. Fish | 2,870 | 73.3 | −3.5 | |
Conservative | G. Hewdey | 1,044 | 26.7 | +3.5 | |
Majority | 1,826 | 46.7 | −7.0 | ||
Turnout | 3,914 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -3.5 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | W. Hey | 4,665 | 83.5 | −0.4 | |
Labour | F. Woolhouse | 922 | 16.5 | +0.4 | |
Majority | 3,743 | 67.0 | −0.7 | ||
Turnout | 5,587 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | -0.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | C. Watson | 4,371 | 78.8 | +2.7 | |
Labour | J. Marshall | 1,175 | 21.2 | −2.7 | |
Majority | 3,196 | 57.6 | +5.3 | ||
Turnout | 5,546 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Lawrence Turnbull | 3,515 | 59.7 | +6.2 | |
Labour | F. Howard | 2,375 | 40.3 | −6.2 | |
Majority | 1,140 | 19.4 | +12.4 | ||
Turnout | 5,890 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +6.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | W. Jones | 2,508 | 65.8 | −2.8 | |
Conservative | T. Nipe | 1,302 | 34.2 | +2.8 | |
Majority | 1,206 | 31.7 | −5.5 | ||
Turnout | 3,810 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -2.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | J. Hodgkinson | 2,662 | 73.6 | −15.2 | |
Conservative | J. Bailey | 810 | 22.4 | +22.4 | |
Communist | J. Bellamy | 144 | 4.0 | −7.2 | |
Majority | 1,852 | 51.2 | −26.5 | ||
Turnout | 3,616 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -18.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | F. Walker | 3,489 | 71.2 | +2.8 | |
Labour | M. Schofield | 1,410 | 28.8 | −2.8 | |
Majority | 2,079 | 42.4 | +5.5 | ||
Turnout | 4,899 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +2.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Albert Smith | 3,160 | 56.0 | −5.1 | |
Conservative | E. Lucas | 2,480 | 44.0 | +5.1 | |
Majority | 680 | 12.1 | −10.2 | ||
Turnout | 5,640 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -5.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | V. Cardno | 4,286 | 74.7 | +4.6 | |
Labour | J. Hedley | 1,448 | 25.3 | −4.6 | |
Majority | 2,838 | 49.2 | +9.2 | ||
Turnout | 5,734 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +4.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Harold Watson | 2,586 | 77.6 | −3.6 | |
Conservative | F. Stubley | 747 | 22.4 | +3.6 | |
Majority | 1,839 | 55.2 | −7.2 | ||
Turnout | 3,333 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -3.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | John Watson | 4,733 | 76.8 | +0.2 | |
Labour | E. Norris | 1,426 | 23.2 | −0.2 | |
Majority | 3,307 | 53.7 | +0.3 | ||
Turnout | 6,159 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.2 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | G. Addlestone | 2,809 | 71.8 | −5.6 | |
Conservative | L. Ideson | 1,105 | 28.2 | +5.6 | |
Majority | 1,704 | 43.5 | −11.2 | ||
Turnout | 3,914 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -5.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Sydney Symmonds | 2,480 | 62.7 | −2.0 | |
Labour | F. Watson | 1,307 | 33.0 | −2.3 | |
Communist | S. Bloom | 170 | 4.3 | +4.3 | |
Majority | 1,173 | 29.6 | +0.2 | ||
Turnout | 3,957 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +0.1 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | A. King | 2,202 | 78.9 | −1.3 | |
Conservative | W. Clayton | 590 | 21.1 | +1.3 | |
Majority | 1,612 | 57.7 | −2.7 | ||
Turnout | 2,792 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -1.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Allan Bretherick | 4,782 | 71.8 | +7.3 | |
Labour | P. Taylor | 1,877 | 28.2 | −7.3 | |
Majority | 2,905 | 43.6 | +14.6 | ||
Turnout | 6,659 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | +7.3 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | R. Waterman | 3,347 | 49.4 | −0.9 | |
Conservative | T. Kilby | 2,832 | 41.8 | −7.8 | |
Liberal | E. Burbridge | 592 | 8.7 | +8.7 | |
Majority | 515 | 7.6 | +6.9 | ||
Turnout | 6,771 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +3.4 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | N. Barrett | 2,657 | 67.2 | −4.4 | |
Labour | E. Youngman | 2,642 | |||
Conservative | S. Rostron | 699 | 17.7 | −6.0 | |
Conservative | F. Richardson | 634 | |||
Liberal | Walter Holdsworth | 371 | 9.4 | +9.4 | |
Communist | J. Wheatley | 225 | 5.7 | +0.9 | |
Majority | 1,943 | 49.5 | +1.6 | ||
Turnout | 3,952 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | +0.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | L. Lyons | 2,577 | 51.3 | +13.0 | |
Labour | A. Malcolm | 2,442 | 48.7 | −2.2 | |
Majority | 135 | 2.7 | −9.8 | ||
Turnout | 5,019 | ||||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +7.6 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Henry Vick | 2,729 | 56.9 | −3.8 | |
Conservative | L. Francis | 2,066 | 43.1 | +3.8 | |
Majority | 663 | 13.8 | −7.7 | ||
Turnout | 4,795 | ||||
Labour hold | Swing | -3.8 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | D. Wolstenholme | 3,386 | 51.9 | +1.4 | |
Labour | Aimee Tong | 3,141 | 48.1 | −1.4 | |
Majority | 245 | 3.8 | +2.8 | ||
Turnout | 6,527 | ||||
Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +1.4 |
References
- ^ a b ""Little Election" Raises Hopes of Conservatives". Edmonton Journal. 13 May 1955. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 13 May 1955.
- ^ a b c Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.