The 1978 Barking Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Barking London Borough Council in London, England. The whole council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.^[1]

Background

6 new wards were created for this election and 113 candidates nominated in total. Labour, once again, ran a full slate of candidates, and in keeping with the council's strong Labour vote, no other party ran in all wards. The Conservative Party had the second most candidates on the ballot at 28.

Election result

Labour continued to win a large majority of seats - 42 out of 48. For the first time since the 1968 elections the Conservatives won seats as well, 3 in all.

Ward results

Abbey

Abbey (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Jean E. Bruce	1,474	53.7	-2.0
	Labour	Sydney Hamilton	1,470		*N/A*
	Labour	Horace J. Howie	1,447		*N/A*
	Conservative	Brian Cook	776	28.3	+10.4
	Liberal	Ronwen R. Beadle	312	11.4	-15.0
	Liberal	Angela E. Bush	297		N/A
	National Front	Keith R. Taylor	182	6.6	N/A
	National Front	Sandra Hatchman	160		N/A
	National Front	Stanley W. Pulfer	153		N/A
Turnout				41.6	+9.8
Registered electors			6,827
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Alibon

Alibon (2 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Thomas R. Reynolds	945	70.0	*N/A*
	Labour	Ernest J. White	944		*N/A*
	Conservative	Reginald L. Johnson	366	27.1	N/A
	Conservative	William T. Maule	324		N/A
	Communist	Frederick J. Creamer	39	2.9	N/A
Turnout				28.5	N/A
Registered electors			4,817
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Cambell

Cambell (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joseph A. Butler	1,552	63.4	-26.8
	Labour	Sidney G. Cole	1,481		*N/A*
	Labour	Bertie E. Roycraft	1,295		*N/A*
	Conservative	Dorothea C. Reed	542	22.1	+12.3
	Liberal	Robert F. Porter	233	9.5	N/A
	Communist	Danielle V. Nicholls	121	4.9	N/A
Turnout				31.9	+11.0
Registered electors			7,386
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Chadwell Heath

Chadwell Heath (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Residents	Cyril H. Ayres	2,100	76.1	+21.2
	Residents	Joan E. Harper	2,097		*N/A*
	Residents	Peggy D. Miller	2,033		*N/A*
	Labour	Eric R. Harris	613	22.2	-5.5
	Labour	James L Jones	536		N/A
	Labour	Eric R. Mansell	495		N/A
	Communist	Alfred F. Ott	46	1.7	-3.0
Turnout				40.1	-10.2
Registered electors			6,899
	Residents hold		Swing
	Residents hold		Swing
	Residents hold		Swing

Eastbrook

Eastbrook (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frederick G. Tibble	1,202	48.2	-32.1
	Labour	Leonard A. Collins	1,197		*N/A*
	Labour	George H.A. Crouch	1,176		*N/A*
	Conservative	Alexander F. Owen	1,099	44.1	+30.9
	Conservative	Sydney D. Horrell	1.094		N/A
	Conservative	Ada E. Horrell	1.089		N/A
	Liberal	Edward A. Bullock	192	7.7	N/A
Turnout				37.1	+17.8
Registered electors			7,364
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Eastbury

Eastbury (2 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Maud Ball	1,043	68.5	*N/A*
	Labour	Michael J. O'Shea	902		*N/A*
	Liberal	Alan R. Beadle	479	31.5	N/A
	Liberal	Martin F. Taylor	465		N/A
Turnout				35.5	N/A
Registered electors			4,888
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Fanshawe

Fanshawe (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frederick C. Jones	1,371	72.4	-8.9
	Labour	John S. Thomas	1,244		*N/A*
	Labour	Ernest A. Turner	1,221		*N/A*
	Conservative	William J. Russell	459	24.2	+15.9
	Conservative	Ronald G. Rands	428		N/A
	Conservative	Alan Wiles	400		N/A
	Communist	Keith Bird	64	3.4	-7.0
Turnout				30.2	+10.6
Registered electors			6,885
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Gascoigne

Gascoigne (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Julia H. Engwell	1,648	64.0	-18.8
	Labour	John H. Lawrence	1,501		*N/A*
	Labour	Brian P. Walker	1,498		*N/A*
	Conservative	Audrey L. Beasley	486	18.9	-8.4
	Liberal	David A. Spender	284	11.0	N/A
	National Front	Colin M. London	155	6.0	N/A
	National Front	Harold J. Nash	123		N/A
Turnout				34.7	+8.3
Registered electors			7,092
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Goresbrook

Goresbrook (2 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David A. Dodd	1,018	66.4	*N/A*
	Labour	Edith E. Bradley	997		*N/A*
	Conservative	Victor F. Reeves	440	28.7	N/A
	Communist	Avis L. Greenway	76	5.0	N/A
Turnout				30.6	N/A
Registered electors			5,230
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Heath

Heath (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles J. Fairbrass	1,502	64.8	-5.5
	Labour	John W. Allam	1,442		*N/A*
	Labour	Brian J. Wilkins	1,331		*N/A*
	Conservative	Leonard T. Groves	681	29.4	-5.7
	Conservative	Joan E. Preston	660		N/A
	Communist	Helena Ott	135	5.8	-0.2
Turnout				30.4	+13.1
Registered electors			7,698
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Longbridge

