1979 Leeds City Council election

Elections to Leeds City Council were held on the same day as the general election, with one third of the council up for election and an additional vacancy in Garforth North and Barwick. There had also been a by-election in Horsforth for the seat up in this election, with the Conservatives successfully defending it.

The general election brought out a much higher turnout, with votes cast just over double the average set by the prior elections. The Liberal's fuller slate of candidates for this election gained them a personal best, seemingly mainly at the Conservative's expense. Little advance was made from this, however, with their sole gain confined to winning the earlier mentioned Conservative-held Horsforth seat. Instead, Labour were the night's clear victors, with a total of five gains; four from the Conservatives (Burley, Kirkstall, and Morley North and Wortley) and Hunslet East and West from the Liberals.

This returned the council to no overall control, with one seat dividing the Conservatives and Labour.[1]

Election result
Leeds Local Election Result 1979
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 17 5 0 +5 51.5 41.2 160,075 +0.7%
  Conservative 14 0 5 -5 42.4 38.5 149,646 -5.3%
  Liberal 2 1 1 0 6.1 17.8 69,227 +5.6%
  Ecology 0 0 0 0 0.0 1.5 6,064 +0.3%
  National Front 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.4 1,720 -0.7%
  Communist 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.3 1,186 -0.2%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.2 753 -0.5%

This result has the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:

Party Previous council New council
Conservatives 50 45
Labour 39 44
Liberals 7 7
Total 96 96
Working majority  4   0 

