1959 Leeds City Council election

The 1959 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 7 May 1959,^[1] with one third of the seats and extra vacancies in East Hunslet and Stanningley up for election.^[2]

Mirroring their national recovery,^[1] the Conservatives achieved a 3% swing^[3] to win the popular vote and make the only gain of the night in the marginal Wortley.^[2] The Liberals fielded their greatest number of candidates since 1951, and as such received their highest vote since then.^[2] Turnout fell by just under a percentage point from the year before to 36.3%.^[3]

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1959
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Labour	19	0	1	-1	63.3	46.5	59,182	-3.3
Conservative	11	1	0	+1	36.7	49.0	62,414	+2.9
Liberal	0	0	0	0	0.0	4.0	5,046	+0.3
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.5	630	+0.1

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	55	18	54	18
	Conservatives	29	10	30	10
Total		84	28	84	28
Total		112		112
Working majority		26	8	24	8
Working majority		34		32

Ward results

Allerton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Mustill	4,704	87.4	+1.4
	Labour	A. Baum	681	12.6	−1.4
Majority			4,023	74.8	+2.8
Turnout			5,385
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.4

Armley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Bissell	2,341	57.1	−1.3
	Conservative	J. Ashworth	1,756	42.9	+1.3
Majority			585	14.2	−2.6
Turnout			4,097
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.3

Beeston^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	P. Woodward	3,555	46.6	+3.8
	Labour	N. Billington	3,250	42.6	+1.0
	Liberal	H. Passmore	820	10.8	−4.8
Majority			305	4.0	+2.8
Turnout			7,625
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.4

Blenheim^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Merritt	1,861	63.4	−5.7
	Conservative	J. Butterfield	1,076	36.6	+5.7
Majority			785	26.7	−11.4
Turnout			2,937
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.7

Bramley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Lord	2,723	50.3	−0.1
	Conservative	C. Dean	2,214	40.9	+6.3
	Liberal	George Petch	474	8.8	−6.2
Majority			509	9.4	−6.4
Turnout			5,411
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.2

Burmantofts^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Murray	2,058	68.3	−3.9
	Conservative	H. Robinson	956	31.7	+3.9
Majority			1,102	36.6	−7.8
Turnout			3,014
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.9

City^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bernard Atha	1,373	64.6	−2.7
	Conservative	B. Emmett	751	35.4	+2.7
Majority			622	29.3	−5.4
Turnout			2,124
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.7

Cross Gates^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Harrison	3,273	63.6	−5.2
	Conservative	F. Hodges	1,874	36.4	+5.2
Majority			1,399	27.2	−10.4
Turnout			5,147
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.2

East Hunslet^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	E. Kavanagh	2,349	74.5	−2.2
	Labour	E. Haughton	2,149
	Conservative	D. Mowbray	802	25.5	+2.2
Majority			1,347	49.1	−4.5
Turnout			3,151
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.2

Far Headingley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Dovenor	4,351	65.1	−12.9
	Labour	J. Stephenson	1,212	18.1	−3.9
	Liberal	John Humphrey Morrish	1,122	16.8	+16.8
Majority			3,139	47.0	−9.0
Turnout			6,685
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.5

Halton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Dougray	4,349	75.8	+0.5
	Labour	J. Taylor	1,391	24.2	−0.5
Majority			2,958	51.5	+1.0
Turnout			5,740
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.5

Harehills^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Patrick Crotty	3,177	55.6	+2.1
	Labour	J. Klineberg	2,532	44.4	−2.1
Majority			645	11.3	+4.2
Turnout			5,709
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.1

Holbeck^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Bray	2,148	59.0	−3.3
	Conservative	B. Morland	882	24.2	+7.2
	Liberal	H. Fearnley	608	16.7	−3.8
Majority			1,266	34.8	−7.1
Turnout			3,638
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.2

Hunslet Carr^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Parker	2,442	69.1	−6.4
	Conservative	A. Roberts	700	19.8	+8.8
	Liberal	J.T. Hill	392	11.1	+1.6
Majority			1,742	49.3	−15.2
Turnout			3,534
	Labour hold		Swing	-7.6

Hyde Park^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Walmsley	2,713	63.9	+6.0
	Labour	W. Fanning	1,532	36.1	−6.0
Majority			1,181	27.8	+11.9
Turnout			4,245
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.0

Kirkstall^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Matthews	3,053	58.2	−0.8
	Conservative	S. Codd	2,195	41.8	+0.8
Majority			858	16.3	−1.6
Turnout			5,248
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.8

Meanwood^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	T. Kirkby	3,696	73.3	+0.7
	Labour	E. Webber	1,347	26.7	−0.7
Majority			2,349	46.6	+1.4
Turnout			5,043
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.7

Middleton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Binns	2,694	76.8	+3.7
	Conservative	A. Hartley	491	14.0	+3.8
	Liberal	Walter Holdsworth	219	6.2	−6.5
	Communist	E. Moore	105	3.0	−1.1
Majority			2,203	62.8	+2.5
Turnout			3,509
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.0

Moortown^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Henson	4,606	76.8	+0.0
	Labour	L. Steele	1,388	23.2	−0.0
Majority			3,218	53.7	+0.0
Turnout			5,994
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.0

Osmondthorpe^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	L. Walsh	3,162	74.3	−2.7
	Conservative	F. Barry	1,094	25.7	+2.7
Majority			2,068	48.6	−5.3
Turnout			4,256
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.7

Potternewton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Lyons	2,266	65.8	+4.0
	Labour	V. Zermansky	1,021	29.7	−8.5
	Communist	H. Fawcett	156	4.5	+4.5
Majority			1,245	36.2	+12.6
Turnout			3,443
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.2

Richmond Hill^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Cain	1,496	76.1	−3.9
	Conservative	H. Flockton	469	23.9	+3.9
Majority			1,027	52.3	−7.7
Turnout			1,965
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.9

Roundhay^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Jowitt	4,142	70.3	+2.8
	Labour	E. Colley	1,747	29.7	−2.8
Majority			2,395	40.7	+5.6
Turnout			5,889
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.8

Stanningley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jim Marshall	2,441	45.9	−6.0
	Labour	E. Coward	2,436
	Conservative	A. Vickers	1,890	35.5	+7.9
	Conservative	D. Vickers	1,658
	Liberal	J. Grimshaw	991	18.6	−1.9
	Liberal	Julius Blum	617
Majority			551	10.4	−13.9
Turnout			5,322
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.9

Wellington^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Underwood	2,129	74.0	−5.2
	Conservative	B. Pearce	548	19.1	+4.6
	Communist	G. Hodgson	199	6.9	+0.6
Majority			1,581	55.0	−9.8
Turnout			2,876
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.9

Westfield^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Stan Cohen	2,141	51.8	−0.3
	Conservative	May Sexton	1,992	48.2	+0.3
Majority			149	3.6	−0.6
Turnout			4,133
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.3

Woodhouse^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	H. Bretherick	2,153	47.9	−12.0
	Conservative	A. Chadwick	1,755	39.0	−1.1
	Liberal	Wilfred Ernest Hopper	420	9.3	+9.3
	Communist	D. Banks	170	3.8	+3.8
Majority			398	8.8	−11.0
Turnout			4,498
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.4

Wortley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. Stubley	3,410	51.2	+1.8
	Labour	W. Smart	3,244	48.8	−1.8
Majority			166	2.5	+1.3
Turnout			6,654
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+1.8

References

^ ^a ^b "British Elections Yield Tory Gains". The New York Times. 8 May 1959. Retrieved 6 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 ^ae "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 8 May 1959.
^ ^a ^b ^c Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.

[NYT-1] "British Elections Yield Tory Gains". The New York Times. 8 May 1959. Retrieved 6 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 ^ae "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 8 May 1959.

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

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