1979 Fenland District Council election

The 1979 Fenland District Council election took place on 3 May 1979 to elect members of Fenland District Council in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England. This was on the same day as the 1979 General Election and other local elections however the town and the parish council elections were pushed back to 24 May 1979 and may well have affected both sets of local elections.[2] Despite a net loss of 3 seats the Conservatives retained overall control of the council. Sitting town mayors and deputy mayors were particularly unsuccessful, in Wisbech Labour mayor Charles Bowden and his conservative deputy Feodor Rikovski failed to win seats and in March Labour mayor Don Dagless lost his seat. The Liberals gained two seats in Wisbech.[3] 1983 Fenland District Council election is next election.

1979 Fenland District Council election[1]
← 1976 3 May 1979 1983 →

All 40 seats in the Fenland District Council
21 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Party Conservative Labour Liberal
Seats before 27 8 1
Seats won 24 6 3
Popular vote ? ? ?
Percentage ? ?% ?%

  Fourth party
 
Party Independent
Seats before 4
Seats won 7
Popular vote ?
Percentage ?%

Council control before election

Conservative

Council control after election

Conservative

1979 Fenland District Council elections

edit
1979 Fenland Local Election Results[4]
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 24 0 3 -3 60
  Independent 7 2 0 +2 17.5
  Liberal 3 2 0 +2 7.5
  Labour 6 0 1 -1 15

[5]

Ward results

edit

(* denotes sitting councillor)

Benwick and Doddington
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Dunham* 747 66
Independent Heinz Miller 384 34
Majority
Turnout 85.5
Conservative hold Swing
Chatteris East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Noel Carney unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Chatteris North
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Rita Goodge* unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Chatteris South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoffrey Brinton unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Chatteris West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Albert German* unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Elm (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Mac Cotterell unopposed
Independent Arthur Ingle* unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Independent hold Swing
Leverington (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Robert Wallace* unopposed
Independent Ronald Dixon unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Independent hold Swing
Manea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative George Acton unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
March East (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fred Clark* 1,733 39.7
Conservative George Brewin 1,438 32.9
Labour Don Cherry* 1,351
Labour Wilfred Fordham 992
Conservative Andrew Woollard 911
Liberal John Longley 775 17.8
Independent Bruce Pearce 420 9.6
Turnout 81.8
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
March North (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Peter Jackman 1,570 35.2
Conservative Geoff Taylor 1,451 32.5
Labour George Campbell* 1,445 32.4
Labour Don Dagless* 1,405
Labour Paddy Overland 762
Turnout
Registered electors
Independent hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
March West (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Freddie Grounds* 1,330 40.7
Conservative Doreen Fleming* 1,324
Conservative Peter Skoulding* 1,178
Liberal Barry Fox 1,028 31.5
Labour Ann Clark 908 27.8
Labour Alan Guy 709
Turnout
Registered electors
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Newton and Tydd St Giles
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Palmer* unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Outwell and Upwell
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Bloom unopposed
Conservative hold Swing


Parson Drove and Wisbech St Mary (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Peter Barnes* 1,348 49.9
Liberal Ellis Plumb* 954 35.3
Independent Neil Payne 783
Conservative Clifford Edwards 397 14.7
Turnout
Registered electors 2,569
Independent hold Swing
Liberal hold Swing
Whittlesey Bassenhally
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Geoffrey Shelton* 797 64.6
Independent George Scott 436 35.4
Turnout 77.1
Majority
Conservative hold Swing
Whittlesey East
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Ursula Cuffe 677 69
Labour Gordon Owen 303 31
Majority 374
Turnout 980 75.0
Conservative hold Swing
Whittlesey Kingsmoor
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Albert Hannington* 536 55.1
Conservative Donald Roberts 437 44.9
Majority
Turnout 73.8
Labour hold Swing
Wimblington and Stonea
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Dorothy Camp 583 68.1
Labour Geoffrey Lambert 273 31.9
Majority
Turnout 83.5
Independent hold Swing
Wisbech East (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Bob Lake* 1,074 55.7
Conservative Leslie Slaymaker* 1,043
Labour Marian Usher 853 44.3
Turnout
Registered electors
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Whittlesey Central
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Richard Hinton* unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Whittlesey South
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Raymond Whitwell* unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Whittlesey West
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Harold Lilley* unopposed
Conservative hold Swing
Wisbech North (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Potter* 1,168 41.9
Labour Ken Williams* 959
Liberal Kathleen Brennan 899 32.3
Liberal Bernard Martin 889
Conservative Feodor Rikovsky 720 25.8
Labour Alec Worlding 701
Turnout
Registered electors
Labour hold Swing
Labour hold Swing
Liberal gain from Labour Swing
Wisbech North East (2 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Beryl Petts* 774 41.1
Conservative Michael Osborn* 749
Liberal Gary Morgen 614 32.6
Labour Charles Bowden 494 26.2
Labour Ron Harris 389
Turnout
Registered electors
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing
Wisbech South West (3 seats)
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative June Bond* 1,931 57.0
Liberal Michael Sharp 1,459 43.0
Conservative Leslie Rands* 1,280
Conservative Tom Piggott* 1,238
Turnout
Registered electors
Conservative hold Swing
Liberal gain from Conservative Swing
Conservative hold Swing

[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ Rallings, Colin; Thrasher, Michael. Local Elections Handbook 1979. Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK: The Elections Centre. p. 13.
  2. ^ "Hansard". www.parliament.gov.uk. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Fenland District Council elections". Fenland Advertiser. 9 May 1979. p. 5.
  4. ^ Local elections in Britain: a statistical digest, edited by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher. 1993
  5. ^ "The Results". Fenland Advertiser. 9 May 1979. p. 5.
  6. ^ "Misery for Mayors". Fenland Advertiser. 9 May 1979. p. 5.