1960 Leeds City Council election

The 1960 Leeds municipal elections were held on 12 May 1960, with one third of the council set to be re-elected.

A large swing of 5.5% to the Conservatives allowed them their first election victory since 1951 - having won the most votes in several elections since then, but never amounting to a majority of seats. The Conservatives made their six gains from Labour in the wards of Beeston, Bramley, Harehills, Stanningley, Westfield, Woodhouse and Wortley, halving Labour's majority of councillors from 24 to 12.

Elsewhere, the Liberals managed a post-war first of beating Labour to second place in Allerton and Far Headingley, and the first Independent candidate standing since the war, Dennis Peddar, made negligible impact in Westfield. Turnout fell sharply for this election - by nearly a quarter from the previous year - to a new low of 27.5%.

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1960
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Conservative	15	6	0	+6	53.6	54.3	52,399	+5.3
Labour	13	0	6	-6	46.4	41.0	39,553	-5.5
Liberal	0	0	0	0	0.0	4.2	4,029	+0.2
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.5	500	0.0
Independent	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.1	73	+0.1

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

Party		Previous council		New council
Party		Cllr	Ald	Cllr	Ald
	Labour	54	18	48	18
	Conservatives	30	10	36	10
Total		84	28	84	28
Total		112		112
Working majority		24	8	12	8
Working majority		32		20

Ward results

Allerton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	B. Lyons	3,514	76.8	−10.6
	Liberal	Julius Blum	674	14.7	+14.7
	Labour	A. Baum	388	8.5	−4.2
Majority			2,840	62.1	−12.6
Turnout			4,576
	Conservative hold		Swing	-12.6

Armley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Lee	1,582	52.7	−4.5
	Conservative	R. Beal	1,421	47.3	+4.5
Majority			161	5.4	−8.9
Turnout			3,003
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.5

Beeston
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Farrell	3,004	50.0	+3.4
	Labour	A. Tallant	2,573	42.8	+0.2
	Liberal	H. Linley	433	7.2	−3.5
Majority			431	7.2	+3.2
Turnout			6,010
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+1.6

Blenheim
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	B. Sedgley	1,736	65.2	+1.9
	Conservative	J. Butterfield	926	34.8	−1.9
Majority			810	30.4	+3.7
Turnout			2,662
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.9

Bramley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	C. Dean	2,279	49.5	+8.6
	Labour	H. Battersby	1,879	40.8	−9.5
	Liberal	Walter Holdsworth	446	9.7	+0.9
Majority			400	8.7	−0.7
Turnout			4,604
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+9.0

Burmantofts
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. Watson	1,384	64.1	−4.2
	Conservative	D. Mowbray	776	35.9	+4.2
Majority			608	28.2	−8.6
Turnout			2,160
	Labour hold		Swing	-4.2

City
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Stoner	901	57.3	−7.4
	Conservative	B. Emmett	672	42.7	+7.4
Majority			229	14.6	−14.7
Turnout			1,573
	Labour hold		Swing	-7.4

Cross Gates
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	L. Jackson	2,121	55.5	−8.1
	Conservative	G. Lockwood	1,700	44.5	+8.1
Majority			421	11.0	−16.2
Turnout			3,821
	Labour hold		Swing	-8.1

East Hunslet
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	E. Houghton	1,313	65.3	−9.3
	Conservative	M. Green	699	34.7	+9.3
Majority			614	30.5	−18.6
Turnout			2,012
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.3

Far Headingley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Rostron	3,374	62.6	−2.5
	Liberal	John Humphrey Morrish	1,098	20.4	+3.6
	Labour	H. Swain	917	17.0	−1.1
Majority			2,276	42.2	−4.8
Turnout			5,389
	Conservative hold		Swing	-3.0

Halton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Brooksbank	3,752	80.7	+4.9
	Labour	L. Wray	897	19.3	−4.9
Majority			2,855	61.4	+9.9
Turnout			4,649
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.9

Harehills
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Astle	2,734	63.5	+7.9
	Labour	W. Todd	1,569	36.5	−7.9
Majority			1,165	27.1	+15.8
Turnout			4,303
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+7.9

Holbeck
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	T. Smith	1,342	64.1	+5.0
	Conservative	B. Morland	752	35.9	+11.7
Majority			590	28.2	−6.6
Turnout			2,094
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.3

Hunslet Carr
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Harry Booth	1,550	68.8	−0.3
	Conservative	A. Roberts	704	31.2	+11.4
Majority			846	37.5	−11.8
Turnout			2,254
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.8

Hyde Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Kenneth Davison	2,095	70.6	+6.7
	Labour	L. Steele	874	29.4	−6.7
Majority			1,221	41.1	+13.3
Turnout			2,969
	Conservative hold		Swing	+6.7

Kirkstall
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Happold	2,251	51.8	−6.3
	Conservative	S. Codd	2,092	48.2	+6.3
Majority			159	3.7	−12.6
Turnout			4,343
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.3

Meanwood
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alan Pedley	2,989	77.9	+4.7
	Labour	A. Kirk	846	22.1	−4.7
Majority			2,143	55.9	+9.3
Turnout			3,835
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.7

Middleton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Arthur Brown	1,405	72.1	−4.7
	Conservative	H. Alexander	427	21.9	+7.9
	Communist	R. Wilkinson	118	6.1	+3.1
Majority			978	50.2	−12.6
Turnout			1,950
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.3

Moortown
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Bolton	3,714	80.9	+4.0
	Labour	D. Thomas	879	19.1	−4.0
Majority			2,835	61.7	+8.0
Turnout			4,593
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.0

Osmondthorpe
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Douglas Gabb	1,774	71.2	−3.1
	Conservative	A. Lunn	719	28.8	+3.1
Majority			1,055	42.3	−6.3
Turnout			2,493
	Labour hold		Swing	-3.1

Potternewton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Bradley	1,691	70.1	+4.3
	Labour	Kevin Gould	602	25.0	−4.7
	Communist	H. Fawcett	118	4.9	+0.4
Majority			1,089	45.2	+9.0
Turnout			2,411
	Conservative hold		Swing	+4.5

Richmond Hill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Rooney	1,093	74.2	−2.0
	Conservative	H. Flockton	381	25.8	+2.0
Majority			712	48.3	−4.0
Turnout			1,474
	Labour hold		Swing	-2.0

Roundhay
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Monkman	3,362	79.1	+8.8
	Labour	D. Yelland	888	20.9	−8.8
Majority			2,474	58.2	+17.5
Turnout			4,250
	Conservative hold		Swing	+8.8

Stanningley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Vickers	1,749	42.6	+7.1
	Labour	E. Coward	1,621	39.5	−6.4
	Liberal	J. Grimshaw	734	17.9	−0.7
Majority			128	3.1	−7.3
Turnout			4,104
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+6.7

Wellington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Aimee Tong	1,862	72.4	−1.7
	Conservative	B. Pearce	542	21.1	+2.0
	Communist	G. Hodgson	169	6.6	−0.4
Majority			1,320	51.3	−3.7
Turnout			2,573
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.8

Westfield
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	May Sexton	1,576	44.1	−4.1
	Labour	H. Wiseman	1,397	39.1	−12.7
	Liberal	E. Vasey	530	14.8	+14.8
	Independent	Dennis Pedder	73	2.0	+2.0
Majority			179	5.0	+1.4
Turnout			3,576
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+4.3

Woodhouse
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Chadwick	1,686	48.6	+9.6
	Labour	R. Ellis	1,572	45.3	−2.5
	Liberal	A. Oliver	114	3.3	−6.0
	Communist	E. Meth	95	2.7	−1.0
Majority			114	3.3	−5.5
Turnout			3,467
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+6.0

Wortley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Bertrand Mather	3,069	56.8	+5.5
	Labour	J. Stephenson	2,337	43.2	−5.5
Majority			732	13.5	+11.0
Turnout			5,406
	Conservative hold		Swing	+5.5

References

^ "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 13 May 1960.
^ Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.

v t e (1959 ←) 1960 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1961)
County boroughs	Leeds Liverpool Sheffield Manchester
City corporations	Aberdeen Dundee Edinburgh Glasgow

v t e Council elections in West Yorkshire
Mayor	2021 2024
Bradford	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
Calderdale	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
Kirklees	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
Leeds	1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 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
Wakefield	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
West Yorkshire CC	1973 1977 1981 Abolished
West Riding CC	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes

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