An election to the Aberdeen Corporation was held on 1 May 1956, alongside municipal elections across Scotland. 12 of the corporation's 37 seats were up for election, although only 6 were contested.
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12 out of 37 seats of City of Aberdeen Council 19 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 19.4%  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Composition of Corporation after the election | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This election set a record for low turnout rate for the third year in a row, with turnout dropping to below 20% for the first time ever.[1][2] While just shy of 13,000 electors voted in this election, the estimated attendance at the Aberdeen F.C. match just three days prior was 16,000.[1] From 1952 to 1955, the Scottish nationalist vote was captured by the Scottish Self-Government Party. In this election, members and former candidates switched to supporting either the Scottish National Party or the Scottish National Congress.[3] These new affiliations and record low turnout resulted in a much closer race in the St. Nicholas ward, with Labour's majority dropping from 921 to 366.
Ward results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John McM. Watt (incumbent) | 2,058 | 81.06 | |
| Scottish National Congress | William Sinclair | 481 | 18.94 | |
| Majority | 1,577 | |||
| Turnout | 2,539 | 14.41 | ||
| Labour hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressives | A. McRobb (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Progressives hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressives | W. D. Reid (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Progressives hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressives | James Thomson (incumbent) | 2,091 | 76.76 | |
| Labour | Norman D. Fraser | 633 | 23.24 | |
| Majority | 1,458 | |||
| Turnout | 2,724 | 31.58 | ||
| Progressives hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressives | J. Scott MacLachlan (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Progressives hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Progressives | T. Scott Sutherland (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Progressives hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | R. McG. Bruce (incumbent) | Unopposed | |||
| Labour hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | William K. Park (incumbent) | 1,326 | 87.01 | |
| Communist | Margaret Rose | 198 | 12.99 | |
| Majority | 1,128 | |||
| Turnout | 1,524 | 16.18 | ||
| Labour hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | John D. Burgoyne (incumbent) | 1,304 | 82.12 | |
| Communist | Andrew Smith | 284 | 17.88 | |
| Majority | 1,020 | |||
| Turnout | 1,588 | 17.40 | ||
| Labour hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Robert A. McIntyre (incumbent) | 892 | 62.91 | |
| SNP | Thomas W. Crockett | 526 | 37.09 | |
| Majority | 366 | |||
| Turnout | 1,418 | 12.67 | ||
| Labour hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Ellen Williamson | Unopposed | |||
| Labour hold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Sidney Fyfe | 1,655 | 52.37 | |
| Progressives | Thomas H. Murdoch | 1,505 | 47.63 | |
| Majority | 150 | |||
| Turnout | 3,160 | 29.29 | ||
| Labour hold | ||||
References
edit- ^ a b c "Where, Oh Where Were The Electors?". Aberdeen Evening Express. 2 May 1956. p. 7. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ a b Ware, L.; Rallings, C.; Thrasher, M. (2006). "British Local Election Database, 1889-2003". beta.ukdataservice.ac.uk. doi:10.5255/ukda-sn-5319-1. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Town Council Aspirants: Six Contests are Certain". Aberdeen Evening Express. 10 April 1956. p. 1. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Labour Maintain Majority in Aberdeen". The Herald (Glasgow). 2 May 1856. p. 8. Retrieved 22 September 2024.