1978 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election

1978 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election
23 of 66 seats (One Third and one by-election); to Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council; 34 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	35.6% (2.2%)
	Map of results of 1978 election
Leader of the Council before election; Harry Deverill; Conservative	Leader of the Council after election ; Harry Deverill; Conservative

The 1978 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council in England.^[2] This election was held on the same day as other local elections.

After the election, the composition of the council was:

	Seats	±
Conservative	45	3
Labour	16	2
Liberal	5	1

^[3]

Election results[edit]

Overall election result[edit]

Overall result compared with 1976.

Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election results, 1978

Party		Candidates						Votes
Party		Stood	Elected	Gained	Unseated	Net	% of total	%	No.	Net %
	Conservative	23	14	3	0	3	59.1	55.7	51,523	1.4
	Labour	23	6	0	2	2	27.3	28.4	26,246	1.5
	Liberal	17	3	1	2	1	13.6	15.4	14,231	3.0
	National Front	2	0	0	0		0.0	0.2	209	N/A
	Independent	1	0	0	0		0.0	0.2	191	0.2
	Communist	1	0	0	0		0.0	0.1	59	0.1

^[1]^[2] ^{[n 1]}

Ward results[edit]

Birkenhead[edit]

No. 1 (Argyle-Clifton-Holt)[edit]

Argyle-Clifton-Holt
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	*Richard Kimberly*	1,240	52.7	5.8
	Liberal	Anna Blumenthal	527	22.4	16.9
	Conservative	B. Jones	506	21.5	7.7
	National Front	Howard Hawksley	78	3.3	New
Majority			713	30.3	22.7
Registered electors			7,259
Turnout				32.4	1.6
	Labour hold		Swing	11.4

^[2]

No. 2 (Bebington and Mersey)[edit]

Bebington and Mersey
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	*S. Kellett*	1,200	48.8	7.7
	Conservative	M. Riley	1,116	45.4	5.5
	Liberal	M. McDonnell	144	5.9	2.1
Majority			84	3.4	N/A
Registered electors			7,556
Turnout				32.6	2.0
	Labour hold		Swing	6.6

^[2]

No. 3 (Cathcart-Claughton-Cleveland)[edit]

Cathcart-Claughton-Cleveland
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Roy Perkins	1,366	38.8	4.1
	Conservative	D. Stoppard	1,318	37.4	5.1
	Labour	Walter Smith	841	23.9	2.6
Majority			48	1.4	9.2
Registered electors			8,641
Turnout				40.8	0.2
	Liberal hold		Swing	4.6

^[2]^[4]

No. 4 (Devonshire and Egerton)[edit]

Devonshire and Egerton (2)
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Myrra Lea ^{[n 2]}	1,789	43.3	2.2
	Conservative	E. Williams ^{[n 3]}	1,724	–	–
	Labour	J. Macdougall	1,361	32.9	1.3
	Labour	R. Leeper	1,299	–	–
	Liberal	G. Quinn	982	23.8	0.9
	Liberal	A. Halliday	944	–	–
Majority			428	10.4	3.5
Registered electors			11,925
Turnout				34.6	0.3
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	1.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	–

^[2]

No. 5 (Gilbrook and St James)[edit]

Gilbrook and St James
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	*J. Flynn*	1,927	72.2	13.5
	Conservative	T. Bird	493	18.5	2.4
	Liberal	D. Murgatroyd	250	9.4	11.1
Majority			1,434	53.7	15.9
Registered electors			8,376
Turnout				31.9	0.6
	Labour hold		Swing	8.0

^[2]

No. 6 (Grange and Oxton)[edit]

Grange and Oxton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	*Gordon Lindsay*	2,564	47.7	14.7
	Conservative	R. Hardy	1,980	36.8	11.8
	Labour	Andrew Davies	833	15.5	2.9
Majority			584	10.9	N/A
Registered electors			13,242
Turnout				40.6	0.7
	Liberal hold		Swing	13.3

^[2]

No. 7 (Prenton)[edit]

Prenton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	*M. Baker*	2,993	65.2	0.6
	Labour	F. Naylor	1,597	34.8	7.8
Majority			1,396	30.4	7.2
Registered electors			15,422
Turnout				29.7	3.3
	Conservative hold		Swing	3.6

^[2]

No. 8 (Upton)[edit]

Upton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	*S. Hibbert*	3,256	59.9	3.0
	Labour	J. Seaman	2,180	40.1	0.5
Majority			1,076	19.8	3.5
Registered electors			21,661
Turnout				25.1	2.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	1.8

