1968 Sheffield City Council election
9 May 1968
30 councillors to Sheffield City Council
  First party Second party
 
Party Conservative Labour
Seats won 22 8
Seat change Increase8 Decrease7
Majority party before election

Labour Party (UK)

 Majority party after election

Conservative Party (UK)

The election was held on 9 May 1968, with a third of the council up for vote, alongside three double vacancies in Broomhill, Handsworth and Mosborough. Overall turnout was 33.9%, a continuation of the preceding year's improvement.

Following on from the previous year's momentous wins by the Conservatives, this historic night seen them surpass those and win control of the council for the first time since 1932, when it won as the Conservative-Liberal combination Progressives party. This election and the previous followed the national trend of Labour suffering massive losses around the country, even in their heartlands, with only two cities left Labour-controlled after these elections - Hull and Stoke - and even there the Tories were making significant inroads.

The results were met with jubilant scenes in the town hall, where the Conservatives opened bottles of champagne and celebrated. The leader of the Conservative group, alderman Harold Hebblethwaite, remarked:

"Tonight is a wonderful night. It is a narrow majority, nevertheless, it is a workable majority. This victory is the plum which the Conservative Party have been looking for nationally, and here it is. I am not used to making emotional statements such as 'to the victors the spoils' but it follows naturally from our victory that we shall take the committee chairmanships and deputy chairmanships. We will have to do that to control policy. We have a majority of only four but I would emphasise that if we had had this majority last year with the opportunity to manipulate aldermanic seats our majority on the council floor would have been 14."

Labour Park councillor Joe Ashton, wrote "we will return" on the wall of the Town Hall whip's office in response to the defeat.

The Conservatives gained seven seats from Labour in Birley, Darnall, Firth Park, Netherthorpe, Owlerton, Sharrow and Walkley, as well as the sole Independent seat in Mosborough. These gains transformed a narrow deficit in councillors, to a thirteen-strong majority. A poll of voters in the Darnall ward (an invariably Labour-won seat since 1945) was commissioned by the Morning Telegraph four days prior to the election, correctly predicting a Conservative gain with a swing to the Conservatives of 5.5% - a figure that was exceeded by one per cent on the night. Unfortunately for the Conservatives, the aldermanic elections weren't until 1970, and two-thirds of those currently represented Labour, reducing their majority to just 4, and as such, difficult to govern with. Aside from numerical difficulties, the recent report from the City's Treasurer precipitated financial restraint, so the incoming governments options were one of either cuts to the council's services, or rises in the city's rates.[1]

Election result

Sheffield Local Election Result 1968
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Conservative 22 8 0 +8 73.3 57.4 72,763 +7.0%
  Labour 8 0 7 -7 26.7 36.0 45,555 -2.2%
  Communist 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.4 3,006 -2.0%
  Liberal 0 0 0 0 0.0 2.1 2,697 -2.1%
  Other 0 0 1 -1 0.0 2.1 2,652 -0.6%

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
Conservatives 39 9 47 9
Labour 41 18 34 18
Communists 0 0 0 0
Liberals 0 0 0 0
Independent 1 0 0 0
Total 81 27 81 27
108 108
Working majority  1   9   13   -9 
 10   4 

