CS Knowledge Base

Elections to Manchester City Council were held on Thursday, 4 May 1972. One third of the councillors were up for election, with each successful candidate to serve a two-year term of office. These were the final elections held in Manchester before the Local Government Act 1972 abolished the city corporation and reformed it as a metropolitan borough. The Labour Party retained overall control of the council.^[1]^[2]

Election result

Party	Votes		Seats			Full Council
Labour Party	64,692 (51.8%)	8.4	20 (60.6%)	20 / 33	7	101 (76.5%)	101 / 132
Conservative Party	55,615 (44.6%)	9.0	13 (39.4%)	13 / 33	7	31 (23.5%)	31 / 132
Liberal Party	3,423 (2.7%)	0.2	0 (0.0%)	0 / 33		0 (0.0%)	0 / 132
Communist	683 (0.5%)	0.9	0 (0.0%)	0 / 33		0 (0.0%)	0 / 132
Independent	240 (0.2%)	0.1	0 (0.0%)	0 / 33		0 (0.0%)	0 / 132
Residents	135 (0.1%)		0 (0.0%)	0 / 33		0 (0.0%)	0 / 132

Full council

↓
101	31

Aldermen

↓
27	6

Councillors

↓
74	25

Ward results

Alexandra

Alexandra
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. B. Chapman*	3,120	71.3	+8.8
	Labour	A. S. Wood	1,258	28.7	+2.2
Majority			1,862	42.6	+9.2
Turnout			4,378
	Conservative hold		Swing

Ardwick

Ardwick
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	H. Barrett*	2,097	78.2	−3.7
	Conservative	G. Taylor	484	18.1	−1.1
	Communist	R. Hughes	100	3.7	−3.5
Majority			1,613	60.1	+3.6
Turnout			2,681
	Labour hold		Swing

Baguley

Baguley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	H. Brown*	2,814	56.4	−11.5
	Conservative	M. Malbon	2,171	43.6	+7.4
Majority			643	12.8	−11.7
Turnout			4,985
	Labour hold		Swing

Barlow Moor

Barlow Moor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	H. Tucker	1,915	49.5	+7.9
	Labour	W. A. Moody*	1,460	37.8	−7.0
	Liberal	D. R. Mellor	490	12.7	−4.1
Majority			455	11.8
Turnout			3,865
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Beswick

Beswick
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. Corless*	2,005	89.5	−0.3
	Conservative	D. Eastwood	236	10.5	−9.6
Majority			1,769	79.0	+20.7
Turnout			2,241
	Labour hold		Swing

Blackley

Blackley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. I. Owen*	2,129	60.0	−8.1
	Conservative	D. F. Silverman	1,417	40.0	+6.2
Majority			712	20.0	−11.9
Turnout			3,546
	Labour hold		Swing

Bradford

Bradford
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Egerton*	2,784	64.1	−14.1
	Conservative	D. Lear	1,559	35.9	+9.6
Majority			1,225	28.2	−17.7
Turnout			4,343
	Labour hold		Swing

Brooklands

Brooklands
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Y. I. Emery	2,803	52.4	+12.3
	Labour	E. Mellor*	2,551	47.6	−13.5
Majority			252	4.8
Turnout			5,354
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Burnage

Burnage
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	W. L. Lund*	2,746	63.4	+9.9
	Labour	B. W. McColgan	1,583	36.6	−10.5
Majority			1,163	26.8	+21.2
Turnout			4,329
	Conservative hold		Swing

Charlestown

Charlestown
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. C. Silverman*	2,067	58.1	−5.9
	Conservative	D. F. Silverman	1,420	39.9	+7.4
	Communist	R. L. Cole	72	2.0	−1.5
Majority			647	18.2	−9.7
Turnout			3,559
	Labour hold		Swing

Cheetham

Cheetham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Broderick*	1,297	64.5	−9.1
	Conservative	F. E. Meaden	714	35.5	+8.1
Majority			583	29.0	−14.3
Turnout			2,011
	Labour hold		Swing

