# 1979 Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Wigan Council were held on 3 May 1979, with one third of the council up for vote as well as an extra vacancy in Ward 22. The election seen Labour strengthening their grip, with six gains - mostly in the wards they lost seats in at the 1975 election - and one loss. All but one of the gains were from the Conservatives, with the other being from the Liberal's sole seat in Ward 14. A Liberal gain in Ward 15 from Labour kept them represented on the council. Owing to general election on the same day, turnout was significantly up, to 75.7% and all wards were contested - a continuation of the feat started last election.

## Election result

Wigan Local Election Result 1979 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 21 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 84.0 | 55.7 | 96,617 | +1.4% |
| Conservative | 3 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 12.0 | 37.9 | 65,756 | -5.7% |
| Liberal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 8,646 | +3.3% |
| Residents | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.3 | 2,328 | +1.3% |
| Communist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 154 | -0.1% |
This result had the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:
| Party | Party | Previous council | New council |
| | Labour | 51 | 56 |
| | Conservatives | 19 | 14 |
| | Liberals | 1 | 1 |
| | Independent | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 72 | 72 | 72 |
| Working majority | Working majority | 30 | 40 |

## Ward results

Ward 1 (Lindsay-Scholes-Whelley) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | M. Pratt | 4,517 | 67.2 | +4.3 |
| | Conservative | C. Giles | 2,206 | 32.8 | −4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,311 | 34.4 | +8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,723 | 74.4 | +40.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.3 | |
Ward 2 (Poolstock-Worsley Mesnes) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | H. Antill | 4,643 | 66.8 | 0.0 |
| | Conservative | R. Rogers | 2,311 | 33.2 | 0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,332 | 33.6 | 0.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,954 | 70.0 | +40.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 0.0 | |
Ward 3 (Gidlow-Swinley-Whitley) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | W. France | 3,989 | 47.8 | −22.7 |
| | Labour | K. Green | 2,423 | 29.0 | −0.5 |
| | Residents | M. McElligott | 1,244 | 14.9 | +14.9 |
| | Liberal | P. Davies | 691 | 8.3 | +8.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,566 | 18.8 | −22.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,297 | 73.9 | +39.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -11.1 | |
Ward 4 (Beech Hill and Marsh Green) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | N. Turner | 4,869 | 70.7 | +2.2 |
| | Conservative | W. Banister | 2,016 | 29.3 | −2.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,853 | 41.4 | +4.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,885 | 72.7 | +43.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.2 | |
Ward 5 (Highfield and Lamberhead) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | J. Smith | 4,886 | 59.0 | +6.6 |
| | Conservative | A. Foster | 3,395 | 41.0 | −6.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,491 | 18.0 | +13.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,281 | 73.3 | +47.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +6.6 | |
Ward 6 (Newtown and Rose Hill) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | M. Milligan | 4,327 | 70.3 | +3.7 |
| | Conservative | R. Bell | 1,830 | 29.7 | −3.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,497 | 40.6 | +7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,157 | 71.4 | +43.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.7 | |
Ward 7 (Hope Carr) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | D. Powell | 2,960 | 53.6 | −2.6 |
| | Labour | H. Smith | 2,564 | 46.4 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 396 | 7.2 | −5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,524 | 77.5 | +34.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.6 | |
Ward 8 (St Pauls and St Peters) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | A. Roberts | 4,269 | 67.5 | +4.8 |
| | Conservative | W. Lackenby | 1,902 | 30.1 | −3.6 |
| | Communist | H. Kedward | 154 | 2.4 | −1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,367 | 37.4 | +8.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,325 | 69.7 | +42.5 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +4.2 | |
Ward 9 (Etherstone and St Marys) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | D. Caley | 3,760 | 55.7 | +9.1 |
| | Conservative | H. Yates | 2,989 | 44.3 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 771 | 11.4 | +11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,749 | 74.5 | +41.4 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +5.7 | |
Ward 10 (Lilford-St Josephs-St Thomas) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | J. Jones | 3,440 | 51.3 | +8.5 |
| | Conservative | M. Wood | 3,260 | 48.7 | −8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 180 | 2.7 | −11.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,700 | 76.0 | +35.7 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.5 | |
Ward 11 (Golborne St Thomas and Lowton) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | B. Strett | 4,120 | 50.2 | −7.9 |