Longbridge (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Dennis W. Barnett	1,846	59.6	+27.8
	Conservative	Edward J. Reed	1,780		*N/A*
	Conservative	John W. Seaman	1,724		*N/A*
	Labour	Doris M. Jones	998	32.7	-16.5
	Labour	John Cavanagh	997		N/A
	Labour	Marie A. Cole	915		N/A
	Liberal	Brian B. Beadle	254	8.2	-10.7
	Liberal	Eric J. Lowers	218		N/A
	Liberal	Dennis J. Keenan	217		N/A
Turnout				45.2	+16.1
Registered electors			7,324
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Manor

Manor (2 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Albert E. Ball	1,118	63.8	+17.0
	Labour	James A. Mannering	1,043		*N/A*
	Conservative	Bernadette Long	462	26.4	+7.2
	Liberal	Muriel I. Stolton	172	9.8	N/A
Turnout				34.1	+26.6
Registered electors			4,957
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Marks Gate

Marks Gate (1 seat)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Arthur Biles	458	58.7	*N/A*
	Conservative	Michael O'Brien	300	38.5	N/A
	Communist	Daniel Connor	22	2.8	N/A
Turnout				32.2	N/A
Registered electors			2,441
	Labour win (new seat)

Parsloes

Parsloes (2 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mabel R. Arnold	1,092	61.1	*N/A*
	Labour	Millicent S. Preston	1,057		*N/A*
	Conservative	Janet M. Barnett	486	27.2	N/A
	Liberal	Daniel J. Felton	209	11.7	N/A
Turnout				32.5	N/A
Registered electors			5,307
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

River

River (2 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Leonard J. Bryant	990	67.0	-13.9
	Labour	James Morton	892		*N/A*
	Conservative	Jane I Calver	429	29.0	+16.4
	Conservative	William J. Whiter	376		N/A
	Communist	Brian F. Nicholls	58	3.9	-2.6
Turnout				29.8	+10.4
Registered electors			5,243
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Thames

Thames (2 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Douglas J. Waters	1,649	86.1	*N/A*
	Labour	George H. Shaw	1,647		*N/A*
	Liberal	Ronald H. Stolton	267	13.9	N/A
Turnout				38.5	N/A
Registered electors			5,147
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Triptons

Triptons (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George A. Brooker	1,185	65.9	*N/A*
	Labour	John Davis	1,152		*N/A*
	Labour	William E. Bellamy	1,077		*N/A*
	Conservative	Alan L. Sears	513	28.5	N/A
	Conservative	George A. Winch	391		N/A
	Communist	Danny J. Marshall	100	5.6	N/A
Turnout				27.5	N/A
Registered electors			7,213
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)
	Labour win (new seat)

Valence

Valence (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Richard Blackburn	1,383	60.8	-9.6
	Labour	Matthew Eales	1,267		*N/A*
	Labour	Joanne Williams	1,249		*N/A*
	Conservative	Terence C. McManus	432	19.0	+8.7
	Conservative	William J. Middleton	358		N/A
	Independent	Vera Cridland	213	9.4	N/A
	National Front	John J. Benjafield	185	8.1	N/A
	National Front	John Roberts	181		N/A
	National Front	Michael D. Sowerby	168		N/A
	Communist	Brian A. Corbett	62	2.7	-6.9
Turnout				30.7	+12.0
Registered electors			7,092
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

Village

Village (3 seats)^[1]^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Matthew J. Spencer	1,256	48.3	-16.1
	Labour	Harry Tindell	1,161		*N/A*
	Labour	Peter Bradley	1,156		*N/A*
	Conservative	Terence A. Mallindine	851	32.8	+22.8
	Conservative	John M. Kinnie	839		N/A
	Liberal	George D. Poole	392	15.1	-1.3
	Communist	Paul B. Greenaway	99	3.8	-0.6
Turnout				32.0	+10.4
Registered electors			7,614
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing

By-elections between 1978 and 1982

Cambell

Cambell by-election, 29 March 1979^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Eric R. Harris	1,019	48.4	-15.0
	Conservative	Brian Cook	906	43.0	+20.9
	National Front	John J. Benjafield	106	5.0	N/A
	Liberal	Daniel J. Felton	76	3.6	-5.9
Majority			113	5.4	N/A
Turnout				28.7	-3.2
Registered electors			7,354
	Labour hold		Swing

The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Bertie E. Roycraft.

Gascoigne

Gascoigne by-election, 3 May 1979^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	James L. Jones	2,258	54.7	-9.3
	Conservative	Stanley Bray	1,255	30.4	+11.5
	Liberal	David A. Spender	614	14.9	+3.9
Majority			1,003	24.3	N/A
Turnout				60.6	+35.9
Registered electors			6,865
	Labour hold		Swing

The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. Julia H. Engwell.

Triptons

Triptons by-election, 4 December 1980^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alan D. Stevens	859	68.3	+2.4
	Liberal	Edward A. Bullock	234	18.6	N/A
	Conservative	Sylvia M. L. Jones	120	9.5	-19.0
	National Front	Ronald A. Ferrett	44	3.5	N/A
Majority			625	49.7	N/A
Turnout				17.4	-10.1
Registered electors			7,244
	Labour hold		Swing

The by-election was called following the death of Cllr. William E. Bellamy.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t "London Borough Council Elections 4 May 1978" (PDF). London Datastore. Greater London Council. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s "London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Election Results 1964-2010" (PDF). Elections Centre. Plymouth University. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c "London Borough Council Elections 6 May 1982" (PDF). London Datastore. Greater London Council. Retrieved 29 March 2015.

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See also: London-wide elections Wards Boundary changes

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