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All 81 councillors to Sheffield City Council | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections to Sheffield Council were held on 11 May 1967. The entire council was up for election, following changes to the city borders, which extended into parts of Derbyshire, and extensive boundary changes and reorganisation of the wards. The wards Cathedral, Crookesmoor, Moor, Norton, Tinsley and Woodseats were abolished, with the new wards of Beauchief, Castle, Dore, Gleadless, Intake and Netherthorpe created. These, along with the inclusion of the Birley and Mosborough wards from neighbouring areas, brought the councillor total to 81 - up six from previous.
The election itself seen a historic night for the Conservatives, as they followed the national pattern of inflicting heavy losses onto the ruling Labour Party, coming as close to one seat away from seeing Labour lose their 33-strong majority with which they went into the election with. In Mosborough an Independent was elected on a platform of opposition to the takeover of the ward by Sheffield, whilst his counterpart in Birley finished last, but with a respectable 21%.
Overall turnout was a concern in this election, following the downward trend in turnout, resulting in the previous year's record low turnout of 22%. Hopes that this 'mini-election' - as it was dubbed - being the opportunity to decide on the council's control might draw a greater turnout than recent years, were fulfilled as turnout improved dramatically to 33.4%, the highest since 1961.[1]