Chorlton

Chorlton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	M. Delavan*	2,970	69.0	+11.1
	Labour	H. M. Gregory	1,336	31.0	−10.5
Majority			1,634	38.0	+24.5
Turnout			4,306
	Conservative hold		Swing

Collegiate Church

Collegiate Church
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	F. J. Balcombe*	843	84.6	+0.4
	Conservative	P. A. Bradshaw	153	15.4	−0.6
Majority			690	69.2	+2.0
Turnout			996
	Labour hold		Swing

Crossacres

Crossacres
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. Roberts*	3,200	68.4	−8.9
	Conservative	J. Jones	1,353	28.9	+0.3
	Communist	M. E. Taylor	126	2.7	−1.6
Majority			1,847	39.5	−3.0
Turnout			4,679
	Labour hold		Swing

Crumpsall

Crumpsall
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	F. R. Butler	2,451	59.4	+13.6
	Labour	H. Brooks*	1,676	40.6	−10.4
Majority			775	18.8
Turnout			4,127
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Didsbury

Didsbury
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Duke*	3,752	74.4	+8.7
	Labour	M. Pickstone	1,294	25.6	−8.8
Majority			2,458	48.8	+18.2
Turnout			5,046
	Conservative hold		Swing

Gorton North

Gorton North
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Conquest*	2,738	70.6	−8.9
	Conservative	J. A. Davenport	1,052	27.1	+4.3
	Communist	A. Prior	87	2.2	−3.3
Majority			1,686	43.5	−8.9
Turnout			3,877
	Labour hold		Swing

Gorton South

Gorton South
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. Franklin*	2,022	71.8	+2.0
	Conservative	L. H. Nield	793	28.2	−16.5
Majority			1,229	43.6	+24.5
Turnout			2,815
	Labour hold		Swing

Harpurhey

Harpurhey
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	S. N. M. Moxley*	1,412	62.1	−8.8
	Conservative	A. P. Osborn	860	37.9	+7.2
Majority			552	24.2	−13.0
Turnout			2,272
	Labour hold		Swing

Hulme

Hulme
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	A. P. Marino*	2,101	89.1	+4.2
	Conservative	R. J. R. Lomas	258	10.9	−3.0
Majority			1,843	78.2	+8.7
Turnout			2,359
	Labour hold		Swing

Levenshulme

Levenshulme
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. K. Barber	2,531	54.3	+10.0
	Labour	A. E. Jones*	2,132	45.7	−9.9
Majority			399	8.6
Turnout			4,663
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Lightbowne

Lightbowne
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. A. Reddington*	1,877	38.8	−19.0
	Conservative	N. A. Green	1,868	38.6	+7.3
	Liberal	J. Lindsay	1,098	22.6	+8.2
Majority			9	0.2	−24.9
Turnout			4,843
	Labour hold		Swing

Lloyd Street

Lloyd Street
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	K. McKeon*	2,423	54.6	−8.4
	Conservative	S. D. Alexander	2,011	45.4	+6.1
Majority			412	9.2	−9.8
Turnout			4,434
	Labour hold		Swing

Longsight

Longsight
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	M. A. Naqui*	2,185	54.4	−5.2
	Conservative	A. Malpas	1,634	40.7	+4.2
	Residents	H. J. Barton	135	3.4	N/A
	Communist	H. Johnson	59	1.5	−1.6
Majority			551	13.7	−5.7
Turnout			4,013
	Labour hold		Swing

Miles Platting

Miles Platting
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. Latham*	1,829	85.7	−4.9
	Conservative	D. Porter	305	14.3	+4.6
Majority			1,524	71.4	−5.8
Turnout			2,134
	Labour hold		Swing

Moss Side

Moss Side
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	R. E. Talbot*	1,791	75.0	+4.1
	Conservative	E. M. Bevan	596	25.0	−6.7
Majority			1,195	50.0	+12.8
Turnout			2,387
	Labour hold		Swing

