# 1973 Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council election

The first elections to the newly created Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council were held on Thursday, 10 May 1973, with the entirety of the 51 seat council - three seats for each of the 17 wards - up for vote. The Local Government Act 1972 stipulated that the elected members were to shadow and eventually take over from the predecessor corporation 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 election resulted in the Conservatives gaining control of the council.

## Ward results

Ward 1 (Elmdon) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Edward Barlow | 2,001 | 61.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Norman Page | 1,882 | | |
| | Conservative | Robin McDonald | 1,871 | | |
| | Labour | Frederick Rivers | 1,270 | 38.8 | N/A |
| | Labour | John Hill | 1,163 | | |
| | Labour | Edward Raven | 1,109 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 731 | 22.3 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,271 | 35.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
Ward 2 (Knowle) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Audrey Godderidge | 1,667 | 69.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Edward Brown | 1,528 | | |
| | Conservative | Thomas Morrison | 1,448 | | |
| | Liberal | Susan Rose | 538 | 22.3 | N/A |
| | Labour | Alfred Gilbert | 212 | 8.8 | N/A |
| | Labour | Peter Harris | 190 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,129 | 46.7 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,417 | 31.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
Ward 3 (Lyndon) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Bertram Hodder | 1,795 | 54.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Peter Duddy | 1,775 | | |
| | Conservative | Peter Ellis | 1,699 | | |
| | Labour | David Jamieson | 1,531 | 46.0 | N/A |
| | Labour | Douglas Gray | 1,516 | | |
| | Labour | Norman Boston | 1,347 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 264 | 7.9 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,326 | 53.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
Ward 4 (Olton) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | John Windmill | 2,102 | 53.6 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Norman Chapple | 1,926 | | |
| | Conservative | Norman Bradbeer | 1,821 | 46.4 | N/A |
| | Liberal | John Graham | 1,721 | | |
| | Conservative | Peter Mitchell | 1,586 | | |
| | Conservative | Harry Sutton | 1,498 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 281 | 7.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,923 | 43.8 | N/A |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
| | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) | Liberal win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
Ward 5 (Packwood, Hockley Heath) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Kirk Korn | 1,861 | 53.3 | N/A |
| | Independent | Keith Pickering | 1,829 | | |
| | Independent | Donald Schoon | 1,784 | | |
| | Conservative | Anthony Bond | 1,629 | 46.7 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Jennifer Davis | 1,623 | | |
| | Conservative | Mary Dingley | 1,525 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 232 | 6.6 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,490 | 37.5 | N/A |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |
Ward 6 (St. Alphege) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Ledbetter | 3,281 | 61.4 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Norman Green | 3,069 | | |
| | Conservative | Ronald Herd | 2,916 | | |
| | Liberal | Brenda Chapple | 1,038 | 19.4 | N/A |
| | Independent | William Wright | 1,025 | 19.2 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,243 | 42.0 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,344 | 42.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
Ward 7 (Shirley East) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Arthur Baverstock | 1,839 | 55.0 | N/A |
| | Independent | Leslie Belton | 1,824 | | |
| | Independent | Leslie Pitt | 1,755 | | |
| | Conservative | Vincent Humberstone | 1,502 | 45.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Joan Manuel | 1,418 | | |
| | Conservative | John Tresman | 1,387 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 337 | 10.1 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,341 | 36.2 | N/A |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |
Ward 8 (Shirley South) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Leslie Coombes | 1,393 | 48.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Michael Ellis | 1,254 | | |
| | Conservative | Ernest Scadding | 1,245 | | |
| | Labour | Martin Cumella | 836 | 28.8 | N/A |
| | Labour | John Foster | 826 | | |
| | Labour | Maureen Gee | 763 | | |
| | Independent | John Hamilton | 671 | 23.1 | N/A |
| | Independent | Francis Thornton | 650 | | |
| | Independent | Arthur Knight | 575 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 557 | 19.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,900 | 44.5 | N/A |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
Ward 9 (Shirley West) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Thomas Clark | 1,466 | 64.7 | N/A |
| | Independent | Richard Lewis | 1,403 | | |
| | Independent | Peter Miles | 1,377 | | |
| | Conservative | Anthony Hawkins | 800 | 35.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Pamela Howe | 770 | | |
| | Conservative | Derek Wadsworth | 740 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 666 | 29.4 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,266 | 33.5 | N/A |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |
Ward 10 (Silhill) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | George Hill | 2,316 | 59.0 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Bertram Hyde | 2,284 | | |
| | Conservative | Geoffrey Gibbons | 2,248 | | |
| | Independent | John Wall | 688 | 17.5 | N/A |
| | Liberal | Anthony Skuce | 560 | 14.3 | N/A |
| | Labour | Harry Hill | 358 | 9.1 | N/A |
| | Labour | Francis Deacon | 356 | | |
| | Labour | John Bevan | 353 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,628 | 41.5 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,922 | 31.3 | N/A |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
Ward 11 (Berkswell, Balsall & Meriden) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Grahame Boakes | 1,790 | 77.6 | N/A |
| | Conservative | Reginald Meddings | 1,700 | | |
| | Conservative | Anthony Wyldbore-Smith | 1,682 | | |
| | Labour | Roy Rigby | 517 | 22.4 | N/A |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,273 | 55.2 | N/A |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,307 | 33.2 | N/A |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |
| | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) | Conservative win (new seat) |