Ward results
Aireborough[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative H. Freeman 7,973 43.6 -13.1
Liberal J. Brown 5,832 31.9 +14.9
Labour M. Dunn 4,198 22.9 -3.5
Ecology K. Rushworth 301 1.6 +1.6
Majority 2,141 11.7 -18.5
Turnout 18,304
Conservative hold Swing -14.0
Armley and Castleton[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal B. Nelson 5,250 42.3 -2.7
Labour J. Kerwin-Davey 4,678 37.7 +5.9
Conservative W. Broadbent 2,267 18.3 -1.8
National Front D. Bentall 141 1.1 -0.2
Communist J. Light 80 0.6 -0.2
Majority 572 4.6 -8.6
Turnout 12,416
Liberal hold Swing -4.3
Beeston and Holbeck[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H. Booth 7,144 55.0 -6.7
Conservative W. Birch 4,080 31.4 -4.6
Liberal M. Day 1,633 12.6 +12.6
National Front J. Duckenfield 140 1.1 -1.2
Majority 3,064 23.6 -2.1
Turnout 12,997
Labour hold Swing -1.0
Bramley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Millett 4,648 43.7 -10.3
Liberal D. Selby 3,889 36.5 +18.8
Conservative V. Drummond-Young 2,108 19.8 -6.3
Majority 759 7.1 -20.7
Turnout 10,645
Labour hold Swing -14.5
Burley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Kilgallon 3,100 51.5 -2.6
Conservative M. Sexton 1,923 32.0 -7.1
Liberal N. Flood 659 11.0 +11.0
Ecology K. Baxter 242 4.0 +0.0
Communist B. Jackson 93 1.5 -0.2
Majority 1,177 19.6 +4.5
Turnout 6,017
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +2.2
Burmantofts and Richmond Hill[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour R. Millet 6,122 46.2 +10.9
Liberal P. Hartshorne 5,051 38.1 -12.3
Conservative D. Boynton 1,850 14.0 +2.4
National Front S. Rigby 118 0.9 -0.6
Communist M. Monkman 102 0.8 -0.3
Majority 1,071 8.1 -7.1
Turnout 13,243
Labour hold Swing +11.6
Chapel Allerton and Scott Hall[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative C. Thomas 6,761 44.7 -6.9
Labour M. Taggart 5,911 39.1 +1.0
Liberal R. Clay 1,938 12.8 +6.5
Ecology C. Burrows 395 2.6 +1.9
Communist L. Willoughby 121 0.8 -0.6
Majority 850 5.6 -7.9
Turnout 15,126
Conservative hold Swing -3.9
City and Woodhouse[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Morris 4,979 58.8 -5.5
Conservative R. Simpson 2,207 26.0 -0.5
Liberal A. Ali 677 8.0 +3.7
Ecology S. Parkin 399 4.7 +4.7
Communist J. Rodgers 211 2.5 -0.7
Majority 2,772 32.7 -5.0
Turnout 8,473
Labour hold Swing -2.5
Cookridge and Weetwood[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative K. Loudon 11,118 55.9 -8.5
Labour M. Verity 4,796 24.1 +2.4
Liberal D. Gazey 3,262 16.4 +4.6
Ecology P. Lewenz 706 3.6 +1.5
Majority 6,322 31.8 -10.9
Turnout 19,882
Conservative hold Swing -5.4
Garforth North and Barwick[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative W. Hedley 7,352 53.2 -7.2
Conservative A. Taylor 6,764
Labour E. Smith 5,285 38.3 +5.2
Labour B. Cook 5,239
Ecology G. Hill 1,178 8.5 +2.0
Majority 2,067 15.0 -12.4
Turnout 13,815
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing -6.2
Gipton and Whinmoor[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Vollans 9,573 59.1 -3.2
Conservative W. Buckland 4,906 30.3 -4.2
Liberal N. Mackie 1,467 9.1 +9.1
National Front B. Spink 257 1.6 -0.4
Majority 4,667 28.8 +1.0
Turnout 16,203
Labour hold Swing +0.5
Halton[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative D. Wood 6,771 57.1 -13.0
Labour L. Worth 3,622 30.5 +3.0
Liberal K. Norman 1,472 12.4 +12.4
Majority 3,149 26.5 -16.0
Turnout 11,865
Conservative hold Swing -8.0
Harehills and Roundhay[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J. White 7,047 47.2 -7.4
Labour M. Lyons 5,563 37.3 +0.1
Liberal D. Jones 1,612 10.8 +5.6
Ecology A. Hill 473 3.2 +1.6
National Front L. Spink 223 1.5 +0.1
Majority 1,484 9.9 -7.5
Turnout 14,918
Conservative hold Swing -3.7
Headingley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jean Searle 3,914 36.6 -8.5
Labour Mary Dalwood 3,786 35.4 +2.3
Liberal David Rolfe 2,254 21.1 +7.1
Ecology Claire Nash 467 4.4 +0.6
Communist Barry Cooper 279 2.6 -1.6
Majority 128 1.2 -10.8
Turnout 10,700
Conservative hold Swing -5.4
Horsforth[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal R. Howe 5,625 45.8 +1.7
Conservative M. Frame 4,511 36.8 -4.6
Labour A. Radford 1,819 14.8 +3.7
Ecology D. Darnborough 316 2.6 -0.8
Majority 1,114 9.1 +6.4
Turnout 12,271
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing +3.1
Hunslet East and West[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Trevor Park 6,166 56.1 +6.3
