1965 Leeds City Council election

The 1965 municipal elections for Leeds were held on Thursday 13 May 1965,^[1] with one third of the council and an extra vacancy in Allerton to be elected.^[2]

Building upon the previous year, the Conservatives fully reversed the downward trend they'd been on since 1960. With a whopping 10.2%^[3] swing their way, they defeated the Labour Party in a manner not seen since 1951, with Labour's share reduced to the thirties - surpassing even their record low then.

The Conservatives six gains were largely a regaining of Labour's 1963 gains, with the notable exceptions of Beeston, which they already held, and Kirkstall - a first for the ward, which had been monolithically Labour since the boundary changes in 1951.^[2]

The Conservatives also recovered Roundhay from Labour who gained it in a by-election in 1963.

Elsewhere, the Liberals continued their decline from the 1962 highs, now at near enough where they were pre-spike. In contrast, the Communists, having steadily raised their candidates in each election since the mid-1950s were now fielding a record of 12, achieving party records in both vote and share. Turnout fell again by just over two percent on last year's figure to 34.5%.^[3]^[4]

Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1965
	Seats	Gains	Losses	Net gain/loss	Seats %	Votes %	Votes	/−
Conservative	17	6	0	6	58.6	56.1	65,041	11.2
Labour	12	0	6	-6	41.4	37.8	43,813	-9.1
Liberal	0	0	0	0	0.0	4.6	5,366	-2.5
Communist	0	0	0	0	0.0	1.5	1,741	0.5

The result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the council after the elections:^[4]

Party		Previous council		New council
Party		Cllr	Ald	Cllr	Ald
	Labour	56	19	50	19
	Conservatives	28	9	34	9
Total		84	28	84	28
Total		112		112
Working majority		28	10	16	10
Working majority		38		26

Ward results

Allerton^[2]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Frank Marshall	5,358	78.8	9.4
	Conservative	John William Harwood Long	5,174
	Labour	Gerald Bloom	1,442	21.2	−0.2
	Labour	Donald Chadwick	1,308
Majority			3,732	57.6	9.7
Turnout			6,800
	Conservative hold		Swing
	Conservative hold		Swing	4.8

Armley^[2]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joseph Bissell	1,907	52.6	−7.2
	Conservative	Kevin Anthony Beal	1,717	47.4	19.0
Majority			190	5.2	−26.2
Turnout			3,624
	Labour hold		Swing	-13.1

Beeston^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alan Hartley	3,496	58.4	9.2
	Labour	Eric Forbes Mill	2,400	40.1	−7.8
	Communist	Frederick Sidebottom	87	1.5	−1.4
Majority			1,096	18.3	17.0
Turnout			5,983
	Conservative hold		Swing	8.5

Blenheim^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Merritt	1,100	59.6	−9.1
	Conservative	Rolland Derrick Austwick	747	40.4	9.1
Majority			353	19.2	−18.2
Turnout			1,847
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.1

Bramley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Jack Hart	2,973	56.4	16.9
	Labour	William Lord	2,297	43.6	−16.9
Majority			676	12.8	−8.3
Turnout			5,270
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	16.9

Burmantofts^[2]^[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Murray	1,431	56.1	−16.2
	Conservative	Jessie Margaret (commonly known as Peggy) White	1,120	43.9	16.2
Majority			311	12.2	−32.3
Turnout			2,551
	Labour hold		Swing	-16.2

City^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Bernard Peter Atha	724	61.6	−11.7
	Conservative	Michael Herbert Baker	451	38.4	11.7
Majority			273	23.2	−23.5
Turnout			1,175
	Labour hold		Swing	-11.7

Cross Gates^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Enid Muriel Coward	3,708	57.7	−7.7
	Conservative	Sidney Andrew Codd	2,294	35.7	6.6
	Communist	Henry Fawcett	421	6.6	1.1
Majority			1,414	22.0	−14.4
Turnout			6,423
	Labour hold		Swing	-7.1

East Hunslet^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Ernest Kavanagh	1,017	63.1	−9.2
	Conservative	Keith Anthony Frederick Grainger	863	36.9	9.2
Majority			423	26.2	−18.4
Turnout			1,611
	Labour hold		Swing	-9.2

Far Headingley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alan Edwin Roberts	5,905	67.2	14.0
	Labour	Nellie Doreen Jenner	1,649	18.8	−1.4
	Liberal	Anastasios Christodoulop	1,238	14.1	−12.6
Majority			4,256	48.4	21.9
Turnout			8,792
	Conservative hold		Swing	7.7

Halton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Hutchings Rhodes	4,879	78.4	8.9
	Labour	Doreen Hamilton	1,347	21.6	−8.9
Majority			3,532	56.7	17.7
Turnout			6,226
	Conservative hold		Swing	8.9

Harehills^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Patrick Crotty	2,720	58.9	7.5
	Labour	Howard Howlett	1,639	35.5	−3.5
	Liberal	Ronald Gibbon Sissons	258	5.6	−4.0
Majority			1,081	23.4	11.0
Turnout			4,617
	Conservative hold		Swing	5.5

Holbeck^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gertrude Bray	1,304	55.0	−1.5
	Conservative	Michael Waddington	905	38.2	11.7
	Communist	Joyce McCarthy	160	6.8	3.6
Majority			399	16.8	−13.2
Turnout			2,369
	Labour hold		Swing	-6.6

Hunslet Carr^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Wilfred Parker	1,311	57.9	−4.9
	Conservative	Herbert Ernest Lister	852	37.6	6.0
	Communist	Leslie Hunter	101	4.5	−1.1
Majority			459	20.3	−10.9
Turnout			2,264
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.4