| | Conservative | T. Thompson | 3,131 | 38.2 | −3.7 |
| | Liberal | A. Nixon | 949 | 11.6 | +11.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 989 | 12.1 | −4.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,200 | 77.7 | +37.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -2.1 | |
Ward 12 (Golborne Heath Park and Ashton) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | A. Miller | 4,540 | 64.5 | −0.4 |
| | Conservative | J. Harrison | 2,503 | 35.5 | +0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,037 | 29.0 | −0.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,043 | 78.8 | +42.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.4 | |
Ward 13 (Ashton-in-Makerfield North and West) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | R. Lyons | 3,755 | 65.9 | +3.1 |
| | Conservative | B. Smith | 1,941 | 34.1 | −3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,814 | 31.8 | +6.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,696 | 75.4 | +39.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +3.1 | |
Ward 14 (Ashton-in-Makerfield Central and East) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | R. McEntegart | 3,815 | 55.1 | −1.6 |
| | Conservative | S. Hibbert | 3,110 | 44.9 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 705 | 10.2 | −3.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,925 | 75.0 | +42.5 |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | -1.6 | |
Ward 15 (Standish with Langtree and Shevington) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | J. Pigott | 4,043 | 40.7 | +18.9 |
| | Labour | J. Hardy | 3,327 | 33.5 | −6.2 |
| | Conservative | E. Howard | 2,555 | 25.7 | −12.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 716 | 7.2 | +5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,925 | 80.7 | +38.5 |
| | Liberal gain from Labour | Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | +12.5 | |
Ward 16 (Aspull) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | A. Singer | 3,860 | 47.8 | +1.8 |
| | Conservative | J. Blackledge | 3,122 | 38.7 | −9.3 |
| | Liberal | E. Hill | 1,093 | 13.5 | +7.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 738 | 9.1 | +7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,075 | 80.5 | +38.8 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.5 | |
Ward 17 (Atherton North East) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | W. Murphy | 4,712 | 65.9 | −6.2 |
| | Conservative | M. Sharland | 2,434 | 34.1 | +6.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,278 | 31.8 | −12.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,146 | 73.5 | +39.4 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -6.2 | |
Ward 18 (Atherton South West) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | J. Sumner | 2,891 | 56.3 | +8.8 |
| | Conservative | W. Perrin | 2,246 | 43.7 | −8.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 645 | 12.5 | +7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,137 | 77.8 | +35.7 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +8.8 | |
Ward 19 (Hindley Central and North) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | A. Robinson | 3,826 | 68.2 | −0.3 |
| | Conservative | M. Lunt | 1,457 | 26.0 | −5.5 |
| | Liberal | P. Gibbons | 328 | 5.8 | +5.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,369 | 42.2 | +5.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,611 | 75.8 | +44.9 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.6 | |
Ward 20 (Hindley South East and West) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | T. Wynn | 5,214 | 62.2 | +6.4 |
| | Conservative | J. Culshaw | 3,167 | 37.8 | −6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,047 | 24.4 | +12.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,381 | 75.4 | +47.1 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +6.4 | |
Ward 21 (Ince-in-Makerfield) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | A. Banks | 5,627 | 73.7 | +2.0 |
| | Conservative | M. Jones | 2,008 | 26.3 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,619 | 47.4 | +3.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,635 | 69.5 | +37.7 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.0 | |
Ward 22 (Orrell and Billinge) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | F. Fairbarn | 4,958 | 42.1 | −13.2 |
| | Labour | R. Capstick | 4,198 | 35.6 | −9.1 |
| | Conservative | M. Fox | 4,040 | | |
| | Labour | E. Nickeas | 3,567 | | |
| | Liberal | J. Fitzpatrick | 1,542 | 13.1 | +13.1 |
| | Residents | C. Hughes | 1,084 | 9.2 | +9.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 760 | 6.5 | −4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,782 | 84.4 | +48.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.0 | |
Ward 23 (Tyldesley - Shakerley) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | F. Hampson | 3,220 | 50.8 | +2.8 |
| | Conservative | H. Davies | 3,114 | 49.2 | −2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 662 | 9.5 | +5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,966 | 76.6 | +39.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +2.8 | |
Ward 24 (Tyldesley - Astley Green and Blackmoor) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | F. Hampson | 3,220 | 50.8 | +1.8 |
| | Conservative | H. Davies | 3,114 | 49.2 | −1.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 106 | 1.6 | −0.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,334 | 80.4 | +39.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +1.8 | |