Leeds Municipal election, 1945

The Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 1 November 1945.[1] Although a third of the council would ordinarily be up for election, the suspension of elections during the war meant the council had last held elections in 1938, and with the amount of vacancies and co-options throughout near to two-thirds of the council needed electing.[2]

Labour repeated their earlier national performance and won sweeping victories across the country,[1] with Leeds no exception, picking up 40 of the 48 seats contested (with Richmond Hill going unopposed) and stealing control of the council from the Conservatives.[2][3] The Conservatives only managed eight defences, which were confined to their bastions of Far Headingley, Hyde Park, North and Roundhay, although running Labour exceptionally close in Blenheim.[2] The minor parties also failed to escape the Labour tide, as the Liberals lost both their representatives (a councillor and an alderman) and the Communists their sole councillor in Woodhouse - formally Labour, but expelled for alleged Communist sympathies.[2][3][4]

As well as the 21 gains Labour made that night, the gentlemen's agreement - signed between Labour and the Conservatives in 1930 to allocate aldermen in proportion to their councillors - further rewarded Labour with an extra five aldermen at mostly Tory expense (the other being the aforementioned Liberal) in recognition of those gains. As a result, Labour emerged with an overall majority of 42 on a turnout of 43.3%.[3]

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1945
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 40 21 0 +21 83.3 57.5 84,969
  Conservative 8 0 19 -19 16.7 36.9 54,551
  Liberal 0 0 1 -1 0.0 5.6 8,214

The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:[3]

Party Previous council New council
Cllr Ald Cllr Ald
Labour 37 10 58 15
Conservatives 39 15 20 11
Liberals 1 1 0 0
Communists 1 0 0 0
Total 78 26 78 26
104 104
Working majority   -4    -6    38    4 
  -10    42 