^[2]

Wallasey[edit]

No. 9 (Leasowe)[edit]

Leasowe
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	*John Clark*	2,004	55.4	5.2
	Conservative	A. Smith	1,481	40.9	0.8
	Liberal	M. Canning	133	3.7	5.1
Majority			523	14.5	4.4
Registered electors			11,982
Turnout				30.2	6.1
	Labour hold		Swing	2.2

^[2]

No. 10 (Marlowe-Egremont-South Liscard)[edit]

Marlowe-Egremont-South-Liscard
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	*S. Morgan*	2,404	59.6	4.7
	Labour	G. Watkins	1,379	34.2	4.8
	Liberal	S. Pollit	253	6.3	9.4
Majority			1,025	25.4	0.1
Registered electors			12,770
Turnout				31.6	2.9
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.1

^[2]

No. 11 (Moreton and Saughall Massie)[edit]

Moreton and Saughall Massie
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	L. Young	1,596	53.3	0.5
	Labour	Jim Edwards	1,273	42.5	5.6
	Liberal	J. Jenkins	124	4.1	2.0
Majority			323	10.8	6.1
Registered electors			8,168
Turnout				36.6	5.7
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	3.1

^[2]

No. 12 (New Brighton-Wallasey-Warren)[edit]

New Brighton-Wallasey-Warren
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	D. Moir	4,176	63.7	10.6
	Liberal	N. Thomas	1,856	28.3	9.6
	Labour	W. Edwards	525	8.0	1.0
Majority			2,320	35.4	20.2
Registered electors			14,454
Turnout				45.4	0.6
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing	10.1

^[2]

No. 13 (North Liscard-Upper Brighton Street)[edit]

North Liscard-Upper Brighton Street
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	*Jack Redhead*	2,651	75.5	16.8
	Labour	B. Lloyd	591	16.8	0.6
	Liberal	J. Barton	270	7.7	17.3
Majority			2,060	58.7	25.0
Registered electors			11,546
Turnout				30.4	3.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	12.5

^[2]

No. 14 (Seacombe-Poulton-Somerville)[edit]

Seacombe-Poulton-Somerville
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	*Phoebe Bentzien*	2,187	58.0	0.4
	Conservative	M. Kemble	1,248	33.1	3.1
	Liberal	P. Mawdsley	143	3.8	1.7
	National Front	John Fishwick	131	3.5	New
	Communist	R. Harris	59	1.6	New
Majority			939	24.9	2.7
Registered electors			11,223
Turnout				33.6	0.2
	Labour hold		Swing	1.4

^[2]

Bebington[edit]

No. 15 (Higher Bebington and Woodhey)[edit]

Higher Bebington and Woodhey
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	*Frank Theaker*	3,285	71.2	4.7
	Labour	Audrey Moore	921	20.0	4.1
	Liberal	Penelope Globy	410	8.9	New
Majority			2,364	51.2	0.6
Registered electors			10,181
Turnout				45.3	4.2
	Conservative hold		Swing	0.3

^[2]

No. 16 (Park-New Ferry-North Bromborough)[edit]

Park-New Ferry-North Bromborough
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	*S. Price*	2,082	52.2	4.8
	Conservative	T. Stacey	1,905	47.8	4.0
Majority			177	4.4	0.8
Registered electors			9,828
Turnout				40.6	2.3
	Labour hold		Swing	0.4

^[2]

No. 17 (South Bromborough and Eastham)[edit]

South Bromborough and Eastham
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Phillip Gilchrist	3,729	58.1	20.1
	Conservative	B. Davies	1,749	27.3	8.7
	Labour	R. Dunning	940	14.6	11.4
Majority			1,980	30.8	N/A
Registered electors			13,985
Turnout				45.9	2.0
	Liberal gain from Labour		Swing	14.4

^[2]^[5]

No. 18 (Lower Bebington and Poulton)[edit]

Lower Bebington and Poulton
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	J. Zowe	3,630	65.3	5.8
	Labour	R. Woods	1,015	18.2	0.5
	Liberal	Thomas Harney	918	16.5	6.3
Majority			2,615	47.1	5.3
Registered electors			14,163
Turnout				39.3	6.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	2.7

^[2]^[6]

Hoylake[edit]

No. 19 (Caldy and Frankby)[edit]

