1956 Leeds City Council election

The municipal elections for Leeds were held on Thursday 10 May 1956,[1] with one third of the council and an extra vacancy in Hyde Park to be elected.[2]

A 3% swing[3] to Labour seen them once again on top in votes, although things may have been closer had the Conservatives stood candidates in Hunslet Carr and Wellington. With the swing, Labour managed to hold on to all of their 1953 gains; most fairly comfortably. The notable exceptions were in Woodhouse, one of the few wards to record a swing to the Conservatives - of 4.6% no less - reducing Labour's majority to 169 votes. The other being Wortley, where the Liberal intervention there hit the Conservatives twice as hard as Labour, helping them to retain their seat by 31 votes. The closest run result, in actuality, was found in Beeston - with Labour just one vote away from a gain there.[2] As such the night ended without a gain, leaving the dramatic drop in turnout - from what was already one of the worst recorded since the war - by a fifth to an all-time low of 31.4% the main story.[2][3]

Election result
Leeds Local Election Result 1956
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 18 0 0 0 62.1 48.2 53,382 +2.0%
  Conservative 11 0 0 0 37.9 47.4 52,541 -4.5%
  Liberal 0 0 0 0 0.0 3.7 4,139 +2.2%
  Communist 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.6 664 +0.2%

The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:[3]

Party Previous council New council
Cllr Ald Cllr Ald
Labour 51 17 51 17
Conservatives 33 11 33 11
Total 84 28 84 28
112 112
Working majority  18    6   18    6 
 24   24 

