The 1965 municipal elections for Leeds were held on Thursday 13 May 1965,[1] with one third of the council and an extra vacancy in Allerton to be elected.[2]
Building upon the previous year, the Conservatives fully reversed the downward trend they'd been on since 1960. With a whopping 10.2%[3] swing their way, they defeated the Labour Party in a manner not seen since 1951, with Labour's share reduced to the thirties - surpassing even their record low then.
The Conservatives six gains were largely a regaining of Labour's 1963 gains, with the notable exceptions of Beeston, which they already held, and Kirkstall - a first for the ward, which had been monolithically Labour since the boundary changes in 1951.[2]
The Conservatives also recovered Roundhay from Labour who gained it in a by-election in 1963.
Elsewhere, the Liberals continued their decline from the 1962 highs, now at near enough where they were pre-spike. In contrast, the Communists, having steadily raised their candidates in each election since the mid-1950s were now fielding a record of 12, achieving party records in both vote and share. Turnout fell again by just over two percent on last year's figure to 34.5%.[3][4]
Election result
Leeds Local Election Result 1965 Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Conservative | 17 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 58.6 | 56.1 | 65,041 | +11.2 |
| Labour | 12 | 0 | 6 | -6 | 41.4 | 37.8 | 43,813 | -9.1 |
| Liberal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 4.6 | 5,366 | -2.5 |
| Communist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 1,741 | +0.5 |
The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:[4]
Party | Previous council | New council |
Cllr | Ald | Cllr | Ald |
| Labour | 56 | 19 | 50 | 19 |
| Conservatives | 28 | 9 | 34 | 9 |
Total | 84 | 28 | 84 | 28 |
112 | 112 |
Working majority | 28 | 10 | 16 | 10 |
38 | 26 |
Ward result
Allerton[2][5] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Frank Marshall | 5,358 | 78.8 | +9.4 |
| Conservative | John William Harwood Long | 5,174 | | |
| Labour | Gerald Bloom | 1,442 | 21.2 | -0.2 |
| Labour | Donald Chadwick | 1,308 | | |
Majority | 3,732 | 57.6 | +9.7 |
Turnout | 6,800 | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +4.8 | |
Armley[2][5] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Joseph Bissell | 1,907 | 52.6 | -7.2 |
| Conservative | Kevin Anthony Beal | 1,717 | 47.4 | +19.0 |
Majority | 190 | 5.2 | -26.2 |
Turnout | 3,624 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -13.1 | |
Beeston[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Alan Hartley | 3,496 | 58.4 | +9.2 |
| Labour | Eric Forbes Mill | 2,400 | 40.1 | -7.8 |
| Communist | Frederick Sidebottom | 87 | 1.5 | -1.4 |
Majority | 1,096 | 18.3 | +17.0 |
Turnout | 5,983 | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.5 | |
Blenheim[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | William Merritt | 1,100 | 59.6 | -9.1 |
| Conservative | Rolland Derrick Austwick | 747 | 40.4 | +9.1 |
Majority | 353 | 19.2 | -18.2 |
Turnout | 1,847 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -9.1 | |
Bramley[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Jack Hart | 2,973 | 56.4 | +16.9 |
| Labour | William Lord | 2,297 | 43.6 | -16.9 |
Majority | 676 | 12.8 | -8.3 |
Turnout | 5,270 | | |
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +16.9 | |
Burmantofts[2][5] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | George Murray | 1,431 | 56.1 | -16.2 |
| Conservative | Jessie Margaret (commonly known as Peggy) White | 1,120 | 43.9 | +16.2 |
Majority | 311 | 12.2 | -32.3 |
Turnout | 2,551 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -16.2 | |
