1973 Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council election

The first elections to the Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council were held on 10 May 1973.

Background

The metropolitan district was one of the new authorities created by the Local Government Act 1972, which completely reorganised local administration in England and Wales. The new district, one of seven in the West Midlands, had an identical area to the existing County Borough of Wolverhampton. The first council was elected as a "shadow authority", with the reorganisation coming into effect in the following year on 1 April 1974. Subsequent to the election the shadow council successfully petitioned for a royal charter granting borough status, becoming Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council.[1]

Elections

At this first election all 60 councillors were elected, there being three councillors in each of the 20 wards. In an anomaly of the usual procedure for local elections, the candidate in first place was elected for 5 years, the candidate in second place for 3 years and the candidate in third place for 2 years. This was to allow for the "shadow" year of 1974 when the Metropolitan Borough Council was operating in shadow of the County Borough. From 1975 elections were by thirds with one councillor retiring in each ward.

Following the election the Labour Party had overall control of the council with 40 councillors to the Conservatives 20. Following the final county borough election held in 1972 the two parties had held 40 seats each on the 80 member council.[2]

Election results

The following councillors were returned in their corresponding wards:

Bilston East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour D Turner (1st) 1891
Labour T H Larkin (2nd) 1786
Labour Mrs H Brown (3rd) 1603
Conservative A G Cooper 278
Bilston North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour P R Richards (1st) 1281
Labour R Reynolds (2nd) 1137
Labour R Davies (3rd) 1125
Conservative W L Hughes 994
Conservative R A M Marshall 932
Conservative L S Draisey 900
Blakenhall
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J Carpenter (1st) 2070
Conservative Mrs J E Shore (2nd) 1996
Conservative Mrs J L Shaw (3rd) 1992
Labour J Hackwood 1389
Labour G R Johnson 1335
Labour Bishan Dass 1238
Bushbury
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mrs J Beddoes (1st) 1069
Labour J A W Bird (2nd) 1055
Labour E Mitchell (3rd) 998
Conservative W Hillier 361
National Front W A Murfin 160
Eastfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Ken Purchase (1st) 1452
Labour P Ray (2nd) 1260
Labour Mrs L Richards (3rd) 1235
Conservative Mrs E H Allen 387
National Front R Davison 304
Communist G J Barnsby 144
Ettingshall
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E W Bold (1st) 1281
Labour Mrs C Durham (2nd) 1091
Labour A Storer (3rd) 1021
Conservative W J Allen 458
Conservative G D Phillips 455
Communist F W Reeves 96
Graiseley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A G Barratt (1st) 1500
Labour Mrs V A Fletcher (2nd) 1390
Labour Mrs N Jones (3rd) 1367
Conservative W H Etwell 1305
Conservative R Dorsett 1258
Conservative R J Thomas 1209
Low Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour D Hickmott (1st) 1026
Labour Mrs W F K Reynolds (2nd) 1011
Labour A C Laws (3rd) 966
Conservative A Dixon 213
Communist G Dorrance 60
Merry Hill
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative W CLarke (1st) 2362
Conservative J G Blackburn (2nd) 2329
Conservative Robert Hart (3rd) 2119
Labour Mrs M Everett 858
Labour G Turner 792
Oxley
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour K Staves (1st) 1229
Labour R Haynes (2nd) 1121
Labour N Fryer (3rd) 1071
Conservative H J Burton 829
Conservative G Bangham 829
Conservative P Withers 732
National Front D E Foster 286
Park
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative W J Morrison (1st) 1568
Conservative Mrs M S Machin (2nd) 1563
Conservative Mrs M W Hodson (3rd) 1529
Labour Dr P Young 584
Labour W Bruce 524
Labour S G Stockley von Statzer 504
Liberal Mrs W Lundgren 457
Liberal R Gray 442
Liberal K R Aithal 379
National Front D G Gorton 240
Parkfield
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G Howells (1st) 1298
Labour H E Lace(2nd) 1287
Labour A E Steventon (3rd) 1118
Conservative B C Johnson 397
Conservative C Lenton 272
Conservative B Wood 240
Communist R A Millington 78
Penn
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G A Bickley (1st) 2669
Conservative D J Rutherford (2nd) 2653
Conservative P Bradley (3rd) 2304
Liberal J Wernick 1961
Liberal A Robinson 1642
Liberal T D Bamford 1522
Labour Mrs M Garner 285
Labour D Aulton 277
St Peters
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour I G Claymore (1st) 1866
Labour Mr J James (2nd) 1533
Labour S R Sharma (3rd) 1211
TUUF G S Bains 692
ILP G Carter 636
Conservative H Cohen 620
Conservative E M Gibbs 488
Conservative B Thomas 432
National Front P Kane 242
Communist D Hamilton 106
Spring Vale
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour S Martin (1st) 2188
Labour N G Davies (2nd) 2040
Labour A Garner (3rd) 1933
Conservative Mrs P E Atkinson 413
Tettenhall Regis
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative S O Morton (1st) 1683
Conservative Mrs D M Seiboth (2nd) 1666
Conservative Mrs T M Comport (3rd) 1586
Liberal Larry Mclean 1213
Liberal H C Marshall 1027
Liberal M E Millar 950
Labour J M Smith 300
Labour R F Ilsley 285
Labour B Evans 278
Tettenhall Wightwick
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G R Watson (1st) 1897
Conservative P G Snell (2nd) 1882
Conservative E G L Pearce (3rd) 1862
Liberal H Wright 677
Labour K P Jarrad 525
Labour W O Reilly 515
Labour R S Willett 493
Wednesfield Heath
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H Turner (1st) 1265
Conservative C T Squire (2nd) 1239
Conservative A Griffiths (3rd) 1226
Labour R Garner 1198
Conservative F J Wadsworth 1176
Labour G Hicken 1171
Wednesfield North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J A Morey (1st) 1649
Labour L Horton (2nd) 1623
Labour S H Reynolds (3rd) 1554
Conservative G H Parker 815
Conservative W J Curtiss 732
Conservative Mrs J M Curtiss 725
Communist A Barr 109
Wednesfield South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mrs C M Nicholls (1st) 1380
Labour J F Torrington (2nd) 1296
Labour Mrs E D Jevons (3rd) 1102
Conservative H L Turner 908
Conservative Mrs D M Brooks 813
Conservative C F Brueton 809

References
  1. Local government in England and Wales: A Guide to the New System. London: HMSO. 1974. p. 24. ISBN 0-11-750847-0.
  2. "Widespread Labour gains in borough elections". The Times. 5 May 1972.
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