1937 Neath Rural District Council election

An election to the Neath Rural District Council in West Glamorgan, Wales was held in April 1937. It was preceded by the 1934 election and was followed, as the 1940 and 1943 elections were postponed due to the Second World War, by the 1946 election.^[1]

Overview of the results

Having won control of the authority for the first time in 1934, Labour consolidated their position by winning a number of additional seats across the area with the Independent group, which previously controlled the authority, reduced to only six members.^[1]

Candidates

Most seats were contested although a number of Labour candidates were returned unopposed including former chairmen William Jones (Tonmawr) and John James (Onllwyn) even though they had fallen out with their own party a few months earlier.^[2]

A feature of the election was the decision of a number of long-serving Independent members not to seek re-election. These included Ogley David, father of the Council and a member for many years, who had also recently stood down from the Glamorgan County Council. His brother, Isaac David, also stood down.^[2]

Outcome

Labour captured a number of seats from the Independents, including two vacated by Independents at Blaenrhonddan, another two at Skewen (where the former Glamorgan county councillor W.P. Jenkins headed the poll), and a further seat at Crynant. Labour also regained the seat of Resolven lost at a by-election a few years previously.^[1]

Ward Results

Baglan Higher (one seat)

Baglan Higher 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Jones*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Blaengwrach (one seats)

Blaengwrach 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Albert Vowles*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Blaenrhonddan (three seats)

Blaenrhonddan 1937
	Candidate	Votes
Labour	J.T. Evans*	1.055
Labour	William R. Griffiths	701
Labour	Albert John	616
Independent	Daniel Jones	602
Independent	David Peregrine Richards	402
Labour hold		Swing
Labour gain from Independent		Swing
Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Clyne (one seats)

Clyne 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Charles R. Kimber*	225
	Independent	Thomas A. Davies	188
Majority			37
	Labour hold		Swing

Coedffranc (five seats)

Coedffranc 1937
	Candidate	Votes
Labour	W.P. Jenkins	1,764
Independent Labour	Mary Elizabeth Davies*	1,617
Independent	Amy Jones*	1,519
Labour	David Jenkins*	1,382
Labour	William Davies	1,377
Labour	C.W. Rushby	1,275
Labour	Thomas Lovering	1,083
Independent	Mary Jane Reid	1,013
Independent	W.T.A. Macamara	1,009
Labour gain from Independent		Swing
Independent Labour gain from Labour		Swing
Independent hold		Swing
Labour hold		Swing
Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Dyffryn Clydach (two seats)

Dyffryn Clydach 1937
	Candidate	Votes
Communist	Alun C. Thomas	436
Independent	David Williams	387
Independent	Joseph Thomas*	274
Labour	Percy Cantle	265
Independent	David Johns	122
Communist gain from Labour		Swing
Independent hold		Swing

Dulais Higher, Crynant Ward (one seat)

Dulais Higher, Crynant Ward 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	John James	334
	Independent	Daniel Davies	255
Majority			79
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Dulais Higher, Onllwyn Ward (one seat)

Dulais Higher, Onllwyn Ward 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John James*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Dulais Higher, Seven Sisters Ward (two seats)

Dulais Higher, Seven Sisters Ward 1937
	Candidate	Votes
Labour	George Jones*	747
Independent	W.P. Harries*	554
Labour	George Adams	450
Labour hold		Swing
Independent hold		Swing

Dulais Lower (one seat)

Dulais Lower 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	J.S. George*	396
	Independent	Llewellyn Davies	183
Majority			213
	Labour hold		Swing

Michaelstone Higher (one seat)

Michaelstone Higher 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Patrick Boyle	272
	Independent	William H. Crouch	165
Majority			107
	Labour hold		Swing

Neath Higher (three seats)

Neath Higher 1937
	Candidate	Votes
Independent	David Arthur*	947
Labour	Cliff Protheroe*	931
Labour	Morgan Morgan*	861
Labour	Stephen Jeffreys	573
Independent hold		Swing
Labour hold		Swing
Labour hold		Swing

Neath Lower (one seat)

Neath Lower 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Samuel Burnard*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Resolven, Cwmgwrach Ward (one seat)

Resolven, Cwmgwrach Ward 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Edward John Ateyo	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Resolven, Resolven Ward (two seats)

Resolven, Resolven Ward 1937
	Candidate	Votes
Labour	Richard Geary	718
Independent	David John Evans*	517
Independent	Mary Jenkins*	378
Independent	Benjamin Jones	344
Independent	John William Davies	109
Labour gain from		Swing
Independent hold		Swing

Resolven, Rhigos Ward (two seats)

Resolven, Rhigos Ward 1937
	Candidate	Votes
Independent	Rees Morgan Smith*	396
Labour	Richard George Norman	323
Labour	Henry Walters	317
Independent hold		Swing
Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Resolven, Tonna Ward (one seat)

Resolven, Tonna Ward 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Gethin Thomas	362
	Independent	Haydn Evans	358
Majority			4
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Socialist Party Triumphs in Rural Council Elections. Sweeping Victories All Over Area". Neath Guardian. 9 April 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Neath Rural Council Election Prospects. Many Old Faces To Disappear". Neath Guardian. 25 March 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 8 December 2022.

[NG_9-4-37_results-1] "Socialist Party Triumphs in Rural Council Elections. Sweeping Victories All Over Area". Neath Guardian. 9 April 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 7 December 2022.

[NG_25-3-37-2] "Neath Rural Council Election Prospects. Many Old Faces To Disappear". Neath Guardian. 25 March 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 8 December 2022.

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