1968 Edinburgh Corporation election
An Election to the Edinburgh Corporation was held on 7 May 1968, alongside municipal elections across Scotland. Of the councils 69 seats, 22 were up for election. Despite receiving the most votes of any single party, the SNP won only 7 seats. Unlike in Glasgow, the Progressives and Conservatives did not run on a joint ticket.[1] Despite that however the parties only ran competing candidates in the Gorgie-Dalry ward.
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23 of the 69 seats to the Edinburgh Corporation 35 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Results by ward. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Following the election Edinburgh Corporation was composed of 34 Progressives (including the Lord Provost), 21 Labour councillors, 8 SNP councillors, 3 Conservatives, 1 Liberal, and 1 independent. Following the election the Progressive/Conservative coalition controlled the council with a majority of 6.
No election was held in the Holyrood ward, where the sitting Labour councillor died the week before the election.
Turnout was 140,987.
Aggregate results
Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | 10 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
45.45 | 26.87 | 37,885 | ||
SNP | 7 | 6 | 0 | ![]() |
31.82 | 34.83 | 49,111 | ||
Labour | 3 | 0 | 2 | ![]() |
13.64 | 19.15 | 26,997 | ||
Conservative | 1 | 1 | 0 | ![]() |
4.55 | 9.72 | 13,715 | ||
Liberal | 1 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
4.55 | 6.46 | 9,105 | ||
Communist | 0 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
0 | 1.74 | 2,462 | ||
Ind. Conservative | 0 | 0 | 0 | ![]() |
0 | 1.21 | 1,712 |
Ward Results
![](../I/Broughton_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | A. Theurer | 2,239 | ||
SNP | C. MacDougall | 2,042 | ||
Liberal | E. W. Hall | 819 | ||
Labour | I. R. Hoy | 744 | ||
Majority | 197 | |||
Turnout | 48.31 | |||
Progressives hold |
![](../I/Calton_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | W. Thomson | 1,671 | ||
Progressives | A. D. Wilson | 1,637 | ||
Labour | S. Cook | 1,196 | ||
Majority | 34 | |||
Turnout | 43.22 | |||
SNP gain from Labour | ||||
![](../I/Central_Leith_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | F. T. Chalmers | 1,898 | ||
Labour | T. H. Greig | 1,393 | ||
Progressives | D. Valentine | 706 | ||
Communist | T. C. Taylor | 86 | ||
Majority | 505 | |||
Turnout | 36.51 | |||
SNP gain from Labour | ||||
![](../I/Colinton_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | D. M. Cameron | 4,671 | ||
SNP | A. Westwood | 3,389 | ||
Labour | R. D. M. Brown | 1,450 | ||
Majority | 1282 | |||
Turnout | 48.71 | |||
Progressives hold |
![](../I/Corstorphine_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | F. Ford | 3,689 | ||
SNP | A. McCallum | 2,982 | ||
Liberal | Vera P. Heggie | 1,795 | ||
Majority | 707 | |||
Turnout | 51.29 | |||
Progressives hold |
![](../I/Craigentinny_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | G. Drummond | 2,627 | ||
SNP | R. Anderson | 2,566 | ||
Conservative | Geraldine R. Johnston | 1,586 | ||
Majority | 61 | |||
Turnout | 47.89 | |||
Labour hold |
![](../I/Craigmillar_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | R. Dalrymple | 2,590 | ||
Labour | D. F. Renton | 2,081 | ||
Conservative | D. R. Anderson | 823 | ||
Communist | M. D'Arcy | 145 | ||
Majority | 509 | |||
Turnout | 40.0 | |||
SNP gain from Labour | ||||
![](../I/George_Square_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | W. Simpson-Bell | 1,601 | ||
SNP | T. C. Bogle | 1,331 | ||
Liberal | P.L. Newman | 630 | ||
Majority | 270 | |||
Turnout | 36.59 | |||
Progressives hold |
![](../I/Gorgie-Dalry_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | T. McCarron | 2,088 | ||