Hyde Park^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Ronald Derek Fielding	2,495	55.9	6.8
	Labour	Wilfred Window	1,166	26.1	−12.8
	Liberal	Deryck Ernest Senior	689	15.4	3.3
	Communist	Stanley Peter Walker	116	2.6	2.6
Majority			1,329	29.8	19.6
Turnout			4,466
	Conservative hold		Swing	9.8

Kirkstall^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Raymond Kent	2,202	50.4	16.3
	Labour	Dennis Burrill Matthews	2,020	46.2	−9.0
	Communist	Beryl Huffinley	150	3.4	0.7
Majority			182	4.2	−17.0
Turnout			4,372
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	12.6

Meanwood^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Thomas William Kirkby	3,232	67.6	9.0
	Labour	John McPheat	1,049	21.9	−9.2
	Liberal	Evelyn Mary Briggs	500	10.5	0.2
Majority			2,183	45.7	18.3
Turnout			4,781
	Conservative hold		Swing	9.1

Middleton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	St. John Binns	1,833	74.7	−6.1
	Conservative	Frank Stubley	477	19.4	3.9
	Communist	Enos Leslie Moore	143	5.8	2.2
Majority			1,356	55.3	−10.0
Turnout			2,453
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.0

Moortown^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Louie Ellen Henson	5,532	71.2	8.9
	Labour	Bernard Ingham	1,485	19.1	−7.9
	Liberal	Kenneth Roy Dunn	561	7.2	−3.5
	Communist	Philip Boyes	190	2.4	2.4
Majority			4,047	52.1	16.8
Turnout			7,768
	Conservative hold		Swing	8.4

Osmondthorpe^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William John (aka Jack) Pritchard	1,322	65.3	−13.0
	Conservative	Ethel Megan Lewis	704	34.7	13.0
Majority			618	30.5	−26.0
Turnout			2,026
	Labour hold		Swing	-13.0

Potternewton^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Irwin Norman Bellow	2,270	56.2	8.8
	Labour	Joyce Brenda Gould	1,267	31.4	−11.7
	Liberal	Sydney Herbert Bexan	427	10.6	3.3
	Communist	Raymond Ramsden	73	1.8	−0.4
Majority			1,003	24.8	20.5
Turnout			4,037
	Conservative hold		Swing	10.2

Richmond Hill^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Cain	1,463	69.6	−13.9
	Conservative	Alfred Patrick Sexton	519	24.7	12.2
	Communist	Eric Burwin	121	5.8	1.7
Majority			944	44.9	−26.1
Turnout			2,103
	Labour hold		Swing	-13.0

Roundhay^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alan Commander Johnson	5,144	77.4	9.2
	Labour	Douglas Thomas	1,503	22.6	−9.2
Majority			3,641	54.8	18.4
Turnout			6,647
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	9.2

Stanningley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Alfred Matthew Vickers	2,052	45.1	11.0
	Labour	John Henry Marshall	1,701	37.4	−10.9
	Liberal	Dennis Pedder	793	17.4	−0.1
Majority			351	7.7	−6.4
Turnout			4,546
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	10.9

Wellington^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Herbert Underwood	997	58.4	−10.9
	Conservative	Elizabeth Anne Farrar	356	20.8	3.9
	Liberal	Ernest Howson	272	15.9	5.7
	Communist	Marion Rogers	83	4.9	1.3
Majority			641	37.5	−14.8
Turnout			1,708
	Labour hold		Swing	-7.4

Westfield^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	May Sexton	1,413	56.6	8.3
	Labour	Stanley Cohen	1,083	43.4	−8.3
Majority			330	13.2	9.8
Turnout			2,496
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	8.3

Woodhouse^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Frederick Chadwick Green	1,441	51.7	12.5
	Labour	Harold Bretherick	1,252	44.9	−13.3
	Communist	Arthur Dale	96	3.4	0.7
Majority			189	6.8	−12.2
Turnout			2,789
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	12.9

Wortley^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brian Emmett	3,193	51.4	8.8
	Labour	Joseph Stephenson	2,396	38.5	−9.8
	Liberal	Walter Holdsworth	628	10.1	1.0
Majority			797	12.8	7.0
Turnout			6,217
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	9.3

^[5]

References

^ "The News of the Week in Review: Two Crises". The New York Times. 16 May 1965. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
^ ^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 ^ac ^ad "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 14 May 1965.
^ ^a ^b Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.
^ ^a ^b Whitaker, Joseph (1965). Whitaker's Almanack 1965.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Leeds City Year Book". Leeds City Council. 1965.

[NYT-1] "The News of the Week in Review: Two Crises". The New York Times. 16 May 1965. Retrieved 19 October 2012.

[results-2] ^ ^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 ^ac ^ad "Municipal results: Leeds". The Yorkshire Post. 14 May 1965.

[sharpe-3] Sharpe, L.J. (1967). Voting in cities: the 1964 borough elections.

[whitaker-4] Whitaker, Joseph (1965). Whitaker's Almanack 1965.

[lcc_yearbook-5] "Leeds City Year Book". Leeds City Council. 1965.

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v t e Council elections in West Yorkshire
Mayor	2021 2024
Bradford	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
Calderdale	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
Kirklees	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
Leeds	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
Wakefield	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
West Yorkshire CC	1973 1977 1981 Abolished
West Riding CC	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1952 1955 1958 1961 1964 1967 1970 Abolished
See also: Wards Boundary changes