Moston

Moston
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	K. E. Goulding	2,007	43.9	+6.7
	Labour	W. Lister*	1,848	40.4	−22.4
	Liberal	G. Garrard	661	14.5	+8.9
	Communist	A. Clark	57	1.2	−1.4
Majority			159	3.5
Turnout			4,573
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Newton Heath

Newton Heath
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	J. Smith*	2,234	62.6	−13.5
	Conservative	A. E. Walsh	1,337	37.4	+10.9
Majority			897	25.2	−17.4
Turnout			3,571
	Labour hold		Swing

Northenden

Northenden
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. Leigh	2,996	51.6	+4.9
	Labour	G. Berry*	2,678	46.1	−7.1
	Independent	A. I. A. McLean	131	2.3	N/A
Majority			318	5.5
Turnout			5,805
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Old Moat

Old Moat
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	T. F. Lavin*	2,371	55.1	+6.5
	Labour	K. J. Hill	1,930	44.9	−5.5
Majority			441	10.2	+10.2
Turnout			4,301
	Conservative hold		Swing

Rusholme

Rusholme
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	T. E. Phillips	2,371	61.0	+12.0
	Labour	L. J. Lamb*	1,317	33.9	−13.4
	Independent	A. Melling	109	2.8	N/A
	Communist	G. H. Mills	93	2.3	−5.4
Majority			1,054	27.1
Turnout			3,890
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing

Withington

Withington
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	G. W. Young*	2,254	48.3	+0.9
	Labour	C. A. Hassall	1,238	26.5	−8.2
	Liberal	J. L. Edwards	1,174	25.2	+0.9
Majority			357	7.8	+0.9
Turnout			4,666
	Conservative hold		Swing

Woodhouse Park

Woodhouse Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	G. Hall*	2,543	68.0	−13.2
	Conservative	G. Parry	1,107	29.6	+11.4
	Communist	J. V. Hamer	89	2.4	−1.2
Majority			1,436	38.4	−17.1
Turnout			3,739
	Labour hold		Swing

Aldermanic elections

Aldermanic election, 3 January 1973

Caused by the death on 30 November 1972 of Alderman Stanley Jolly (Labour, elected as an alderman by the council on 17 February 1965).^[3]^[4]

In his place, Councillor Norman Thompson (Conservative, Alexandra, elected 9 May 1957)^[5] was elected as an alderman by the council on 3 January 1973.^[6]

Party		Alderman	Ward	Term expires
	Conservative	Norman Thompson	Levenshulme	1974

References

↑ Left, Left, Left! Labour make sweeping gains, Manchester Evening News, May 5, 1972, p.16
↑ Conservatives go against pattern in Manchester, The Guardian, May 6, 1972, p.8
↑ DEATHS, Manchester Evening News, December 1, 1972, p.17
↑ City rate fixed fixed at 13s in pound, Manchester Guardian, February 18, 1965, p.18
↑ ONE SEAT MORE FOR LABOUR, Manchester Guardian, May 10, 1957, p.4
↑ The city's last alderman?, Manchester Evening News, January 3, 1973, p.11

[1] Left, Left, Left! Labour make sweeping gains, Manchester Evening News, May 5, 1972, p.16

[2] Conservatives go against pattern in Manchester, The Guardian, May 6, 1972, p.8

[3] DEATHS, Manchester Evening News, December 1, 1972, p.17

[4] City rate fixed fixed at 13s in pound, Manchester Guardian, February 18, 1965, p.18

[5] ONE SEAT MORE FOR LABOUR, Manchester Guardian, May 10, 1957, p.4

[6] The city's last alderman?, Manchester Evening News, January 3, 1973, p.11

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

Council elections in Greater Manchester
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Manchester	1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Oldham	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Rochdale	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Salford	1844 May 1845 November 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1945 1946 1947 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Stockport	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Tameside	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Trafford	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
Wigan	1973 1975 1976 1978 1979 1980 1982 1983 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2021 2022 2023 2024 2026
County Council	1973 1977 1981
See also: Wards Boundary changes