The 1970 Leeds City Council elections were held on 8 May 1970,^[1] with one third of the seats up for election, as well as an extra vacancy in Beeston.^[2]

The election seen a nationally resurgent^[1] Labour gain 10 seats and achieve a 13% swing from the Conservatives, returning to a competitive status after the routings suffered the previous two elections. Labour gains were as follows: Bramley, Burmantofts, Gipton, Osmondthorpe, Richmond Hill, Scott Hall, Seacroft, Stanningley, Whinmoor and Wortley. There was also a narrow hold in Burley, with Labour close to eliminating the almost 40% Conservative majority managed there the year before. The Liberals further increased their representation with a gain from the Conservatives, repeating their success in West Hunslet following the previous year's upset.^[2]

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1970
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Conservative	15	0	11	-11	48.4	47.0	58,281	-11.7
Labour	14	10	0	+10	45.2	42.1	52,168	+14.2
Liberal	2	1	0	+1	6.4	9.8	12,134	-1.5
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.9	1,108	-0.8
Ind. Conservative	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.1	400	-0.3
National Front	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.1	91	+0.1

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	73	25	62	25
	Labour	13	5	23	5
	Liberals	4	0	5	0
Total		90	30	90	30
Total		120		120
Working majority		56	20	34	20
Working majority		76		54

Ward results

Armley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Stephenson	1,862	36.3	-2.2
	Labour	W. Thurlow	1,669	32.6	+10.7
	Liberal	P. Chadsworth	1,380	26.9	-2.2
	Ind. Conservative	G. Atkinson	168	3.3	-2.2
	Communist	P. Wilton	46	0.9	-0.7
Majority			193	3.8	-5.6
Turnout			5,125
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.4

Beeston^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Platt	2,247	50.8	-10.3
	Conservative	A. Dunn	2,208
	Labour	S. Whelan	1,734	39.2	+10.1
	Labour	M. Chadwick	1,685
	Liberal	A. Webster	443	10.0	+0.2
	Liberal	D. Dawson	394
Majority			513	11.6	-20.4
Turnout			4,424
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing	-10.2

Bramley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Eric Atkinson	2,334	50.1	+23.4
	Conservative	D. Armitage	1,998	42.9	-11.3
	Liberal	J. Coates	325	7.0	-12.1
Majority			336	7.2	-20.3
Turnout			4,657
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+17.3

Burley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Davies	1,868	49.6	-16.6
	Labour	J. Sully	1,813	48.2	+22.9
	Communist	T. Flynn	84	2.2	-6.3
Majority			55	1.5	-39.5
Turnout			3,765
	Conservative hold		Swing	-19.7

Burmantofts^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. Cohen	2,834	55.9	+9.0
	Conservative	J. Brightbart	1,697	33.5	-16.3
	Liberal	E. Britton	496	9.8	+9.8
	Communist	F. Stockdale	40	0.8	-2.4
Majority			1,137	22.4	+19.5
Turnout			5,067
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.6

Castleton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Michael Meadowcroft	2,127	53.7	-0.9
	Labour	K. Dockway	1,449	36.6	+9.0
	Conservative	E. Lewis	343	8.7	-7.7
	Communist	G. Corscadden	39	1.0	-0.4
Majority			678	17.1	-9.9
Turnout			3,958
	Liberal hold		Swing	-4.9

Chapel Allerton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Long	2,854	82.3	-0.7
	Labour	G. Bloom	401	11.6	+4.3
	Liberal	Deryck Ernest Senior	211	6.1	-0.7
Majority			2,453	70.8	-7.9
Turnout			3,466
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.9

City^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ernest Morris	1,748	65.7	+12.3
	Conservative	J. Sexton	764	28.7	-14.2
	Liberal	Graham Rowlands	75	2.8	+2.8
	Communist	T. Johnston	72	2.7	-0.9
Majority			984	37.0	+26.4
Turnout			2,659
	Labour hold		Swing	+13.2

Cookridge^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Lyons	2,605	59.5	-14.9
	Labour	W. Lodge	966	22.1	+7.0
	Liberal	E. Finkle	806	18.4	+7.9
Majority			1,639	37.4	-21.9
Turnout			4,377
	Conservative hold		Swing	-10.9

East Hunslet^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	B. Pepper	1,907	66.6	+8.9
	Liberal	J. Barie	581	20.3	+0.8
	Conservative	I. Holmes	374	13.1	-9.7
Majority			1,326	46.3	+11.3
Turnout			2,862
	Labour hold		Swing	+4.0

Gipton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Moynihan	2,125	51.0	+14.0
	Conservative	W. Buckland	1,876	45.1	-16.1
	Liberal	K. Pedder	110	2.6	+2.6
	Communist	J. Bellamy	53	1.3	-0.6
Majority			249	6.0	-18.1
Turnout			4,164
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+15.0

Halton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Vaughan	3,846	76.4	-9.4
	Labour	W. Spence	1,129	22.4	+11.6
	Communist	G. McGowan	56	1.1	-2.2
Majority			2,717	54.0	-21.0
Turnout			5,031
	Conservative hold		Swing	-10.5

Harehills^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. White	1,550	64.9	-11.9
	Labour	G. Wood	712	29.8	+18.1
	Liberal	D. Preethy	127	5.3	-6.2
Majority			838	35.1	-29.9
Turnout			2,389
	Conservative hold		Swing	-15.0

Headingley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Barron	2,904	71.4	-8.3
	Labour	T. Cooke	1,164	28.6	+17.4
Majority			1,740	42.8	-25.6
Turnout			4,068
	Conservative hold		Swing	-12.8

Holbeck^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Matthews	1,868	60.0	+12.7
	Liberal	R. Whitelock	852	27.4	-2.7
	Conservative	J. Spragg	392	12.6	-10.0
Majority			1,016	32.6	15.3
Turnout			3,112
	Labour hold		Swing	+7.7

Kirkstall^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Robertson	2,825	50.2	-7.7
	Labour	J. Underwood	2,440	43.4	+10.7
	Liberal	R. Worrall	256	4.6	-3.1
	Communist	J. Sidebottom	102	1.8	+0.1
Majority			385	6.8	-18.3
Turnout			5,623
	Conservative hold		Swing	-9.2

Middleton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Binns	2,507	63.2	+9.2
	Liberal	S. Robinson	803	20.3	-2.7
	Conservative	G. Hartley	558	14.1	-2.3
	Communist	D. Priscott	96	2.4	-4.2
Majority			1,704	43.0	+12.0
Turnout			3,964
	Labour hold		Swing	+5.9

Moortown^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	E. Vaughan	2,668	68.6	-5.4
	Labour	A. Donohoe	903	23.2	+12.0
	Liberal	S. Rowland	316	8.1	-6.6
Majority			1,765	45.4	-13.9
Turnout			3,887
	Conservative hold		Swing	-8.7

Osmondthorpe^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Douglas Gabb	2,810	61.6	+11.8
	Conservative	Doreen Wood	1,694	37.1	-8.6
	Communist	T. Kelly	57	1.2	-3.2
Majority			1,116	24.5	+20.4
Turnout			4,561
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+10.2

Richmond Hill^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Mathers	2,293	57.4	+19.4
	Conservative	D. Eastham	1,547	38.7	-15.9
	Liberal	A. Wren	70	1.8	-2.5
	Communist	P. Fawcett	57	1.4	-1.8
	National Front	B. Thurlow	31	0.8	+0.8
Majority			746	18.7	+2.1
Turnout			3,998
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+17.6

Roundhay^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Challenor	3,166	85.3	-6.0
	Labour	Denise Atkinson	544	14.7	+6.0
Majority			2,622	70.7	-11.9
Turnout			3,710
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.0

Scott Hall^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Ellis	1,432	48.8	+24.3
	Conservative	L. Horton	1,377	46.9	-28.6
	Communist	A. Dale	127	4.3	+4.3
Majority			55	1.9	-49.1
Turnout			2,936
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+26.4

Seacroft^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. Woolmer	4,023	69.2	+22.7
	Conservative	M. Freegood	1,737	29.9	-19.6
	Communist	H. Besser	51	0.9	-3.0
Majority			2,286	39.3	+36.3
Turnout			5,811
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+21.1

Stanningley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Kevin Gould	2,657	54.3	+10.4
	Conservative	A. Vickers	1,800	36.8	-15.0
	Liberal	V. Lockwood	390	8.0	+8.0
	Communist	P. Sidebottom	43	0.9	-3.3
Majority			857	17.5	+9.6
Turnout			4,890
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.7

Talbot^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Crousden	3,172	81.5	-6.0
	Labour	R. Sedler	721	18.5	+6.0
Majority			2,451	63.0	-11.9
Turnout			3,893
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.0

Weetwood^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	B. Peart	3,737	77.9	-3.5
	Liberal	B. Reynolds	537	11.2	-1.3
	Labour	A. Baum	465	9.7	+3.5
	National Front	R. Green	60	1.3	+1.3
Majority			3,200	66.7	-2.1
Turnout			4,799
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.1

West Hunslet^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	W. Taylor	1,710	41.4	-13.4
	Labour	E. Hodkinson	1,267	30.7	+12.5
	Conservative	J. Crosby	1,152	27.9	+0.9
Majority			115	10.7	-17.1
Turnout			4,129
	Liberal gain from Conservative		Swing	-12.9

Whinmoor^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	B. Coward	2,123	59.3	+10.7
	Conservative	V. McNair	1,382	38.6	-10.9
	Communist	J. Scawthorne	74	2.1	+0.2
Majority			741	20.7	+19.8
Turnout			3,579
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+10.8

Woodhouse^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Sexton	1,735	52.4	-10.8
	Labour	C. Buttery	1,468	44.3	+13.2
	Communist	L. Morris	111	3.3	-2.4
Majority			267	8.1	-23.9
Turnout			3,314
	Conservative hold		Swing	-12.0

Wortley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Sargeant	2,662	46.4	+18.7
	Conservative	R. Beal	2,551	44.5	-15.8
	Liberal	Walter Holdsworth	519	9.1	-2.8
Majority			111	1.9	-30.6
Turnout			5,732
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+17.2

References

^ ^a ^b "Labor Makes Gains in British Elections". The New York Times. 8 May 1970. Retrieved 21 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 1970.

v t e Council elections in West Yorkshire
Mayor	2021
Bradford	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Calderdale	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Kirklees	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Leeds	1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
Wakefield	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023
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