1976 Guildford Borough Council election

The second Guildford Borough Council full-council elections were held on 6 May 1976. The Conservatives retained control of the council with an increased majority, winning 35 of the 45 seats.

When Guildford Borough Council was created under the Local Government Act 1972 the electoral wards used were largely based on the wards and parish boundaries which had existed under the two previous councils - Guildford Municipal Borough Council (the town council) and Guildford Rural District Council, which together had been merged to form the new Guildford Borough Council.

There had been a slight degree of rewarding in the run up to the 1973 council election.^[1] For example, the pre 1973 Friary ward and pre 1973 St Nicolas ward were merged into a new Friary & St Nicolas ward.

Complete rewarding though would only be completed in time for the 1976 elections.^[2] The main changes to the electoral wards in the run up to the 1976 elections were as follows -

Ash ward (5 councillors) was split into two wards Ash (3 councillors) plus Ash Vale (2 councillors);

A new Christchurch ward (2 councillors) was created from part of the Stoke ward and part of the Merrow & Burpham ward;^[3]

As a result of this Merrow & Burpham ward reduced from 5 councillors to 3. However the geographically reduced Stoke ward still retained its 3 councillors;

Artington, Compton, Puttenham, Seale and Tongham, Shackleford and Wanborough ward (2 councillors) was split into two wards Tongham (1 councillor), plus Pilgrims (2 councillors). This represented a gain of one councillor for this area;

Stoughton saw the number of councillors represent it increase from 2 to 3;

Worplesdon also saw the number of councillors represent it increase from 2 to 3;

Albury, Shere and St Martha's ward (2 councillors) was renamed Tillingbourne (2 councillors);

East Clandon, West Clandon, East Horsley and West Horsley ward (3 councillors) was renamed Clandon and Horsley (3 councillors); and

Ripley, Wisley and Ockham ward (1 councillor) was renamed Lovelace (1 councillor).

In the 1976 election the Liberals lost three seats reducing their representation from 5 to 2. They lost one councillor in Clandon & Horsley (previously called East Clandon, West Clandon, East Horsley and West Horsley). They lost 2 of their 3 councillors in Friary & St Nicolas.

Labour retained all 6 councillors in its two strongholds Stoke and Westborough.

The Conservatives increased their number of councillors from 29 to 35, a figure which up to and including 2011 still remained a record for any party in a full Guildford Borough Council election.

The Conservatives 6 gains included 3 gains from the Liberals - 2 in Friary & St Nicolas and 1 in Clandon & Horsley. The Conservatives gained 1 seat from an Independent in Tillingbourne (previously known as Aldbury, Shere and St Martha's) and made 2 gains as a result of an increase in the number of councillors representing the Stoughton and Worplesdon wards.

A total of 2 independents were elected. Independents lost one councillor in Tillingbourne, but gained one in the new Tongham ward where the elected candidate was described as an Independent Conservative. That Independent Conservative then went on to stand at the next full council election, in 1979, as the official Conservative candidate for the Tongham ward.

Results

Ash (top 3 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	JG Ades	1543
	Conservative	Mrs RC Hall	1446
	Conservative	BM Llewellyn	1412
	Labour	Mrs J Curwell	753
	Labour	AR Roberts	701
	Labour	PD Green	695
Majority			659
Turnout

Ash Vale (top 2 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Mrs IF Towler	971
	Conservative	Mrs JB Golding	936
	Labour	Miss MI Hawkins	319
	Labour	E Bones	289
Majority			617
Turnout

Christchurch (top 2 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	JP Twining	1552
	Conservative	AJE Hodges	1531
	Labour	J Wyer	221
	Labour	MA Ridgway	213
Majority			1310
Turnout

Clandon & Horsley (top 3 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	DA May	2063
	Conservative	MF Meredith	1939
	Conservative	GF Farrar	1688
	Liberal	Mrs PM Iliff	1528
	Liberal	WH Pearson	1115
	Liberal	FA Oxford	951
Majority			160
Turnout

Effingham (only 1 candidate elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Col BP Trywhitt-Drake	678
	Liberal	Mrs JH Ormond	276
Majority			402
Turnout

