# 1979 Leeds City Council election

Elections to Leeds City Council were held on the same day as the general election, with one third of the council up for election and an additional vacancy in Garforth North and Barwick. There had also been a by-election in Horsforth for the seat up in this election, with the Conservatives successfully defending it.
The general election brought out a much higher turnout, with votes cast just over double the average set by the prior elections. The Liberal's fuller slate of candidates for this election gained them a personal best, seemingly mainly at the Conservative's expense. Little advance was made from this, however, with their sole gain confined to winning the earlier mentioned Conservative-held Horsforth seat. Instead, Labour were the night's clear victors, with a total of five gains; four from the Conservatives (Burley, Kirkstall, and Morley North and Wortley) and Hunslet East and West from the Liberals.
This returned the council to no overall control, with one seat dividing the Conservatives and Labour.

## Election result

Leeds Local Election Result 1979 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 17 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 51.5 | 41.2 | 160,075 | +0.7% |
| Conservative | 14 | 0 | 5 | -5 | 42.4 | 38.5 | 149,646 | -5.3% |
| Liberal | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.1 | 17.8 | 69,227 | +5.6% |
| Ecology | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 6,064 | +0.3% |
| National Front | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1,720 | -0.7% |
| Communist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1,186 | -0.2% |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 753 | -0.5% |
This result has the following consequences for the total number of seats on the Council after the elections:
| Party | Party | Previous council | New council |
| | Conservatives | 50 | 45 |
| | Labour | 39 | 44 |
| | Liberals | 7 | 7 |
| Total | Total | 96 | 96 | 96 |
| Working majority | Working majority | 4 | 0 |

