1967 Leeds City Council election

The 1967 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 11 May 1967,^[1] with one third of the council up for election as well as vacancies in the wards of Woodhouse and Wortley.^[2]

The final election on present boundaries, the Conservatives won a decisive victory on a 3.8% swing^[3] to a record share and their highest vote in over fifteen years. The Tories picked up five seats in total from Labour, and for the first time since 1951, won their second seat in the wards of Kirkstall, Stanningley and Westfield, and gained full representation in Bramley and Wortley.^[2] With those gains the Conservatives now had a narrow lead in councillors,^[4] with only Labour's superior aldermen totals stopping the Tories from gaining the council and adding it to the list of momentous victories that night.^[1]

Elsewhere the Liberals seen yet another fall in their vote, returning their third place to contention as the Communists continued inching upwards, comfortably achieving their greatest vote. Last year's British National candidate stood again in Armley, but this time as a National Front candidate and an Independent contested Bramley.^[2] Turnout rose dramatically following the previous year's poor figure to 39.2%, the best participation seen since 1955.^[3]

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1967
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Conservative	17	5	0	+5	56.7	58.1	74,853	+4.4
Labour	13	0	5	-5	43.3	37.5	48,361	-3.2
Liberal	0	0	0	0	0.0	2.3	2,999	-1.5
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	1.7	2,170	+0.1
Independent	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.2	300	+0.2
National Front	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.1	94	+0.1

The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:^[4]

Party		Previous council		New council
Party		Cllr	Ald	Cllr	Ald
	Labour	46	19	41	19
	Conservatives	38	9	43	9
Total		84	28	84	28
Total		112		112
Working majority		8	10	-2	10
Working majority		18		8

Ward results

Allerton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Bidgood	5,885	85.2	+2.2
	Labour	V. Zermansky	1,024	14.8	−2.2
Majority			4,861	70.4	+4.4
Turnout			6,909
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.2

Armley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. Cohen	2,598	50.0	−3.4
	Conservative	G. Atkinson	2,354	45.3	+5.0
	Liberal	T. Alcock	152	2.9	+2.9
	National Front	P. Stone	94	1.8	+1.8
Majority			244	4.7	−8.4
Turnout			5,198
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.2

Beeston^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Snape	3,941	54.3	+3.5
	Labour	A. Beevers	3,321	45.7	−3.5
Majority			620	8.5	+7.0
Turnout			7,262
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.5

Blenheim^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Wallbanks	904	51.1	−9.2
	Conservative	R. Harker	864	48.9	+9.2
Majority			40	2.3	−18.4
Turnout			1,768
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.2

Bramley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Robinson	3,328	49.0	−3.7
	Labour	Eric Atkinson	3,159	46.5	−0.7
	Independent	J. Waddington	300	4.4	+4.4
Majority			169	2.5	−2.9
Turnout			6,787
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	-1.5

Burmantofts^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Lloyd	1,543	55.6	−1.6
	Conservative	C. Thomas	1,232	44.4	+1.6
Majority			311	11.2	−3.2
Turnout			2,775
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.6

City^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Tallant	659	53.0	−12.4
	Conservative	D. Ramsden	584	47.0	+12.4
Majority			75	6.0	−24.8
Turnout			1,243
	Labour hold		Swing	-12.4

Cross Gates^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. Booth	3,537	52.7	+3.6
	Conservative	R. Vaughan	2,787	41.5	−3.5
	Communist	T. Scawthorne	390	5.8	−0.1
Majority			750	11.2	+7.1
Turnout			6,714
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.5

East Hunslet^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Fish	1,084	58.9	−5.1
	Conservative	E. Feather	756	41.1	+5.1
Majority			328	17.8	−10.3
Turnout			1,840
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.1

Far Headingley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Hall	6,555	72.5	+7.6
	Labour	C. Furniss	1,351	15.0	+0.8
	Liberal	J. Harris	1,130	12.5	−8.3
Majority			5,204	57.6	+13.5
Turnout			9,036
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.4

Halton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	C. Watson	5,323	78.5	+1.0
	Labour	D. Hamilton	1,462	21.5	−1.0
Majority			3,861	56.9	+2.1
Turnout			6,785
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.0

Harehills^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. White	3,013	66.9	+6.0
	Labour	Doreen Jenner	1,488	33.1	−6.0
Majority			1,525	33.9	+12.0
Turnout			4,501
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.0

Holbeck^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Jones	1,504	52.0	−9.9
	Conservative	M. Waddington	1,259	43.5	+8.1
	Communist	J. McCarthy	130	4.5	+1.7
Majority			245	8.5	−17.9
Turnout			2,893
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.0

