1979 City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council election

1979 UK local government election

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources.
Find sources: "1979 City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council election" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2019)

Elections to City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council were held on were held on the same day as the general election, with one third of council up for election as well as double vacancies in Haworth, Oakworth & Oxenhope and Heaton. The University incumbent had defected from Labour to Independent Labour the year before. The election resulted in the Conservatives retaining control with voter turnout at 72.7%.

Election result

Bradford Local Election Result 1979
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	+/−
Labour	16	10	0	+10	48.5	46.1	113,102	+7.4%
Conservative	15	0	9	-9	45.4	44.5	109,242	-4.7%
Liberal	2	0	0	0	6.1	9.3	22,706	+0.5%
Independent	0	0	0	0	0.0	0.1	265	-0.5%

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

Party		Previous council	New council
	Conservatives	60	51
	Labour	28	38
	Liberals	4	4
	Independent Labour	1	0
Total		93	93
Working majority		27	9

Ward results

Allerton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	A. Pollard	4,716	48.4	−10.0
	Labour	R. Hallam	3,913	40.1	+8.3
	Liberal	K. Buckley	1,121	11.5	+4.0
Majority			803	8.2	−18.3
Turnout			9,750	72.3	+36.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	-9.1

Baildon
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	F. Atkinson	4,516	46.5	+27.0
	Conservative	W. Nunn	3,168	32.6	−23.3
	Labour	P. Clarke	2,029	20.9	−3.8
Majority			1,348	13.9	−17.3
Turnout			9,713	81.9	+35.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	+25.1

Bingley: Central, East, North & West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	T. Shaw	5,074	52.0	−10.2
	Labour	W. Welsh	2,870	29.4	+3.4
	Liberal	W. Tregonig	1,812	18.6	+6.7
Majority			2,204	22.6	−13.6
Turnout			9,756	78.8	+37.0
	Conservative hold		Swing	-6.8

Bolton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Baxter	3,999	51.2	+13.4
	Conservative	T. Hall	3,815	48.8	+1.1
Majority			184	2.3	−7.7
Turnout			7,814	70.6	+36.1
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+6.1

Bowling
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Coughlin	3,420	65.3	+5.2
	Conservative	R. Swanson	1,816	34.7	−0.8
Majority			1,604	30.6	+6.1
Turnout			5,236	67.3	+33.8
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.0

Bradford Moor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Sheals	5,142	65.5	+15.4
	Conservative	J. Rees	2,750	34.8	−1.4
Majority			2,392	30.3	+16.8
Turnout			7,892	70.9	+28.4
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+8.4

Clayton, Ambler Thorn & Queensbury
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Hurst	6,712	52.9	−8.9
	Labour	G. Mitchell	5,970	47.1	+11.7
Majority			742	5.8	−20.6
Turnout			12,682	74.8	+39.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	-10.3

Craven: Silsden, Addingham, Kildwick & Steeton with Eastburn
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	K. Hawkins	5,013	62.2	+3.1
	Labour	J. Lawrence	3,040	37.7	−1.0
Majority			1,973	24.5	+4.2
Turnout			8,053	80.9	+40.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	+2.0

Denholme, Cullingworth, Bingley South & Wilsden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Conquest	5,051	60.2	−13.9
	Labour	K. Carey	2,115	25.2	+6.7
	Liberal	S. Clemence	1,229	14.6	+7.2
Majority			2,936	35.0	−20.6
Turnout			8,395	79.2	+36.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	-10.3

Eccleshill
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	P. Lancaster	4,153	54.3	+11.2
	Conservative	L. Riggs	3,493	45.7	+0.2
Majority			660	8.6	+6.2
Turnout			7,646	70.6	+32.9
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+5.5

Great Horton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Rawnsley	4,244	51.2	+1.6
	Labour	A. Corina	4,047	48.8	+1.5
Majority			197	2.4	+0.1
Turnout			8,291	75.6	+34.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	+0.0

Haworth, Oakworth & Oxenhope
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	S. Midgley	3,959	46.1	−10.7
	Conservative	L. Pickles	3,236
	Labour Co-op	H. Binns	2,980	34.7	+0.7
	Labour	F. Hutchinson	2,723
	Liberal	B. Kershaw	1,652	19.2	+10.0
	Liberal	H. Mortimer	1,441
Majority			256	11.4	−11.3
Turnout			7,995	67.8	+30.2
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing	-5.7

Heaton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Emmott	3,718	47.6	−9.7
	Conservative	C. Hobson	3,513
	Labour	B. Lynch	2,931	37.5	+6.0
	Labour	I. Qureshi	2,254
	Liberal	A. Brook	1,165	14.9	+6.8
Majority			582	10.1	−15.7
Turnout			7,814	66.5	+22.0
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing	-7.8

Idle
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	A. Bagshaw	3,370	37.5	−56.1
	Conservative	I. Marlowe	2,888	32.1	+32.1
	Labour	K. Briggs	2,732	30.4	+30.4
Majority			482	5.4	−81.8
Turnout			8,990	75.6	+40.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	-44.1

