1978 Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council election

← 1976

4 May 1978 (1978-05-04)

1979 →

23 of 63 seats
to Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council
32 seats needed for a majority

	First party	Second party	Third party

Leader	Jonathan Taylor	Richard Mee	Brian Clancy
Party	Conservative	Labour	Liberal
Leader's seat	Brooklands	Sale Moor	Mersey-St. Mary's (stood down)
Last election	17 seats, 57.4%	4 seats, 27.3%	0 seats, 14.7%
Seats before	48	11	4
Seats won	19	4	0
Seats after	54	9	0
Seat change	6	2	4
Popular vote	40,050	19,076	9,180
Percentage	58.5%	27.9%	13.4%
Swing	1.1%	0.6%	1.3%

Map of results of 1978 election

Leader of the Council before election

Mike King
Conservative

Leader of the Council after election

Jonathan Taylor
Conservative

Elections to Trafford Council were held on Thursday, 4 May 1978. One third of the council was up for election, with each successful candidate to serve a four-year term of office, expiring in 1982. The Conservative Party retained overall control of the council.^[1]

Election result

Party	Votes		Seats			Full Council
Conservative Party	40,050 (58.5%)	1.1	19 (82.6%)	19 / 23	6	54 (85.7%)	54 / 63
Labour Party	19,076 (27.9%)	0.6	4 (17.4%)	4 / 23	2	9 (14.3%)	9 / 63
Liberal Party	9,180 (13.4%)	1.3	0 (0.0%)	0 / 23	4	0 (0.0%)	0 / 63
Communist Party	136 (0.2%)	0.2	0 (0.0%)	0 / 23	0	0 (0.0%)	0 / 63

↓
9	54

Ward results

No.1 (Altrincham South West)

Altrincham South West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marshall Rubin	1,131	54.4	+0.9
	Labour	E. McPherson	590	28.4	+1.6
	Liberal	G. M. R. Willmott	357	17.2	-2.5
Majority			541	26.0	-0.7
Turnout			2,078	32.8	-7.5
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

No.2 (Altrincham East)

Altrincham East (2 vacancies)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Graham Burrows	1,993	58.2	+3.7
	Conservative	H. Taylor	1,922	56.1	+1.6
	Liberal	John Davenport*	1,126	32.9	+4.5
	Liberal	Maureen Clancy	1,019	29.7	+1.3
	Labour	J. R. Royle	402	11.7	-5.3
	Labour	R. J. Ellis	394	11.5	-5.5
Majority			796	23.2	-2.9
Turnout			3,426	37.8	-4.8
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.3 (Altrincham North)

Altrincham North (2 vacancies)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. G. Currie*	1,264	57.3	+3.0
	Conservative	L. M. L. Burton	1,187	53.8	-0.5
	Labour	E. Smith	587	26.6	+5.2
	Labour	G. R. Gould	542	24.6	+4.2
	Liberal	Eric Faulkner	488	22.1	-2.2
	Liberal	B. Gaylard	341	15.5	-8.8
Majority			600	27.2	-2.9
Turnout			2,205	35.5	+5.4
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.4 (Timperley)

Timperley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. E. W. McCowatt	1,746	69.2	+21.6
	Labour	C. Moore	777	30.8	+6.0
Majority			969	38.4	+18.4
Turnout			2,523	31.2	-13.3
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.5 (Mersey-St. Mary’s)

Mersey-St. Mary's
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Moss	2,208	59.4	-1.4
	Liberal	E. Critchlow	973	26.2	-3.2
	Labour	C. Younghusband	534	14.4	+4.6
Majority			1,235	33.2	+1.7
Turnout			3,715	41.0	-4.0
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

No.6 (St. Martin’s)

St. Martin's
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Michael King*	2,543	62.9	-3.9
	Labour	G. Woodburn	858	21.2	-12.0
	Liberal	G. C. Kinsey	550	13.6	+13.6
	Communist	J. E. Stitt	89	2.2	+2.2
Majority			1,685	41.7	+8.0
Turnout			4,040	35.3	-2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.7 (Sale Moor)

Sale Moor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Richard Mee*	1,417	52.5	+8.9
	Conservative	Graham Toft	1,283	47.5	+3.6
Majority			134	5.0	+4.6
Turnout			2,700	40.9	-1.2
	Labour hold		Swing

No.8 (St. Anne’s)

St. Anne's
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. H. Evans	1,634	47.5	+1.1
	Liberal	John Phillipson*	1,265	36.8	+5.5
	Labour	Barry Brotherton	541	15.7	-6.6
Majority			369	10.7	-4.4
Turnout			3,440	40.4	-4.9
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

No.9 (Brooklands)

Brooklands
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Waterfall	2,685	63.8	-1.0
	Liberal	Cecil Fink*	1,098	26.1	-9.1
	Labour	Alan Hadley	426	10.1	+10.1
Majority			1,587	37.7	+8.2
Turnout			4,209	47.1	+1.9
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

No.10 (Talbot North)

