# 1970 Cardiff City Council election

The 1970 Cardiff City Council election was held on Thursday 7 May 1970 to elect councillors to Cardiff City Council in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. It took place on the same day as many other local elections in Wales and England.
The previous elections to this one were in May 1969 and the next elections would be in May 1971. These would be some of the last all-Cardiff elections before the dissolution of the unitary authority and the creation of the new second-tier district authority of Cardiff City Council in 1974.
The election saw the Labour Party taking seats from the Conservatives.

## Background

Cardiff County Borough Council had been created in 1889. Cardiff became a city in 1905. Elections to the local authority were held annually, though not all council seats were included in each contest, because each of the three councillors in each ward stood down for election in rotation. The councillors elected in 1970 would be the last to serve a full three year term in office. Nineteen seats in 19 electoral wards were up for election in May 1970.

## Overview of the result

The Labour Party recovered the position they had been in prior to the 1967 election, gaining three seats from the Conservatives. This was credited to the fact Labour's supporters had come out to vote, rather than staying home as they had done at the last election. The campaign against the new hook road in the north of the city was a factor. Two wards where Labour made gains, Cathays and Central, were directly affected. Bill Herbert, who won in the Central ward, was chairman of the Cardiff United Residents Association and a leading campaigner against the new road.
The most prominent casualty of the election was Councillor Mary Hallinan, the Lady Mayoress, who lost her seat in the Central ward. The morning after the election, the Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Alderman Lincoln Hallinan, broke an 18 year tradition when he refused to welcome the three newly elected (Labour) councillors, Herbert, Matthewson and Edwards, in his parlour. He later agreed to meet them before the first council meeting the following week.
Despite winning their first seat on the council in 1969, and fielding a large number of candidates at the 1970 election, Plaid Cymru performed poorly, though managed to come second in Llandaff.

### Council composition

Following the May 1970 election the balance on the city council was 57 Conservatives, 18 Labour and one Plaid Cymru.

## Ward results

Contests took place in every ward at this election.

### Adamsdown

Adamsdown ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | John Patrick Keohane * | 1,503 |
| | Conservative | John Terence Curran | 960 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 543 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |

### Canton

Canton ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Trevor Tyrrell * | 1,665 |
| | Labour | Dengar Robinson Evans | 1,283 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Reginald James Stuart | 332 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 382 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Cathays

Cathays ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | John Charles Edwards | 2,323 |
| | Conservative | Bernard Arthur Bateman * | 1,955 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Terence Hiley O'Neill | 507 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 368 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |

### Central

Central ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | William Penry Herbert | 1,385 |
| | Conservative | Mary Hallinan * | 1,090 |
| | Liberal | Richard Michael James | 186 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Dennis O'Neill | 152 |
| | Ratepayer | Denis George Parberry | 35 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 295 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |

### Ely

Ely ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | William Carling * | 2,989 |
| | Conservative | Joan Joshua | 1,239 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Gerallt Wyn Davies | 649 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,750 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |

### Gabalfa

Gabalfa ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | William Emrys Pride * | 2,752 |
| | Conservative | Russell Gabe-Wilkinson | 1,598 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Brian Morgan Edwards | 620 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,154 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |

### Grangetown

Grangetown ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Armour Bernard Matthewson | 1,260 |
| | Conservative | Anthea Jean Thomas | 1,249 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Peter Stayeley McMullen | 315 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 11 |
| | Labour gain from Conservative | Labour gain from Conservative | Swing |
Bernard Matthewson, a former city councillor, won after a recount.

### Llanishen

Llanishen ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Lionel E. Pugh * | 3,317 |
| | Labour | John Gilbert May | 1,763 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Hugh Rosser Jordan | 617 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,554 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Llandaff

Llandaff ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Julius Hermer * | 2,642 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Gwen Humphreys | 842 |
| | Labour | Norma Lorraine Maylin | 701 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,800 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Penylan

Penylan ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Jean Lewis * | 4,410 |
| | Labour | Yvette Roblin | 1,479 |
| | Plaid Cymru | (Mrs) Ron Morgan Edwards | 568 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,231 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
This was claimed to be the first ever all-woman ward election in Cardiff.

### Plasmawr

Plasmawr ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Hubert Harding * | 2,538 |
| | Conservative | Frederick John Jones | 1,560 |
| | Plaid Cymru | David John Davies | 1,066 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 978 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |

### Plasnewydd

Plasnewydd ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Olwen Watkin * | 2,188 |
| | Labour | Michael John Parry | 1,190 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Philip Broan Richards | 398 |
| | Liberal | Elizabeth Davina Forrest | 276 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 998 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Rhiwbina

Rhiwbina ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Martin Rodney Davies * | 3,042 |
| | Labour | William Michael Walker | 938 |
| | Plaid Cymru | William Gwynfor Hughes | 858 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2.102 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Riverside

Riverside ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | David C. Parnell * | 1,525 |
| | Labour | Thomas Clifford Lee | 885 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Robert Francis Thomas | 324 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 640 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Roath

Roath ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Ronald Richards * | 3,242 |
| | Labour | John Stuart Scrivens | 851 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,391 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Rumney

Rumney ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | John Noel Rees * | 2,876 |
| | Conservative | Sylvia Brown | 1,777 |
| | Plaid Cymru | Michael Coughlin | 498 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,099 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |

### South

South ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | Terence Roche * | 1,660 |
| | Labour | Harold George Bartlett | 1,504 |
| | Communist | Frank Taylor | 64 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 156 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |

### Splott

Splott ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Labour | Manuel C. Delgado * | 2,438 |
| | Conservative | Francis Joseph McCarthy | 1,619 |
| | Communist | Richard Horatio Spencer | 45 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 819 |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing |

### Whitchurch

Whitchurch ward 1970 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes |
| | Conservative | George Everson Brown * | 2,490 |
| | Labour | Henry Gordon Howell | 1,168 |
| | Plaid Cymru | David Gareth Williams | 401 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,322 |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing |
* = 'retiring' ward councillor for re-election