1975 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 1 May 1975, with one third of the council up for the election - although only 21 seats were contested, as Labour were unopposed in Ward 12, 21 and 24. Labour suffered six losses on the night - five to the Conservatives and one to the Liberals - with a gain from the sole Independent in Ward 23 as consolation. Overall turnout fell by nearly a quarter, to 27%.[1]

Map of the results for the 1975 Wigan council election. Labour in red, Conservatives in blue and Liberal in yellow.

Election result

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Wigan Council Election Result 1975
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 16 1 6 -5 66.7 49.2 25,697 -11.3%
  Conservative 7 5 0 +5 29.2 40.8 21,270 +12.4%
  Liberal 1 1 0 +1 4.2 6.8 3,550 +6.8%
  Independent 0 0 1 -1 0.0 2.5 1,302 -5.6%
  Communist 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.7 345 +0.5%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:

Party Previous council New council
Labour 66 61
Conservatives 5 10
Liberals 0 1
Independent 1 0
Total 72 72
Working majority  60   50 

Ward results

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Ward 1 (Lindsay-Scholes-Whelley)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Pratt 1,728 64.1 −9.5
Conservative C. Giles 966 35.9 +9.5
Majority 762 28.2 −19.0
Turnout 2,694 29.0 −9.6
Labour hold Swing -9.5
Ward 2 (Poolstock-Worsley Mesnes)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour S. Townley 1,049 65.6 −16.0
Conservative J. Atherton 550 34.4 +16.0
Majority 499 31.2 −32.0
Turnout 1,599 17.1 −10.4
Labour hold Swing -16.0
Ward 3 (Gidlow-Swinley-Whitley)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative W. France 2,417 64.5 +4.8
Labour M. Pendleton 862 23.0 −17.3
Liberal K. Mason 467 12.5 +12.5
Majority 1,555 41.5 +22.1
Turnout 3,746 32.3 −7.1
Conservative hold Swing +11.0
Ward 4 (Beech Hill and Marsh Green)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour N. Turner 1,478 71.6 −8.9
Conservative ?. Gormally 586 28.4 +8.9
Majority 892 43.2 −17.8
Turnout 2,064 22.1 −9.4
Labour hold Swing -8.9
Ward 5 (Highfield and Lamberhead)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Smith 1,189 51.1 −17.0
Conservative T. Peet 982 42.2 +10.3
Communist ?. Dowd 157 6.7 +6.7
Majority 207 8.9 −27.2
Turnout 2,328 21.5 −9.1
Labour hold Swing -13.6
Ward 6 (Newtown and Rose Hill)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Mulligan 1,116 68.5 −13.1
Conservative C. Boyle 513 31.5 +13.1
Majority 603 37.0 −26.2
Turnout 1,629 18.6 −6.7
Labour hold Swing -13.1
Ward 7 (Hope Carr)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative ?. Hurst 1,535 59.4 +16.0
Labour J. Jones 1,048 40.6 −16.0
Majority 487 18.9 +5.7
Turnout 2,583 37.5 +0.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +16.0
Ward 8 (St Pauls and St Peters)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Bridge 817 55.4 −19.1
Conservative J. Davies 566 38.4 +20.5
Communist J. Blackburn 91 6.2 −1.4
Majority 251 17.0 −39.6
Turnout 1,474 16.8 −5.0
Labour hold Swing -19.8
Ward 9 (Etherstone and St Marys)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative H. Yates 1,310 54.6 +15.3
Labour ?. Tonks 991 41.3 −19.4
Communist H. Kedward 97 4.0 +4.0
Majority 319 13.3 −8.2
Turnout 2,398 25.7 −1.3
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +17.3
Ward 10 (Lilford-St Josephs-St Thomas)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative M. Wood 1,853 65.0 +18.2
Labour J. Prytharch 997 35.0 −18.2
Majority 856 30.0 +23.6
Turnout 2,850 31.3 −4.5
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +18.2
Ward 11 (Golborne St Thomas and Lowton)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Roberts 2,095 58.8 −14.9
Conservative T. Thompson 1,469 41.2 +14.9
Majority 626 17.6 −29.8
Turnout 3,564 34.5 −4.9
Labour hold Swing -14.9
Ward 12 (Golborne Heath Park and Ashton)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Miller Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Ward 13 (Ashton-in-Makerfield North and West)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour R. Lyons 1,186 72.4 N/A
Liberal P. Scully 453 27.6 N/A
Majority 733 44.8 N/A
Turnout 1,639 21.7 N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Ward 14 (Ashton-in-Makerfield Central and East)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal ?. Worsley 1,103 51.4 +51.4
Labour G. Fairhurst 1,043 48.6 −21.7
Majority 60 2.8 −37.9
Turnout 2,146 26.6 −1.2
Liberal gain from Labour Swing +36.5
Ward 15 (Standish with Langtree and Shevington)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Hardy 1,346 35.7 +2.4
Independent G. Dewhurst 1,302 34.5 +5.4
Conservative J. Lawson 754 20.0 +0.0
Liberal ?. Young 369 9.8 +9.8
Majority 44 1.2 −3.0
Turnout 3,771 35.2 −15.7
Labour gain from Independent Swing -1.5
Ward 16 (Aspull)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H. Lowe 1,302 59.2 −5.4
Liberal ?. Lammas 897 40.8 +40.8
Majority 405 18.4 −10.7
Turnout 2,199 22.2 −16.9
Labour hold Swing -23.1
Ward 17 (Atherton North East)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour D. Skitt 1,517 54.1 N/A
Conservative M. Williams 1,025 36.6 N/A
Liberal ?. Hicks 261 9.3 N/A
Majority 492 17.6 N/A
Turnout 2,803 29.8 N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Ward 18 (Atherton South West)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J. Grundy 1,258 64.5 +26.5
Labour G. Horrabin 693 35.5 −11.3
Majority 565 29.0 +20.3
Turnout 1,951 30.1 −9.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +18.9
Ward 19 (Hindley Central and North)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Robinson 1,087 64.6 −11.4
Conservative ?. Haseldene 596 35.4 +11.4
Majority 491 29.2 −22.9
Turnout 1,683 22.2 −11.3
Labour hold Swing -11.8
Ward 20 (Hindley South East and West)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J. Culshaw 1,346 51.7 +15.2
Labour S. Hardy 1,256 48.3 −15.2
Majority 90 3.5 −23.6
Turnout 2,602 25.5 −3.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +15.2
Ward 21 (Ince-in-Makerfield)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Banks Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Ward 22 (Orrell and Billinge)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative F. Fairbairn 2,554 63.3 +29.5
Labour J. Fitzpatrick 1,482 36.7 −1.4
Majority 1,072 26.6 +22.3
Turnout 4,036 34.8 −9.8
Conservative hold Swing +15.4
Ward 23 (Tyldesley - Shakerley)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Wright 1,415 58.8 −12.0
Conservative ?. Hodkinson 990 41.2 +41.2
Majority 425 17.7 −23.9
Turnout 2,405 29.4 +0.8
Labour hold Swing -26.6
Ward 24 (Tyldesley - Astley Green and Blackmoor)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour F. Hampson Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A

References

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  1. ^ 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 "Wigan Council results from 1973 to 2008" (PDF). wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2012.