1978 City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council election

Elections to City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council were held on 4 May 1978, with one third of council up for election as well as an extra vacancy in Shipley: Central, North & East. The election resulted in the Conservatives retaining control with voter turnout at 38.3%.[1][2][3]

Election result

Bradford Local Election Result 1978[1][3]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 18 1 2 -1 56.2 49.2 61,930 +0.8%
  Labour 13 2 0 +2 40.6 38.7 48,771 +4.5%
  Liberal 1 0 1 -1 3.1 8.8 11,110 +0.9%
  National Front 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.1 2,619 -5.2%
  Independent 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.6 790 +0.6%
  Socialist Unity 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.4 456 +0.4%
  Independent Labour 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.2 204 +0.2%

This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:

Party Previous council New council
Conservatives 61 60
Labour 26 28
Liberals 5 4
Independent Labour 1 1
Total 93 93
Working majority  29   27 

Ward results

Allerton[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Barbara Curtis 2,803 58.4 +6.4
Labour J. Whiteside 1,529 31.9 −2.3
Liberal K. Buckley 361 7.5 +1.1
National Front A. Smith 106 2.2 −5.2
Majority 1,274 26.5 +8.7
Turnout 4,799 36.1 −5.1
Conservative hold Swing +4.3
Baildon[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative A. Lightowler 2,989 55.9 +3.0
Labour P. Clarke 1,320 24.7 +6.7
Liberal Kathleen Greenwood 1,040 19.4 −9.7
Majority 1,669 31.2 +7.4
Turnout 5,349 46.7 +0.9
Conservative hold Swing -1.8
Bingley: Central, East, North & West[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative A. Chapman 3,139 62.2 +0.6
Labour B. Lynch 1,311 26.0 +5.8
Liberal I. Ross 598 11.8 −6.4
Majority 1,828 36.2 −5.2
Turnout 5,048 41.8 −3.8
Conservative hold Swing -2.6
Bolton[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative E. Wooler 1,748 47.8 +5.5
Labour E. Steed 1,381 37.7 +9.8
Liberal J. Moran 415 11.3 −6.9
National Front Elsie Barcook 116 3.2 −8.4
Majority 367 10.0 −4.3
Turnout 3,660 34.5 −2.8
Conservative hold Swing -2.1
Bowling[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour B. Kearns 1,551 60.1 +14.1
Conservative D. Conquest 917 35.5 −0.9
National Front S. Collins 113 4.4 −13.2
Majority 634 24.6 +15.0
Turnout 2,581 33.5 +1.4
Labour hold Swing +7.5
Bradford Moor[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Walter Johnson 2,295 49.7 +2.9
Conservative Dorothy Tyler 1,672 36.2 +3.3
Socialist Unity R. Goldberg 456 9.9 +9.9
National Front S. Wood 194 4.2 −16.1
Majority 623 13.5 −0.4
Turnout 4,617 42.5 −3.4
Labour hold Swing -0.2
Clayton, Ambler Thorn & Queensbury[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Irene Cookland 3,566 61.8 +5.9
Labour D. Hopkins 2,040 35.4 +2.1
National Front Joan Wood 164 2.8 −5.5
Majority 1,526 26.4 +3.8
Turnout 5,770 35.1 −3.4
Conservative hold Swing +1.9
Craven: Silsden, Addingham, Kildwick & Steeton with Eastburn[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J. Barker 2,299 59.1 −13.0
Labour D. Wright 1,509 38.8 +10.9
National Front Alice Fairew 82 2.1 +2.1
Majority 790 20.3 −23.9
Turnout 3,890 40.7 −7.8
Conservative hold Swing -11.9
Denholme, Cullingworth, Bingley South & Wilsden[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Emily Hall 3,277 74.1 −5.7
Labour Pauline Wall 817 18.5 −1.7
Liberal Susan Clemence 329 7.4 +7.4
Majority 2,460 55.6 −3.9
Turnout 4,423 42.4 +2.4
Conservative hold Swing -2.0
Eccleshill[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative S. Swallow 1,805 45.5 +5.0
Labour A. Dewhirst 1,710 43.1 +8.2
Liberal P. Sugden 340 8.6 −6.4
National Front T. Hawthorn 113 2.8 −6.8
Majority 95 2.4 −3.1
Turnout 3,968 37.7 −0.6
Conservative gain from Liberal Swing -1.6
Great Horton[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative A. Dennison 2,154 49.5 −2.9
Labour R. Stork 2,057 47.3 +10.7
National Front A. Cureton 136 3.1 −7.8
Majority 97 2.2 −13.6
Turnout 4,347 41.2 −1.3
Conservative hold Swing -6.8
Haworth, Oakworth & Oxenhope[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G. Hodgson 2,497 56.7 −9.7
Labour Co-op H. Binns 1,496 34.0 +0.4
Liberal H. Mortimer 407 9.2 +9.2
Majority 1,001 22.7 −10.1
Turnout 4,400 37.6 −0.4
Conservative hold Swing -5.0
Heaton[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J. King 2,775 57.3 −2.0
Labour M. Ajeeb 1,527 31.5 +6.6
Liberal Mary Howard 392 8.1 +1.6
National Front G. Wright 150 3.1 −6.2
Majority 1,248 25.8 −8.6
Turnout 4,844 44.5 +2.0
Conservative hold Swing -4.3
Idle[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal P. Hockney 3,863 93.6 +59.0
National Front A. Farrow 264 6.4 −1.8
Majority 3,599 87.2 +85.0
Turnout 4,127 35.4 −5.1
