1973 Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council election

The first elections to the newly created Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 10 May 1973, with the entirety of the 51 seat council — three seats for each of the 17 wards — up for vote. The Local Government Act 1972 stipulated that the elected members were to shadow and eventually take over from the predecessor corporation on 1 April 1974. The order in which the councillors were elected dictated their term serving, with third-place candidates serving two years and up for re-election in 1975, second-placed three years expiring in 1976 and 1st-placed five years until 1978.

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Elections, 1973

10 May 1973 1975 →

Whole council (51) to Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council
26 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Labour Conservative Liberal
Seats won 28, 54.9% 18, 35.3% 5, 9.8%
Popular vote 65,232 63,428 30,147
Percentage 40.0% 38.9% 18.5%

Council control after election

Labour

As well as replacing the County Borough of Halifax, the new council included:

The election resulted in Labour gaining control.

In May 1974 a by-election for the Brighouse ward occurred to replace the Conservative councillor G. Wood. The by-election was won by the Labour candidate M. Cunningham.

Council results edit

Calderdale[1][2]
Party Candidates Votes
Stood Elected Gained Unseated Net % of total % No. Net %
  Labour 49 28 - - - 54.9 40.0 65,232 -
  Conservative 51 18 - - - 35.3 38.9 63,428 -
  Liberal 31 5 - - - 9.8 18.5 30,147 -
  Independent 3 0 - - - 0.0 1.5 2,479 -
  Socialist 1 0 - - - 0.0 0.7 1,122 -
  Ind. Conservative 1 0 - - - 0.0 0.3 482 -

Council Composition edit

After the election the composition of the council was:

28 18 5
Labour Conservative Liberal
Party New council
Labour 28
Conservative 18
Liberal Democrats 5
Total 51

Ward results edit

Brighouse ward edit

Brighouse ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Mitchell 2,325 46.8 -
Labour S. Womersley 1,984 -
Conservative G. Wood 1,519 30.6 -
Conservative B. Newton 1,511 -
Labour M. Cunningham 1,473 -
Conservative C. Tinker 1,450 -
Socialist S. Williams 1,122 22.6 -
Turnout 61.9

Elland ward edit

Elland ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative K. Cawdry 1,355 35.4 -
Liberal W. Ramsden 1,295 33.8 -
Labour A. Nutton 1,178 30.8 -
Conservative S. Taylor 998 -
Liberal H. Fox 996 -
Liberal D. Rabone 953 -
Labour B. Firth 939 -
Labour J. Heathcote 861 -
Conservative G. Astwood 852 -
Turnout 51.8

Greetland and Stainland ward edit

Greetland and Stainland ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal D. Shutt 1,358 45.3 -
Liberal H. Howe 1,302 -
Liberal N. Kemp 1,240 -
Labour A. Lane 846 28.2 -
Conservative M. Jones 797 26.6 -
Conservative H. Tetlaw 730 -
Labour K. Stacey 680 -
Labour E. Bland 647 -
Conservative E. Challenger 569 -
Turnout 51.6

Hebden Bridge ward edit

Hebden Bridge ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour F. Barker 2,379 39.2 -
Labour G. Bryant 1,443 -
Labour S. Leach 1,189 -
Conservative M. Fisher 1,184 19.5 -
Liberal D. Flethcer 1,178 19.4 -
Liberal S. Yorke 1,149 -
Conservative R. Helliwell 1,106 -
Liberal T. Doyle 881 -
Independent M. Sutherland 850 14.0 -
Independent H. Knowles 812 -
Conservative J. Price 736 -
Ind. Conservative A. Stromberg 482 7.9 -
Turnout 63.9

Illingworth ward edit

Illingworth ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour I. Jones 996 46.0 -
Labour W. Higgins 920 -
Labour K. Lord 872 -
Conservative C. Rooks 719 33.2 -
Conservative M. Jagger 510 -
Conservative G. Shaw 506 -
Liberal F. Withey 451 20.8 -
Liberal C. Guy 288 -
Liberal R. Binns 250 -
Turnout 31.5

Lightcliffe ward edit

Lightcliffe ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative W. Sharp 2,333 60.6 -
Conservative R. Sunderland 2,309 -
Conservative D. Crinall 2,244 -
Labour W. Tankard 1,520 39.4 -
Labour F. Stapleford 1,487 -
Labour D. Wood 1,404 -
Turnout 40.6

Mixenden ward edit

Mixenden ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Hall 978 65.5 -
Labour D. Thompson 961 -
Labour J. Thompson 906 -
Conservative F. Mitchell 515 34.5 -
Conservative T. Riddlesden 448 -
Conservative M. Andrews 415 -
Turnout 23.6

Northowram and Shelf ward edit

Northowram and Shelf ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J. Bradley 1,473 42.9 -
Conservative R. Conway 1,360 -
Conservative C. Farrar 1,221 -
Liberal S. Brownridge 1,146 33.3 -
Liberal W. Stansfield 976 -
Liberal R. Shaw 832 -
Labour H. Thompson 818 23.8 -
Labour D. Walters 663 -
Labour W. Stubbings 663 -
Turnout 48.5

Ovenden ward edit

Ovenden ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Jeffreys 1,685 60.1 -
Labour J. Tolan 1,528 -
Labour J. Thelwell 1,495 -
Conservative T. Enderby 1,117 39.9 -
Conservative H. Gresham 1,020 -
Conservative E. Cavanagh 994 -
Turnout 29.3

Rastrick ward edit

Rastrick ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Hions 1,763 51.3 -
Conservative L. Hanson 1,672 48.7 -
Labour F. Moss 1,670 -
Conservative W. Furness 1,624 -
Labour F. Clayton 1,558 -
Conservative L. Hunt 1,557 -
Turnout 39.6

Ryburn ward edit

Ryburn ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G. Midgley 1,582 41.9 -
Conservative D. Wood 1,308 -
Labour A. Benbow 1,303 34.5 -
Conservative J. Benson 1,232 -
Labour E. Godfrey 990 -
Labour J. Sutcliffe 938 -
Liberal B. Glendinning 889 23.6 -
Liberal R. Thompson 789 -
Liberal J. Kafel 480 -
Turnout 45.0

Skircoat ward edit

Skircoat ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative P. Waddington 2,009 42.5 -
Conservative J. Tidswell 1,953 -
Conservative J. Schofield 1,928 -
Liberal P. Haley 1,375 29.1 -
Labour L. Mitchell 1,345 28.4 -
Liberal G. Binns 1,281 -
Liberal A. Templeton 1,156 -
Turnout 49.5

Sowerby North ward edit

Sowerby North ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Pettengell 1,595 49.5 -
Labour L. Sleigh 1,397 -
Labour J. Fairhurst 1,389 -
Conservative P. Dyson 1,021 31.7 -
Conservative M. Andrew 967 -
Conservative C. Beverley 901 -
Liberal R. Holmes 607 18.8 -
Liberal S. Pragnall 578 -
Liberal C. Hemmingway 498 -
Turnout 47.1

St. John's ward edit

St. John's ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour B. Mann 1,819 49.4 -
Labour R. Deadman 1,647 -
Labour R. Metcalfe 1,373 -
Conservative A. Culpan 990 26.9 -
Liberal D. Carlin 873 23.7 -
Conservative J. Clarke 833 -
Conservative R. Wade 818 -
Turnout 39.3

Todmorden ward edit

Todmorden ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H. Wilson 2,071 32.8 -
Conservative H. Tootell 2,014 31.9 -
Conservative E. Dennett 1,925 -
Labour A. Marshall 1,749 -
Labour C. Parkinson 1,574 -
Conservative F. Mills 1,525 -
Liberal M. Holmstedt 1,415 22.4 -
Liberal M. Taylor 1,413 -
Liberal K. Bunn 1,144 -
Independent R. Wild 817 12.9 -
Turnout 56.6

Town ward edit

Town ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Berry 2,104 60.1 -
Labour W. Tate 1,926 -
Labour L. Warn 1,917 -
Conservative G. Webb 1,398 39.9 -
Conservative R. Farrar 1,330 -
Conservative R. Slocombe 1,280 -
Turnout 35.9

Warley ward edit

Warley ward
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G. Smith 1,519 41.1 -
Liberal A. Clegg 1,348 36.5 -
Conservative B. Wildsmith 1,313 -
Liberal J. Driver 1,160 -
Conservative J. Ford 1,066 -
Liberal E. Helliwell 846 -
Labour P. Jagger 825 22.3 -
Labour J. Thorley 783 -
Labour M. Panko 656 -
Turnout 43.7

By-elections between 1973 and 1975 edit

Brighouse ward, 1974 edit

Brighouse By-Election 22 May 1974[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Cunningham 1,428 41.6 -5.2
Conservative J. Lockwood 1,322 38.5 +7.9
Liberal S. Williams 684 19.9 +19.9
Majority 106 3.1
Turnout 3,434
Labour gain from Conservative Swing

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Calderdale Votes: 40 years of local democracy" (PDF). Election results. Local Elections Archive Project. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF). Election results. The Elections Centre. Retrieved 20 August 2017.