1976 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 6 May 1976, with one third of the seats up for election. Four Conservative gains and an Independent in Ward 23 regaining a seat reduced Labour's working majority to 40 seats. Two seats (Ward 4 and Ward 21) went uncontested, and turnout rose to 34.0% - a return to 1973 levels after a sizeable fall the previous year.[1]

Map of the results for the 1976 Wigan council election. Labour in red, Conservatives in blue and Independent in grey.

Election result
Wigan Local Election Result 1976
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 17 0 5 -5 70.8 51.3 35,499 +2.1%
  Conservative 6 4 0 +4 25.0 40.8 28,260 +0.0%
  Independent 1 1 0 +1 4.2 2.9 2,038 +0.4%
  Liberal 0 0 0 0 0.0 3.9 2,732 -2.9%
  ER 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.6 392 +0.6%
  Communist 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.4 309 -0.3%

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

Party Previous council New council
Labour 61 56
Conservatives 10 14
Liberals 1 1
Independent 0 1
Total 72 72
Working majority  50   40 

Ward results
Ward 1 (Lindsay-Scholes-Whelley)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Coyle 1,927 63.1 -1.0
Conservative C. Giles 1,126 36.9 +1.0
Majority 801 26.2 -2.0
Turnout 3,053 33.1 +4.1
Labour hold Swing -1.0
Ward 2 (Poolstock-Worsley Mesnes)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour H. Milligan 1,419 62.5 -3.0
Conservative J. Atherton 536 23.6 -10.8
Liberal J. Forster 314 13.8 +13.8
Majority 883 38.9 +7.7
Turnout 2,269 24.7 +7.6
Labour hold Swing +3.9
Ward 3 (Gidlow-Swinley-Whitley)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G. Lewthwaite 2,655 69.2 +4.7
Labour M. Pendleton 1,187 30.8 +7.8
Majority 1,478 38.4 -3.1
Turnout 3,852 33.4 +1.1
Conservative hold Swing -1.5
Ward 4 (Beech Hill and Marsh Green)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Eckersley Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Ward 5 (Highfield and Lamberhead)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E. Maddocks 1,544 53.4 +2.3
Conservative T. Peet 1,348 46.6 +4.4
Majority 196 6.8 -2.1
Turnout 2,892 26.4 +4.9
Labour hold Swing -1.0
Ward 6 (Newtown and Rose Hill)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Bridge 1,483 62.0 -6.5
Conservative M. Wright 670 28.0 -3.5
Liberal J. Fitzpatrick 240 10.0 +10.0
Majority 813 34.0 -3.0
Turnout 2,393 27.4 +8.8
Labour hold Swing -1.5
Ward 7 (Hope Carr)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative B. Powell 1,770 56.2 -3.1
Labour J. Jones 1,377 43.8 +3.1
Majority 393 12.5 -6.4
Turnout 3,147 44.9 +7.4
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -3.1
Ward 8 (St Pauls and St Peters)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour P. Hull 1,336 58.9 +3.4
Conservative J. Davies 842 37.1 -1.3
Communist H. Kedward 92 4.1 -2.1
Majority 494 21.8 +4.7
Turnout 2,270 25.8 +9.0
Labour hold Swing +2.3
Ward 9 (Etherstone and St Marys)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J. Riley 1,674 51.6 +10.2
Conservative H. Davies 1,477 45.5 -9.1
Communist J. Blackburn 96 3.0 -1.0
Majority 197 6.1 -7.2
Turnout 3,247 35.3 +9.6
Labour hold Swing +9.6
Ward 10 (Lilford-St Josephs-St Thomas)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative S. Johnson 1,905 52.6 -12.4
Labour P. Smith 1,595 44.0 +9.0
Communist M. Fitzpatrick 121 3.3 +3.3
Majority 310 8.6 -21.4
Turnout 3,621 40.1 +8.8
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -10.7
Ward 11 (Golborne St Thomas and Lowton)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour T. Morgan 2,409 58.7 -0.1
Conservative T. Thompson 1,696 41.3 +0.1
Majority 713 17.4 -0.2
Turnout 4,105 39.7 +5.2
Labour hold Swing -0.1
Ward 12 (Golborne Heath Park and Ashton)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Taylor 2,395 70.2 N/A
Conservative J. Harrison 1,015 29.8 N/A
Majority 1,380 40.5 N/A
Turnout 3,410 37.9 N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Ward 13 (Ashton-in-Makerfield North and West)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour G. Lockett 1,648 67.6 -4.8
Liberal P. Scully 789 32.4 +4.8
Majority 859 35.2 -9.4
Turnout 2,437 32.0 +10.3
Labour hold Swing -4.8
Ward 14 (Ashton-in-Makerfield Central and East)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour T. Jones 1,655 52.4 +3.8
Conservative M. Ball 915 29.0 +29.0
Liberal D. Gauld 586 18.6 -32.8
Majority 740 23.4 +20.6
Turnout 3,156 37.9 +11.3
Labour hold Swing -12.6
Ward 15 (Standish with Langtree and Shevington)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent G. Dewhurst 1,534 36.0 +1.5
Labour J. Healen 1,509 35.4 -0.3
Conservative M. Wardle 1,222 28.7 +8.6
Majority 25 0.6 -0.6
Turnout 4,265 38.8 +3.6
Independent gain from Labour Swing +0.9
Ward 16 (Aspull)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W. Mason 1,540 45.1 -14.0
Conservative E. Slevin 1,424 41.7 +41.7
Liberal P. Gibbons 448 13.1 -27.7
Majority 116 3.4 -15.0
Turnout 3,412 34.2 +12.0
Labour hold Swing -27.8
Ward 17 (Atherton North East)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour L. Sumner 2,121 66.5 +12.4
Conservative E. Sweeney 1,068 33.5 -3.1
Majority 1,053 33.0 +15.4
Turnout 3,189 33.5 +3.7
Labour hold Swing +7.7
Ward 18 (Atherton South West)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative M. Williams 1,431 59.3 -5.2
Labour P. Needham 981 40.7 +5.2
Majority 450 18.7 -10.3
Turnout 2,412 37.7 +7.6
Conservative hold Swing -5.2
Ward 19 (Hindley Central and North)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour T. Isherwood 1,410 66.7 +2.1
Conservative R. Park 704 33.3 -2.1
Majority 706 33.4 +4.2
Turnout 2,114 28.1 +5.9
Labour hold Swing +2.1
Ward 20 (Hindley South East and West)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour R. MacAllister 1,573 49.8 +1.5
Conservative T. Whitfield 1,231 39.0 -12.7
Liberal B. Slinger 355 11.2 +11.2
Majority 342 10.8 +7.3
Turnout 3,159 30.0 +4.5
Labour hold Swing +7.1
Ward 21 (Ince-in-Makerfield)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A. Rowlandson Unopposed N/A N/A
Labour hold Swing N/A
Ward 22 (Orrell and Billinge)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative F. Garner 1,897 44.1 -19.2
Labour S. Waring 1,507 35.0 -1.6
Independent N. Somers 504 11.7 +11.7
ER A. Atherton 392 9.1 +9.1
Majority 390 9.1 -17.5
Turnout 4,300 32.5 -2.3
Conservative gain from Labour Swing -8.8
Ward 23 (Tyldesley - Shakerley)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour M. Devlin 1,761 53.7 -5.0
Conservative F. Mellor 1,516 46.3 +5.0
Majority 245 7.5 -10.2
Turnout 3,277 38.5 +9.1
Labour hold Swing -5.0
Ward 24 (Tyldesley - Astley Green and Blackmoor)[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative C. Hampson 1,802 55.4 N/A
Labour F. Walker 1,448 44.6 N/A
Majority 354 10.9 N/A
Turnout 3,250 42.6 N/A
Conservative gain from Labour Swing N/A

References
  1. "Wigan Council results from 1973 to 2008" (PDF). wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
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