Friary & St. Nicolas (top 3 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	Dr RE Blundell	1074
	Conservative	DS Cobbett	1052
	Conservative	Mrs J Harris	1038
	Liberal	Mrs MF Bateman	1015
	Conservative	AJ Spanner	970
	Liberal	RG Marks	957
	Labour	Mrs J Henman	421
	Labour	M Mennel	372
	Labour	Mrs G Lines	353
Majority			23
Turnout

Holy Trinity (top 2 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Liberal	BAH Banks	1207
	Conservative	CJK Boyce	1118
	Conservative	HA Wainwright	1020
	Liberal	Mrs PJ Maynard	887
Majority			98
Turnout

Lovelace (only 1 candidate elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	DAG Gibbs	unopposed

Merrow & Burpham (top 3 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Mrs MM Walls	1938
	Conservative	RHG Beatrip	1655
	Conservative	SG Brearley	1606
	Liberal	BR Avery	531
	Labour	D Wynne	513
	Liberal	AR Dakers	494
	Liberal	CJ Oliver	471
	Labour	MP Hill	406
	Labour	G Hall	396
Majority			1075
Turnout

Normandy (only 1 candidate elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	AA Cook	670
	Labour	PJ Dyson	366
Majority			304
Turnout

Onslow (top 3 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Mrs PE Harding	1332
	Conservative	TR Hawke	1113
	Conservative	Mrs BM Woodhatch	1085
	Liberal	SH Elston	625
	Labour	J Cox	570
	Labour	Mrs CA Rogers	498
	Labour	Mrs LM Harper	495
	Liberal	AJ Phillips	488
	Liberal	Mrs L Strudwick	409
Majority			460
Turnout

Pilgrims (top 2 candidate elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	JD Harris	1130
	Conservative	JP Moore	1117
	Labour	Mrs J Bridgewater	203
	Labour	C Hardiman	202
Majority			814
Turnout

Pirbright (only 1 candidate elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	RH Amis	unopposed

Send (top 2 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Mrs MH Sanger	945
	Conservative	SE Roberts	902
	Labour	Mrs JM Haimes	207
Majority			695
Turnout

Shalford (only 1 candidate elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	Mrs ECS Stewart	777
	Independent	GA Goulty	487
Majority			290
Turnout

Stoke (top 3 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	GR Bellerby^[4]	2093
	Labour	RGK Burgess	1551
	Labour	Mrs E Pullan	1456
	Conservative	HE Harris	723
	^[5]	PM Laurence	577
	Conservative	JR Williams	552
Majority			733
Turnout

Stoughton (top 3 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	WR Jordan	1298
	Conservative	LJ May	1259
	Conservative	RE Price	1220
	Liberal	Mrs S Holyroyd	780
	Liberal	GW Maynard	725
	Liberal	KL Humphries	722
	Labour	JFahy	669
	Labour	SW Cosser	570
	Labour	OJE Sefton	563
Majority			440
Turnout

Tillingbourne (top 2 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	MP Dallyn	1099
	Independent	Mrs MR Elston	998
	Independent	GA Witheridge	772
	Conservative	PRJ Rock de Besombes	642
	Independent	Mrs M Ellenger	378
Majority			226
Turnout

Tongham (only 1 candidate elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent Conservative	PM Davies	184
	Independent	RT Oliver	181
Majority			3
Turnout

Westborough (top 3 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Mrs DW Bellerby	1473
	Labour	JB Patrick	1279
	Labour	JR Dale	1272
	Conservative	BJ Gibbs	741
	Conservative	Mrs DM Hall	703
	Conservative	Mrs EM Cobbett	674
	Liberal	KG Briggs	518
	Liberal	Mrs BS Redclift	389
	Liberal	MWJ Morris	385
Majority			531
Turnout

Worplesdon (top 3 candidates elected)
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Conservative	DW Reeds	1090
	Conservative	Mrs SE Simkins	1074
	Conservative	GF Hellicar	1040
	Independent	H Cater	836
	Liberal	PJ Stokoe	575
	Liberal	Mrs JW Trindles	487
Majority			204
Turnout