Liberal P. Jones 2,902 26.4 +13.4
Conservative C. Hudson 1,563 14.2 +3.2
National Front N. Griffiths 243 2.2 -0.4
Communist J. Hodgson 111 1.0 +1.0
Majority 3,264 29.7 +3.3
Turnout 10,985
Labour gain from Liberal Swing -3.5
Kippax and Swillington[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Moakes 6,453 60.2 +1.2
Conservative R. Dawson 3,284 30.7 -10.3
Liberal N. Parnaby 975 9.1 +9.1
Majority 3,169 29.6 +11.5
Turnout 10,712
Labour hold Swing +5.7
Kirkstall[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Illingworth 4,822 52.6 -4.2
Conservative John Hamilton 3,318 36.2 -3.0
Liberal Laurence Keates 1,032 11.3 +11.3
Majority 1,504 16.4 -1.2
Turnout 9,172
Labour gain from Conservative Swing -0.6
Middleton[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Wood 6,797 70.0 -7.4
Conservative A. Larvin 1,848 19.0 -0.3
Liberal R. James 1,069 11.0 +11.0
Majority 4,949 50.9 -7.1
Turnout 9,714
Labour hold Swing -3.5
Moortown[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative R. Challenor 5,316 54.7 -8.2
Labour T. Taylor 3,064 31.5 -2.2
Liberal Dorothea Leser 1,133 11.7 +11.7
Ecology A. Varley 209 2.1 -1.3
Majority 2,252 23.2 -6.0
Turnout 9,722
Conservative hold Swing -3.0
Morley North[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour P. Jones 6,376 47.6 -1.7
Conservative R. Verity 6,261 46.8 -4.0
Independent B. Morris 753 5.6 +5.6
Majority 115 0.9 -0.5
Turnout 13,390
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +1.1
Morley South[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour B. North 7,293 61.6 -0.7
Conservative A. Grayson 4,538 38.4 +0.7
Majority 2,755 23.3 -1.4
Turnout 11,831
Labour hold Swing -0.7
Osmondthorpe[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Prichard 5,025 62.1 -4.6
Conservative D. Schofield 1,983 24.5 -5.7
Liberal P. Gilbert 966 11.9 +11.9
National Front M. Spink 117 1.4 -1.7
Majority 3,042 37.6 +1.1
Turnout 8,091
Labour hold Swing +0.5
Otley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Stephen Day (MP) 5,139 43.8 -6.3
Liberal H. Morgan 4,486 38.3 +1.2
Labour W. Imeson 1,868 15.9 +3.7
Ecology D. Corry 185 1.6 +1.6
Communist A. Oddy 50 0.4 -0.3
Majority 653 5.6 -7.5
Turnout 11,728
Conservative hold Swing -3.7
Pudsey North[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative I. Favell 4,898 40.5 -18.7
Liberal A. Booker 3,958 32.7 +19.8
Labour P. Burrill 3,243 26.8 -1.1
Majority 940 7.8 -23.5
Turnout 12,099
Conservative hold Swing -19.2
Pudsey South[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative P. Kersting 4,541 40.4 -2.6
Liberal N. Gadsby 4,386 39.0 +3.1
Labour T. Watson 2,311 20.6 -0.5
Majority 155 1.4 -5.7
Turnout 11,238
Conservative hold Swing -2.8
Rothwell[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour B. Walker 10,429 62.9 +0.5
Conservative T. Crystal 6,140 37.1 +1.9
Majority 4,289 25.9 -1.4
Turnout 16,569
Labour hold Swing -0.7
Seacroft[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Mudie (politician) 7,432 70.4 +0.1
Conservative D. Townsley 2,812 26.6 -0.1
National Front C. Cannon 169 1.6 -1.3
Communist B. Wilson 139 1.3 +1.3
Majority 4,620 43.8 +0.2
Turnout 10,552
Labour hold Swing +0.1
Stanningley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour C. Myers 4,540 51.2 -9.0
Conservative K. Knapton 2,396 27.0 -4.0
Liberal B. Jacques 1,762 19.9 +12.8
National Front M. Gibson 173 2.0 +0.3
Majority 2,144 24.2 -5.0
Turnout 8,871
Labour hold Swing -2.5
Talbot[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative R. Feldman 6,146 58.3 -11.0
Labour T. Midwood 2,490 23.6 +3.7
Liberal M. Phillips 1,443 13.7 +7.7
Ecology A. Plummer 459 4.4 +0.6
Majority 3,656 34.7 -14.7
Turnout 10,538
Conservative hold Swing -7.3
Wetherby[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative H. Gardiner 10,826 67.5 -4.0
Labour M. Moynihan 2,258 14.1 +1.4
Liberal J. Scott 2,210 13.8 +5.3
Ecology M. Sellers 734 4.6 -2.7
Majority 8,568 53.5 -5.3
Turnout 16,028
Conservative hold Swing -2.7
Wortley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Thurlow 4,284 40.6 -3.9
Conservative R. Robson 3,849 36.5 -7.2
Liberal W. Moss 2,284 21.6 +11.9
National Front A. Smith 139 1.3 -0.8
Majority 435 4.1 +3.3
Turnout 10,556
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +1.6

References
  1. "District results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 4 May 1979.
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