Ilkley: Ben Rhydding, Ilkley North, South & West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Spencer	4,677	60.1	−11.1
	Liberal	C. Svensgaard	1,813	23.3	−5.5
	Labour	C. Haigh	1,292	16.6	+16.6
Majority			2,864	36.8	−5.6
Turnout			7,782	76.8	+36.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	-2.8

Ilkley: Burley, Holme & Menston
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	W. Clavering	3,585	56.1	−7.4
	Liberal	D. Turner	1,765	27.6	+13.3
	Labour	L. Fox	1,037	16.2	−5.9
Majority			1,820	28.5	−12.9
Turnout			6,387	80.0	+30.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	-10.3

Keighley: Keighley Central, East & South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Clarkson	4,529	54.3	+1.5
	Conservative	D. Robertshaw	2,672	32.0	−6.0
	Liberal	J. Brooksbank	1,144	13.7	+6.9
Majority			1,857	22.2	+7.5
Turnout			8,345	75.7	+34.3
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.7

Keighley: Morton & Keighley North East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Milton	2,745	44.4	−5.6
	Labour	J. Watson	2,162	35.0	+5.5
	Liberal	G. Sims	1,275	20.6	+2.8
Majority			583	9.4	−11.1
Turnout			6,182	79.0	+38.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	-5.5

Keighley: North West & West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Bowen	4,406	47.3	−1.8
	Conservative	I. Cowen	3,666	39.3	−9.4
	Liberal	W. Edge	1,244	13.3	+13.3
Majority			740	7.9	+7.6
Turnout			9,316	77.5	+34.8
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+3.8

Laisterdyke
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	T. Wood	3,595	70.3	+2.3
	Conservative	H. Thorne	1,521	29.7	−2.3
Majority			2,074	40.5	+4.5
Turnout			5,116	65.0	+33.0
	Labour hold		Swing	+2.3

Little Horton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. Ryallis	4,736	68.4	+22.6
	Conservative	K. Warrillow	1,583	22.9	−9.5
	Liberal	N. Baggley	600	8.7	−2.3
Majority			3,153	45.6	+32.1
Turnout			6,919	61.4	+32.8
	Labour hold		Swing	+16.0

Manningham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. Ajeeb	4,037	62.1	+7.6
	Conservative	S. Bali	2,200	33.8	+5.6
	Independent	R. Shahid-Delvhi	265	4.1	−5.4
Majority			1,837	28.2	+2.0
Turnout			6,502	62.9	+26.6
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+1.0

Odsal
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Bentley	4,177	53.0	+12.1
	Conservative	C. Lang	3,696	46.9	−12.1
Majority			481	6.1	−11.9
Turnout			7,873	74.6	+39.0
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.1

Shipley: Central, North & East
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	B. Chadwick	5,273	64.4	+5.0
	Conservative	R. Wright	2,920	35.6	−5.0
Majority			2,353	28.7	+10.0
Turnout			8,193	75.2	+35.9
	Labour hold		Swing	+5.0

Shipley: South & West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	O. Messer	5,125	63.5	−8.0
	Labour	F. Bastow	2,940	36.5	+8.0
Majority			2,185	27.1	−16.0
Turnout			8,065	77.7	+34.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	-8.0

Thornton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	R. Smith	4,226	54.0	−8.5
	Labour	R. Holroyde	3,606	46.0	+16.1
Majority			620	7.9	−24.6
Turnout			7,832	75.1	+37.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	-12.3

Tong
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Smith	5,445	69.9	+5.1
	Conservative	J. Owen	2,343	30.1	−1.3
Majority			3,102	39.8	+6.4
Turnout			7,788	61.7	+34.1
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.2

Undercliffe
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Sowman	3,476	54.7	+1.1
	Conservative	H. Ibbotson	2,880	45.3	+3.5
Majority			596	9.4	−2.4
Turnout			6,356	72.8	+31.0
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-1.2

University
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Armitage	4,209	72.6	+13.7
	Conservative	D. Bagley	1,588	27.4	+5.4
Majority			2,621	45.2	+8.2
Turnout			5,797	61.4	+20.1
	Labour gain from Independent Labour		Swing	+4.1

Wibsey
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	L. Kearns	3,826	50.3	+13.6
	Conservative	P. Gross	3,782	49.7	−10.4
Majority			44	0.6	−22.9
Turnout			7,608	71.1	+36.1
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	+12.0

Wyke
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	D. Mangham	5,015	58.1	−4.3
	Conservative	K. Porter	3,616	41.9	+4.3
Majority			1,399	16.2	−8.7
Turnout			8,631	71.2	+35.7
	Labour gain from Conservative		Swing	-4.3

References

^ "District results: Bradford". The Yorkshire Post. 4 May 1979. Scans
"Vote 2012: Bradford". BBC News Online. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
^ "Bradford election results". Telegraph & Argus. 4 May 1979.