Labour | J. E. Boyack | 1,591 | ||
Conservative | M. Pirie | 1,481 | ||
Progressives | Miss Mar A. M. Hislop | 511 | ||
Liberal | R. T. Parker | 140 | ||
Communist | M. R. Currie | 78 | ||
Majority | 497 | |||
Turnout | 44.02 | |||
SNP hold |
![](../I/Liberton_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | P. Wilson | 4,290 | ||
SNP | A. G. Symington | 3,635 | ||
Conservative | J. F. Doyle | 3,259 | ||
Communist | J. Ashton | 195 | ||
Majority | 655 | |||
Turnout | 51.83 | |||
Labour hold |
![](../I/Merchiston_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal | R. L. Smith | 2,803 | ||
Conservative | B. A. Meek | 1,800 | ||
SNP | T. J. D. MacDonald | 1,368 | ||
Majority | 1003 | |||
Turnout | 53.92 | |||
Liberal hold |
![](../I/Morningside_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | R. Lorimer | 3,025 | ||
SNP | Catherina Moore | 1,748 | ||
Conservative | Sir Alexander Giles | 1,650 | ||
Majority | 1277 | |||
Turnout | 50.16 | |||
Progressives hold |
![](../I/Murrayfield-Cramond_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | J. W. McKay | 5,400 | ||
SNP | R. A. Macdonald | 3,181 | ||
Labour | C. T. Harvie | 1,281 | ||
Majority | 2219 | |||
Turnout | 50.55 | |||
Progressives hold |
![](../I/Newington_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | E. M. Kean | 3,761 | ||
SNP | G. W. Telford | 2,745 | ||
Labour | J. C. Campbell | 985 | ||
Liberal | J. Grahamslaw | 909 | ||
Majority | 1016 | |||
Turnout | 53.37 | |||
Progressives hold |
![](../I/Pilton_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Labour | Catherina T. Nealon | 2,913 | ||
SNP | W. Thompson | 2,724 | ||
Conservative | R. Beattie | 795 | ||
Communist | C. McManus | 147 | ||
Majority | 189 | |||
Turnout | 34.33 | |||
Labour hold |
![](../I/Portobello_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | A. W. Hunt | 2,873 | ||
SNP | R. G. Kelly | 2,687 | ||
Labour | D. H. Brown | 869 | ||
Liberal | G. H. T. Harvie | 593 | ||
Majority | 186 | |||
Turnout | 51.74 | |||
Progressives hold |
![](../I/Sighthill_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | G. D. M. Galbraith | 3,621 | ||
Labour | J. Ross | 2,583 | ||
Liberal | W. McLoed | 533 | ||
Communist | W. M. Millar | 134 | ||
Majority | 1,038 | |||
Turnout | 45.35 | |||
SNP gain from Labour | ||||
![](../I/South_Leith_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | Mary G. Thompson | 2,320 | ||
Progressives | L. Scott | 1,922 | ||
Labour | W. S. Dalgleish | 1,708 | ||
Majority | 398 | |||
Turnout | 47.01 | |||
Progressives gain from Labour | ||||
![](../I/St_Andrews_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | D. Drummond-Young | 1,661 | ||
SNP | I. A. Macdonald | 1,056 | ||
Labour | I. L. Foggie | 401 | ||
Majority | 605 | |||
Turnout | 39.19 | |||
Conservative gain from Progressives | ||||
![](../I/St_Bernards_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | Winifred E. Donaldson | 3,436 | ||
SNP | W. K. Archibald | 2,321 | ||
Liberal | Joyce Shein | 883 | ||
Ind. Conservative | Elva G. Speyer | 567 | ||
Majority | 1,115 | |||
Turnout | 42.78 | |||
Progressives hold |
![](../I/St_Giles_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
SNP | J. McCann | 1,148 | ||
Labour | P. S. Wood | 885 | ||
Conservative | D. B. Harvey | 660 | ||
Majority | 263 | |||
Turnout | 27.03 | |||
SNP gain from Labour | ||||
![](../I/West_Leith_ward_in_Edinburgh_Corporation.svg.png.webp)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Progressives | J. Scott | 2,925 | 71.87 | |
Ind. Conservative | A. H. Lester | 1,145 | 28.13 | |
Majority | 1780 | 43.73 | ||
Turnout | 4070 | 36.90 | ||
Progressives hold |
References
- "We're all nationalists now". The Spectator Archive. 17 May 1968.
- "Results in the Municipal Elections". The Glasgow Herald. 8 May 1968. p. 12.