Liberal hold Swing +28.6
Ilkley: Ben Rhydding, Ilkley North, South & West[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative E. Wright 2,797 71.2 +20.2
Liberal Rebecca Jones 1,130 28.8 +28.8
Majority 1,667 42.4 +40.3
Turnout 3,927 40.3 −6.2
Conservative hold Swing -4.3
Ilkley: Burley, Holme & Menston[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative D. Smith 2,443 63.5 −1.0
Labour C. Hunter 852 22.1 +9.4
Liberal Carton Svensgaard 552 14.3 −8.4
Majority 1,591 41.4 −0.5
Turnout 3,847 49.5 +4.4
Conservative hold Swing -5.2
Keighley: Keighley Central, East & South[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H. Peacock 2,332 52.7 +6.1
Conservative D. Robertshaw 1,682 38.0 −2.4
Liberal Judith Brooksbank 301 6.8 +0.5
National Front J. Dawson 106 2.4 −4.2
Majority 650 14.7 +8.4
Turnout 4,421 41.4 +0.5
Labour hold Swing +4.2
Keighley: Morton & Keighley North East[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J. Womersley 1,542 50.0 −15.2
Labour S. Bowen 908 29.5 +2.9
Liberal G. Sims 548 17.8 +17.8
National Front Kate Ingham 83 2.7 −5.5
Majority 634 20.6 −18.2
Turnout 3,081 40.1 −1.0
Conservative hold Swing -9.1
Keighley: North West & West[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour B. Thorne 2,465 49.1 +7.6
Conservative Hilda Harrison 2,447 48.8 +2.6
National Front K. O'Neill 105 2.1 −4.1
Majority 18 0.4 −4.2
Turnout 5,017 42.7 −1.6
Labour hold Swing +2.5
Laisterdyke[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Fieldhouse 1,670 68.0 +10.6
Conservative H. Thorne 786 32.0 +2.7
Majority 884 36.0 +7.9
Turnout 2,456 32.0 −0.5
Labour hold Swing +3.9
Little Horton[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Hameed 1,449 45.8 −11.8
Conservative Kathleen Warrilow 1,024 32.4 +1.2
Liberal N. Baggley 346 10.9 +10.9
Independent Labour M. Mirza 204 6.4 +6.4
National Front G. Brown 140 4.4 −6.8
Majority 425 13.4 −13.0
Turnout 3,163 28.6 −0.7
Labour hold Swing -6.5
Manningham[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H. Baines 2,109 54.5 +5.2
Conservative S. Bailey 1,093 28.2 −9.7
Independent R. Shahid 369 9.5 +9.5
Liberal Anne Smithson 167 4.3 +4.3
National Front R. Fairey 134 3.5 −7.5
Majority 1,016 26.2 +14.9
Turnout 3,872 36.3 +1.8
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +7.4
Odsal[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative M. Medler 2,196 59.0 +4.9
Labour J. Bruce 1,524 41.0 +4.0
Majority 672 18.1 +0.9
Turnout 3,720 35.6 −5.3
Conservative hold Swing +0.4
Shipley: Central, North & East[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour N. Free 2,477 59.3 +9.6
Labour B. Chadwick 2,465
Conservative D. Cooke 1,697 40.7 +2.2
Conservative M. Hollings 1,694
Majority 768 18.7 +7.4
Turnout 4,174 39.3 +4.1
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing +3.7
Shipley: South & West[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative S. Arthur 3,104 71.6 +1.3
Labour P. Lancaster 1,233 28.4 −1.3
Majority 1,871 43.2 +2.6
Turnout 4,337 42.8 −3.4
Conservative hold Swing +1.3
Thornton[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G. Chapman 2,392 62.4 +14.6
Labour R. Holroyde 1,146 29.9 +6.3
Liberal J. Pearson 191 5.0 −7.5
National Front F. Harris 103 2.7 −5.4
Majority 1,246 32.5 +8.3
Turnout 3,832 37.8 −4.0
Conservative hold Swing +4.1
Tong[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Senior 2,160 64.8 +2.2
Conservative J. Owen 1,047 31.4 +7.1
National Front G. Robinson 127 3.8 −5.6
Majority 1,113 33.4 −4.9
Turnout 3,334 27.6 +0.4
Labour hold Swing -2.4
Undercliffe[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Goodyear 1,932 53.6 +16.0
Conservative M. Stanley 1,507 41.8 +1.7
National Front D. Matson 165 4.6 −8.0
Majority 425 11.8 +9.3
Turnout 3,604 41.8 +1.0
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +7.1
University[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Hussain 2,005 58.9 +16.5
Conservative D. Baggley 747 22.0 −1.5
Independent A. Patel 421 12.4 +12.4
Liberal C. Hill 130 3.8 −18.6
National Front T. Brown 99 2.9 −8.8
Majority 1,258 37.0 +18.0
Turnout 3,402 41.3 +1.7
Labour hold Swing +9.0
Wibsey[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative F. Hillam 2,210 60.1 +12.5
Labour F. Bastow 1,347 36.6 +6.5
National Front D. Brown 119 3.2 −7.5
Majority 863 23.5 +6.0
Turnout 3,676 35.0 −1.5
Conservative hold Swing +3.0
Wyke[1][3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour B. Seal 2,619 62.4 −16.2
Conservative K. Porter 1,575 37.5 +37.5
Majority 1,044 24.9 −32.5
Turnout 4,194 35.5 +11.8
Labour hold Swing -26.9

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag "District results: Bradford". The Yorkshire Post. 4 May 1978. Scans
  2. ^ "Vote 2012: Bradford". BBC News Online. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag "Bradford election results". Telegraph & Argus. 4 May 1978.