Talbot North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Marland*	1,780	61.5	+8.7
	Conservative	W. Outhwaite	1,113	38.5	+4.7
Majority			667	23.0	+4.0
Turnout			2,893	33.3	-4.6
	Labour hold		Swing

No.11 (Clifford)

Clifford
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Keith Summerfield	1,319	50.1	+7.2
	Labour	John Maher	1,318	50.0	+0.4
Majority			1	0.03	-6.7
Turnout			2,637	39.6	-1.9
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

No.12 (Longford)

Longford
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Homer*	1,886	53.7	+0.2
	Labour	Tony Lloyd	1,284	36.5	+1.8
	Liberal	H. D. Locksley	343	9.8	-1.9
Majority			602	17.1	-1.7
Turnout			3,513	34.4	-4.6
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.13 (Stretford)

Stretford
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Margaret Hindley*	1,591	68.5	+4.1
	Labour	Raymond Tully	732	31.5	+3.2
Majority			859	37.0	+0.9
Turnout			2,323	40.0	-2.3
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.14 (Park)

Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Haydock	1,118	49.9	0
	Conservative	L. Sherwood	1,076	48.0	+0.7
	Communist	W. Hudson	47	2.1	-0.7
Majority			42	1.9	-0.7
Turnout			2,241	39.1	-4.2
	Labour hold		Swing

No.15 (Bowdon)

Bowdon
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Jean Gill*	2,572	77.6	-7.1
	Liberal	David Mardon	408	12.3	-3.0
	Labour	G. R. Scott	333	10.1	+10.1
Majority			2,164	65.3	-4.0
Turnout			3,313	44.7	-3.9
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.16 (Hale)

Hale
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Marjorie Hinchcliffe*	2,812	75.7	-11.5
	Liberal	J. S. Whittingham	501	13.5	+13.5
	Labour	Arthur Johnson	400	10.8	-2.0
Majority			2,311	62.2	-12.2
Turnout			3,713	39.9	-7.5
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.17 (Partington)

Partington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Holland*	1,566	60.0	+11.3
	Conservative	J. Strong	1,043	40.0	-0.1
Majority			523	20.0	+11.3
Turnout			2,609	33.4	-4.0
	Labour hold		Swing

No.18 (Urmston West East)

Urmston West East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Allan Coupe*	1,725	58.8	+2.0
	Labour	D. Horner	842	28.7	+4.6
	Liberal	D. E. Unwin	367	12.5	-6.6
Majority			883	30.1	-2.6
Turnout			2,934	34.6	-3.0
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.19 (Flixton East Central)

Flixton East Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	William Wroe*	2,205	72.1	+9.2
	Labour	J. Shaw	853	27.9	+5.3
Majority			1,352	44.2	+3.9
Turnout			3,058	33.2	-9.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.20 (Flixton West)

Flixton West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	George Carnall*	2,291	62.6	+2.2
	Labour	Laura Seex	1,370	37.4	+7.3
Majority			921	25.2	-5.1
Turnout			3,661	35.8	-5.4
	Conservative hold		Swing

No.21 (Davyhulme East)

Davyhulme East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ray Haigh*	1,221	61.8	+1.9
	Labour	R. P. F. Phillips	412	20.8	-9.6
	Liberal	T. M. Owen	344	17.4	+7.7
Majority			809	40.9	+11.4
Turnout			1,977	36.7	-4.7
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

^ "Trafford M. B. C. Election Results Sheet, 5 May 1978", Trafford M.B.C.(1978).

v t e (1977 ←) 1978 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1979)
London boroughs	Barking Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster
Metropolitan boroughs	Barnsley Birmingham Bradford Bolton Bury Calderdale Coventry Doncaster Dudley Gateshead Kirklees Knowsley Leeds Liverpool Manchester Newcastle North Tyneside Oldham Rochdale Rotherham Salford Sandwell Sefton Sheffield Solihull South Tyneside St Helens Stockport Sunderland Tameside Trafford Wakefield Walsall Wigan Wirral Wolverhampton
District councils (England)	Basingstoke and Deane Bath Brentwood Broxbourne Burnley Cambridge Cannock Chase Chorley Colchester Congleton Eastbourne Eastleigh Ellesmere Port and Neston Elmbridge Fareham Halton Harlow Hart Hartlepool Havant Hertsmere Huntingdon Milton Keynes Mole Valley Pendle Peterborough Preston Rochford Rossendale Runnymede Shrewsbury and Atcham South Bedfordshire South Cambridgeshire Southend-on-Sea Tamworth Tandridge Thamesdown Three Rivers Tunbridge Wells Watford Welwyn Hatfield West Lancashire Winchester Woking
Regional councils (Scotland)	Borders Central Dumfries and Galloway Fife Grampian Highland Lothian Orkney Shetland Strathclyde Tayside Western Isles

v t e Council elections in Greater Manchester
Mayor	2017 2021 2024
Bolton	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 2024
Bury	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 2024
Manchester	1945 1946 1947 1949 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 2024
Oldham	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 2024
Rochdale	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 2024
Salford	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 2024
Stockport	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 2024
Tameside	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 2024
Trafford	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 2024
Wigan	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 2024
County Council	1973 1977 1981 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes