# 1965 Leeds City Council election

The 1965 municipal elections for Leeds were held on Thursday 13 May 1965, with one third of the council and an extra vacancy in Allerton to be elected.
Building upon the previous year, the Conservatives fully reversed the downward trend they'd been on since 1960. With a whopping 10.2% 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.
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%.

## Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1965 :
| Party | 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:
| Party | Party | Previous council | Previous council | New council | New council |
| Party | Party | Cllr | Ald | Cllr | Ald |
| | Labour | 56 | 19 | 50 | 19 |
| | Conservatives | 28 | 9 | 34 | 9 |
| Total | Total | 84 | 28 | 84 | 28 |
| Total | Total | 112 | 112 | 112 | 112 |
| Working majority | Working majority | 28 | 10 | 16 | 10 |
| Working majority | Working majority | 38 | 38 | 26 | 26 |

## Ward results

Allerton :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 3,732 | 57.6 | +9.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,800 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +4.8 | |
Armley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Joseph Bissell | 1,907 | 52.6 | −7.2 |
| | Conservative | Kevin Anthony Beal | 1,717 | 47.4 | +19.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 190 | 5.2 | −26.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,624 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -13.1 | |
Beeston :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 1,096 | 18.3 | +17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,983 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.5 | |
Blenheim :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | William Merritt | 1,100 | 59.6 | −9.1 |
| | Conservative | Rolland Derrick Austwick | 747 | 40.4 | +9.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 353 | 19.2 | −18.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,847 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -9.1 | |
Bramley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jack Hart | 2,973 | 56.4 | +16.9 |
| | Labour | William Lord | 2,297 | 43.6 | −16.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 676 | 12.8 | −8.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,270 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +16.9 | |
Burmantofts :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 311 | 12.2 | −32.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,551 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -16.2 | |
City :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bernard Peter Atha | 724 | 61.6 | −11.7 |
| | Conservative | Michael Herbert Baker | 451 | 38.4 | +11.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 273 | 23.2 | −23.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,175 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -11.7 | |
Cross Gates :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 1,414 | 22.0 | −14.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,423 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -7.1 | |
East Hunslet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ernest Kavanagh | 1,017 | 63.1 | −9.2 |
| | Conservative | Keith Anthony Frederick Grainger | 594 | 36.9 | +9.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 423 | 26.2 | −18.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,611 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -9.2 | |
Far Headingley :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 4,256 | 48.4 | +21.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,792 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.7 | |
Halton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Hutchings Rhodes | 4,879 | 78.4 | +8.9 |
| | Labour | Doreen Hamilton | 1,347 | 21.6 | −8.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,532 | 56.7 | +17.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,226 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.9 | |
Harehills :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 1,081 | 23.4 | +11.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,617 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +5.5 | |
Holbeck :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 399 | 16.8 | −13.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,369 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -6.6 | |
Hunslet Carr :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 459 | 20.3 | −10.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,264 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.4 | |
Hyde Park :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 1,329 | 29.8 | +19.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,466 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.8 | |
Kirkstall :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 182 | 4.2 | −17.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,372 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +12.6 | |
Meanwood :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 2,183 | 45.7 | +18.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,781 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.1 | |
Middleton :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 1,356 | 55.3 | −10.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,453 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.0 | |
Moortown :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 4,047 | 52.1 | +16.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,768 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +8.4 | |
Osmondthorpe :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 618 | 30.5 | −26.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,026 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -13.0 | |
Potternewton :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 1,003 | 24.8 | +20.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,037 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +10.2 | |
Richmond Hill :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 944 | 44.9 | −26.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,103 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -13.0 | |
Roundhay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Alan Commander Johnson | 5,144 | 77.4 | +9.2 |
| | Labour | Douglas Thomas | 1,503 | 22.6 | −9.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,641 | 54.8 | +18.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,647 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.2 | |
Stanningley :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 351 | 7.7 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,546 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +10.9 | |
Wellington :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 641 | 37.5 | −14.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,708 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -7.4 | |
Westfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | May Sexton | 1,413 | 56.6 | +8.3 |
| | Labour | Stanley Cohen | 1,083 | 43.4 | −8.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 330 | 13.2 | +9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,496 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +8.3 | |
Woodhouse :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 189 | 6.8 | −12.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,789 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +12.9 | |
Wortley :
| Party | 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 | Majority | Majority | 797 | 12.8 | +7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,217 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.3 | |