Ward results

Attercliffe[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Harry Firth 2,257 66.4 -4.7
Conservative Harold Mellor 1,141 33.6 +4.7
Majority 1,116 32.8 -9.4
Turnout 3,398 21.2 -1.6
Labour hold Swing -4.7
Beauchief[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Thomas Crewe 6,303 82.9 +11.4
Labour Kenneth Morgan 1,300 17.1 -11.4
Majority 5,003 65.8 +22.8
Turnout 7,603 53.1 +3.4
Conservative hold Swing +11.4
Birley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Danny George 2,507 54.1 +15.8
Labour Leonard Stones 1,903 41.1 +0.5
Independent Laurence Gillatt 221 4.8 -16.3
Majority 604 13.0 +10.8
Turnout 4,631 31.2 +1.9
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +7.6
Brightside[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Wilson 1,838 52.8 +1.3
Conservative Leonard Scott 1,261 36.2 +6.7
National Front George Clark 214 6.1 -3.7
Communist Joe Stevens 170 4.9 -4.3
Majority 577 16.6 -5.4
Turnout 3,483 27.1 +1.5
Labour hold Swing -2.7
Broomhill[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Graham Cheetham 3,560 66.4 -10.8
Conservative A. Smith 3,419
Labour Annie Britton 999 18.6 -4.2
Liberal J. Garb 804 15.0 +15.0
Majority 2,561 47.7 -6.6
Turnout 5,363 33.1 -0.8
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing -3.3
Burngreave[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jack Osborne 1,842 49.7 +5.1
Labour Harry Hall 1,567 42.3 +4.6
Communist Jim Ashurst 172 4.6 -4.5
D. Biddles 124 3.4 +3.4
Majority 275 7.4 +5.8
Turnout 3,705 27.3 -0.3
Conservative hold Swing +0.2
Castle[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Roy Munn 1,759 54.0 +2.6
Conservative Simon Newall 1,109 34.0 -2.6
G. May 217 4.8 +4.8
Communist Edna Ashworth 174 5.3 -7.2
Majority 650 19.9 +4.7
Turnout 3,259 28.9 +2.5
Labour hold Swing +2.3
Darnall[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J. Heath 2,395 50.9 +6.6
Labour Arnold Wood 2,312 49.1 -6.6
Majority 83 1.7 -9.6
Turnout 4,707 30.4 -2.8
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +6.6
Dore[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Patricia Santhouse 5,039 80.3 +2.5
Labour John Cornwell 1,235 19.7 -2.5
Majority 3,804 60.3 +5.0
Turnout 6,274 48.7 +5.3
Conservative hold Swing +2.5
Ecclesall[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Andrew Cook 4,844 78.1 +9.3
Liberal A. Barrett 720 11.6 -5.5
Labour Leon Harris 636 10.2 -3.8
Majority 4,124 67.9 +16.2
Turnout 6,200 42.7 -0.1
Conservative hold Swing +7.4
Firth Park[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Madge Kerton 2,163 46.0 +6.1
Labour Tom Lowe 1,846 39.3 +1.2
Liberal Francis Butler 471 10.0 -2.4
Communist R. Wilkinson 217 4.6 -4.9
Majority 317 6.7 5.0
Turnout 4,697 32.8 +1.2
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +2.4
Gleadless[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Davison 4,089 63.8 +8.3
Labour Alfred Wood 1,952 30.4 -2.4
Liberal Dennis Boothroyd 370 5.8 -5.9
Majority 2,137 33.3 +10.7
Turnout 6,411 46.5 -4.0
Conservative hold Swing +5.3
Hallam[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Guy Walker 4,321 79.6 +1.2
Labour Jack Watson 1,108 20.4 -1.2
Majority 3,213 59.2 +2.3
Turnout 5,429 39.5 +0.7
Conservative hold Swing +1.2
Handsworth[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Francis Brookes 2,105 50.5 +1.0
Conservative Jack Kerton 2,073
Labour James Pearson 2,066 49.5 -1.0
Labour George Nicholls 2,064
Majority 7 0.9 -0.2
Turnout 4,171 32.7 -5.6
Conservative hold Swing
Conservative hold Swing +1.0
Heeley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Michael Swain 3,855 57.7 +8.9
Labour Peter Jones 2,413 36.1 -5.4
Communist Robert Moody 407 6.1 -3.6
Majority 1,442 21.6 +14.3
Turnout 6,675 40.5 -1.7
Conservative hold Swing +7.1
Hillsborough[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Irvine Patnick 4,309 68.3 +8.8
Labour Albert Morris 1,997 31.7 -8.8
Majority 2,312 36.7 +17.5
Turnout 6,306 42.8 -4.2
Conservative hold Swing +8.8
Intake[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Frank Woodger 2,920 57.2 +5.3
Labour Joseph Albaya 2,181 42.7 -5.3
Majority 739 14.5 +10.6
Turnout 5,101 32.6 -2.7
Conservative hold Swing +5.3
Manor[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour George Machin 1,785 49.3 +3.5
Conservative Raymond Brown 1,410 38.9 +5.7
Communist John Hukin 425 11.7 -9.2
Majority 375 10.3 -2.1
Turnout 3,620 25.8 -1.0
Labour hold Swing -1.1
Mosborough[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Hugh Rowbotham 1,532 50.5 +24.1
Labour Dorothy Walton 1,498 49.4 +13.6
Labour Harry Havenhand 1,415
Conservative Eric Vawser 1,317
Majority 83 1.1 -0.9
Turnout 3,030 33.6 +2.8
Conservative gain from Independent Swing
Labour hold Swing -5.2
Nether Edge[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Charles Macdonald 4,515 82.8 +17.7
Labour Charles Hayward 938 17.2 -1.3
Majority 3,577 65.6 +19.0
Turnout 5,453 39.8 +3.9
Conservative hold Swing +9.5
Nether Shire
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Fred Staton 1,928 39.5 +1.7
Conservative Michael Black 1,792 36.7 +3.8
R. Hewitt 567 11.6 +11.6
Liberal Albert Hattersley 332 6.8 -9.7
Communist Ken Hattersley 266 5.4 -7.4
Majority 136 2.8 -2.0
Turnout 4,885 39.4 +4.0
Labour hold Swing -1.0
Netherthorpe[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Jean Grindrod 1,486 45.9 +8.7
Labour Marie Rodgers 1,483 45.8 -1.5
Communist Roy Barrett 270 8.3 -7.2
Majority 3 0.1 -10.0
Turnout 3,239 28.9 +2.3
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +5.1
Owlerton[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Nesta Bennett 1,509 45.8 +15.3
Labour John Yeardley 1,435 43.6 -3.0
Communist Dave Jeffery 349 10.6 -1.0
Majority 74 2.2 -13.7
Turnout 3,293 22.5 -3.1
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +9.1
Park[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Dennis Dunn 1,726 47.0 -4.7
Conservative June Harris 1,145 31.1 -2.6
M. Macdonald 631 12.1 +12.1
Communist Cyril Morton 172 4.7 -9.8
Majority 581 15.8 -2.1
Turnout 3,674 24.8 -1.0
Labour hold Swing -1.0
Sharrow[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative J. Pashley 2,388 51.5 +11.2
Labour Ethel Evans 2,039 44.0 +4.7
National Front Barrie Bolton 204 4.5 -3.9
Majority 349 7.5 +6.5
Turnout 4,631 39.3 +1.8
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +3.2
Southey Green[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Francis O'Shaughnessy 1,478 52.1 -0.0
Conservative Charles Hughes 975 34.4 +2.4
Communist Gordon Ashberry 384 13.5 -2.3
Majority 503 17.7 -2.4
Turnout 2,837 21.0 -0.6
Labour hold Swing -1.2
Walkley[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative John Goodram 2,248 48.9 +3.4
Labour Bernard Kidd 1,876 40.8 -4.7
National Front Alan Holmes 244 5.3 -3.7
G. Bohannon 230 5.0 +5.0
Majority 372 8.1 +8.1
Turnout 4,598 31.5 +2.7
Conservative gain from Labour Swing +4.0

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 "Sheffield Local Elections 1960–1995 scans". Retrieved 2 December 2011.
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