Ward results
Allerton[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative M. Mustill 3,904 85.8 -1.7
Labour E. Bell 645 14.2 +1.7
Majority 3,259 71.6 -3.5
Turnout 4,549
Conservative hold Swing -1.7
Armley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Bissell 2,022 55.8 +1.4
Conservative J. Broomfield 1,602 44.2 +5.3
Majority 420 11.6 -3.8
Turnout 3,624
Labour hold Swing -1.9
Beeston[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative P. Woodward 3,109 50.0 -4.0
Labour A. Tallant 3,108 50.0 +4.0
Majority 1 0.0 -8.1
Turnout 6,217
Conservative hold Swing -4.0
Blenheim[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Merritt 2,339 60.5 +5.7
Conservative W. Murphy 1,530 39.5 -5.7
Majority 809 20.9 +11.4
Turnout 3,869
Labour hold Swing +5.7
Bramley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Lord 2,661 48.5 +0.7
Conservative C. Dean 1,984 36.2 -4.6
Liberal R. Walker 837 15.3 +3.9
Majority 677 12.3 +5.3
Turnout 5,482
Labour hold Swing +2.6
Burmantofts[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Murray 1,884 66.3 +3.2
Conservative K. Wiggin 958 33.7 -3.2
Majority 926 32.6 +6.5
Turnout 2,842
Labour hold Swing +3.2
City[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Stubbs 1,512 64.6 +2.6
Conservative J. Dougray 829 35.4 -2.6
Majority 683 29.2 +5.2
Turnout 2,341
Labour hold Swing +2.6
Cross Gates[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Harrison 2,657 63.3 +5.6
Conservative J. Baldwin 1,540 36.7 -5.6
Majority 1,117 26.6 +11.3
Turnout 4,197
Labour hold Swing +5.6
East Hunslet[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Kavanagh 2,011 73.5 +0.2
Conservative B. Watson 724 26.5 -0.2
Majority 1,287 47.1 +0.4
Turnout 2,735
Labour hold Swing +0.2
Far Headingley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G. Dovenor 3,702 79.3 -4.2
Labour E. Holmes 969 20.7 +4.2
Majority 2,733 58.5 -8.5
Turnout 4,671
Conservative hold Swing -4.2
Halton[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative P. Dobson 3,446 76.6 -2.2
Labour J. Marshall 1,051 23.4 +2.2
Majority 2,395 53.3 -4.3
Turnout 4,497
Conservative hold Swing -2.2
Harehills[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative B. Gardener 2,305 52.4 -7.2
Labour R. Sedler 2,091 47.6 +7.2
Majority 214 4.9 -14.5
Turnout 4,396
Conservative hold Swing -7.2
Holbeck[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Bray 2,082 61.1 -4.8
Conservative D. Stewart 722 21.2 -13.0
Liberal John Brian Meeks 605 17.7 +17.7
Majority 1,360 39.9 +8.2
Turnout 3,409
Labour hold Swing +4.1
Hunslet Carr[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Parker 2,020 92.1 +18.5
Communist E. Moore 174 7.9 +3.9
Majority 1,846 84.1 +32.9
Turnout 2,194
Labour hold Swing +7.3
Hyde Park[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative H. Walmsley 2,916 68.1 -3.1
Conservative F. Hall 2,873
Labour A. Malcolm 1,365 31.9 +3.1
Labour N. Davy 1,363
Majority 1,508 36.2 -6.2
Turnout 4,281
Conservative hold Swing -3.1
Kirkstall[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour D. Matthews 2,945 61.0 +5.0
Conservative E. Lucas 1,879 39.0 -5.0
Majority 1,066 22.1 +10.0
Turnout 4,824
Labour hold Swing +5.0
Meanwood[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative T. Kirkby 3,466 75.7 +0.9
Labour F. Woolhouse 1,115 24.3 -0.9
Majority 2,351 51.3 +1.8
Turnout 4,581
Conservative hold Swing -0.9
Middleton[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Binns 1,918 85.4 +7.8
Conservative E. Bailey 328 14.6 -7.8
Majority 1,590 70.8 +15.6
Turnout 2,246
Labour hold Swing +7.8
Moortown[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative L. Henson 3,695 77.6 +0.8
Labour L. Steele 1,064 22.4 -0.8
Majority 2,631 55.3 +1.6
Turnout 4,759
Conservative hold Swing +0.8
Osmondthorpe[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour L. Walsh 2,628 75.3 +3.5
Conservative L. Ideson 862 24.7 -3.5
Majority 1,766 50.6 +7.1
Turnout 3,490
Labour hold Swing +3.5
Pottemewton[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative A. Coleman 1,866 60.9 -1.8
Labour B. Atha 1,041 34.0 +1.0
Communist S. Bloom 156 5.1 +0.8
Majority 825 26.9 -2.7
Turnout 3,063
Conservative hold Swing -1.4
Richmond Hill[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Cain 1,416 76.7 -2.1
Conservative J. Ashworth 429 23.3 +2.1
Majority 987 53.5 -4.2
Turnout 1,845
Labour hold Swing -2.1
Roundhay[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative H. Jowitt 3,362 70.7 -1.1
Labour P. Taylor 1,391 29.3 +1.1
Majority 1,971 41.5 -2.1
Turnout 4,753
Conservative hold Swing -1.1
Stanningley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour F. Kennally 2,546 49.4 +0.0
Conservative D. Vickers 1,584 30.7 -11.1
Liberal J. Grimshaw 1,022 19.8 +11.1
Majority 962 18.7 +11.1
Turnout 5,152
Labour hold Swing +5.5
Wellington[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Underwood 2,142 76.7 +9.5
Liberal Walter Holdsworth 513 18.4 +9.0
Communist J. Wheatley 137 4.9 -0.8
Majority 1,629 58.3 +8.8
Turnout 2,792
Labour hold Swing +0.2
Westfield[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Stan Cohen 2,434 53.6 +5.0
Conservative May Sexton 1,674 36.9 -14.5
Liberal H. Burridge 432 9.5 +9.5
Majority 760 16.7 +14.0
Turnout 4,540
Labour hold Swing +9.7
Woodhouse[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H. Bretherick 1,862 49.6 -7.3
Conservative L. Francis 1,693 45.1 +2.0
Communist F. Slaughter 197 5.3 +5.3
Majority 169 4.5 -9.3
Turnout 3,752
Labour hold Swing -4.6
Wortley[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Smart 2,463 43.8 -4.3
Conservative P. Stubley 2,432 43.2 -8.6
Liberal D. Boden 730 13.0 +13.0
Majority 31 0.6 -3.2
Turnout 5,625
Labour hold Swing +2.1

References
  1. "Eden Asks Nation to Back Changes". The New York Times. 12 May 1956. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  2. "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 11 May 1956.
  3. Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.
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