## Ward results

Aireborough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | H. Freeman | 7,973 | 43.6 | −13.1 |
| | Liberal | J. Brown | 5,832 | 31.9 | +14.9 |
| | Labour | M. Dunn | 4,198 | 22.9 | −3.5 |
| | Ecology | K. Rushworth | 301 | 1.6 | +1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,141 | 11.7 | −18.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 18,304 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -14.0 | |
Armley and Castleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | B. Nelson | 5,250 | 42.3 | −2.7 |
| | Labour | J. Kerwin-Davey | 4,678 | 37.7 | +5.9 |
| | Conservative | W. Broadbent | 2,267 | 18.3 | −1.8 |
| | National Front | D. Bentall | 141 | 1.1 | −0.2 |
| | Communist | J. Light | 80 | 0.6 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 572 | 4.6 | −8.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,416 | | |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | -4.3 | |
Beeston and Holbeck :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | H. Booth | 7,144 | 55.0 | −6.7 |
| | Conservative | W. Birch | 4,080 | 31.4 | −4.6 |
| | Liberal | M. Day | 1,633 | 12.6 | +12.6 |
| | National Front | J. Duckenfield | 140 | 1.1 | −1.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,064 | 23.6 | −2.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,997 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -1.0 | |
Bramley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | E. Millett | 4,648 | 43.7 | −10.3 |
| | Liberal | D. Selby | 3,889 | 36.5 | +18.8 |
| | Conservative | V. Drummond-Young | 2,108 | 19.8 | −6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 759 | 7.1 | −20.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,645 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -14.5 | |
Burley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | W. Kilgallon | 3,100 | 51.5 | −2.6 |
| | Conservative | M. Sexton | 1,923 | 32.0 | −7.1 |
| | Liberal | N. Flood | 659 | 11.0 | +11.0 |
| | Ecology | K. Baxter | 242 | 4.0 | +0.0 |
| | Communist | B. Jackson | 93 | 1.5 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,177 | 19.6 | +4.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 6,017 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +2.2 | |
Burmantofts and Richmond Hill :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | R. Millet | 6,122 | 46.2 | +10.9 |
| | Liberal | P. Hartshorne | 5,051 | 38.1 | −12.3 |
| | Conservative | D. Boynton | 1,850 | 14.0 | +2.4 |
| | National Front | S. Rigby | 118 | 0.9 | −0.6 |
| | Communist | M. Monkman | 102 | 0.8 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,071 | 8.1 | −7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,243 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +11.6 | |
Chapel Allerton and Scott Hall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | C. Thomas | 6,761 | 44.7 | −6.9 |
| | Labour | M. Taggart | 5,911 | 39.1 | +1.0 |
| | Liberal | R. Clay | 1,938 | 12.8 | +6.5 |
| | Ecology | C. Burrows | 395 | 2.6 | +1.9 |
| | Communist | L. Willoughby | 121 | 0.8 | −0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 850 | 5.6 | −7.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 15,126 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -3.9 | |
City and Woodhouse :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | E. Morris | 4,979 | 58.8 | −5.5 |
| | Conservative | R. Simpson | 2,207 | 26.0 | −0.5 |
| | Liberal | A. Ali | 677 | 8.0 | +3.7 |
| | Ecology | S. Parkin | 399 | 4.7 | +4.7 |
| | Communist | J. Rodgers | 211 | 2.5 | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,772 | 32.7 | −5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,473 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -2.5 | |
Cookridge and Weetwood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | K. Loudon | 11,118 | 55.9 | −8.5 |
| | Labour | M. Verity | 4,796 | 24.1 | +2.4 |
| | Liberal | D. Gazey | 3,262 | 16.4 | +4.6 |
| | Ecology | P. Lewenz | 706 | 3.6 | +1.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 6,322 | 31.8 | −10.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 19,882 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -5.4 | |
Garforth North and Barwick :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | W. Hedley | 7,352 | 53.2 | −7.2 |
| | Conservative | A. Taylor | 6,764 | | |
| | Labour | E. Smith | 5,285 | 38.3 | +5.2 |
| | Labour | B. Cook | 5,239 | | |
| | Ecology | G. Hill | 1,178 | 8.5 | +2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,067 | 15.0 | −12.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,815 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -6.2 | |
Gipton and Whinmoor :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | A. Vollans | 9,573 | 59.1 | −3.2 |
| | Conservative | W. Buckland | 4,906 | 30.3 | −4.2 |
| | Liberal | N. Mackie | 1,467 | 9.1 | +9.1 |
| | National Front | B. Spink | 257 | 1.6 | −0.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,667 | 28.8 | +1.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,203 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.5 | |
Halton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | D. Wood | 6,771 | 57.1 | −13.0 |
| | Labour | L. Worth | 3,622 | 30.5 | +3.0 |
| | Liberal | K. Norman | 1,472 | 12.4 | +12.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,149 | 26.5 | −16.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,865 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -8.0 | |
Harehills and Roundhay :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | J. White | 7,047 | 47.2 | −7.4 |
| | Labour | M. Lyons | 5,563 | 37.3 | +0.1 |
| | Liberal | D. Jones | 1,612 | 10.8 | +5.6 |
| | Ecology | A. Hill | 473 | 3.2 | +1.6 |
| | National Front | L. Spink | 223 | 1.5 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,484 | 9.9 | −7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 14,918 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -3.7 | |
Headingley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jean Searle | 3,914 | 36.6 | −8.5 |
| | Labour | Mary Dalwood | 3,786 | 35.4 | +2.3 |
| | Liberal | David Rolfe | 2,254 | 21.1 | +7.1 |
| | Ecology | Claire Nash | 467 | 4.4 | +0.6 |
| | Communist | Barry Cooper | 279 | 2.6 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 128 | 1.2 | −10.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,700 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -5.4 | |
Horsforth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | R. Howe | 5,625 | 45.8 | +1.7 |
| | Conservative | M. Frame | 4,511 | 36.8 | −4.6 |
| | Labour | A. Radford | 1,819 | 14.8 | +3.7 |
| | Ecology | D. Darnborough | 316 | 2.6 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,114 | 9.1 | +6.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,271 | | |
| | Liberal gain from Conservative | Liberal gain from Conservative | Swing | +3.1 | |
Hunslet East and West :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Trevor Park | 6,166 | 56.1 | +6.3 |
| | Liberal | P. Jones | 2,902 | 26.4 | +13.4 |
| | Conservative | C. Hudson | 1,563 | 14.2 | +3.2 |
| | National Front | N. Griffiths | 243 | 2.2 | −0.4 |
| | Communist | J. Hodgson | 111 | 1.0 | +1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,264 | 29.7 | +3.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,985 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal | Labour gain from Liberal | Swing | -3.5 | |
Kippax and Swillington :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | G. Moakes | 6,453 | 60.2 | +1.2 |
| | Conservative | R. Dawson | 3,284 | 30.7 | −10.3 |
| | Liberal | N. Parnaby | 975 | 9.1 | +9.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,169 | 29.6 | +11.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,712 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +5.7 | |
Kirkstall :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Illingworth | 4,822 | 52.6 | −4.2 |
| | Conservative | John Hamilton | 3,318 | 36.2 | −3.0 |
| | Liberal | Laurence Keates | 1,032 | 11.3 | +11.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,504 | 16.4 | −1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,172 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | -0.6 | |
Middleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | G. Wood | 6,797 | 70.0 | −7.4 |
| | Conservative | A. Larvin | 1,848 | 19.0 | −0.3 |
| | Liberal | R. James | 1,069 | 11.0 | +11.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,949 | 50.9 | −7.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,714 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -3.5 | |
Moortown :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | R. Challenor | 5,316 | 54.7 | −8.2 |
| | Labour | T. Taylor | 3,064 | 31.5 | −2.2 |
| | Liberal | Dorothea Leser | 1,133 | 11.7 | +11.7 |
| | Ecology | A. Varley | 209 | 2.1 | −1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,252 | 23.2 | −6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 9,722 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -3.0 | |
Morley North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | P. Jones | 6,376 | 47.6 | −1.7 |
| | Conservative | R. Verity | 6,261 | 46.8 | −4.0 |
| | Independent | B. Morris | 753 | 5.6 | +5.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 115 | 0.9 | −0.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 13,390 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.1 | |
Morley South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | B. North | 7,293 | 61.6 | −0.7 |
| | Conservative | A. Grayson | 4,538 | 38.4 | +0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,755 | 23.3 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,831 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.7 | |
Osmondthorpe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | W. Prichard | 5,025 | 62.1 | −4.6 |
| | Conservative | D. Schofield | 1,983 | 24.5 | −5.7 |
| | Liberal | P. Gilbert | 966 | 11.9 | +11.9 |
| | National Front | M. Spink | 117 | 1.4 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,042 | 37.6 | +1.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,091 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.5 | |
Otley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Stephen Day (MP) | 5,139 | 43.8 | −6.3 |
| | Liberal | H. Morgan | 4,486 | 38.3 | +1.2 |
| | Labour | W. Imeson | 1,868 | 15.9 | +3.7 |
| | Ecology | D. Corry | 185 | 1.6 | +1.6 |
| | Communist | A. Oddy | 50 | 0.4 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 653 | 5.6 | −7.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,728 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -3.7 | |
Pudsey North :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | I. Favell | 4,898 | 40.5 | −18.7 |
| | Liberal | A. Booker | 3,958 | 32.7 | +19.8 |
| | Labour | P. Burrill | 3,243 | 26.8 | −1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 940 | 7.8 | −23.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 12,099 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -19.2 | |
Pudsey South :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | P. Kersting | 4,541 | 40.4 | −2.6 |
| | Liberal | N. Gadsby | 4,386 | 39.0 | +3.1 |
| | Labour | T. Watson | 2,311 | 20.6 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 155 | 1.4 | −5.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 11,238 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.8 | |
Rothwell :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | B. Walker | 10,429 | 62.9 | +0.5 |
| | Conservative | T. Crystal | 6,140 | 37.1 | +1.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,289 | 25.9 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,569 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -0.7 | |
Seacroft :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | George Mudie (politician) | 7,432 | 70.4 | +0.1 |
| | Conservative | D. Townsley | 2,812 | 26.6 | −0.1 |
| | National Front | C. Cannon | 169 | 1.6 | −1.3 |
| | Communist | B. Wilson | 139 | 1.3 | +1.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,620 | 43.8 | +0.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,552 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | +0.1 | |
Stanningley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | C. Myers | 4,540 | 51.2 | −9.0 |
| | Conservative | K. Knapton | 2,396 | 27.0 | −4.0 |
| | Liberal | B. Jacques | 1,762 | 19.9 | +12.8 |
| | National Front | M. Gibson | 173 | 2.0 | +0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,144 | 24.2 | −5.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 8,871 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | -2.5 | |
Talbot :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | R. Feldman | 6,146 | 58.3 | −11.0 |
| | Labour | T. Midwood | 2,490 | 23.6 | +3.7 |
| | Liberal | M. Phillips | 1,443 | 13.7 | +7.7 |
| | Ecology | A. Plummer | 459 | 4.4 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,656 | 34.7 | −14.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,538 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -7.3 | |
Wetherby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | H. Gardiner | 10,826 | 67.5 | −4.0 |
| | Labour | M. Moynihan | 2,258 | 14.1 | +1.4 |
| | Liberal | J. Scott | 2,210 | 13.8 | +5.3 |
| | Ecology | M. Sellers | 734 | 4.6 | −2.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 8,568 | 53.5 | −5.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 16,028 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | -2.7 | |
Wortley :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | W. Thurlow | 4,284 | 40.6 | −3.9 |
| | Conservative | R. Robson | 3,849 | 36.5 | −7.2 |
| | Liberal | W. Moss | 2,284 | 21.6 | +11.9 |
| | National Front | A. Smith | 139 | 1.3 | −0.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 435 | 4.1 | +3.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 10,556 | | |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing | +1.6 | |