# 1992 Leeds City Council election

The 1992 Leeds City Council elections were held on Thursday, 7 May 1992, with one third of the council's seats up for election.
Held one month after the 1992 general election where Conservatives won a surprise fourth term, the Conservatives in Leeds shared in that success, surpassing Labour's vote for the first time in a decade, and winning their greatest share since 1978. Despite these feats, their vote remained constant with recent elections - in stark contrast to the opposition parties, whose votes had seen dramatic falls, with the Liberal Democrat vote their lowest since 1978, and Labour's their lowest recorded since the council's creation in 1973.
The minor parties also saw disappointment, with the Liberal vote more than halved the previous year and comfortably their worst, whilst the Greens - in spite of a record number of candidates, up considerably from the year before - seen a decrease in their vote. All of which resulted in a record low in turnout, suggesting the Tory revival was driven more by their national result hurting opposition moral than any resurgence in their support.
The Conservatives were able to win their greatest number of wards since 1983, gaining a seat each from Labour and the Lib Dems in their respective marginals of Morley North and Horsforth. The Tory gain in Horsforth, as well as Labour's rise in Armley, left the Lib Dem victories confined to just two wards for the first time since 1979 (Burmantofts and Moortown), and their councillor total the lowest since 1980. The sole Independent standing, Peter Kersting, won his fourth term in Pudsey South with ease (with the first being won as Conservative).

## Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1992 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 19 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 57.6 | 38.4 | 65,813 | -7.7 |
| Conservative | 11 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 33.3 | 40.7 | 69,676 | +10.5 |
| Liberal Democrats | 2 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 6.1 | 16.1 | 27,507 | -4.1 |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 1.7 | 2,953 | +1.6 |
| Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 2.3 | 3,863 | +0.4 |
| Liberal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 1,332 | -0.7 |
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 | 68 | 67 |
| | Conservative | 21 | 23 |
| | Liberal Democrat | 9 | 8 |
| | Independent | 1 | 1 |
| Total | Total | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| Working majority | Working majority | 37 | 35 |

## Ward results

Aireborough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | R. Hughes-Rowlands | 3,851 | 51.3 | +14.1 |
| | Labour | Gerry Harper | 2,358 | 31.4 | −0.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | D. Gowland | 1,161 | 15.5 | −12.7 |
| | Green | A. Peterken | 144 | 1.9 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,493 | 19.9 | +15.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,514 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.5 | |
Armley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | James McKenna | 2,094 | 52.1 | −4.9 |
| | Conservative | J. Mortimer | 1,038 | 25.8 | +8.6 |
| | Liberal | A. Gonzalez | 450 | 11.2 | +0.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | A. Davies | 315 | 7.8 | −2.0 |
| | Green | M. Stroud | 120 | 3.0 | −2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,056 | 26.3 | −13.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,017 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -6.7 | |
Barwick & Kippax :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Keith Wakefield | 3,414 | 50.1 | −5.1 |
| | Conservative | C. Ward | 2,852 | 41.8 | +12.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | D. Lindley | 551 | 8.1 | −2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 562 | 8.2 | −17.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,817 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -8.6 | |
Beeston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | David Congreve | 1,861 | 55.6 | −6.8 |
| | Conservative | H. Woodhead | 1,105 | 33.0 | +9.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | T. Barton | 384 | 11.5 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 756 | 22.6 | −16.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,350 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -8.1 | |
Bramley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | C. Cliff | 2,477 | 60.4 | −0.8 |
| | Conservative | T. Cooper | 956 | 23.3 | +10.4 |
| | Liberal | A. St. Quintin | 291 | 7.1 | −14.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | C. Ward | 252 | 6.1 | +2.1 |
| | Green | M. Chatwood | 125 | 3.0 | +3.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,521 | 37.1 | −2.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,101 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.6 | |
Burmantofts :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | N. Mackie | 1,971 | 50.4 | +13.3 |
| | Labour | T. Ayres | 1,642 | 42.0 | −15.4 |
| | Conservative | R. Jones | 300 | 7.7 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 329 | 8.4 | −11.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,913 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | +14.3 | |
Chapel Allerton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | J. Frankland | 2,647 | 58.3 | −4.0 |
| | Conservative | I. Baxter | 1,310 | 28.8 | +8.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | J. Pullan | 367 | 8.1 | −3.1 |
| | Green | R. Mills | 219 | 4.8 | −1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,337 | 29.4 | −12.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,543 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -6.1 | |
City & Holbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Elizabeth Nash | 2,001 | 66.0 | −3.4 |
| | Conservative | D. Boynton | 542 | 17.9 | +7.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | R. Mayne | 326 | 10.8 | −4.2 |
| | Green | D. Blakemore | 163 | 5.4 | +0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,459 | 48.1 | −6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,032 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.2 | |
Cookridge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Keith Loudon | 3,989 | 63.7 | +10.7 |
| | Labour | G. Greenley | 1,132 | 18.1 | −8.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | G. Murly | 1,024 | 16.3 | −4.3 |
| | Green | P. Marchant | 122 | 1.9 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,857 | 45.6 | +19.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,267 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.5 | |
Garforth & Swillington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Thomas Murray | 3,286 | 48.3 | −8.4 |
| | Conservative | J. Stott | 2,893 | 42.5 | +13.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | R. Hutchinson | 623 | 9.2 | −4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 393 | 5.8 | −21.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,802 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -10.7 | |
Halton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Schofield | 3,451 | 58.7 | +11.9 |
| | Labour | R. Haggerty | 1,769 | 30.1 | −8.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Hollingsworth | 491 | 8.4 | −6.6 |
| | Green | D. Harbud | 165 | 2.8 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,682 | 28.6 | +19.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,876 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.9 | |
Harehills :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | L. Cohen | 2,115 | 64.2 | −3.1 |
| | Conservative | A. Wilson | 652 | 19.8 | +7.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | R. Senior | 342 | 10.4 | +0.0 |
| | Green | Andrew Tear | 186 | 5.6 | −0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,463 | 44.4 | −10.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,295 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.1 | |
Headingley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | S. Perrigo | 2,611 | 47.8 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative | G. King | 1,463 | 26.8 | +8.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | D. Goodman | 964 | 17.6 | −14.0 |
| | Green | P. Alexander | 428 | 7.8 | +7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,148 | 21.0 | +2.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,466 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.4 | |
Horsforth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | M. Addison | 3,843 | 50.7 | +10.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christopher Townsley | 2,802 | 37.0 | −5.1 |
| | Labour | C. Hooson | 723 | 9.5 | −8.6 |
| | Green | G. Williamson | 211 | 2.8 | +2.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,041 | 13.7 | +11.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,579 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | +7.9 | |
Hunslet :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Geoffrey Driver | 1,970 | 76.1 | −8.3 |
| | Conservative | A. Larvin | 454 | 17.5 | +2.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stephen Sadler | 165 | 6.4 | +6.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,516 | 58.6 | −10.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,589 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -5.1 | |
Kirkstall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Elizabeth Minkin | 2,528 | 58.4 | −1.3 |
| | Conservative | S. McBarron | 1,103 | 25.5 | +7.5 |
| | Green | A. Mander | 369 | 8.5 | −1.8 |
| | Liberal | N. Nowosielski | 327 | 7.6 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,425 | 32.9 | −8.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,327 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -4.4 | |
Middleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | F. Dignan | 1,887 | 66.0 | −6.1 |
| | Conservative | D. Jowett | 687 | 24.0 | +8.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | G. Roberts | 286 | 10.0 | −1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,200 | 42.0 | −14.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,860 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -7.0 | |
Moortown :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mark Harris | 3,301 | 49.3 | −0.9 |
| | Conservative | J. Dagwell | 2,360 | 35.2 | +7.0 |
| | Labour | M. Plenderleith | 922 | 13.8 | −7.7 |
| | Green | C. Wooding | 113 | 1.7 | +1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 941 | 14.1 | −7.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,696 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | -3.9 | |
Morley North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | A. Barraclough | 3,218 | 52.5 | +12.7 |
| | Labour | P. Jones | 2,517 | 41.0 | −7.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | G. Smith | 400 | 6.5 | −5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 701 | 11.4 | +3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,135 | | |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | +9.9 | |
Morley South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Bryan North | 2,631 | 49.3 | −5.1 |
| | Conservative | J. Galek | 1,887 | 35.3 | +9.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Thomas Leadley | 720 | 13.5 | −6.0 |
| | Green | T. Sykes | 103 | 1.9 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 744 | 13.9 | −14.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,341 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -7.1 | |
North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Peter Harrand | 3,403 | 57.4 | +2.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | W. Forshaw | 1,631 | 27.5 | +1.7 |
| | Labour | P. Moxon | 899 | 15.2 | −4.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,772 | 29.9 | +0.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,933 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +0.4 | |
Otley & Wharfedale :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | C. Hindle | 4,124 | 54.3 | +19.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | E. Diggle | 2,103 | 27.7 | −16.1 |
| | Labour | John Everleigh | 1,365 | 18.0 | −3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,021 | 26.6 | +12.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 7,592 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +17.6 | |
Pudsey North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Andrew Carter | 4,154 | 61.3 | +17.8 |
| | Labour | A. Procter | 1,515 | 22.4 | −9.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christine Glover | 970 | 14.3 | −5.8 |
| | Green | R. Notley | 139 | 2.1 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,639 | 38.9 | +27.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,778 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +13.8 | |
Pudsey South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Peter Kersting | 2,953 | 47.3 | +47.3 |
| | Conservative | L. Fletcher | 1,435 | 23.0 | −4.9 |
| | Labour | Robert Finnigan | 1,402 | 22.5 | −24.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | M. Booker | 364 | 5.8 | −19.5 |
| | Green | C. Dillon-Parkin | 85 | 1.4 | +1.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,518 | 24.3 | +5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,239 | | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | +26.1 | |
Richmond Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Michael Lyons | 2,295 | 71.4 | −2.6 |
| | Conservative | J. Birch | 510 | 15.9 | +5.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Keith Norman | 334 | 10.4 | −5.0 |
| | Green | A. Beggs | 74 | 2.3 | +2.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,785 | 55.6 | −3.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,213 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -4.0 | |
Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | R. Lund | 2,501 | 54.4 | −1.1 |
| | Conservative | A. Heeson | 1,273 | 27.7 | +5.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | A. Barber | 820 | 17.8 | −4.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,228 | 26.7 | −6.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,594 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.4 | |
Roundhay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Pat Crotty | 3,726 | 57.9 | +8.0 |
| | Labour | M. Davies | 1,420 | 22.1 | −5.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | J. Sefton | 1,059 | 16.4 | −2.0 |
| | Green | P. Ellis | 233 | 3.6 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,306 | 35.8 | +13.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,438 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +6.7 | |
Seacroft :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Graham Hyde | 2,808 | 77.0 | +0.9 |
| | Conservative | M. Collinson | 607 | 16.6 | +3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Sadie Fisher | 234 | 6.4 | −4.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,201 | 60.3 | −2.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,649 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -1.2 | |
University :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | A. Munro | 2,019 | 61.2 | −4.3 |
| | Conservative | Robert Winfield | 581 | 17.6 | +4.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | A. Norman | 358 | 10.9 | −0.7 |
| | Green | J. Noble | 340 | 10.3 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,438 | 43.6 | −9.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,298 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -4.5 | |
Weetwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | M. Castle | 2,744 | 46.1 | +8.3 |
| | Labour | Brian Selby | 1,636 | 27.5 | −7.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Joan Ewens | 1,393 | 23.4 | −3.8 |
| | Green | Claire Nash | 184 | 3.1 | +3.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,108 | 18.6 | +15.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 5,957 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +7.9 | |
Wetherby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | H. Gardiner | 5,967 | 74.4 | +15.8 |
| | Labour | S. Molloy | 1,161 | 14.5 | −3.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | T. Gittins | 889 | 11.1 | −8.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,806 | 59.9 | +21.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,017 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | +9.5 | |
Whinmoor :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Suzie Armitage | 2,044 | 46.9 | −9.0 |
| | Conservative | W. Hanbury | 1,745 | 40.0 | +9.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | A. Beck | 571 | 13.1 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 299 | 6.9 | −18.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,360 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -9.3 | |
Wortley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | P. Towler | 2,163 | 47.5 | −9.0 |
| | Conservative | E. Ashton | 1,453 | 31.9 | +11.8 |
| | Green | David Blackburn | 340 | 7.5 | +2.5 |
| | Liberal Democrats | John McArthur | 336 | 7.4 | −1.4 |
| | Liberal | P. Williams | 264 | 5.8 | −3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 710 | 15.6 | −20.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,556 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -10.4 | |

## By-elections between 1992 and 1994

Wetherby by-election 23 July 1992 replacing John Evans :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | John Procter | 3,379 | 71.3 | −3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ann 'Paddy' Beck | 772 | 16.3 | +5.2 |
| | Labour | Stephen Molloy | 586 | 12.4 | −2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,607 | 55.0 | −4.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 4,737 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -4.1 | |