City[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Bernard Peter Atha | 724 | 61.6 | -11.7 |
| Conservative | Michael Herbert Baker | 451 | 38.4 | +11.7 |
Majority | 273 | 23.2 | -23.5 |
Turnout | 1,175 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -11.7 | |
Cross Gates[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Enid Muriel Coward | 3,708 | 57.7 | -7.7 |
| Conservative | Sidney Andrew Codd | 2,294 | 35.7 | +6.6 |
| Communist | Henry Fawcett | 421 | 6.6 | +1.1 |
Majority | 1,414 | 22.0 | -14.4 |
Turnout | 6,423 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -7.1 | |
East Hunslet[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Ernest Kavanagh | 1,017 | 63.1 | -9.2 |
| Conservative | Keith Anthony Frederick Grainger | 594 | 36.9 | +9.2 |
Majority | 423 | 26.2 | -18.4 |
Turnout | 1,611 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -9.2 | |
Far Headingley[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Alan Edwin Roberts | 5,905 | 67.2 | +14.0 |
| Labour | Nellie Doreen Jenner | 1,649 | 18.8 | -1.4 |
| Liberal | Anastasios Christodoulop | 1,238 | 14.1 | -12.6 |
Majority | 4,256 | 48.4 | +21.9 |
Turnout | 8,792 | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +7.7 | |
Halton[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | John Hutchings Rhodes | 4,879 | 78.4 | +8.9 |
| Labour | Doreen Hamilton | 1,347 | 21.6 | -8.9 |
Majority | 3,532 | 56.7 | +17.7 |
Turnout | 6,226 | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.9 | |
Harehills[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Patrick Crotty | 2,720 | 58.9 | +7.5 |
| Labour | Howard Howlett | 1,639 | 35.5 | -3.5 |
| Liberal | Ronald Gibbon Sissons | 258 | 5.6 | -4.0 |
Majority | 1,081 | 23.4 | +11.0 |
Turnout | 4,617 | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +5.5 | |
Holbeck[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Gertrude Bray | 1,304 | 55.0 | -1.5 |
| Conservative | Michael Waddington | 905 | 38.2 | +11.7 |
| Communist | Joyce McCarthy | 160 | 6.8 | +3.6 |
Majority | 399 | 16.8 | -13.2 |
Turnout | 2,369 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -6.6 | |
Hunslet Carr[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | Wilfred Parker | 1,311 | 57.9 | -4.9 |
| Conservative | Herbert Ernest Lister | 852 | 37.6 | +6.0 |
| Communist | Leslie Hunter | 101 | 4.5 | -1.1 |
Majority | 459 | 20.3 | -10.9 |
Turnout | 2,264 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -5.4 | |
Hyde Park[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Ronald Derek Fielding | 2,495 | 55.9 | +6.8 |
| Labour | Wilfred Window | 1,166 | 26.1 | -12.8 |
| Liberal | Deryck Ernest Senior | 689 | 15.4 | +3.3 |
| Communist | Stanley Peter Walker | 116 | 2.6 | +2.6 |
Majority | 1,329 | 29.8 | +19.6 |
Turnout | 4,466 | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +9.8 | |
Kirkstall[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Raymond Kent | 2,202 | 50.4 | +16.3 |
| Labour | Dennis Burrill Matthews | 2,020 | 46.2 | -9.0 |
| Communist | Beryl Huffinley | 150 | 3.4 | +0.7 |
Majority | 182 | 4.2 | -17.0 |
Turnout | 4,372 | | |
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +12.6 | |
Meanwood[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Thomas William Kirkby | 3,232 | 67.6 | +9.0 |
| Labour | John McPheat | 1,049 | 21.9 | -9.2 |
| Liberal | Evelyn Mary Briggs | 500 | 10.5 | +0.2 |
Majority | 2,183 | 45.7 | +18.3 |
Turnout | 4,781 | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +9.1 | |
Middleton[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | St. John Binns | 1,833 | 74.7 | -6.1 |
| Conservative | Frank Stubley | 477 | 19.4 | +3.9 |
| Communist | Enos Leslie Moore | 143 | 5.8 | +2.2 |
Majority | 1,356 | 55.3 | -10.0 |