Caldy and Frankby
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	*W. Lloyd*	3,523	74.5	2.2
	Liberal	B. Crosby	562	11.9	5.0
	Labour	John McCabe	454	9.6	1.2
	Independent	J. Ellison	191	4.0	New
Majority			2,961	62.6	7.2
Registered electors			13,589
Turnout				34.8	3.4
	Conservative hold		Swing	3.6

^[2]

No. 20 (Central-Hoose-Meols-Park)[edit]

Central-Hoose-Meols-Park
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	*William Whitehurst*	4,051	86.0	16.2
	Labour	David Jackson	660	14.0	7.2
Majority			3,391	72.0	25.6
Registered electors			12,150
Turnout				38.8	5.5
	Conservative hold		Swing	12.8

^[2]

Wirral[edit]

No. 21 (Barnston-Gayton-Heswall-Oldfield)[edit]

Barnston-Gayton-Heswall-Oldfield
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	P. Wilson	3,859	91.1	5.8
	Labour	P. Wallace	375	8.9	4.5
Majority			3,484	82.2	7.2
Registered electors			11,581
Turnout				36.6	6.8
	Conservative hold		Swing	3.6

^[2]

No. 22 (Irby-Pensby-Thurstaston)[edit]

Irby-Pensby-Thurstaston
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	David Fletcher	2,514	79.2	14.1
	Labour	H. Ellis-Thomas	661	20.8	2.9
Majority			1,853	58.4	11.2
Registered electors			10,048
Turnout				31.6	6.7
	Conservative hold		Swing	5.6

^[2]

Notes[edit]

• italics denote the sitting councillor • bold denotes the winning candidate

^ % of total refers to % of wards won.
^ Elected to serve a 4-year term.
^ Elected to serve a 2-year term.

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Local Election Summaries 1978". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x "Metropolitan Borough of Wirral Election Results 1973-2012 (Pg. 3 and 4)" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
^ "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
^ "Councillor Walter Smith". Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
^ "Councillor Phil Gilchrist". Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council.
^ "Councillor Tom Harney". Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council.

Mellows-Facer, Adam (10 May 2006). "Local election 2006". parliament.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
"BBC NEWS VOTE 2003 WIRRAL". BBC News. 1 May 2003. Retrieved 29 December 2018.

[4] % of total refers to % of wards won.

[6] Elected to serve a 4-year term.

[7] Elected to serve a 2-year term.

[results-1] "Local Election Summaries 1978". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 25 November 2018.

[local-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 "Metropolitan Borough of Wirral Election Results 1973-2012 (Pg. 3 and 4)" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Retrieved 25 November 2018.

[3] "Council compositions". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 27 July 2018.

[5] "Councillor Walter Smith". Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2018.

[8] "Councillor Phil Gilchrist". Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council.

[9] "Councillor Tom Harney". Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[n 1]

[4]

[n 2]

[n 3]

[5]

[6]

v t e (1977 ←) 1978 United Kingdom local elections (→ 1979)
London boroughs	Barking Barnet Bexley Brent Bromley Camden Croydon Ealing Enfield Greenwich Hackney Hammersmith Haringey Harrow Havering Hillingdon Hounslow Islington Kensington and Chelsea Kingston upon Thames Lambeth Lewisham Merton Newham Redbridge Richmond upon Thames Southwark Sutton Tower Hamlets Waltham Forest Wandsworth Westminster
Metropolitan boroughs	Barnsley Birmingham Bradford Bolton Bury Calderdale Coventry Doncaster Dudley Gateshead Kirklees Knowsley Leeds Liverpool Manchester Newcastle North Tyneside Oldham Rochdale Rotherham Salford Sandwell Sefton Sheffield Solihull South Tyneside St Helens Stockport Sunderland Tameside Trafford Wakefield Walsall Wigan Wirral Wolverhampton
District councils (England)	Basingstoke and Deane Bath Brentwood Broxbourne Burnley Cambridge Cannock Chase Chorley Colchester Congleton Eastbourne Eastleigh Ellesmere Port and Neston Elmbridge Fareham Halton Harlow Hart Hartlepool Havant Hertsmere Huntingdon Milton Keynes Mole Valley Pendle Peterborough Preston Rochford Rossendale Runnymede Shrewsbury and Atcham South Bedfordshire South Cambridgeshire Southend-on-Sea Tamworth Tandridge Thamesdown Three Rivers Tunbridge Wells Watford Welwyn Hatfield West Lancashire Winchester Woking
Regional councils (Scotland)	Borders Central Dumfries and Galloway Fife Grampian Highland Lothian Orkney Shetland Strathclyde Tayside Western Isles

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See also: Wards Boundary changes