1969 Leeds City Council election

The 1969 Leeds municipal election was held on 8 May 1969,^[1] with one third of the councillors up for election. The Conservative incumbent in Armley had defected to Independent Conservative in the interim and hoped to defend it as such.^[2]

In contrast to their performance nationally,^[1] the Tories fell back upon their peak the previous year, with Labour managing to stabilise their support somewhat. The sole beneficiary (unlike last year, the Communists dropped back to their normal support) were the Liberals, who obtained their largest vote since 1963. In total three seats changed hands, with a spectacular gain in West Hunslet by the Liberals from the Conservatives, another loss of the latter's to Labour in Osmondthorpe, offset a little by a comfortable win back in Armley from their former incumbent.^[2]

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1969
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Conservative	23	1	2	-1	76.7	58.7	62,949	-2.6
Labour	5	1	0	+1	16.7	27.9	29,872	-0.0
Liberal	2	1	0	+1	6.7	11.3	12,099	+6.8
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	1.7	1,879	-4.4
Ind. Conservative	0	0	1	-1	0.0	0.4	400	+0.4

The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

Party		Previous council		New council
Party		Cllr	Ald	Cllr	Ald
	Conservatives	74	25	73	25
	Labour	12	5	13	5
	Liberals	3	0	4	0
	Independent Conservative	1	0	0	0
Total		90	30	90	30
Total		120		120
Working majority		58	20	56	20
Working majority		78		76

Ward results

Armley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Mathers	1,743	38.5	−15.7
	Liberal	J. Saxton	1,318	29.1	+29.1
	Labour	J. Bissell	989	21.9	−15.0
	Ind. Conservative	G. Atkinson	400	8.8	+8.8
	Communist	P. Wilson	72	1.6	−7.3
Majority			425	9.4	−8.0
Turnout			4,522
	Conservative hold		Swing	-22.4

Beeston^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Hartley	2,547	61.1	−5.2
	Labour	J. Hodkinson	1,212	29.1	−1.0
	Liberal	L. Kent	408	9.8	+9.8
Majority			1,335	32.0	−4.3
Turnout			4,167
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.1

Bramley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Robinson	2,025	54.2	−3.0
	Labour	M. Chadwick	998	26.7	−8.5
	Liberal	A. Fleet	712	19.1	+19.1
Majority			1,027	27.5	+5.6
Turnout			3,735
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.7

Burley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Ramsden	1,852	66.2	+4.3
	Labour	S. Whelan	706	25.3	−6.7
	Communist	S. Walker	238	8.5	+2.4
Majority			1,146	41.0	+11.1
Turnout			2,796
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.5

Burmantofts^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Christine Thomas	1,956	49.8	+0.1
	Labour	Joyce Gould	1,843	47.0	+4.0
	Communist	F. Stockdale	126	3.2	−4.1
Majority			113	2.9	−3.9
Turnout			3,925
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.9

Castleton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	C. Tucker	2,081	54.6	+9.1
	Labour	K. Cohen	1,051	27.6	+1.6
	Conservative	C. Johnson	624	16.4	−5.6
	Communist	J. Corscadden	52	1.4	−5.1
Majority			1,030	27.0	+7.4
Turnout			3,808
	Liberal hold		Swing	+3.7

Chapel Allerton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Hunt	3,120	86.0	+0.8
	Labour	A. Baum	263	7.2	−3.9
	Liberal	Deryck Ernest Senior	246	6.8	+6.8
Majority			2,857	78.7	+4.7
Turnout			3,629
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.3

City^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Doreen Jenner	1,388	53.5	+4.7
	Conservative	J. Klineberg	1,113	42.9	−1.7
	Communist	T. Johnson	94	3.6	−3.0
Majority			275	10.6	+6.4
Turnout			2,595
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.2

Cookridge^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Jenkins	3,337	74.4	+0.8
	Labour	F. Davis	678	15.1	+5.2
	Liberal	J. Davies	471	10.5	−1.9
Majority			2,659	59.3	−1.9
Turnout			4,486
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.2

East Hunslet^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Parker	1,416	57.7	−4.3
	Conservative	I. Holmes	558	22.8	−7.3
	Liberal	G. Beever	478	19.5	+19.5
Majority			858	35.0	+3.0
Turnout			2,452
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.5

Gipton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Suttenstall	2,014	61.1	+5.7
	Labour	J. Gore	1,219	37.0	−1.1
	Communist	J. Bellamy	61	1.9	−4.6
Majority			795	24.1	+6.8
Turnout			3,294
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.4

Halton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Martin Dodgson	4,659	85.9	+4.3
	Labour	E. Coward	587	10.8	−0.9
	Communist	S. Jones	180	3.3	−3.4
Majority			4,072	75.0	+5.2
Turnout			5,426
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.6

Harehills^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Cummings	1,986	76.7	−3.1
	Labour	W. Spence	304	11.7	−1.5
	Liberal	D. Freethy	298	11.5	+11.5
Majority			1,682	65.0	−1.6
Turnout			2,588
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.8

Headingley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	E. Clark	3,097	79.7	+8.0
	Labour	G. Wood	437	11.2	+0.5
	Liberal	M. Stevens	353	9.1	−3.5
Majority			2,660	68.4	+9.3
Turnout			3,887
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.7

Holbeck^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bernard Atha	1,306	47.4	−7.6
	Liberal	R. Whitelock	830	30.1	+30.1
	Conservative	J. Bateman	622	22.6	−12.4
Majority			476	17.3	−2.7
Turnout			2,758
	Labour hold		Swing	-18.8

Kirkstall^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Horrocks	2,898	57.9	−3.6
	Labour	D. Matthews	1,639	32.7	−0.3
	Liberal	J. Grant	381	7.6	+7.6
	Communist	J. Sidebottom	88	1.8	−3.8
Majority			1,259	25.1	−3.3
Turnout			5,006
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.6

Middleton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Malcolm	1,606	54.0	−1.4
	Liberal	J. Crashaw	683	23.0	+23.0
	Conservative	B. Rawson	488	16.4	−17.1
	Communist	D. Priscott	197	6.6	−4.4
Majority			923	31.0	+9.1
Turnout			2,974
	Labour hold		Swing	-12.2

Moortown^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Redmond	2,740	74.1	−0.5
	Liberal	E. Nevies	545	14.7	+3.1
	Labour	C. Bloom	414	11.2	+1.2
Majority			2,195	59.3	−3.6
Turnout			3,699
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.8

Osmondthorpe^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Prichard	1,812	49.8	+6.5
	Conservative	L. Horton	1,663	45.7	−0.5
	Communist	T. Kelly	163	4.5	−6.0
Majority			149	4.1	+1.2
Turnout			3,638
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+3.5

Richmond Hill^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Levey	1,709	54.6	−0.6
	Labour	J. Mathers	1,188	38.0	+1.2
	Liberal	D. McAllister	133	4.2	+4.2
	Communist	P. Fawcett	100	3.2	−0.8
Majority			521	16.6	−1.8
Turnout			3,130
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.9

Roundhay^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Johnson	3,316	91.3	+3.5
	Labour	Douglas Gabb	316	8.7	+1.5
Majority			3,000	82.6	+2.0
Turnout			3,632
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.0

Scott Hall^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	V. Darnton	1,429	75.5	+24.7
	Labour	R. Sedler	464	24.5	−8.3
Majority			965	51.0	+33.0
Turnout			1,893
	Conservative hold		Swing	+16.5

Seacroft^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	E. McQuire	1,642	49.5	+2.9
	Labour	J. Moran	1,544	46.6	+2.3
	Communist	H. Besser	130	3.9	−5.3
Majority			98	3.0	+0.6
Turnout			3,316
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.3

Stanningley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	I. Benton	1,991	51.8	+5.3
	Labour	Kevin Gould	1,689	44.0	+5.3
	Communist	F. Sidebottom	160	4.2	−0.4
Majority			302	7.9	+0.1
Turnout			3,840
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.0

Talbot^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	P. Brayshay	3,398	87.5	+0.4
	Labour	A. Vollans	487	12.5	+2.9
Majority			2,911	74.9	−2.5
Turnout			3,885
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.2

Weetwood^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Rostron	3,789	81.3	+5.1
	Liberal	W. Beaumont	583	12.5	−2.5
	Labour	C. Collinge	287	6.2	+2.3
Majority			3,206	68.8	+7.5
Turnout			4,659
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.8

West Hunslet^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Dennis Pedder	2,104	54.8	+54.8
	Conservative	M. Waddington	1,038	27.0	−28.8
	Labour	A. Donohoe	698	18.2	−17.3
Majority			1,066	27.8	+7.4
Turnout			3,840
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	+41.8

Whinmoor^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Peggy White	1,329	49.5	+0.7
	Labour	L. Jackson	1,305	48.6	+4.1
	Communist	W. Rumbelow	49	1.8	−4.8
Majority			24	0.9	−3.4
Turnout			2,683
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.7

Woodhouse^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	P. Fingret	1,856	63.1	+0.7
	Labour	Eric Atkinson	916	31.1	+3.0
	Communist	L. Morris	169	5.7	−3.7
Majority			940	32.0	−2.2
Turnout			2,941
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.1

Wortley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. Stubley	2,410	60.3	−3.7
	Labour	W. Thurlow	1,110	27.8	+6.1
	Liberal	Walter Holdsworth	475	11.9	+1.0
Majority			1,300	32.5	−9.9
Turnout			3,995
	Conservative hold		Swing	-4.9

References

^ ^a ^b "British Laborites Again Set Back in Local Voting". The New York Times. 9 May 1969. 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 ^af "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 9 May 1969.

[NYT-1] "British Laborites Again Set Back in Local Voting". The New York Times. 9 May 1969. 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 ^af "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 9 May 1969.

[1]

[2]

v t e (1968 ←) 1969 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1970)
County boroughs	Leeds Liverpool Sheffield
City corporations	Aberdeen Dundee Edinburgh Glasgow

v t e Council elections in West Yorkshire
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West Yorkshire CC	1973 1977 1981 Abolished
West Riding CC	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes