1971 Sheffield City Council election

The 1971 Sheffield City Council elections were held on 14 May 1971, with one third up for vote. Since the previous election, a by-election in November for Burngreave seen the Liberals increase their representation to two, with a gain from Labour.

1971 Sheffield City Council election

← 1970 14 May 1971 1972 →

27 councillors to Sheffield City Council
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Labour Conservative Liberal
Seats won 21 6 0
Seat change Increase13 Decrease12 Decrease1


Majority party before election

Labour Party (UK)

Majority party after election

Labour Party (UK)

Immediately following last year's election, the allocation of fourteen retiring Alderman was decided, with Labour taking the overwhelming majority, strengthened by their election performance and the knowledge that if repeated it would lead to a landslide victory for them.

Labour leader Ironmongers' prediction of an aforementioned landslide played out in this election, with Labour making over a dozen gains, with all-but-one coming from their competitor the Conservatives - the other being a Liberal seat in Heeley won in a by-election in 1969. This left them with a record number of 80 seats, and a similarly record-breaking majority of 52.

With such heavy losses, numerous high-profile Conservative councillors lost their seat, not least of which was a contender for the group's leadership, Irvine Patnick.[1]

Election result

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Sheffield Local Election Result 1971
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 21 13 0 +13 77.8 61.7 79,878 +8.8
  Conservative 6 0 12 -12 22.2 32.8 42,528 -11.5
  Liberal 0 0 1 -1 0.0 4.1 5,351 +2.1
  Communist 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.8 1,109 +0.2
  Independent Labour 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.3 433 +0.3
  Independent Ex-Service 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.2 220 +0.2

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

Party Previous council New council
Cllr Ald Cllr Ald
Labour 44 18 57 23
Conservatives 35 9 23 4
Liberals 2 0 1 0
Communists 0 0 0 0
Independent Labour 0 0 0 0
Independent Ex-Service 0 0 0 0
Total 81 27 81 27
108 108
Working majority  7   9   33   19 
 16   52 

Ward results

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Attercliffe[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Firth 2,798 87.7 +11.0
Conservative Harold Mellor 391 12.2 −11.0
Majority 2,407 75.5 +22.0
Turnout 3,189
Labour hold Swing +11.0
Beauchief[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Eric Crewe 4,353 71.8 −4.8
Labour Terence Butler 1,705 28.1 +4.8
Majority 2,648 43.7 −9.6
Turnout 6,058
Conservative hold Swing -4.8
Birley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Marshall 4,269 71.3 +8.7
Conservative Danny George 1,720 28.7 −8.7
Majority 2,549 42.5 +17.4
Turnout 5,989
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +8.7
Brightside[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Wilson 3,132 83.0 +15.2
Conservative Kathleen Moore 568 15.0 −14.7
Communist Reg Arundal 72 1.9 −0.5
Majority 2,564 68.0 +30.0
Turnout 3,772
Labour hold Swing +14.9
Broomhill[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Graham Cheetham 2,636 57.3 −12.9
Labour Peter Price 1,560 33.9 +4.0
Liberal John Isard 406 8.8 +8.8
Majority 1,076 23.4 −16.9
Turnout 4,602
Conservative hold Swing -8.4
Burngreave[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Charlotte Ellis 2,426 43.4 −7.2
Liberal Malcolm Johnson 2,200 39.4 +11.9
Conservative David Chapman 475 8.5 −12.5
Independent Labour Michael Newton 433 7.7 +7.7
Communist Roy Eccles 49 0.9 +0.0
Majority 226 4.0 −19.2
Turnout 5,583
Labour gain from Conservative Swing -9.5
Castle[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Marie Rodgers 2,541 84.0 +10.1
Liberal Frank Mettam 355 11.7 +11.7
Communist Edna Ashworth 129 4.2 +1.8
Majority 2,186 72.2 +22.1
Turnout 3,025
Labour hold Swing -0.8
Darnall[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Cornwell 3,811 79.6 +10.6
Conservative Michael Heath 976 20.4 −10.6
Majority 2,835 59.2 +21.2
Turnout 4,787
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +10.6
Dore[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Pat Santhouse 3,744 63.3 −12.8
Labour Edward Ferrett 1,802 30.5 +6.6
Liberal Ben Thorpe 366 6.2 +6.2
Majority 1,942 32.8 −19.5
Turnout 5,912
Conservative hold Swing -9.7
Ecclesall[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative David Pinder 3,575 70.9 −8.9
Labour Ivy Evison 1,244 24.7 +4.5
Independent Ex-Service Geoffrey Widdison 220 4.4 +4.4
Majority 2,331 46.2 −13.4
Turnout 5,039
Conservative hold Swing -6.7
Firth Park[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Morris 3,260 70.4 +7.5
Conservative Madge Kerton 1,090 23.5 −11.8
Liberal Cynthia Hepworth 188 4.0 +4.0
Communist Barry Bracken 89 1.9 +0.2
Majority 2,170 46.9 +19.4
Turnout 4,627
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +9.6
Gleadless[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roger Barton 5,062 59.8 +13.6
Conservative Charles Davison 3,055 36.1 −10.0
Liberal Dennis Boothroyd 339 4.0 −3.6
Majority 2,007 23.7 +23.6
Turnout 8,456
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +11.8
Hallam[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Cliff Godber 3,146 58.3 −15.2
Labour Philip Moscrop 1,792 33.2 +6.8
Liberal Jean Mason 454 8.4 +8.4
Majority 1,354 25.1 −22.0
Turnout 5,392
Conservative hold Swing -11.0
Handsworth[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Annie Britton 3,522 78.7 +13.8
Conservative Frank Brookes 953 21.3 −13.8
Majority 2,569 57.4 +27.6
Turnout 4,475
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +13.8
Heeley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alfred Mosforth 4,193 60.7 +9.0
Conservative Rodger Outram 2,234 32.3 −13.7
Liberal Michael Swain 293 4.2 +4.2
Communist Martin Ashworth 183 2.6 +0.4
Majority 1,959 28.4 +22.7
Turnout 6,903
Labour gain from Liberal Swing +11.3
Hillsborough[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alf Meade 3,354 53.1 +8.8
Conservative Irvine Patnick 2,674 42.3 −13.4
Liberal Martyn Atkinson 290 4.6 +4.6
Majority 680 10.7 −0.7
Turnout 6,318
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +11.1
Intake[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mike Balty 3,887 66.7 +8.6
Conservative Peter Hodson 1,638 28.1 −13.7
Liberal Colin Andrews 299 5.1 +5.1
Majority 2,249 38.6 +22.4
Turnout 5,824
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +11.1
Manor[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Machin 3,168 85.4 +8.5
Conservative Peter Huddart 384 10.3 −10.7
Communist John Hukin 155 4.2 +2.2
Majority 2,784 75.1 +19.3
Turnout 3,707
Labour hold Swing +9.2
Mosborough[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Havenhand 2,592 81.1 +16.3
Conservative Stan Titterington 605 18.9 −8.6
Majority 1,987 62.1 +24.9
Turnout 3,197
Labour hold Swing +12.4
Nether Edge[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Lionel Farris 2,829 64.8 −7.1
Labour Adam Pemberton 1,537 35.2 +9.6
Majority 1,292 29.6 −16.8
Turnout 4,366
Conservative hold Swing -8.3
Nether Shire[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Tom Ratcliffe 3,428 80.9 +15.2
Conservative Bryan Dick 649 15.3 −10.4
Communist Ken Hattersley 162 3.8 +1.5
Majority 2,779 65.5 +25.7
Turnout 4,239
Labour hold Swing +12.8
Netherthorpe[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Thomas Woodhead 2,566 74.0 +6.7
Conservative Jean Grindrod 837 24.1 −8.5
Communist Violet Gill 65 1.9 +1.9
Majority 1,729 49.8 +15.2
Turnout 3,468
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +7.6
Owlerton[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Mary Kirk 3,506 81.6 +13.7
Conservative Patrick Fenoughty 792 18.4 −13.7
Majority 2,714 63.2 +27.4
Turnout 4,298
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +13.7
Park[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Philip Grisdale 3,948 86.7 +9.3
Conservative Roger Wright 489 10.7 −9.4
Communist George Matthews 116 2.5 +0.2
Majority 3,459 76.0 +18.7
Turnout 4,553
Labour hold Swing +9.3
Sharrow[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Baxter 2,756 70.6 +10.2
Conservative Colin Barnsley 987 25.3 −14.3
Liberal Colin Wood 161 4.1 +4.1
Majority 1,769 45.3 +24.5
Turnout 3,904
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +12.2
Southey Green[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Francis O'Shaughnessy 3,062 87.4 +7.5
Conservative Kenneth Whitehouse 352 10.0 −6.8
Communist Ray Chambers 89 2.5 −0.7
Majority 2,710 77.4 +14.3
Turnout 3,503
Labour hold Swing +7.1
Walkley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Veronica Hardstaff 2,957 68.2 +12.9
Conservative Stan Parnell 1,376 31.8 −12.9
Majority 1,581 36.5 +25.8
Turnout 4,333
Labour gain from Conservative Swing +12.9

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab "Sheffield Local Elections 1960–1995 scans". Retrieved 2 December 2011.