v t e (1978 ←) 1979 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1980)
Metropolitan boroughs	Barnsley Birmingham Bradford Bolton Bury Calderdale Coventry Doncaster Dudley Gateshead Kirklees Knowsley Leeds Liverpool Manchester Newcastle North Tyneside Oldham Rochdale Rotherham Salford Sandwell Sefton Sheffield Solihull South Tyneside St Helens Stockport Sunderland Tameside Trafford Wakefield Walsall Wigan Wirral Wolverhampton
District councils (England)	Adur Allerdale Alnwick Amber Valley Arun Ashfield Ashford Aylesbury Vale Babergh Barrow-in-Furness Basildon Basingstoke and Deane Bassetlaw Bath Beaconsfield Berwick-upon-Tweed Beverley Blaby Blackburn Blackpool Blyth Valley Bolsover Boothferry Boston Bournemouth Bracknell Braintree Breckland Brentwood Bridgnorth Brighton Bristol Broadland Bromsgrove Broxbourne Broxtowe Burnley Cambridge Cannock Chase Canterbury Caradon Carlisle Carrick Castle Morpeth Castle Point Charnwood Chelmsford Cheltenham Cherwell Chester Chesterfield Chester-le-Street Chichester Chiltern Chorley Christchurch Cleethorpes Colchester Congleton Copeland Corby Cotswold Craven Crawley Crewe and Nantwich Dacorum Darlington Dartford Daventry Derby Derwentside Dover Durham Easington East Cambridgeshire East Devon East Hampshire East Hertfordshire East Lindsey East Northamptonshire East Staffordshire Eastbourne Eastleigh Eden Ellesmere Port and Neston Elmbridge Epping Forest Epsom and Ewell Erewash Exeter Fareham Fenland Forest Heath Forest of Dean Fylde Gedling Gillingham Glanford Gloucester Gosport Gravesham Great Yarmouth Grimsby Guildford Halton Hambleton Harborough Harlow Harrogate Hart Hartlepool Hastings Havant Hereford Hertsmere High Peak Hinckley and Bosworth Holderness Horsham Hove Huntingdon Hyndburn Ipswich Kennet Kerrier Kettering Kingston upon Hull Kingswood Lancaster Langbaurgh Leicester Leominster Lewes Lichfield Lincoln Luton Macclesfield Maidstone Maldon Malvern Hills Mansfield Medina Medway Melton Mendip Mid Bedfordshire Mid Devon Mid Suffolk Mid Sussex Middlesbrough Milton Keynes Mole Valley New Forest Newark Newbury Newcastle-under-Lyme North Bedfordshire North Cornwall North Devon North Dorset North East Derbyshire North Hertfordshire North Kesteven North Norfolk North Shropshire North Warwickshire North West Leicestershire North Wiltshire North Wolds Northampton Northavon Norwich Nottingham Nuneaton Oadby and Wigston Oswestry Oxford Pendle Penwith Peterborough Plymouth Poole Portsmouth Preston Purbeck Reading Redditch Reigate and Banstead Restormel Ribble Valley Richmondshire Rochford Rossendale Rother Rugby Runnymede Rushcliffe Rushmoor Rutland Ryedale Salisbury Scarborough Scunthorpe Sedgefield Sedgemoor Selby Sevenoaks Shepway Shrewsbury and Atcham Slough South Bedfordshire South Cambridgeshire South Derbyshire South Hams South Herefordshire South Holland South Kesteven South Lakeland South Norfolk South Northamptonshire South Oxfordshire South Ribble South Shropshire South Staffordshire South Wight Southampton Southend-on-Sea Spelthorne St Albans St Edmundsbury Stafford Staffordshire Moorlands Stevenage Stockton-on-Tees Stoke-on-Trent Stratford-on-Avon Stroud Suffolk Coastal Surrey Heath Swale Tamworth Tandridge Taunton Deane Teesdale Teignbridge Tendring Test Valley Tewkesbury Thamesdown Thanet The Wrekin Three Rivers Thurrock Tonbridge and Malling Torbay Torridge Tunbridge Wells Tynedale Uttlesford Vale of White Horse Vale Royal Wansbeck Wansdyke Warrington Warwick Watford Waveney Waverley Wealden Wear Valley Wellingborough Welwyn Hatfield West Derbyshire West Devon West Dorset West Lancashire West Lindsey West Norfolk West Oxfordshire West Somerset West Wiltshire Weymouth and Portland Wimborne Winchester Windsor and Maidenhead Woking Wokingham Woodspring Worcester Worthing Wychavon Wycombe Wyre Wyre Forest Yeovil York
District councils (Wales)	Aberconwy Afan Alyn and Deeside Anglesey - Ynys Môn Arfon Blaenau Gwent Brecknock Cardiff Carmarthen Ceredigion Colwyn Cynon Valley Delyn Dinefwr Dwyfor Glyndŵr Islwyn Llanelli Lliw Valley Meirionnydd Merthyr Tydfil Monmouth Montgomery Neath Newport Ogwr Preseli Radnor Rhondda Rhuddlan Rhymney Valley South Pembrokeshire Swansea Taff-Ely Torfaen Vale of Glamorgan Wrexham Maelor
Referendums	Scottish devolution Welsh devolution
See also: UK General election European Parliament election

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

Categories: