1958 Leeds City Council election

The 1958 Leeds municipal elections were held on Thursday 10 April 1958, with one third of the seats and a double vacancy in Bramley to be elected.^[1]

Labour achieved a further swing of 0.3%,^[2] to take two more seats from the Conservatives. The two gains were in Westfield - where the incumbents 7.5% swing was not enough to hold on - and Wortley, with Labour narrowly gaining on a 78-vote majority as the main beneficiaries of the Liberal absence this time around.^[1] As well as those two gains, Labour gained one in the new aldermen division, increasing their majority on the council to 34.^[2] A notable feat of the election was the Liberals managing to push the Conservatives into third in the two wards of Holbeck and Middleton - a post-war first.^[1] Turnout rose by a percentage point on the previous year, to 37.2%.^[2]

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1958
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Labour	19	2	0	+2	65.5	49.8	64,563	-0.4
Conservative	10	0	2	-2	34.5	46.1	59,770	-0.3
Liberal	0	0	0	0	0.0	3.7	4,739	+0.6
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.4	485	+0.1

The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:^[2]

Party		Previous council		New council
Party		Cllr	Ald	Cllr	Ald
	Labour	53	17	55	18
	Conservatives	31	11	29	10
Total		84	28	84	28
Total		112		112
Working majority		22	6	26	8
Working majority		28		34

Ward results

Allerton^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Drake	4,376	86.0	−0.7
	Labour	J. Marshall	715	14.0	+0.7
Majority			3,661	72.0	−1.4
Turnout			5,091
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.7

Armley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. Cohen	2,820	58.5	+1.8
	Conservative	J. Broomfield	2,002	41.5	−1.8
Majority			818	17.0	+3.6
Turnout			4,822
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.8

Beeston^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Snape	3,174	42.8	−0.2
	Labour	N. Billington	3,084	41.6	−5.6
	Liberal	H. Passmore	1,154	15.6	+5.8
Majority			90	1.2	−3.0
Turnout			7,412
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.7

Blenheim^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Wallbanks	2,146	69.0	+1.4
	Conservative	J. Ashworth	962	31.0	−1.4
Majority			1,184	38.1	+2.8
Turnout			3,108
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.4

Bramley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Eric Atkinson	3,051	50.4	−4.0
	Labour	W. Tate	2,713
	Conservative	C. Dean	2,095	34.6	+2.5
	Conservative	H. Pickering	1,860
	Liberal	John Humphrey Morrish	905	15.0	+1.5
	Liberal	George Petch	836
Majority			618	15.8	−6.5
Turnout			6,051
	Labour hold		Swing
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.2

Burmantofts^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Lloyd	2,367	72.2	+1.5
	Conservative	H. Robinson	912	27.8	−1.5
Majority			1,455	44.4	+3.1
Turnout			3,279
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.5

City^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Whitehead	1,568	67.3	+2.4
	Conservative	B. Emmett	761	32.7	−2.4
Majority			807	34.7	+4.9
Turnout			2,329
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.4

Cross Gates^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. Booth	3,700	68.8	+6.9
	Conservative	F. Hodges	1,677	31.2	−6.9
Majority			2,023	37.6	+13.8
Turnout			5,377
	Labour hold		Swing	+6.9

East Hunslet^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Fish	2,659	76.8	+1.5
	Conservative	B. Watson	804	23.2	−1.5
Majority			1,855	53.6	+3.0
Turnout			3,463
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.5

Far Headingley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	W. Hey	4,451	78.0	+3.3
	Labour	G. Brogden	1,254	22.0	−3.3
Majority			3,197	56.0	+6.5
Turnout			5,705
	Conservative hold		Swing	+3.3

Halton^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	C. Watson	3,857	75.3	−1.9
	Labour	N. Harding	1,267	24.7	+1.9
Majority			2,590	50.5	−3.8
Turnout			5,124
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.9

Harehills^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Lawrence Turnbull	3,400	53.5	+4.0
	Labour	J. Klineberg	2,951	46.5	−4.0
Majority			449	7.1	+6.1
Turnout			6,351
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.0

Holbeck^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Jones	2,334	62.4	+1.3
	Liberal	B. Fearnley	768	20.5	+3.3
	Conservative	K. Orton	639	17.1	−4.7
Majority			1,566	41.9	+2.6
Turnout			3,741
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.0

Hunslet Carr^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Hodgkinson	2,639	75.5	−4.9
	Conservative	B. Morland	385	11.0	−5.1
	Liberal	J.T. Hill	331	9.5	+9.5
	Communist	E. Moore	141	4.0	+0.6
Majority			2,254	64.5	+0.2
Turnout			3,496
	Labour hold		Swing	+0.1

Hyde Park^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. Hall	2,915	58.0	−2.3
	Labour	E. Coward	2,115	42.0	+2.3
Majority			800	15.9	−4.6
Turnout			5,030
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.3

Kirkstall^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Albert Smith	3,195	58.9	−2.0
	Conservative	E. Lodge	2,225	41.1	+2.0
Majority			970	17.9	−4.0
Turnout			5,420
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.0

Meanwood^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	V. Cardno	3,696	72.6	−1.3
	Labour	E. Webber	1,396	27.4	+1.3
Majority			2,300	45.2	−2.6
Turnout			5,092
	Conservative hold		Swing	-1.3

Middleton^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harold Watson	2,511	73.0	−10.1
	Liberal	G. Houghton	438	12.7	+12.7
	Conservative	A. Hartley	350	10.2	−6.6
	Communist	R. Wilkinson	139	4.0	+4.0
Majority			2,073	60.3	−6.1
Turnout			3,438
	Labour hold		Swing	-11.4

Moortown^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Watson	4,435	76.8	+2.6
	Labour	L. Steele	1,337	23.2	−2.6
Majority			3,098	53.7	+5.3
Turnout			5,772
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.6

Osmondthorpe^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Addlestone	2,617	76.9	−0.1
	Conservative	L. Ideson	784	23.1	+0.1
Majority			1,833	53.9	−0.2
Turnout			3,401
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.1

Potternewton^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Sydney Symmond	2,131	61.8	+1.4
	Labour	V. Zermanski	1,316	38.2	−1.4
Majority			815	23.6	+2.8
Turnout			3,447
	Conservative hold		Swing	+1.4

Richmond Hill^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. King	1,698	80.0	+3.0
	Conservative	H. Flockton	424	20.0	−3.0
Majority			1,274	60.0	+5.9
Turnout			2,122
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.0

Roundhay^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Allan Bretherick	3,957	67.5	−0.2
	Labour	D. Yelland	1,902	32.5	+0.2
Majority			2,055	35.1	−0.5
Turnout			5,859
	Conservative hold		Swing	-0.2

Stanningley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	H. Waterman	2,897	51.9	+1.6
	Conservative	A. Vickers	1,541	27.6	−3.6
	Liberal	J. Grimshaw	1,143	20.5	+2.0
Majority			1,356	24.3	+5.3
Turnout			5,581
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.6

Wellington^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	N. Barrett	2,578	79.2	−11.1
	Conservative	F. Stubley	470	14.4	+14.4
	Communist	G. Hodgson	205	6.3	−3.4
Majority			2,108	64.8	−15.9
Turnout			3,253
	Labour hold		Swing	-12.7

Westfield^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	V. Whelan	2,554	52.1	−3.9
	Conservative	L. Lyons	2,349	47.9	+11.1
Majority			205	4.2	−15.0
Turnout			4,903
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-7.5

Woodhouse^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	P. Taylor	2,471	59.9	−0.4
	Conservative	A. Chadwick	1,655	40.1	+0.4
Majority			816	19.8	−0.8
Turnout			4,126
	Labour hold		Swing	-0.4

Wortley^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ernest Morris	3,421	50.6	+5.7
	Conservative	D. Wolstenholme	3,343	49.4	+1.5
Majority			78	1.2	−1.9
Turnout			6,764
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+2.1

References

^ ^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 "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 11 April 1958.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.

[results-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 "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 11 April 1958.

[sharpe-2] Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.

[1]

[2]