^[6]

References

^ See Guildford Borough Council - A Compendium of Municipal Election Results 1835 to 1974 by Roger Ottewill.
^ The Borough of Guildford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975
^ From 1904 to 1933 there had been an electoral ward in this area of Guildford Municipal Borough Council called Christchurch. From 1933 to 1951 its successor ward was known as Merrow & Christchurch. In 1951 the Christchurch ward name disappeared for what would be 25 years - see Twentieth Century Local Election Results Vol 5 Guildford compiled by Roger Ottewill, published by University of Plymouth.
^ GR Bellerby was more commonly known as Bill Bellerby. He appears in every Surrey Advertiser summary of Guildford BC election results from 1973 to 1991 as either B Bellerby or Bill Bellerby. For example both the 1973 and 1976 results list all other candidates in all the wards in Guildford by initials except one who they list as 'Bill Bellerby'. "Guildford Borough Council - A Compendium of Municipal Election results 1835 to 1974" by Roger Ottewill repeated lists his initials as 'GR Bellerby' and that form is used herein.
^ Mr Laurence has the description "(Lab)" printed next to his name in the Surrey Advertiser results of 7/8 May 1976. It is believed that this is a misprint and should read "(Con)". The reason why Mr Laurence is believed to be a Conservative candidate rather than Labour candidate are - a) there are already three other Labour candidates listed in the newspaper for this three ward seat and any party putting up more candidates than positions available would only reduce their average vote and consequently reduce their chance of election which is highly unlikely; b) the number of votes Mr Laurence received fell between the numbers received by the two candidates described in the newspaper as Conservatives, but around 900 fewer votes than would have been expected if he had been a Labour candidate in this ward in this election; and c) there are only two candidates described as Conservatives in the newspaper for this ward in this election and it would be highly unusual in this era in Guildford for the Conservative not to challenge either the Liberals or Labour with their full quota of candidates, although the Conservatives on a number of occasions did not oppose Independents seeking election in Guildford during this era.
^ Surrey Advertiser 7–8 May 1976

[1] See Guildford Borough Council - A Compendium of Municipal Election Results 1835 to 1974 by Roger Ottewill.

[2] The Borough of Guildford (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1975

[3] From 1904 to 1933 there had been an electoral ward in this area of Guildford Municipal Borough Council called Christchurch. From 1933 to 1951 its successor ward was known as Merrow & Christchurch. In 1951 the Christchurch ward name disappeared for what would be 25 years - see Twentieth Century Local Election Results Vol 5 Guildford compiled by Roger Ottewill, published by University of Plymouth.

[4] GR Bellerby was more commonly known as Bill Bellerby. He appears in every Surrey Advertiser summary of Guildford BC election results from 1973 to 1991 as either B Bellerby or Bill Bellerby. For example both the 1973 and 1976 results list all other candidates in all the wards in Guildford by initials except one who they list as 'Bill Bellerby'. "Guildford Borough Council - A Compendium of Municipal Election results 1835 to 1974" by Roger Ottewill repeated lists his initials as 'GR Bellerby' and that form is used herein.

[5] Mr Laurence has the description "(Lab)" printed next to his name in the Surrey Advertiser results of 7/8 May 1976. It is believed that this is a misprint and should read "(Con)". The reason why Mr Laurence is believed to be a Conservative candidate rather than Labour candidate are - a) there are already three other Labour candidates listed in the newspaper for this three ward seat and any party putting up more candidates than positions available would only reduce their average vote and consequently reduce their chance of election which is highly unlikely; b) the number of votes Mr Laurence received fell between the numbers received by the two candidates described in the newspaper as Conservatives, but around 900 fewer votes than would have been expected if he had been a Labour candidate in this ward in this election; and c) there are only two candidates described as Conservatives in the newspaper for this ward in this election and it would be highly unusual in this era in Guildford for the Conservative not to challenge either the Liberals or Labour with their full quota of candidates, although the Conservatives on a number of occasions did not oppose Independents seeking election in Guildford during this era.

[6] Surrey Advertiser 7–8 May 1976

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]