Ward results

Armley & Wortley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour S. Wilkinson 3,477 80.9
Labour J. Bissell 3,473
Labour M. Harlow 3,464
Conservative J. Hiley 823 19.1
Majority 2,641 61.7
Turnout 4,300
Beeston[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Webster 4,083 51.3
Conservative J. Moorhouse 2,995 37.7
Liberal Ms. Richardson 874 11.0
Majority 1,088 13.7
Turnout 7,952
Blenheim[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Smith 2,206 50.5
Conservative S. Webster 2,163 49.5
Majority 43 1.0
Turnout 4,369
Bramley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Kavanagh 4,960 55.6
Conservative J. Greaves 2,913 32.6
Liberal F. Plews 1,052 11.8
Majority 2,047 22.9
Turnout 8,925
Burmantofts[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Jackson 2,440 80.0
Labour T. McKellar 2,408
Conservative J. Binwood 610 20.0
Conservative G. Monkman 585
Majority 1,798 60.0
Turnout 3,050
Central[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Spence 2,194 69.1
Conservative P. Stead 983 30.9
Majority 1,211 38.1
Turnout 3,177
Cross Gates & Temple Newsam[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Lunn 5,701 57.5
Labour H. Thomas 5,485
Conservative H. Addison 4,207 42.5
Conservative M. Tomlinson 3,907
Majority 1,278 15.1
Turnout 9,908
East Hunslet[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour F. Naylor 2,807 68.0
Labour R. Peart 2,608
Liberal A. Kennedy 1,318 32.0
Liberal A. Hope 1,169
Majority 1,290 36.1
Turnout 4,125
Far Headingley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative E. Osborne 5,607 66.8
Conservative W. Hargreaves 5,540
Labour D. Beevers 2,791 33.2
Labour Ms. Clayden 2,730
Majority 2,749 33.5
Turnout 8,398
Farnley & Wortley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour L. Wilkinson 4,802 65.5
Labour C. Woods 4,636
Conservative J. Power 2,533 34.5
Conservative F. Carter 2,397
Majority 2,103 30.9
Turnout 7,335
Harehills[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ms. Jolley 4,700 60.7
Labour K. Muir 4,374
Conservative J. Booth 2,199 28.4
Conservative G. Astle 2,142
Liberal T. Hodgson 839 10.8
Liberal A. Shackleton 675
Majority 2,175 32.3
Turnout 7,738
Holbeck North[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Fitzgerald 1,152 76.5
Labour J. Veitch 1,138
Liberal W. Holdsworth 354 23.5
Liberal G. Storey 331
Majority 784 53.0
Turnout 1,506
Holbeck South[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Dickinson 3,010 69.3
Labour W. Jones 2,934
Conservative H. Jowitt 767 17.7
Liberal W. Hopper 568 13.1
Liberal M. Turner 489
Majority 2,167 51.6
Turnout 4,345
Hunslet Carr & Middleton[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour C. Jenkinson 6,652 80.1
Labour J. Hodkinson 6,424
Conservative A. Cummings 1,657 19.9
Majority 4,767 60.1
Turnout 8,309
Hyde Park[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative P. Hutchinson 3,497 57.2
Conservative F. Walker 3,397
Labour Ms. Happold 2,620 42.8
Labour H. Kemp 2,424
Majority 777 14.3
Turnout 6,117 47.6
Kirkstall[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Clegg 4,978 58.5
Labour G. Bell 4,885
Conservative A. Scarr 2,701 31.7
Conservative C. Turnbull 2,569
Liberal A. Childs 834 9.8
Liberal F. Fisher 718
Majority 2,184 26.7
Turnout 8,513
Mill Hill & South[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ms. Bray 1,387 57.0
Labour H. Holdsworth 1,380
Conservative H. Peacock 1,048 43.0
Conservative A. Weaver 1,032
Majority 332 13.9
Turnout 2,435
North[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative L. Wooler 5,213 57.5
Conservative Ms. Murphy 4,967
Labour Ms. Hammond 2,605 28.7
Labour N. Davy 2,477
Liberal W. Underhill 1,247 13.8
Liberal A. Marshall 1,238
Majority 2,362 28.8
Turnout 9,065
Osmondthorpe[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ms. Firth 3,817 76.0
Labour F. Potter 3,781
Conservative A. Baker 1,204 24.0
Conservative H. Stott 1,143
Majority 2,577 52.0
Turnout 5,021
Pottermewton[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour C. Bradley 3,381 56.6
Labour K. Cohen 3,197
Labour H. Weinrin 3,121
Conservative J. Mulley 2,595 43.4
Conservative C. Driver 2,587
Conservative E. Fenton 2,518
Majority 526 13.2
Turnout 5,976
Richmond Hill[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Fowler Unopposed N/A N/A
Roundhay[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative F. Tetley 5,661 62.1
Conservative A. Watt 5,257
Labour Ms. Veitch 3,462 37.9
Labour N. Merritt 3,434
Majority 1,795 24.1
Turnout 9,123
Upper Armley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Blackburn 3,738 59.0
Labour J. Underwood 3,729
Labour W. Bramham 3,719
Conservative Ms. Wormald 2,598 41.0
Conservative E. Glover 2,528
Conservative M. Farey 2,421
Majority 1,121 18.0
Turnout 6,336
West Hunslet[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H. Watson 3,725 71.0
Conservative P. Woodward 960 18.3
Liberal G. Petch 560 10.7
Majority 2,765 52.7
Turnout 5,245
Westfield[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour C. Stones 1,551 74.1
Labour Ms. Youngman 1,528
Conservative Ms. Burton 541 25.9
Conservative S. Doyle 527
Majority 987 48.3
Turnout 2,092
Woodhouse[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ms. Pearce 2,730 62.4
Conservative G. Taylor 1,076 24.6
Liberal E. Lightowler 568 13.0
Majority 1,654 37.8
Turnout 4,374

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Labor Gains Widen in British Returns". The New York Times. 3 November 1945. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 2 November 1945.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.
  4. ↑ Johnson, C. (1946). The End of Socialism: The Reflections of a Radical.