1973 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council election

The first elections to Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council were held on Thursday, 10 May 1973, with the entirety of the 69 seat council - three seats for each of the 23 wards - up for vote. It was the first council election as the newly formed metropolitan borough under a new constitution. The Local Government Act 1972 stipulated that the elected members were to shadow and eventually take over from the County Borough of Bolton, the Municipal Borough of Farnworth, the Urban Districts of Blackrod, Horwich, Kearsley, Little Lever, and Westhoughton, and the southern part of Turton Urban District on 1 April 1974. The order in which the councillors were elected dictated their term serving, with third-place candidates serving two years and up for re-election in 1975, second-placed three years expiring in 1976 and 1st-placed five years until 1978.

The Metropolitan Borough of Bolton shown within England.

The Conservative Party took control of the new Council by a majority of 1. The Leader of the council was Councillor John Hanscomb, who held this position until Labour took control in 1980.

Election result

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Bolton Local Election Result 1973
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 35 44.7 84,702
  Labour 31 44.2 83,729
  Liberal 2 8.9 16,916
  Other parties 1 2.1 3,940

Ward results

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Astley Bridge ward

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Astley Bridge ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative D Shepherd 2,171 23.4
Conservative F Waterworth 2,087 22.5
Conservative A Hibbert 1,986 21.4
Labour J Walker 1,082 11.7
Labour N Lee 1,007 10.9
Labour D Jones 938 10.1
Turnout 9,721 34.0

Bradshaw North and South ward

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Bradshaw North and South ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative B Furlong 1,090 15.1
Conservative T Greenhalgh 1,077 15.0
Conservative K Howarth 1,073 14.9
Liberal A Winstanley 1,054 14.6
Liberal J Webster 1,037 14.4
Liberal M Batth 1,012 14.1
Labour A Brigg 300 4.2
Labour J Riley 285 4.0
Labour C Benjamin 270 3.8
Turnout 7,198 40.5

Bradford ward

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Bradford ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J Foster 1,119 27.1
Labour T McEwan 1,046 25.1
Labour C Skull 1,011 24.5
Conservative D Hall 329 8.0
Conservative C Gregory 325 7.9
Conservative D Harris 294 7.1
Turnout 4,124 31.0

Bromley Cross, Eagley and Egerton ward

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Bromley Cross, Eagley and Egerton ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative D Carr 1,456 15.5
Conservative A Poulson 1,421 15.1
Conservative H Bennett 1,412 15.0
Liberal P O'Connor 1,175 12.5
Liberal T Williams 1,124 12.0
Liberal D Charlton 1,095 11.7
Labour H Haslam 670 7.1
Labour S Chadwick 542 5.8
Labour A Uttley 489 5.2
Turnout 9,384 41.3

Church East and North ward

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Church East and North ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative R Halliwell 1,790 20.7
Conservative E Crook 1,711 19.8
Conservative A O'Neil 1,641 19.0
Labour M Johnson 1,290 14.9
Labour J Knight 1,140 13.2
Labour B Turner 1,081 12.5
Turnout 8,653 41.0

Darcy Lever cum Breightmet ward

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Darcy Lever cum Breightmet ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour D Dingwall 2,064 18.6
Labour K McIvor 1,913 17.3
Labour P Johnson 1,895 17.1
Conservative A Chadbond 1,820 16.4
Conservative M Walsh 1,699 15.4
Conservative P Eckersley 1,677 15.2
Turnout 11,068 31.0

Deane cum Lostock ward

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Deane cum Lostock ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative D Berry 1,406 25.3
Conservative F Rushton 1,359 24.4
Conservative R Ward 1,351 24.3
Labour S Harrison 506 9.1
Labour J Brown 483 8.7
Labour S Hill 454 8.2
Turnout 5,559 30.0

Derby ward

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Derby ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W Simpson 1,159 23.8
Labour J Taylor 1,143 23.5
Labour S Walsh 1,030 21.2
Conservative John Walsh 598 12.5
Conservative J Laycock 533 11.0
Conservative M Bleakley 468 9.6
Turnout 4,866 29.0

Farnworth North ward

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Farnworth North ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour L Cunliffe 2,010 22.6
Labour R Neary 1,904 21.4
Labour G Brown 1,842 20.7
Conservative A Royse 1,243 14.0
Conservative T Rothwell 955 10.7
Conservative L Sharples 937 10.5
Turnout 8,891 32.0

Farnworth South ward

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Farnworth South ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour J Wild 1,757 25.1
Labour W Hardman 1,712 24.5
Labour D Gilligan 1,633 23.4
Conservative C Shaw 653 9.3
Conservative G Waterson 632 9.0
Conservative I Torkington 604 8.6
Turnout 6,991 27.0

Great Lever ward

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Great Lever ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J Shore 1,526 17.3
Labour V Urmston 1,492 16.9
Labour A Perry 1,471 16.7
Conservative G Woosey 1,456 16.5
Labour P Lowe 1,444 16.4
Conservative L Huyton 1,442 16.3
Turnout 8,831 29.0

Halliwell ward

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Halliwell ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour E Hamer 1,533 18.6
Labour R Johnson 1,485 18.0
Labour G Riley 1,444 17.5
Conservative W Hall 1,280 15.5
Conservative R Stones 1,252 15.2
Conservative J Morris 1,248 15.1
Turnout 8,242 27.0

Heaton ward

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Heaton ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative B Allanson 1,598 30.2
Conservative J Hanscomb 1,524 28.8
Conservative B Hurst 1,504 28.4
Labour P Cunliffe 258 4.9
Labour N Morlidge 208 3.9
Labour T Hill 201 3.8
Turnout 5,293 42.0

Horwich North, Central and East ward

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Horwich North, Central and East ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour A Oakley 1,947 16.6
Labour J McBurnie 1,680 14.3
Labour E Dobson 1,665 14.2
Conservative G Hind 1,377 11.8
Liberal E Kay 1,314 11.2
Conservative R Winstanley 1,076 9.2
Liberal A Ratcliffe 1,033 8.8
Conservative J Foster 942 8.0
Communist J Kay 676 5.8
Turnout 11,710 42.0

Horwich South and Blackrod ward

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Horwich South and Blackrod ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent L Fearnhead 1,395 14.1
Conservative C Everin 1,200 12.1
Labour G Gardiner 1,173 11.8
Labour D Smith 1,017 10.2
Conservative J Jolley 964 9.7
Labour E Bracegirdle 926 9.3
Independent F Isherwood 891 9.0
Independent Labour L Watkinson 856 8.6
Liberal G Farrington 797 8.0
Conservative M Carrie 705 7.1
Turnout 9,924 58.0

Hulton and Rumworth ward

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Hulton and Rumworth ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J Parkinson 1,991 20.3
Conservative A Gledhill 1,880 19.2
Conservative R Carr 1,872 19.1
Labour D Vause 1,362 13.9
Labour H Glynn 1,313 13.4
Labour T Regan 1,250 12.8
Socialist (GB) J O'Hara 122 1.2
Turnout 9,790 35.0

Kearsley ward

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Kearsley ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal J Rothwell 1,926 19.1
Liberal E Bell 1,700 16.9
Labour R Cornthwaite 1,668 16.5
Liberal K Holt 1,647 16.3
Labour B Molyneux 1,578 15.7
Labour T Lewis 1,564 15.5
Turnout 10,083 40.6

Little Lever ward

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Little Lever ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative K Hornby 1,111 14.6
Conservative J Lees 993 13.0
Conservative A Lawton 991 13.0
Labour J Robinson 938 12.3
Liberal N Narayan 886 11.6
Labour W Worthington 842 11.0
Labour C Lucas 752 9.9
Liberal J Waites 600 7.9
Liberal R Pemberton 516 6.8
Turnout 7,629 39.0

Smithills ward

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Smithills ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative D Priestly 2,209 24.5
Conservative M Howarth 2,204 24.4
Conservative S Collier 2,154 23.9
Labour T Hall 845 9.4
Labour N Spencer 816 9.0
Labour B Corless 799 8.9
Turnout 9,027 28.0

Tonge ward

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Tonge ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative S Harrison 2,129 19.4
Conservative K Knowles 1,950 17.8
Conservative J Rigby 1,929 17.6
Labour A Hooton 1,689 15.4
Labour A Grime 1,637 14.9
Labour Rigby 1,637 14.9
Turnout 10,971 34.0

West ward

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West ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour R Howarth 1,376 21.6
Labour D Clarke 1,358 21.3
Labour H Devonish 1,341 21.0
Conservative M Foster 802 12.6
Conservative E Smith 756 11.9
Conservative J Wrench 741 11.6
Turnout 6,374

Westhoughton East and Hulton ward

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Westhoughton East and Hulton ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative G Smith 1,775 21.3
Conservative A Glover 1,750 21.0
Conservative J Smith 1,744 20.9
Labour P Jones 1,075 12.9
Labour C Knowles 1,015 12.2
Labour A Fairhurst 971 11.7
Turnout 8,330 48.4

Westhoughton North, Central and South ward

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Westhoughton North, Central and South ward (3)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour W Kettle 2,273 23.2
Labour K Brown 1,971 20.1
Labour P Woodcock 1,940 19.8
Independent T Riley 1,465 15.0
Conservative J Roden 1,131 11.6
Conservative P Smith 1,009 10.3
Turnout 9,789 49.7

References

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  • Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. "Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council Election Results 1973–2012" (PDF). The Elections Centre. The Elections Centre, Plymouth University. Retrieved 12 July 2016.