Turnout | 2,453 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -5.0 | |
Moortown[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Louie Ellen Henson | 5,532 | 71.2 | +8.9 |
| Labour | Bernard Ingham | 1,485 | 19.1 | -7.9 |
| Liberal | Kenneth Roy Dunn | 561 | 7.2 | -3.5 |
| Communist | Philip Boyes | 190 | 2.4 | +2.4 |
Majority | 4,047 | 52.1 | +16.8 |
Turnout | 7,768 | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +8.4 | |
Osmondthorpe[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | William John (aka Jack) Pritchard | 1,322 | 65.3 | -13.0 |
| Conservative | Ethel Megan Lewis | 704 | 34.7 | +13.0 |
Majority | 618 | 30.5 | -26.0 |
Turnout | 2,026 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -13.0 | |
Pottenewton[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Irwin Norman Bellow | 2,270 | 56.2 | +8.8 |
| Labour | Joyce Brenda Gould | 1,267 | 31.4 | -11.7 |
| Liberal | Sydney Herbert Bexan | 427 | 10.6 | +3.3 |
| Communist | Raymond Ramsden | 73 | 1.8 | -0.4 |
Majority | 1,003 | 24.8 | +20.5 |
Turnout | 4,037 | | |
| Conservative hold | Swing | +10.2 | |
Richmond Hill[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | William Cain | 1,463 | 69.6 | -13.9 |
| Conservative | Alfred Patrick Sexton | 519 | 24.7 | +12.2 |
| Communist | Eric Burwin | 121 | 5.8 | +1.7 |
Majority | 944 | 44.9 | -26.1 |
Turnout | 2,103 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -13.0 | |
Roundhay[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Alan Commander Johnson | 5,144 | 77.4 | +9.2 |
| Labour | Douglas Thomas | 1,503 | 22.6 | -9.2 |
Majority | 3,641 | 54.8 | +18.4 |
Turnout | 6,647 | | |
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.2 | |
Stanningley[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Alfred Matthew Vickers | 2,052 | 45.1 | +11.0 |
| Labour | John Henry Marshall | 1,701 | 37.4 | -10.9 |
| Liberal | Dennis Pedder | 793 | 17.4 | -0.1 |
Majority | 351 | 7.7 | -6.4 |
Turnout | 4,546 | | |
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +10.9 | |
Wellington[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Labour | John Herbert Underwood | 997 | 58.4 | -10.9 |
| Conservative | Elizabeth Anne Farrar | 356 | 20.8 | +3.9 |
| Liberal | Ernest Howson | 272 | 15.9 | +5.7 |
| Communist | Marion Rogers | 83 | 4.9 | +1.3 |
Majority | 641 | 37.5 | -14.8 |
Turnout | 1,708 | | |
| Labour hold | Swing | -7.4 | |
Westfield[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | May Sexton | 1,413 | 56.6 | +8.3 |
| Labour | Stanley Cohen | 1,083 | 43.4 | -8.3 |
Majority | 330 | 13.2 | +9.8 |
Turnout | 2,496 | | |
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +8.3 | |
Woodhouse[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Frederick Chadwick Green | 1,441 | 51.7 | +12.5 |
| Labour | Harold Bretherick | 1,252 | 44.9 | -13.3 |
| Communist | Arthur Dale | 96 | 3.4 | +0.7 |
Majority | 189 | 6.8 | -12.2 |
Turnout | 2,789 | | |
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +12.9 | |
Wortley[2] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Conservative | Brian Emmett | 3,193 | 51.4 | +8.8 |
| Labour | Joseph Stephenson | 2,396 | 38.5 | -9.8 |
| Liberal | Walter Holdsworth | 628 | 10.1 | +1.0 |
Majority | 797 | 12.8 | +7.0 |
Turnout | 6,217 | | |
| Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.3 | |
[5]
References
- ^ "The News of the Week in Review: Two Crises". The New York Times. 16 May 1965. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ^ 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 "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 14 May 1965.
- ^ a b Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.
- ^ a b Whitaker, Joseph (1965). Whitaker's Almanack 1965.
- ^ a b c d "Leeds City Year Book". Leeds City Council. 1965.