1982 Leeds City Council election

Elections to Leeds City Council were held on Thursday, 6 May 1982, with one-third of the council to be elected. As well as that, there was a vacancy to fill after the defection of Whinmoor incumbent Edward Hewitt to the newly formed Alliance between the Liberal Party and the Labour-breakaway Social Democratic Party in February, following his colleague and Headingley councillor, Ernest Millet, who had also defected to the SDP two months prior.^[1]

Map of the results for the 1982 Leeds council election.

The first election featuring the Alliance seen their support increase by a third upon the previous election, mostly at the expense of the Labour vote, but also helped by the comparative absence of minor parties this election. The Alliance surge resulted in Leeds first three-way race for the popular vote, with the Conservatives pipping Labour by less than 3,000 votes.^[1]

The large swings from Labour to Alliance produced gains in Burmantofts and Richmond Hill, as well as allowing Conservative gains in Barwick & Kippax, Garforth & Swillington, Morley North and Pudsey South. There was also an Alliance gain from the Conservatives in the already marginal Horsforth, but with the Ecologist absence playing a bigger role there. Despite the inferior vote and near-halving of their majority by six losses, Labour still won a plurality of the seats fought, and gained back the Headingley and Whinmoor seats they'd lost through defections.^[1]

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1982
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Labour	16	2	6	-4	47.1	34.4	69,222	-9.3%
Conservative	13	4	1	+3	38.2	35.8	72,113	+1.4%
Alliance	5	3	2	+1	14.7	29.4	59,161	+11.4%
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.2	475	-0.4%
Ecology	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.1	284	-2.6%

This result has the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:

Party		Previous council	New council
	Labour	60	56
	Conservatives	29	32
	Alliance	10	11
Total		99	99
Working majority		21	13

Ward results

Aireborough^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	T. Hawkins	3,530	42.1	+1.6
	Alliance (Liberal)	G. McCabe	3,062	36.6	+6.5
	Labour	P. Booth	1,783	21.3	−5.0
Majority			468	5.6	−4.9
Turnout			8,375
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.4

Armley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Alliance (Liberal)	M. Roberts	2,531	46.5	−5.1
	Labour	A. Gunter	1,600	29.4	−2.0
	Conservative	H. Hinchliffe	1,260	23.1	+7.2
	Communist	J. Light	53	1.0	−0.1
Majority			931	17.1	−3.1
Turnout			5,444
	Alliance hold		Swing	-1.5

Barwick & Kippax^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	B. Rowley	2,797	42.7	+5.9
	Labour	K. Smith	2,581	39.4	−11.6
	Alliance (SDP)	D. Howard	1,175	17.9	+11.8
Majority			216	3.3	−10.9
Turnout			6,553
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+8.7

Beeston^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Michael McGowan	2,297	46.3	−4.0
	Conservative	W. Birch	1,585	32.0	+4.3
	Alliance (SDP)	L. Shaffner	1,074	21.7	+2.1
Majority			712	14.3	−8.3
Turnout			4,956
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.1

Bramley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Atkinson	2,545	45.5	−19.2
	Alliance (Liberal)	A. Ballentyne	2,017	36.1	+22.7
	Conservative	F. Stubley	1,028	18.4	−3.5
Majority			528	9.4	−33.5
Turnout			5,590
	Labour hold		Swing	-20.9

Burmantofts^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Alliance (Liberal)	M. Clay	3,235	53.1	+14.3
	Labour	R. Sedler	2,135	35.1	−12.3
	Conservative	V. Dodgson	666	10.9	+0.3
	Communist	M. Monkman	54	0.9	−2.3
Majority			1,100	18.1	+9.5
Turnout			6,090
	Alliance gain from Labour		Swing	+13.3

Chapel Allerton^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	N. Taggart	3,307	55.5	+4.2
	Conservative	M. Sexton	1,609	27.0	−6.9
	Alliance (Liberal)	C. Smith	1,041	17.5	+8.8
Majority			1,698	28.5	+11.1
Turnout			5,957
	Labour hold		Swing	+5.5

City & Holbeck^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	C. Myers	3,022	61.7	−6.1
	Alliance (Liberal)	S. Gillen	1,101	22.5	+2.5
	Conservative	D. Tomlinson	778	15.9	+3.6
Majority			1,921	39.2	−8.6
Turnout			4,901
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.3

Cookridge^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Carter	3,869	55.9	−2.8
	Alliance (SDP)	J. Johnson	2,152	31.1	+16.3
	Labour	U. Wadsworth	897	13.0	−8.9
Majority			1,717	24.8	−12.1
Turnout			6,918
	Conservative hold		Swing	-9.5

Garforth & Swillington^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Schofield	2,895	40.5	+2.2
	Labour	E. Smith	2,473	34.6	−16.7
	Alliance (SDP)	P. Wilson	1,777	24.9	+17.7
Majority			422	5.9	−7.1
Turnout			7,145
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+9.4

Halton]^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Wood	3,578	55.9	−3.4
	Alliance (SDP)	J. Ratcliffe	1,675	26.2	+19.3
	Labour	P. McGreevy	1,151	18.0	−15.9
Majority			1,903	29.7	+4.4
Turnout			6,404
	Conservative hold		Swing	-11.3

Harehills^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	T. Briggs	3,083	60.2	−3.3
	Conservative	F. Brownbridge	1,306	25.5	−2.4
	Alliance (Liberal)	T. Bland	736	14.4	+5.7
Majority			1,777	34.7	−0.9
Turnout			5,125
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.4

Headingley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Paul Truswell	2,775	45.8	+4.0
	Conservative	M. Castle	1,853	30.6	+0.1
	Alliance (SDP)	E. Millet	1,291	21.3	+10.9
	Communist	B. Cooper	142	2.3	−2.8
Majority			922	15.2	+3.9
Turnout			6,061
	Labour gain from Alliance		Swing	+1.9

Horsforth^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Alliance (Liberal)	J. Cummins	3,469	45.6	+2.0
	Conservative	V. Stevens	3,335	43.8	+3.8
	Labour	J. Monksfield	803	10.6	−0.5
Majority			134	1.8	−1.8
Turnout			7,607
	Alliance gain from Conservative		Swing	-0.9

Hunslet^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Trevor Park	2,823	73.6	−10.8
	Alliance (SDP)	G. Fox	657	17.1	+8.3
	Conservative	J. Sibbald	354	9.2	+2.5
Majority			2,166	56.5	−19.1
Turnout			3,834
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.5

Kirkstall^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bernard Atha	3,266	55.8	−7.1
	Conservative	A. Walkington	1,738	29.7	+3.1
	Alliance (Liberal)	J. Ackrill	769	13.1	+6.7
	Communist	B. Jackson	83	1.4	−0.8
Majority			1,528	26.1	−10.2
Turnout			5,856
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.1

Middleton^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	I. Walters	2,287	64.0	−9.5
	Alliance (Liberal)	D. Hart	662	18.5	+8.4
	Conservative	A. Larvin	623	17.4	+4.2
Majority			1,625	45.5	−14.8
Turnout			3,572
	Labour hold		Swing	-8.9

Moortown^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Symmonds	3,198	49.4	−3.5
	Alliance (SDP)	M. Harris	2,333	36.1	+22.5
	Labour	D. Barker	938	14.5	−13.0
Majority			865	13.4	−12.0
Turnout			6,469
	Conservative hold		Swing	-13.0

Morley North^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Verity	2,748	41.2	+3.6
	Labour	N. Hirst	2,334	35.0	−13.5
	Alliance (SDP)	H. Smith	1,594	23.9	+15.0
Majority			414	6.2	−4.7
Turnout			6,676
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+8.5

Morley South^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. Burnley	3,176	51.2	−14.9
	Alliance (SDP)	E. Hewitt	1,521	24.5	+24.5
	Conservative	J. Sturgeon	1,508	24.3	−3.6
Majority			1,655	26.7	−11.5
Turnout			6,205
	Labour hold		Swing	-19.7

North^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	K. Sibbald	3,430	57.5	−0.1
	Alliance (SDP)	J. Midgley	1,833	30.7	+21.5
	Labour	B. Payne	706	11.8	−14.4
Majority			1,597	26.8	−4.5
Turnout			5,969
	Conservative hold		Swing	-10.8

Otley & Wharfedale^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Alliance (Liberal)	C. Campbell	4,271	47.4	+0.0
	Conservative	E. Davies	3,650	40.5	+2.8
	Labour	P. Ward	800	8.9	−1.0
	Ecology	A. Laurence	284	3.2	−1.8
Majority			621	6.9	−2.8
Turnout			9,005
	Alliance hold		Swing	-1.4

Pudsey North^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Bashall	3,386	44.6	−0.6
	Labour	N. Rhodes	2,140	28.2	−9.4
	Alliance (SDP)	J. Fothergill	2,070	27.3	+9.9
Majority			1,246	16.4	+8.8
Turnout			7,596
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.4

Pudsey South^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Mortimer	2,182	34.6	−5.2
	Labour	D. Brown	2,141	33.9	−4.0
	Alliance (Liberal)	R. Keighley	1,991	31.5	+9.2
Majority			41	0.7	−1.2
Turnout			6,314
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	-0.6

Richmond Hill^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Alliance (Liberal)	S. Sadler	3,401	55.3	+33.6
	Labour	W. Prichard	2,222	36.1	−29.8
	Conservative	G. Bullock	529	8.6	−3.8
Majority			1,179	19.2	−25.1
Turnout			6,152
	Alliance gain from Labour		Swing	+31.7

Rothwell^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Hudson	2,811	48.4	−9.8
	Conservative	D. Boynton	1,485	25.6	−0.6
	Alliance (SDP)	P. Burton	1,453	25.0	+15.9
	Communist	R. Horsbrough	56	1.0	−1.5
Majority			1,326	22.8	−9.3
Turnout			5,805
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.6

Roundhay^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. White	4,407	60.0	−1.7
	Alliance (Liberal)	L. Thackray	1,949	26.6	+12.4
	Labour	E. McGee	984	13.4	−6.1
Majority			2,458	33.5	−8.7
Turnout			7,340
	Conservative hold		Swing	-7.0

Seacroft^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Vollans	2,848	62.8	−15.7
	Conservative	J. Higham	855	18.9	+3.7
	Alliance (SDP)	T. Ayres	831	18.3	+14.1
Majority			1,993	44.0	−19.3
Turnout			4,534
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.7

University^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Jenner	2,698	62.9	+0.7
	Alliance (Liberal)	N. Flood	814	19.0	+5.8
	Conservative	H. Woodhead	693	16.1	−0.9
	Communist	J. Rodgers	87	2.0	−1.8
Majority			1,884	43.9	−1.3
Turnout			4,292
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.5

Weetwood^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Hamilton	3,102	46.2	+0.0
	Alliance (SDP)	S. Browning	1,937	28.9	+11.9
	Labour	M. Verity	1,671	24.9	−5.1
Majority			1,165	17.4	+1.1
Turnout			6,710
	Conservative hold		Swing	-5.9

Wetherby^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Gray	4,474	68.9	+2.3
	Alliance (Liberal)	T. Burgess	1,424	21.9	+12.0
	Labour	P. Adams	591	9.1	−3.8
Majority			3,050	47.0	−6.8
Turnout			6,489
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.8

Whinmoor^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Platt	1,866	40.2	−14.3
	Labour	R. Blower	1,843
	Conservative	M. Beardsall	1,600	34.5	−1.2
	Conservative	W. Buckland	1,527
	Alliance (SDP)	P. Davies	1,173	25.3	+15.5
	Alliance (SDP)	M. Lance	1,072
Majority			243	5.7	−13.1
Turnout			4,639
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour gain from Alliance		Swing	-6.5

Wortley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Bedford	2,468	37.0	−8.1
	Alliance (Liberal)	A. Gilchrist	2,142	32.1	+5.2
	Conservative	H. Connah	2,062	30.9	+2.9
Majority			326	4.9	−12.2
Turnout			6,672
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.6

References

^ ^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 ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj "District results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 7 May 1982.

[results-1] ^ ^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 ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj "District results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 7 May 1982.

[1]