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

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.

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

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

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

Brighouse ward

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brighouse ward, 1974

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

  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.
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