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

Leeds Local Election Result 1955
	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
Party		Cllr	Ald	Cllr	Ald
	Labour	54	14	51	17
	Conservatives	30	14	33	11
Total		84	28	84	28
Total		112		112
Working majority		24	0	18	6
Working majority		24		24

Ward results

Allerton^[2]
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

Armley^[2]
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

Beeston^[2]
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

Blenheim^[2]
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

Bramley^[2]
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

Burmantofts^[2]
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

City^[2]
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

Cross Gates^[2]
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

East Hunslet^[2]
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

Far Headingley^[2]
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

Halton^[2]
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

Harehills^[2]
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

Holbeck^[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

Hunslet Carr^[2]
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

Hyde Park^[2]
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

Kirkstall^[2]
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

Meanwood^[2]
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

Middleton^[2]
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

Moortown^[2]
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

Osmondthorpe^[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

Potternewton^[2]
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

Richmond Hill^[2]
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

Roundhay^[2]
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

Stanningley^[2]
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

Wellington^[2]
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

Westfield^[2]
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

Woodhouse^[2]
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

Wortley^[2]
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.

[EJ-1] ""Little Election" Raises Hopes of Conservatives". Edmonton Journal. 13 May 1955. Retrieved 2 September 2012.

[results-2] ^ ^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.

[sharpe-3] Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.

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