# 1978 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election

The 1978 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council in England. This election was held on the same day as other local elections.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Seats | ± |
| Conservative | 45 | 3 |
| Labour | 16 | 2 |
| Liberal | 5 | 1 |

## Election results
### Overall election result

Overall result compared with 1976.
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council election results, 1978 :
| Party | Party | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Candidates | Votes | Votes | Votes |
| Party | Party | Stood | Elected | Gained | Unseated | Net | % of total | % | No. | Net % |
| | Conservative | 23 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 59.1 | 55.7 | 51,523 | 1.4 |
| | Labour | 23 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 27.3 | 28.4 | 26,246 | 1.5 |
| | Liberal | 17 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 13.6 | 15.4 | 14,231 | 3.0 |
| | National Front | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.2 | 209 | N/A |
| | Independent | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.2 | 191 | 0.2 |
| | Communist | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 0.0 | 0.1 | 59 | 0.1 |

## Ward results
### Birkenhead
#### No. 1 (Argyle-Clifton-Holt)

Argyle-Clifton-Holt :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Richard Kimberly | 1,240 | 52.7 | 5.8 |
| | Liberal | Anna Blumenthal | 527 | 22.4 | 16.9 |
| | Conservative | B. Jones | 506 | 21.5 | 7.7 |
| | National Front | Howard Hawksley | 78 | 3.3 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 713 | 30.3 | 22.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,259 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 32.4 | 1.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 11.4 | |

#### No. 2 (Bebington and Mersey)

Bebington and Mersey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | S. Kellett | 1,200 | 48.8 | 7.7 |
| | Conservative | M. Riley | 1,116 | 45.4 | 5.5 |
| | Liberal | M. McDonnell | 144 | 5.9 | 2.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 84 | 3.4 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 7,556 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 32.6 | 2.0 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 6.6 | |

#### No. 3 (Cathcart-Claughton-Cleveland)

Cathcart-Claughton-Cleveland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Roy Perkins | 1,366 | 38.8 | 4.1 |
| | Conservative | D. Stoppard | 1,318 | 37.4 | 5.1 |
| | Labour | Walter Smith | 841 | 23.9 | 2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 48 | 1.4 | 9.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,641 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.8 | 0.2 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | 4.6 | |

#### No. 4 (Devonshire and Egerton)

Devonshire and Egerton (2) :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Myrra Lea | 1,789 | 43.3 | 2.2 |
| | Conservative | E. Williams | 1,724 | – | – |
| | Labour | J. Macdougall | 1,361 | 32.9 | 1.3 |
| | Labour | R. Leeper | 1,299 | – | – |
| | Liberal | G. Quinn | 982 | 23.8 | 0.9 |
| | Liberal | A. Halliday | 944 | – | – |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 428 | 10.4 | 3.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,925 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 34.6 | 0.3 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | 1.8 | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | – | |

#### No. 5 (Gilbrook and St James)

Gilbrook and St James :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | J. Flynn | 1,927 | 72.2 | 13.5 |
| | Conservative | T. Bird | 493 | 18.5 | 2.4 |
| | Liberal | D. Murgatroyd | 250 | 9.4 | 11.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,434 | 53.7 | 15.9 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,376 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 31.9 | 0.6 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 8.0 | |

#### No. 6 (Grange and Oxton)

Grange and Oxton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Gordon Lindsay | 2,564 | 47.7 | 14.7 |
| | Conservative | R. Hardy | 1,980 | 36.8 | 11.8 |
| | Labour | Andrew Davies | 833 | 15.5 | 2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 584 | 10.9 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,242 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.6 | 0.7 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | 13.3 | |

#### No. 7 (Prenton)

Prenton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | M. Baker | 2,993 | 65.2 | 0.6 |
| | Labour | F. Naylor | 1,597 | 34.8 | 7.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,396 | 30.4 | 7.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 15,422 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 29.7 | 3.3 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 3.6 | |

#### No. 8 (Upton)

Upton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | S. Hibbert | 3,256 | 59.9 | 3.0 |
| | Labour | J. Seaman | 2,180 | 40.1 | 0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,076 | 19.8 | 3.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 21,661 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 25.1 | 2.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 1.8 | |

### Wallasey
#### No. 9 (Leasowe)

Leasowe :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Clark | 2,004 | 55.4 | 5.2 |
| | Conservative | A. Smith | 1,481 | 40.9 | 0.8 |
| | Liberal | M. Canning | 133 | 3.7 | 5.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 523 | 14.5 | 4.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,982 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 30.2 | 6.1 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 2.2 | |

#### No. 10 (Marlowe-Egremont-South Liscard)

Marlowe-Egremont-South-Liscard :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | S. Morgan | 2,404 | 59.6 | 4.7 |
| | Labour | G. Watkins | 1,379 | 34.2 | 4.8 |
| | Liberal | S. Pollit | 253 | 6.3 | 9.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,025 | 25.4 | 0.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,770 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 31.6 | 2.9 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 0.1 | |

#### No. 11 (Moreton and Saughall Massie)

Moreton and Saughall Massie :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | L. Young | 1,596 | 53.3 | 0.5 |
| | Labour | Jim Edwards | 1,273 | 42.5 | 5.6 |
| | Liberal | J. Jenkins | 124 | 4.1 | 2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 323 | 10.8 | 6.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 8,168 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 36.6 | 5.7 |
| | Conservative gain from Labour | Conservative gain from Labour | Swing | 3.1 | |

#### No. 12 (New Brighton-Wallasey-Warren)

New Brighton-Wallasey-Warren :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | D. Moir | 4,176 | 63.7 | 10.6 |
| | Liberal | N. Thomas | 1,856 | 28.3 | 9.6 |
| | Labour | W. Edwards | 525 | 8.0 | 1.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,320 | 35.4 | 20.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,454 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 45.4 | 0.6 |
| | Conservative gain from Liberal | Conservative gain from Liberal | Swing | 10.1 | |

#### No. 13 (North Liscard-Upper Brighton Street)

North Liscard-Upper Brighton Street :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jack Redhead | 2,651 | 75.5 | 16.8 |
| | Labour | B. Lloyd | 591 | 16.8 | 0.6 |
| | Liberal | J. Barton | 270 | 7.7 | 17.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,060 | 58.7 | 25.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,546 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 30.4 | 3.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 12.5 | |

#### No. 14 (Seacombe-Poulton-Somerville)

Seacombe-Poulton-Somerville :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Phoebe Bentzien | 2,187 | 58.0 | 0.4 |
| | Conservative | M. Kemble | 1,248 | 33.1 | 3.1 |
| | Liberal | P. Mawdsley | 143 | 3.8 | 1.7 |
| | National Front | John Fishwick | 131 | 3.5 | New |
| | Communist | R. Harris | 59 | 1.6 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 939 | 24.9 | 2.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,223 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 33.6 | 0.2 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 1.4 | |

### Bebington
#### No. 15 (Higher Bebington and Woodhey)

Higher Bebington and Woodhey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Frank Theaker | 3,285 | 71.2 | 4.7 |
| | Labour | Audrey Moore | 921 | 20.0 | 4.1 |
| | Liberal | Penelope Globy | 410 | 8.9 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,364 | 51.2 | 0.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,181 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 45.3 | 4.2 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 0.3 | |

#### No. 16 (Park-New Ferry-North Bromborough)

Park-New Ferry-North Bromborough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | S. Price | 2,082 | 52.2 | 4.8 |
| | Conservative | T. Stacey | 1,905 | 47.8 | 4.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 177 | 4.4 | 0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 9,828 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 40.6 | 2.3 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | 0.4 | |

#### No. 17 (South Bromborough and Eastham)

South Bromborough and Eastham :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal | Phillip Gilchrist | 3,729 | 58.1 | 20.1 |
| | Conservative | B. Davies | 1,749 | 27.3 | 8.7 |
| | Labour | R. Dunning | 940 | 14.6 | 11.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,980 | 30.8 | N/A |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,985 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 45.9 | 2.0 |
| | Liberal gain from Labour | Liberal gain from Labour | Swing | 14.4 | |

#### No. 18 (Lower Bebington and Poulton)

Lower Bebington and Poulton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | J. Zowe | 3,630 | 65.3 | 5.8 |
| | Labour | R. Woods | 1,015 | 18.2 | 0.5 |
| | Liberal | Thomas Harney | 918 | 16.5 | 6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,615 | 47.1 | 5.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 14,163 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 39.3 | 6.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 2.7 | |

### Hoylake
#### No. 19 (Caldy and Frankby)

Caldy and Frankby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | W. Lloyd | 3,523 | 74.5 | 2.2 |
| | Liberal | B. Crosby | 562 | 11.9 | 5.0 |
| | Labour | John McCabe | 454 | 9.6 | 1.2 |
| | Independent | J. Ellison | 191 | 4.0 | New |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,961 | 62.6 | 7.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 13,589 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 34.8 | 3.4 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 3.6 | |

#### No. 20 (Central-Hoose-Meols-Park)

Central-Hoose-Meols-Park :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | William Whitehurst | 4,051 | 86.0 | 16.2 |
| | Labour | David Jackson | 660 | 14.0 | 7.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,391 | 72.0 | 25.6 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 12,150 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 38.8 | 5.5 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 12.8 | |

### Wirral
#### No. 21 (Barnston-Gayton-Heswall-Oldfield)

Barnston-Gayton-Heswall-Oldfield :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | P. Wilson | 3,859 | 91.1 | 5.8 |
| | Labour | P. Wallace | 375 | 8.9 | 4.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,484 | 82.2 | 7.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 11,581 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 36.6 | 6.8 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 3.6 | |

#### No. 22 (Irby-Pensby-Thurstaston)

Irby-Pensby-Thurstaston :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | David Fletcher | 2,514 | 79.2 | 14.1 |
| | Labour | H. Ellis-Thomas | 661 | 20.8 | 2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,853 | 58.4 | 11.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 10,048 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 31.6 | 6.7 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | 5.6 | |