Hunslet Carr^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Pepper	1,684	55.7	−11.3
	Conservative	P. Goodwin	1,226	40.5	+10.9
	Communist	F. Burwin	116	3.8	+0.4
Majority			458	15.1	−22.3
Turnout			3,026
	Labour hold		Swing	-11.1

Hyde Park^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. Hall	2,657	67.2	+9.4
	Labour	H. Best	1,112	28.1	−10.1
	Communist	S. Walker	185	4.7	+0.6
Majority			1,545	39.1	+19.5
Turnout			3,954
	Conservative hold		Swing	+9.7

Kirkstall^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Newton	3,055	50.4	+7.7
	Labour	Albert Smith	2,871	47.4	−7.0
	Communist	B. Huffingley	133	2.2	−0.6
Majority			184	3.0	−8.6
Turnout			6,059
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+7.3

Meanwood^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	V. Cardno	3,677	72.6	+5.9
	Labour	O. Winship	879	17.4	−3.8
	Liberal	A. Wren	507	10.0	−2.1
Majority			2,798	55.3	+9.7
Turnout			5,063
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.8

Middleton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Malcolm	2,382	67.2	−11.9
	Conservative	R. Heslett	973	27.4	+11.0
	Communist	D. Priscott	192	5.4	+0.9
Majority			1,409	39.7	−23.0
Turnout			3,547
	Labour hold		Swing	-11.4

Moortown^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bertrand Mather	6,141	79.6	+4.0
	Labour	C. Say	1,169	15.1	−2.9
	Communist	T. Kelly	409	5.3	−1.1
Majority			4,972	64.4	+6.8
Turnout			7,719
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.4

Osmondthorpe^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Addlestone	1,638	57.8	−9.8
	Conservative	E. Lewis	1,197	42.2	+9.8
Majority			441	15.6	−19.6
Turnout			2,835
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.8

Potternewton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sydney Symmonds	2,003	77.2	+17.4
	Labour	M. Lawrence	418	16.1	−13.1
	Communist	A. Dale	175	6.7	+5.0
Majority			1,585	61.1	+30.5
Turnout			2,596
	Conservative hold		Swing	+15.2

Richmond Hill^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Mathers	1,834	61.9	−9.3
	Conservative	G. Russell	914	30.9	+10.3
	Communist	T. Johnson	213	7.2	−1.0
Majority			920	31.1	−19.6
Turnout			2,961
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.8

Roundhay^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Allan Bretherick	4,777	80.4	+1.8
	Labour	D. Thomas	1,168	19.6	−1.8
Majority			3,609	60.7	+3.6
Turnout			5,945
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.8

Stanningley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	K. Knapton	3,037	49.1	+9.3
	Labour	H. Waterman	2,871	46.4	+1.2
	Liberal	F. Robertson	279	4.5	−10.5
Majority			166	2.7	−2.8
Turnout			6,187
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+4.0

Wellington^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	N. Barrett	980	55.7	−7.1
	Conservative	B. Pearce	482	27.4	+11.9
	Liberal	W. Alcock	228	13.0	−2.7
	Communist	M. Rogers	70	4.0	−2.0
Majority			498	28.3	−18.8
Turnout			1,760
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.5

Westfield^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Sexton	1,332	54.4	+5.7
	Labour	V. Whelan	1,118	45.6	−5.7
Majority			214	8.7	+6.1
Turnout			2,450
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+5.7

Woodhouse^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	P. Taylor	2,100	48.9	+0.3
	Conservative	P. Fingret	2,036	47.4	−0.8
	Conservative	D. Crawford	2,033
	Labour	J. Moynihan	2,006
	Communist	M. Moore	157	3.7	+0.5
Majority			27	1.5	+1.0
Turnout			4,293
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

Wortley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Beal	3,465	51.9	+5.2
	Conservative	R. Treeman	3,380
	Labour	J. Klineberg	2,503	37.5	−3.3
	Labour	J. Stephen	2,479
	Liberal	Walter Holdsworth	703	10.5	−1.9
	Liberal	J. Saxton	687
Majority			877	14.4	+8.4
Turnout			6,671
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+4.2

References

^ ^a ^b "Tories Gain Again in Urban Elections". The New York Times. 11 May 1967. Retrieved 19 October 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. 12 May 1967.
^ ^a ^b Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.
^ ^a ^b Whitaker, Joseph (1967). Whitaker's Almanack 1967.

[NYT-1] "Tories Gain Again in Urban Elections". The New York Times. 11 May 1967. Retrieved 19 October 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. 12 May 1967.

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

[whitaker-4] Whitaker, Joseph (1967). Whitaker's Almanack 1967.

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